Want to catch up with the news quickly? Here are the top stories from Thursday, October 5, 2023.

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1. Kevin McCarthy is out – who will be the next Speaker of the House?

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made history this week – though likely not in the way he wants. The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to oust McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House after conservative Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to remove him. It is the first time a House Speaker has ever been removed in a vote.

The questions remains who will replace McCarthy. The current acting speaker is Patrick T. McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, who can only recess the House, adjourn the chamber, and recognize speaker nominations.

2. Over 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers are on strike

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers walked out Wednesday, launching a strike against the nation's largest health care nonprofit.

Workers walked out at 6 a.m. local time. The unions behind the strike, the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, has described the work stoppage as the largest health care worker strike in United States history.

The strike is only scheduled to last three days, until October 7. The unions said in a statement that the walkout is a protest against Kaiser executives’ “bad faith bargaining." The striking workers include vocational nurses, emergency department technicians, radiology technicians, X-ray technicians, respiratory therapists, medical assistants, pharmacists, and hundreds of other positions.

3. Saltwater in Mississippi River threatens New Orleans drinking supply

Water levels on the Mississippi River have plummeted to near-record lows, ushering in a surge of saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico that will pollute drinking water for thousands of residents south of New Orleans once it reaches them unless the region or areas further north see significant rainfall.