Kevin McCarthy’s downfall, “mommy blogosphere” and “influencers” are being briefed first

The Up First Briefing: Kevin McCarthy’s Downfall: ‘Mommy Bloggers and Influencers’ — A Brief Briefing

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Kevin McCarthy was taken down from both sides of the aisle yesterday after all House Democrats joined eight Republicans in a vote to remove him as House Speaker. McCarthy says he won’t seek reelection. There are four things that came out of his ousting.

China is celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival, an eight-day nationwide holiday. Many tourists traveled there for the holiday. The Chinese government hopes it will give a boost to the post-COVID economy, which hasn’t recovered as expected.

Source: Up First briefing: Kevin McCarthy’s downfall; ‘mommy bloggers’ and influencers

The NPR Network reflects the efforts of the United States to fight climate change: How comedian Rob Delaney and his daughter, Rob, started battling their father’s cancer

Support for President Biden and former President Donald Trump is neck and neck among registered voters, according to NPR’s latest poll. Trump’s voters are more enthusiastic — 43% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they’d be “very satisfied” if Trump were nominated compared to 30% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents who would be “very satisfied” with Biden. But a conviction could shake things up, as independent voters say they aren’t interested in voting for Trump if he’s convicted of a crime.

The manufacturers of 10 medications have reluctantly agreed to negotiate with Medicare about their prices more than a month after Biden announced the first ten drugs selected for price negotiations. More than a third of the companies that make drugs on the list have sued the federal government, but all the companies have signed agreements saying they will negotiate.

Solving the global climate crisis is such a daunting task that it can be easy to forget how much progress has been made, small and large. All over the NPR Network, efforts to mitigate climate change are paying off in new and unexpected ways. Check out a few of them and read more here:

When comedian Rob Delaney was between seasons 2 and 3 of his TV show Catastrophe, his youngest son was diagnosed with brain cancer. He knew that his family would get through it if they stuck together. Though Delaney — who was raised Catholic — moved away from organized religion, he believes ‘something similar to faith’ entered their lives and helped them do just that.

The WindWings: Running the risk of COVID-19 in the Mediterranean Sea and fighting the death of millions of people in the U.S.

Climate change concerns are prompting a new look at an old technology that could once again harness wind to propel commercial cargo ships — this time with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The WindWings, which are huge rigid sail ships, could save a lot of fuel due to how much of the world’s goods are transported by sea.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors noticed a connection between COVID-19 infections and cardiovascular issues — especially among those with preexisting conditions. Now, researchers have found that the virus that causes COVID-19 can infect plaque cells in the arteries and cause inflammation, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. The good news? Vaccination can cut the risk.

The United Nations says more than 2,500 migrants died or went missing while crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe this year.

Republicans are scrambling to find a new House speaker after House members voted Kevin McCarthy out of the role on Tuesday. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan are both seeking the post. Rep. Kevin Hern, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, may also run but hasn’t publicly announced his candidacy.