:::details Don’t waste ur time on this political drama

We begin tonight with the political and real-world fallout from the historic removal of the Speaker of the House. The unprecedented vote to vacate the chair leaves the House of Representatives in a state of chaos and at a standstill. Interim Speaker P.M, of North Carolina upset at the far-right faction of his own party, sent lawmakers home to cool off with only about six weeks to prevent a government shutdown. Members will return to Capitol on Tuesday, with an expected vote for the next speaker taking place the following day. Two conservative hardliners have already thrown their hat into the ring. Majority Leader S.S and Ohio Congressman J.J. Until then, the People’s House is closed for business.

For a second day, half of the US Congress is paralyzed and will remain so indefinitely raising fears Congress is barreling again toward a painful government shutdown. K.M’s name still hangs above the doorway, but the fight to replace him is on. Top Republicans S.S and J.J both officially announced their candidacy today. But whether they have the votes to succeed and when the House will eventually reopen for business are both open questions. The interim speaker, North Carolina P.M had no answers on the days ahead. The only certainty among most Republicans today, their disdain for colleague M.G who led the charge to remove M. G today continue to attack his colleagues. The leadership vacuum and overall paralysis in the House is raising new worries about crashing into the new November 17th deadline to fund the government and avert a government shutdown. Also in danger, funding for Ukraine, which was left out of last weekend’s deal to avert a shutdown. The Pentagon warning Congress this week as it’s running out of money to replace weapons it sent to Ukraine. Any new speaker will have to contend with a growing number of House Republicans who think it’s time to turn off the spigot. There is another controversy. Former House Speaker N.P and Democratic Leader S.H say they were evicted from their Capitol hideaway offices, a perk for senior members. One of K.M allies says Republicans control the office space and that M now needs and it’s entitled to this space that’s been used by P.

:::

Tonight, the largest health care strike in American history is underway after tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente workers walked off the job in five states and right here in DC. The union is asking for higher pay and better staffing.

At dawn this morning, more than seventy five thousand workers at Kaiser Permanente walked out. Pharmacists, respiratory therapists, optometrists and other technicians. The union is asking for better working conditions and a $25 per hour minimum wage. Kaiser has offered $21 to $23 per hour. That’s just above what fast-food workers will soon make in California. “We have a lot of people who leave and they’re like, why would I work here for the same pay that I could make at Burger King or Target and not have to come in contact with infectious diseases?” Kaiser has a patient pool of nearly thirteen million people and more than three hundred thousand employees. Its profit so far this year tops $3.3 billion. In a message to patients, Kaiser said “Our hospitals, emergency departments, and pharmacies will remain open… We may need to reschedule non-urgent appointments and procedures.” The three-day walkout began as negotiations intensify for unions striking in other industries. Today autoworkers, culinary workers and screen actors are all at the bargaining table. The economic impact has been profound. Strikes around the country so far this year have meant a loss of nearly seven million work days, the most in generations.