Here is the news to know Wednesday. |
After dramatic moments of seriousness and smiles, McCarthy is out. What happens now? |
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been voted out of the job in an extraordinary showdown, a first in U.S. history. The 216-210 vote was forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives and throws the House and its Republican leadership into chaos. |
How did we get here? Among one of the key concessions McCarthy made to conservative hardliners in his bid for the speakership in January was allowing a single lawmaker to initiate a motion to vacate. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has flirted with using this power and has now finally followed up on his threats after McCarthy worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown over the weekend. |
| • | Noting that only a small minority – 8 members – of the House GOP conference voted to oust McCarthy, the former speaker said there was an "institutional problem" behind the vote to push him out. | | • | A permanent speaker now must be elected. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a McCarthy supporter, will serve as temporary speaker until lawmakers return next week to elect a new leader. McCarthy does not plan to run for the position again. | | • | And don't forget about the shutdown threat. Now the House faces a leadership in chaos at the same time lawmakers have just weeks to compromise on a slate of spending bills to avoid a government shutdown. | | Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walking from chambers after being voted out as Speaker of the House on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY |
Bus carrying tourists crashes in Venice |
Firefighters worked until dawn Wednesday to remove the wreckage of a bus that crashed in a borough of Venice, Italy, across the lagoon from its historic center, killing 21 people and injuring at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby camping site. The victims included at least four Ukrainians and a German citizen, according to Venice prefecture. The bus — which was new and electric — was carrying foreign tourists when it fell from an elevated street on Tuesday evening, catching fire. Read more | Italian firefighters work at the scene of a passenger bus accident in Mestre, near Venice, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Antonio Calanni, AP |
Massive emergency alert test scheduled to hit your phone |
Get ready to not freak out. On Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2:20 p.m. EDT, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert. It's a test – only a test. No, it's not a national conspiracy. Yes, it does go back all the way to the Cold War in the 1950s. No, we can't play you the tone – we could get hit with a big fine if we did. But mostly the test is an important way to make sure that if something really bad – and really big – happens, Americans can be warned quickly. Read more |
Is 'unwavering' support for Ukraine starting to waver? |
Congress is haggling over funding for the Ukraine war and one of Kyiv's staunchest allies saw a pro-Russian political party take the top prize in recent parliamentary elections as the brutal conflict rages on with no end in sight. President Joe Biden and the State Department pledge "unwavering support" for Ukraine, and the European Union's Josep Borrell on Tuesday reaffirmed the bloc's "unwavering support" for the Kyiv government with militarily and humanitarian aid as well as efforts to join the EU. But some experts say Russia is betting on Western support fading for Ukraine. Read more |
Pope Francis could decide whether Catholic Church will bless same-sex unions |
Major questions about the future of the Roman Catholic Church hang in the balance ahead of a three-week meeting at the Vatican, where LGBTQ+ Catholics, women and their place in the church are on the agenda. Same-sex couples could soon have their marriages blessed. A letter by Pope Francis published by the Vatican on Monday suggests the church will review if same-sex marriages could be blessed in the church, breaking a longstanding opposition to such unions. The meeting won't make any binding decisions and is only the first session of a two-year process. But it nevertheless has drawn an acute battle line in the church's perennial left-right divide. Read more | Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) Executive Director Kate McElwee addresses WOC's members during the "Let her voice Carry" vigil in the Basilica of Saint Praxedis in Rome, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Gregorio Borgia, AP |
Photo of the day: BET Hip-Hop Awards 2023 |
The BET Hip-Hop Awards, which honors the best and brightest in hip-hop, returned Tuesday with a ceremony held at Atlanta's Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. In honor of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the ceremony will feature performances by new age stars DaBaby, Fivio Foreign, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, as well as hip-hop icons Kid Capri, Kool DJ Red Alert, Scott Storch, and DJ Spinderella. The award show's telecast is set to air Oct. 10. Read more | Coi Leray attends the BET Hip-Hop Awards 2023 on October 03, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Marcus Ingram, Getty Images |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | |
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