Stevenson’s army, January 9

– The House votes today on a package of rules for the 118th Congress. Much of it is public, but Punchbowl News reports there is a secret 3 page addendum.

The rules package was at the center of McCarthy’s fight for the speakership. The 55-page document lays out the GOP priorities for the next two years and the procedures Republicans will use to run the chamber.

However, there’s also a secret three-page addendum that McCarthy and his allies hashed out during several days of grueling negotiations with the House Freedom Caucus. This pact includes the most controversial concessions McCarthy made in order to become speaker – three seats on the Rules Committee for conservatives, freezing spending at FY2022 levels, a debt-ceiling strategy, coveted committee assignments and more.

WSJ confirms the plan includes defense spending cuts.

A sobering piece in Foreign Affairs warns that the US faces “a period of protracted regime instability, marked by repeated constitutional crises, heightened political violence, and possibly, periods of authoritarian rule.”

Sweden says it can’t meet Turkish demands for NATO membership.

Politico says Wagner Group is active in Europe and Africa.

Military Times summarizes the year of US strikes in Somalia.

WaPo says social media helped bring out the violent mobs in Brasilia.

I don’t normally see the Washington Monthly, but it has released its latest edition,which looks to have some interesting reads.