Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is no longer the House Speaker.

Evicted

The Story

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is no longer the House Speaker.

Roll the tape.

Yesterday, eight House Republicans joined every single Democrat to vote him out of his job after nearly nine months. The news came days after McCarthy relied on Democrats to pass a continuing resolution and avoid a shutdown. The move left some hardline Republicans — led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL) — demanding more spending cuts. Now, a handful of them succeeded in voting out a speaker for the first time in US history.

What happens now?

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) will be the temporary speaker. McHenry’s first move was to call for a recess so lawmakers could regroup and come up with next steps. A vote for the new Speaker is expected as early as next Wednesday. But they have one of the slimmest majorities in US history so it’s unclear who’ll have the votes. McCarthy said he won’t run for speaker again. In a goodbye conference, he called the eight Republicans that voted him out “angry and chaotic.” Democrats are planning to nominate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). In the meantime, Gaetz reportedly said his party needs time to go through “the grieving process.”

theSkimm

The House — which can’t seem to avoid shutdown standoffs, in-party fighting, and dysfunction — will have to find a new leader without McCarthy. At least we know Democrats and hardline Republicans can work together.

Who else had a busy day…

Hunter Biden. Yesterday, President Biden’s son pleaded not guilty to three federal gun charges in a Delaware courtroom. This is the first time in history that a sitting president’s child will fight criminal charges. When purchasing a revolver in 2018, Hunter allegedly lied on a federal form that he wasn't using drugs — even though he was struggling with a cocaine addiction at the time. Earlier this year, Hunter agreed to enter a plea deal with prosecutors, but it fell apart after a judge refused to sign off on it. If convicted, Hunter faces up to 25 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines. Meanwhile, former President Trump’s civil fraud trial is playing out. A judge issued a gag order against Trump after 45 attacked the judge’s clerk on social media.

Who else is joining the picket line…

Employees at Kaiser Permanente. Today, more than 75,000 health care workers are expected to strike in what could be the largest health care walkout in US history. After the contract between employees and Kaiser expired over the weekend, employees decided it was time to address staffing shortages, pay, and benefits. There hasn’t been much progress on talks. Kaiser has said it will do what it can to make sure care for its nearly 13 million members and patients isn’t disrupted. Still, it could be hard for some to get an appointment and non-urgent procedures may be delayed. The strike could last days.

What’s feeling down…

The Dow. Yesterday, it fell by 430 points as US Treasury yields jumped to its highest level since 2007. The S&P 500 also dropped by 1.4%. The news also comes as the Labor Department reported 9.6 million job openings last month, up from 8.9 million in July. The hot job market had investors worried that could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates (again).

What’s popping off…

A national emergency alert test. Today, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is testing its ability to warn Americans of impending doom at 2:20 pm EST. Fingers crossed.

While Novavax is releasing its COVID vaccine in 2023…

The Nobel Prize in chemistry was leaked early.

What French tube girls are worried about…

Bedbugs.

Who’s addressing feud rumors…

Selena Gomez.