NOTABLES --WHY KEVIN MCCARTHY DROPPED OUT OF THE RACE FOR HOUSE SPEAKER: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy made up his mind to pull out of the race to be House speaker yesterday after hearing from chamber conservatives that they would directly challenge him on the House floor, sources say. ABC's JONATHAN KARL reports, McCarthy's team determined he only had 175 to 200 House republicans whom they could count on voting for him, well short of the 218 needed.