Welcome to the first bonus edition of the 535 One Minutes.

On the House floor, any member can claim one minute at the microphone to talk about anything they want. We borrowed the clock. At the end of our 535 interviews, we ask our guests a round of rapid-fire questions: no staff, no notes, no talking points. Just sixty seconds with the people behind the policy. Every week, we pull together the best answers.

Usually, the clock belongs to members of Congress. But with Election Day less than two weeks away and most members out campaigning, this October we're putting the questions to the people who've run Congress from the inside: top aides, Senate veterans and the strategists working the final stretch.

This week:
- Sen. Andy Kim on the cat paw prints hidden in the Capitol, and the legend of the demon cat
- Drew Hammill and Matt Sparks, former top aides to Speakers Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy, finish the sentence "Washington is…"
- Scott Sloofman, former staff director of the Senate Republican Communications Center, makes the case for canceling the State of the Union
- Adam Jentleson author of "Supermajority" and former deputy chief of staff to Sen. Harry Reid, on what he learned from his old boss
- Lauren French of Senate Majority PAC on why bad bosses teach you the most
- Rey Fuentes of the Roosevelt Institute on D.C.'s best ritual

Watch the video and the full interviews at 535.news.

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