Word on the Hill: ‘SNL’ Returns

By Alex Gangitano

Posted September 29, 2017 at 5:00am

Last season, “Saturday Night Live” brought Americans entertaining and hard-to-not-laugh-at impersonations of politicians before and after the 2016 election, especially those in President Donald Trump’s inner circle.

After a couple of Emmy awards and celebrations, a new season is here.

The NBC show — for which Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was famously a writer and cast member — has its Season 43 premier Saturday with host Ryan Gosling. Any ideas about which member of the Trump administration he might play?

Weekly recap

Aside from Alabama’s Senate race, health care and Puerto Rico, the National Press Club Spelling Bee and the Congressional Basketball Game also kept members busy. But the highlight of the week was when Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., returned to the Capitol for votes Thursday after three months away recovering from being shot at a Republican Congressional Baseball Game practice in June.

Scalise spoke on the floor to a full House, which included a few senators too, about the power of prayer and how excited he was to be back. It was hard to find a dry eye in the chamber.

Following the speech, members lined up to say hello to their colleague. A few even took selfies with him, which is against the no-photographs rule on the House floor.

So thankful to have @SteveScalise come back to the House today! He’s an inspiration to us all & an answer to prayer.🙏🏻 God is good! pic.twitter.com/8t9peVAm27

— Rep. Vicky Hartzler (@RepHartzler) September 28, 2017

Happy Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur begins at sundown tonight and continues into Saturday evening. The holiest day of the Jewish calendar, it is the Day of Atonement, following 10 days after Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

Overheard on the Hill

“I’m not like John Boehner, I’m not a big crier, but I was just a babbling idiot. I couldn’t compose myself.”— Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Majority Whip Steve Scalise’s return to the House.