(POLITICO) House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, shot Wednesday during a congressional baseball practice, was undergoing his third surgery Thursday morning as his colleagues gathered to discuss the horrific shooting and share cautious optimism about the congressman's recovery.

The Louisiana Republican remained in critical condition early Thursday as doctors at MedStar Washington Hospital Center began a third operation. The bullet had fractured bones and torn through internal organs, according to a hospital statement late Wednesday night. And Scalise, who suffered severe blood loss, had multiple units of blood transfusions.

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