Daily Briefing: The 'never Kevins' and 'only Kevins'

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
·6 min read
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The new Congress launches its second day today and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy says he won't drop his bid for House speaker. Also in the news: Communities are garnering support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and severe weather is forecast for California.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. This new year, I'm trying to drink more water.

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

Day 2 of House speaker election

House Republicans and their new majority will follow up a turbulent first day in the new Congress after GOP hard-liners and centrists failed to elect a speaker to lead the chamber.

One thing to know: The narrower-than expected GOP majority allowed far-right conservatives to stiff-arm Republican leader Kevin McCarthy from ascending to the speaker role. It was the first time in a century that a speaker's election took multiple ballots to decide.

  • What happened: McCarthy secured only 203 votes in the first round, far less than the majority of 218 he needed to secure the speaker's post. Each time a House GOP leader nominated McCarthy, another member sought to elevate a rival Republican member to the speakership, which resulted in a stalemate.

  • Five "never Kevins" in the Republican House caucus publicly said they would not vote for him and nine conservative members were withholding support as they push for changes to House rules. On Monday, McCarthy said he thought the "only Kevins" were winning in his bid.

  • This is not the only source of conflict in the new Congress, with GOP Rep.-elect George Santos of New York under investigation on multiple fronts after admitting to lies about everything from his education to his ancestry to his professional background.

👉 Here's our explainer on how the House picks a new speaker.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Calif., listens as votes are cast for next Speaker of the House during the opening day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Washington.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Calif., listens as votes are cast for next Speaker of the House during the opening day of the 118th Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Washington.

Fans, NFL rally for Damar Hamlin

The NFL and its fans are rallying in support of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who remains in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital after going into cardiac arrest on the field. Players and coaches from around the league were overcome with emotion while watching Hamlin be resuscitated back to life Monday night during Buffalo’s game at Cincinnati. Hamlin's uncle, Dorrian Glenn, told CNN that his nephew had to have his heart re-started twice — once on the field, and once at the hospital. Glenn said there were some encouraging signs Tuesday, including doctors reducing the amount of oxygen Hamlin was receiving. Read more

Buffalo Bills fans and community members gather for a candlelight vigil for Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York.
Buffalo Bills fans and community members gather for a candlelight vigil for Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York.

More news to know now

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

'Truly a brutal storm' heading for California

A "brutal" storm system building over the Pacific Ocean is poised to slam across Northern California on Wednesday, battering a region already struggling from a weekend of record rains and flooding. The storm could drop as much as 8 inches of rain in some areas, falling on already overflowing rivers and saturated ground, according to the National Weather Service in San Francisco, which provided an image of what's approaching. Experts say the impacts could bring widespread flooding and power outages, among other damage. Read more

San Francisco Department of Public Works workers load sandbags into a car on January 03, 2023 in San Francisco, California. San Franciscans are preparing for a huge wind and rain storm that is expected to hit the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday.
San Francisco Department of Public Works workers load sandbags into a car on January 03, 2023 in San Francisco, California. San Franciscans are preparing for a huge wind and rain storm that is expected to hit the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday.

Abortion pills for early pregnancy can be dispensed at pharmacies, FDA says

Brick-and-mortar pharmacies, including major chains like CVS and Walgreens, that get certified in the FDA's program and agree to accept prescriptions from certified providers will be able to dispense mifepristone, the pill used to begin the process to terminate an early pregnancy. Patients will still need a prescription to get the drug, but the change means they have more options for how to receive it. The update won't change access for those who live in states that have laws on the books restricting access to medical abortions. The abortion pill is not to be confused with emergency contraception medication, which does not end a pregnancy. Read more

  • Some people are taking reproductive matters into their own hands by ordering abortion pills by mail.

  • ''Why not Plan B?'': Here's what you're getting wrong about emergency birth control.

On Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule change that allows women seeking abortion pills to get them through the mail, replacing a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medicine in person.
On Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule change that allows women seeking abortion pills to get them through the mail, replacing a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medicine in person.

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Missouri puts Amber McLaughlin to death, the first openly transgender person executed in US

A woman inmate in Missouri died by lethal injection Tuesday, becoming the first openly transgender person executed in the United States. Amber McLaughlin, 49, was convicted of killing 45-year-old Beverly Guenther on Nov. 20, 2003. Guenther, McLaughlin's former girlfriend, was raped and stabbed to death in St. Louis County. A judge sentenced McLaughlin to death for the murder in 2006 after a jury was deadlocked on her sentence. Her fate was sealed earlier Tuesday when Missouri Gov. Mike Parson declined a clemency request. There are no known previous cases in which an openly transgender person was executed, according to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center. Read more

McLaughlin was one of the few women who have been scheduled for execution since the practice was reinstated in the U.S. in the 1970s.
McLaughlin was one of the few women who have been scheduled for execution since the practice was reinstated in the U.S. in the 1970s.

📷 Photo of the day: Mourners worldwide hold memorials in honor of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 📷

This week’s audience drew an unusually large crowd given the more than 130,000 people who have flocked to the Vatican following Benedict’s death on Saturday. They lined up to pay their respect to the German former pope, who is lying in state in the basilica. Click here to see more photos as thousands of people pay their respects.

One more thing

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: Kevin McCarthy, Damar Hamlin, Prince Harry, abortion pills: Daily Briefing