Daily Briefing: A first-ever moment in US history

House lawmakers are headed home until next Tuesday as the lower chamber is now paralyzed without a speaker. Also in the news: At least 21 people have been killed when a bus carrying foreign tourists fell from an elevated street in Venice and Pope Francis has opened a major meeting on the future of the Roman Catholic Church.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. National Taco Day is not on a Tuesday?!

Here is the news to know Wednesday.

After dramatic moments of seriousness and smiles, McCarthy is out. What happens now?

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been voted out of the job in an extraordinary showdown, a first in U.S. history. The 216-210 vote was forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives and throws the House and its Republican leadership into chaos.

How did we get here? Among one of the key concessions McCarthy made to conservative hardliners in his bid for the speakership in January was allowing a single lawmaker to initiate a motion to vacate. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has flirted with using this power and has now finally followed up on his threats after McCarthy worked with Democrats to avert a government shutdown over the weekend.

• Noting that only a small minority – 8 members – of the House GOP conference voted to oust McCarthy, the former speaker said there was an "institutional problem" behind the vote to push him out.

• A permanent speaker now must be elected. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., a McCarthy supporter, will serve as temporary speaker until lawmakers return next week to elect a new leader. McCarthy does not plan to run for the position again.

• And don't forget about the shutdown threat. Now the House faces a leadership in chaos at the same time lawmakers have just weeks to compromise on a slate of spending bills to avoid a government shutdown.

Bus carrying tourists crashes in Venice

Firefighters worked until dawn Wednesday to remove the wreckage of a bus that crashed in a borough of Venice, Italy, across the lagoon from its historic center, killing 21 people and injuring at least 15, mostly foreign tourists returning to a nearby camping site. The victims included at least four Ukrainians and a German citizen, according to Venice prefecture. The bus — which was new and electric — was carrying foreign tourists when it fell from an elevated street on Tuesday evening, catching fire. Read more

More news to know now

• Five people were injured in a shooting at Morgan State University.

• A judge issued Donald Trump with a limited gag order in a New York real estate trial.

• These charts explain how much student debt Americans owe.

• McKinsey will pay $23 million to schools for its role pushing OxyContin.

• For subscribers: How mega investor made affordable homes a rental nightmare.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, the latest after Hunter Biden appeared in a Delaware court. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Massive emergency alert test scheduled to hit your phone

Get ready to not freak out. On Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 2:20 p.m. EDT, every TV, radio and cellphone in the United States should blare out the distinctive, jarring electronic warning tone of an emergency alert. It's a test – only a test. No, it's not a national conspiracy. Yes, it does go back all the way to the Cold War in the 1950s. No, we can't play you the tone – we could get hit with a big fine if we did. But mostly the test is an important way to make sure that if something really bad – and really big – happens, Americans can be warned quickly. Read more

• Wednesday's emergency alert may be annoying to some. For abuse victims, it may be dangerous.

• It's time to clean up the space junk.

• Here's how the wireless system for the alert test works.

Is 'unwavering' support for Ukraine starting to waver?

Congress is haggling over funding for the Ukraine war and one of Kyiv's staunchest allies saw a pro-Russian political party take the top prize in recent parliamentary elections as the brutal conflict rages on with no end in sight. President Joe Biden and the State Department pledge "unwavering support" for Ukraine, and the European Union's Josep Borrell on Tuesday reaffirmed the bloc's "unwavering support" for the Kyiv government with militarily and humanitarian aid as well as efforts to join the EU. But some experts say Russia is betting on Western support fading for Ukraine. Read more

• The White House expressed Congress will continue to support aid for Ukraine despite McCarthy's ousting.

Quick hits

• Here's why college football is king in coaching pay.

• Need a new car for driving off-road?

• Monica Lewinsky overcame ''excruciating shame and pain.'' Now, she’s a voice for anti-bullying.

• Jamie Lynn Spears and a shocking twist on ''Dancing with the Stars.''

• Marvel's ''Loki'' returns for a scrappy, brain-spinning new season.

• Barbie, LEGO and Pokémon are among the year's top toys.

Pope Francis could decide whether Catholic Church will bless same-sex unions

Major questions about the future of the Roman Catholic Church hang in the balance ahead of a three-week meeting at the Vatican, where LGBTQ+ Catholics, women and their place in the church are on the agenda. Same-sex couples could soon have their marriages blessed. A letter by Pope Francis published by the Vatican on Monday suggests the church will review if same-sex marriages could be blessed in the church, breaking a longstanding opposition to such unions. The meeting won’t make any binding decisions and is only the first session of a two-year process. But it nevertheless has drawn an acute battle line in the church’s perennial left-right divide. Read more

Photo of the day:  BET Hip-Hop Awards 2023

The BET Hip-Hop Awards, which honors the best and brightest in hip-hop, returned Tuesday with a ceremony held at Atlanta's Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. In honor of the 50^th anniversary of hip-hop, the ceremony will feature performances by new age stars DaBaby, Fivio Foreign, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, as well as hip-hop icons Kid Capri, Kool DJ Red Alert, Scott Storch, and DJ Spinderella. The award show's telecast is set to air Oct. 10. Read more

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McCarthy out, Venice bus crash, emergency phone test, Ukraine, Catholic Church: Daily Briefing