McCarthy Ousted, Vatican Synod, and September's Best Stories

McCarthy Out as Speaker

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20) was ousted as House speaker yesterday after the House voted 216 to 210 on a resolution from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R, FL-1) to vacate the leadership role. McCarthy, who had been in the post for under nine months, becomes the first House speaker in US history to be removed from office. 

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R, NC-10) is now the interim speaker, known as speaker pro tempore. McHenry was the first on a list of backup speakers McCarthy had submitted to the House clerk in January, as required by House rules. As speaker pro tempore, McHenry will oversee an election for the next speaker. House Republicans reportedly plan to hold a candidate forum next Tuesday and an election next Wednesday. McCarthy announced he won't run again.

Eight House Republicans joined 208 House Democrats in voting to oust McCarthy (see breakdown). House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-8) had urged House Democrats to support the measure as a bloc.

McCarthy became House speaker in January following 15 rounds of voting across four days, during which he agreed to a number of concessions, including lowering the threshold to force a vote to remove the speaker to one member.

Catholic Synod Begins

Pope Francis opened a gathering of Roman Catholic delegates today in Vatican City to discuss the future of the Catholic Church and how it can be more consultative in its governance. The assembly is part of the Synod on Synodality, an initiative Pope Francis launched in October 2021 and the most extensive since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s.

This synod marks the first time laypeople, including women, have been granted voting rights. The topics under discussion—many previously considered off-limits—include the elevation of women in ministry, welcoming of divorced individuals and the LGBTQ+ community into the church, and priest celibacy and marriage.

The perception of the synod is divided among Catholics, with some hoping for sweeping reforms while others worry about potential breaches of established doctrine. Francis has historically sought to create a more inclusive church that respects all expressions of faith across the globe.

The synod will run through Oct. 28 with 365 voting members, 54 of whom are women. A second session will happen next year; no immediate changes are expected. See how a synod runs here.

National Emergency Alert Test

Simultaneous tests of the nation's wireless and broadcast alert systems will ping cellphones, TVs, and radios across the US today at 2:20 pm ET, the first such nationwide test since August 2021. 

The less-than-one-minute alert—which can be deployed by only the US president or the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency—is designed to evaluate the network's effectiveness in communicating national alerts within 10 minutes. The system has its roots in the Cold War when officials sought a quick way to warn Americans of a possible attack from the Soviet Union. State and local governments frequently deploy similar systems for weather alerts.

The cellphone notification will consist of a two-second tone followed by two one-second tones, a cycle which will be repeated twice, similar to Amber Alerts (listen here). Phones that are powered off, in airplane mode, or connected to the internet only through Wi-Fi will not receive the alert. 

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Editor's note: More than 10 million monthly clicks can't be wrong. Here are the most popular stories we ran in September. Enjoy!

(9/7/23) Photographer catches a "once in a blue moon" shot.

(9/23/23) Why we can't understand movies and TV shows without subtitles. 

(9/9/23) Italian banker catches 3-year-old falling from a fifth-floor balcony. 

(9/6/23) Visit these offbeat attractions in each US state. 

(9/27/23) Browse 25 of the best one-hit wonders.

(9/13/23) Double rainbow appears in New York City on 9/11 anniversary. 

(9/20/23) Taste 15 of the best sandwiches across the US. 

(9/5/23) See photos of Burning Man 2023. 

(9/14/23) The day Saturday morning cartoons died. 

(9/22/23) Where the world's millionaires are migrating.

(9/25/23) Deep sea cam captures rare "Dumbo" octopus.

(9/20/23) Visit America's happiest places to live. 

(9/23/23) See a tarantula from Thailand with electric blue hair. 

Clickbait: Brain-invading rat worms spread in southeast US.

Historybook: Rembrandt dies (1669); Orient Express makes first run from Paris to Romania (1883); Hollywood legend Charlton Heston born (1923); Sputnik 1 is first artificial satellite to orbit Earth (1957); Rocker Janis Joplin dies (1970).