Thursday morning news: October 5, 2023

House adjournment » The Capitol’s House chamber is silent and empty this morning as members consider next steps.

The House adjourned after lawmakers voted to oust a sitting speaker for the first time ever.

Republican Congressman Garret Graves said Wednesday that with emotions running high that was probably for the best.

GRAVES: I think that they made the right decision by pressing pause for a minute. I think if we stayed in the room last night, and I’m not exaggerating, I think it probably would have devolved into a little bit of physical altercation in there. People are mad.

Eight House Republicans voted with most Democrats to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy. That left a gaping void in the leadership structure of the GOP.

Speaker candidates » It’s unclear who will take up the speaker’s gavel. But some members are floating a surprising name for the job:

STEUBE: I think President Trump would unite the party around his agenda, the things that we need to do. And quite frankly, I think he is the best person situated to negotiate the issues that we need to face.

GOP Congressman Greg Steube heard there.

The Constitution does not stipulate that the speaker of the House has to be an elected member though some insist that there are legal arguments against a non-member filling the role.

For his part, Trump told reporters:

TRUMP: A lot of people have been calling me about speaker. All I can say is that we’ll do whatever is best for the country and for the Republican party.

But he said there are plenty of qualified leaders in the House already.

More likely candidates for the job include House Majority Leader Steve Scalise … and Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan.

Biden student debt » Meantime, at the White House, President Biden announced another $9 billion dollars in new student debt relief.

Most of that will come from a restructuring of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

BIDEN: By freeing millions of Americans from the crushing burden of student debt, it means they can go and get their lives in order.

The president says 125,000 people will be eligible.

Biden / Ukraine » Also on Wednesday, President Biden said it worries him that some lawmakers have soured on approving more money for Ukraine before fixing security concerns at home. A group of House conservatives say we should get control of our southern border first.

BIDEN: But I know that there are a majority of the members in the House and Senate in both parties who have said that they support funding Ukraine.

Biden says he’s planning a major speech soon to make the case as to why it is “critically important” to help Kyiv repel Russia’s invasion.

The president also said he may have “another means” by which to provide support for Ukraine if Congress does not approve more funding. But he did not elaborate.

NATO military chief on Ukraine » NATO’s military chief is also sounding alarms about the need to renew support for Ukraine. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Admiral Rob Bauer is the head of NATO’s military committee. He warned that Ukrainian forces are running low on weapons systems and ammunition, saying “the bottom of the barrel is now visible.”

Speaking at a security forum in Warsaw, Bauer urged NATO allies to ramp up production.

Many analysts say Vladimir Putin’s strategy has been to try and win a war of attrition, hoping to outlast Western support for Ukraine’s military.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

SOUND: [People chanting]

Healthcare strike » Some 75,000 healthcare workers walked off the job Wednesday across the U.S.

Union workers at Kaiser Permanente declared a three-day strike. They’re demanding bigger paychecks, better benefits, and more staff.

Picketer: Sometimes we’re doing double work. We can't give them, our patients, the care that we really want to do and spend the time with them because we're short staffed.

Kaiser says all facilities will remain open thanks to temporary workers…and doctors are not walking out.

The strike will end Saturday. But union leaders say they’ll strike again next month, if its demands are unmet.

Kaiser says it’s a tough time for the entire sector, and that it already pays its workers better than its competitors do.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Andy Stanley responds to concerns about his LGBT church conference. Plus, into the valley of the shadow with a difficult pregnancy.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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