News Beyond Reed: McCarthy Ousted as Speaker of the House, and More Stories

By Liz Organ

Local News - Hospital Urges Courts to Throw Out Albina Residents’ Suit

In December 2022, a group of 26 descendants of Black families whose homes in Portland’s Albina District were destroyed in the 60s and 70s filed a lawsuit against the City of Portland, Prosper Portland, and Legacy Emanuel Health. The lawsuit explains that 171 families were forced from their homes by a hospital expansion project that never materialized. The suit alleges public nuisance and conspiracy to violate civil rights and seeks restitution for the families’ losses. Since the initial filing, the defendants have urged the court to throw out the lawsuit, arguing that the plaintiffs lack standing and that it's too late to bring this case.

National News - McCarthy Ousted as Speaker of the House

Days after averting a government shutdown, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a motion to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House. Gaetz cited several reasons for the removal but the focus was on McCarthy’s deal he made with Democrats in an attempt to avert a shutdown. All Democrats and 8 Republicans voted to oust him. As the House looks for a new speaker, several Republicans have already announced their bid. Republicans are hoping for a candidate that would get at least 217 of the 221 Republican votes which would allow that candidate to be elected with only Republican votes, assuming all 212 Democrats vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Until a new speaker is voted in, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) is acting House speaker. 

International News - Russian Module on ISS Suffers Coolant Leak

On October 9, the Russian segment of the International Space Station suffered its third leak this year. Luckily, Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, stated that the crew and the station were not in danger. The external backup radiator circuit, which was delivered to the station in 2012, is the source of the third such leak to hit in the past year. The first, happening in December 2022, happened to a docked spacecraft that was supposed to take three astronauts back to Earth. The craft returned to Earth unmanned and the astronauts, two of whom are Russian and the final being an American crew member, stayed on for another year, returning home just last month. A similar leak happened in February affecting a cargo ship. This succession of leaks lowers the probability they were all caused by meteorites.