Here’s your it’s-never-too-early-for-happy-hour afternoon Glencairn whiskey glass of politics, from Joshua Miller of the Boston Globe in Dorchester en route to moderate a panel at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate.
GOP SEARCHING FOR ORDER IN HOUSE, via David M. Herszenhorn of the New York Times: “House Republicans started meeting Friday morning at the Capitol to begin charting a path forward after Representative Kevin McCarthy of California’s stunning withdrawal from the race for speaker dashed expectations of an orderly succession and threw Congress deeper into turmoil. The struggle to restore order to their leadership comes as they confront major fiscal issues with rapidly approaching deadlines ...” http://nyti.ms/1WRgzuq
PAUL RYAN MULLING BID? via CNN: “Rep. Paul Ryan is telling House Republicans privately he is considering running for speaker, several members say. ...” http://cnn.it/1L3O8V1
I ASKED MASS. SENATE PRESIDENT Stanley C. Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, what he thinks of the chaos in Washington and he offered a quick, wry response. “What chaos in Washington, D.C.? Everything is quiet and working well here,” he replied with a laugh.
“There’s just such a huge difference between this bipartisanship here and how well we’re getting along — and what’s going on in Washington,” he said yesterday evening after a near-unanimous and bipartsian majority of the Senate passed a budget bill. “Gridlock does not serve the people well.”
DEAR CHARLIE — THE EPISTLE OF FRANK TO THE GOV, via Frank Phillips in the Boston Globe: “Governor, you seem to be defying political gravity. Though you won the governor’s office by only a slim margin, polls show you sustaining unprecedented favorable ratings as you wrap up the final months of your first year in office. But there is a shelf life to high poll numbers, and governors are often the first to feel the wrath of the public’s unrest and frustration. The questions for you are: When does that happen, how hard do you get hit, and how well can you and your political team manage the storm? ... You need a second act. Being a good technocrat is not going to cut it when the waters get choppy. ... ” With a memorable Bill Brett photo of pervious govs: http://bit.ly/1MiGbgP
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DRAFTKINGS NEWS DU JOUR, via Curt Nickisch of WBUR: “Along with reviews by regulators and lawmakers, the Boston-based daily fantasy sports business DraftKings now faces a federal class action lawsuit. ...” http://bit.ly/1jfrhwK
CONN. — STUDY FINDS THAT STATE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION OUTPACES PRIVATE SECTOR, via Daniela Altimari of the Hartford Courant: “A new study funded by a conservative think tank found that state employees enjoy compensation packages far richer than those available to most private sector workers. The review, commissioned by the Yankee Institute ... comes in the context of growing debate on the wages and benefits of government workers. ... A key finding: although the average private-sector worker in Connecticut earned a slightly higher salary, the average state employee received benefits worth nearly twice that offered to workers not on the government payroll. ...” http://bit.ly/1LDGVOJ
N.H. — PIPELINE POLITICS, via Kimberly Houghton of the New Hampshire Union Leader: “Officials with Kinder Morgan announced Thursday that they are exploring a modification to the proposed pipeline route that would bring the natural gas pipeline closer to the Everett Turnpike. ...” http://bit.ly/1RxN3a7
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LOVED THIS LOGAN STORY ABOUT CARS THAT NEVER TOOK FLIGHT, via Donna Goodison of the Boston Herald: “They landed at Logan International Airport, but no one’s come to claim them. Now Massport will auction 95 cars next week that have been abandoned at the Boston airport’s parking garages and lots, many of them for years. Cars on the preliminary list of those about to hit the block range from a 1991 Isuzu Trooper to a 2009 BMW. There’s a Mini Cooper, a 2005 Jeep, and a few Mercedes and Ford Explorers. All will be offered in as-is condition, including no keys. ... Between 10 and 20 cars per year are left unclaimed at Logan, and Massport has no inkling of the stories behind them ...” But we all can imagine! http://bit.ly/1L3OniC
THAT BUZZING OVERHEAD, via Catherine Cloutier of the Boston Globe: “... Drones are often associated with faraway dusty battlefields. But in Massachusetts and elsewhere, companies are taking advantage of the technology to obtain a different viewpoint, whether it be during rescue missions, scientific research, or even real estate sales. As of the end of August, 22 Massachusetts-based companies and organizations had received a permit from the Federal Aviation Administration to legally fly commercial unmanned aircraft, according to FAA data ...” http://bit.ly/1RxXA5g
ONE WAY TO START YOUR WEEKEND WITH A SPLASH— “A police car chase in Perth [Australia] ended with the suspect driving his 4x4 vehicle into the Indian Ocean. ...” VIDEO via theguardian.com: http://bit.ly/1jThDjf
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Surely there was a better way to make an escape. I hope you are making yours for the (long or regular) weekend soon.
I’ll be back on Tuesday.
Joshua Miller can be reached at joshua.miller@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jm_bos and subscribe to his weekday e-mail update on politics at bostonglobe.com/politicalhappyhour