The Republican speaker of the House is retiring at age 48 three years after his predecessor resigned, unable to handle his caucus. One Republican House member has been arrested for insider trading but says he’s still running for re-election. Another Republican House member has been accused of covering up sexual abuse during his time as a college wrestling coach, but he’s launched a bid for House speaker anyway.
Meanwhile, NBC News is surveying Democrats about whether they will support Nancy Pelosi to lead their party in the House in the next term. Because priorities!
Sure, it’s possible to walk and chew gum at the same time, but the media treats “Democrats in disarray” stories as the walking part—the basic function—and “what are Republicans going to do about their scandal-ridden members” stories as the chewing gum part—the fun extra thing to do if you have the bandwidth.