Job opening in the House

Also: Morgan State University, health care workers strike, and Canadian wildfire smoke.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023:   Hi all,    It's Future Perfect fellow Rachel DuRose. We have lots to discuss today so let's dive right in: Up first: A vacancy in the House  In other news: A shooting at Morgan State University, health care workers on strike, and Florida hit with Canadian wildfire smoke. Thank you to all the readers who contributed to Vox — it allows us to create informative, important work across all our platforms: on the site, in your inbox, in your podcast feed, and in our videos. And as always if you have thoughts, suggestions, comments, or just want to tell us we're doing a fantastic job, email us at newsletter@vox.com. UP FIRST Kevin McCarthy is out. Who might replace him as speaker? Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed as speaker of the House on Tuesday when eight Republicans joined every Democrat present to vote against him. This is the first time that a speaker has been removed in the middle of a term.    Now that McCarthy has been ousted, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is serving as an interim speaker, and the House can't legislate until a successor is decided.   The lowdown: Here are the most likely candidates to replace McCarthy.  Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA): The Republican majority leader was once seen as the heir apparent to the speakership, but his 2023 cancer diagnosis and concerns about his fundraising abilities led some to believe he's not the best candidate. Still, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) (who led the charge against McCarthy) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) (who was thought to want the speakership himself) have said that they would support Scalise. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): The chair of the Judiciary Committee previously challenged McCarthy for the speakership, and has formally asked his caucus to back his bid. He ultimately became a McCarthy ally, and he now is a strong contender to replace him, with endorsements from Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK): Hern previously challenged McCarthy in the January speaker fight but only received two votes. He now serves as the head of the Republican Study Committee, and would likely have more difficulty gathering support than Jordan or Scalise. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK): Known as a "bipartisan operator" (who nevertheless backed efforts to upend the 2020 election), Cole criticized the removal of McCarthy. He too would likely face more of an uphill battle than Scalise and Jordan.  Former President Donald Trump: Some Republicans, including Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Troy E. Nehls, are supporting former President Donald Trump for the speakership. You don't have to be in the House to be speaker, so Trump could technically run (though doing so might require the GOP to change one of the chamber's current rules, something that's not out of the question). Still, Trump says his priority is the 2024 presidential campaign, so though a number of House GOP members would probably support him, he's unlikely to make history here.   The stakes: The House can't get anything done until it sorts this mess out.    McCarthy lost his speakership in part due to deals he made to become speaker, including giving individuals the ability to seek his removal. The most conservative members of his party who voted to get rid of him all had their own problems with the former speaker, which included believing McCarthy broke promises, served as a poor leader, and mocked Christianity.    While most of McCarthy's party was behind him, there were enough people against him to oust him.    The House has a lot to do, including funding the government before the looming November 17 shutdown deadline. The problem is the House can't proceed with regular business with an interim speaker.  "That means the House can't do much at the moment, and is unlikely to get anything done until a new speaker is installed," Vox deputy politics (and Sentences!) editor Sean Collins told me. "McHenry [the interim speaker] has scheduled debate on who that might be for next Tuesday, with a tentative vote on candidates next Wednesday. So under the best-case scenario, the House will have a new speaker by the end of the day next Wednesday. Under the worst-case scenario, this could drag out for days, or even weeks, leaving Congress unable to function."  Read Nicole Narea's full piece on McCarthy's removal and his potential replacements here.    NEXT UP A shooting at Morgan State University Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Five young adults, including four students, were injured Tuesday night in a shooting at the Baltimore school. The shooting occurred at a homecoming event for the university. Here's what we know thus far: The shooting occurred shortly after the coronation of Miss and Mr. Morgan State University. The police received a call about a shooting at approximately 9:27 pm and a shelter-in-place order was issued to the community minutes later. [WBALTV] The good news is that the five hospitalized victims' injuries are not life-threatening. The shooter remains at large, with no one in custody as of early Wednesday. [NBC] The historically Black college, which hosts around 9,000 students, may cancel further homecoming events. Morgan State University canceled classes Wednesday following the shooting. [AP] VERBATIM 🗣️"Nobody knows what's going happen next — including all the people that voted to vacate, have no earthly idea ... They have no alternative at this point. So it's just simply a vote for chaos." — Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said of McCarthy's ousting. [CNN] AROUND THE WEB 75,000 health care workers across the US are striking due to low wages and staffing shortages. The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions approved a three-day strike in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington, as well as a one-day strike in Virginia and Washington, DC. Nurses, home health aides, ultrasound sonographers, radiology, X-ray, surgical, pharmacy, and emergency technicians are participating. Doctors are not. [WYFF4] Netflix plans to raise prices once the actors' strike ends. While the exact amount of the price increase is unknown, in early 2022 the platform increased its lowest subscription tier from $9.99 per month to $15.49 per month in the US. [TheWrap] Florida is hit with Canadian wildfire smoke. Smoke from wildfires in Canada covered the state in haze Tuesday. Air quality in some parts of the state hit "unhealthy" levels. [NBC] An investigation reveals decades of grooming and abuse at a large California high school. Reporter Matt Drange identified at least 20 educators from Rosemead High School accused of sexual misconduct and even rape. Despite the plethora of allegations over the years, the school and the district allowed many of the accused teachers to continue as educators. [Insider] AUDIO Crypto's crown prince in court FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's trial begins today; a guilty verdict could represent the final nail in crypto's coffin. Bloomberg's Zeke Faux, who spent two years chronicling SBF's downfall, explains. Listen now MORE READS FROM VOX Is the NFL a commercial for Taylor Swift right now, or vice versa?   What a striking new study of death in America misses   The West's united pro-Ukraine front is showing cracks   Five years after Khashoggi, the Saudis won Today's crossword ONE LAST THING Enjoying the Sentences newsletter? Forward it to a friend, they can sign up for it right here.  As always, we want to know what you think. We recently changed the format of this newsletter. Any questions, comments, or ideas? Write us at newsletter@vox.com or just reply to this email.  This email was sent to punjabsvera@gmail.com. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.   View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.   Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.