Good morning, readers!

The US has just made history.

Some call it the beauty of the political gridlock system envisioned by the Founding Fathers, while others call it an unbridgeable divide in American politics.

Is that a good enough intro for our first story?

Today’s geopolitics hotspots

Speaker McCarthy no more.

The House of Cards has fallen in a historic coup.

A group of rebel Republicans, led by Matt Gaetz, has successfully ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy—making McCarthy the first House Speaker to be ousted in US history.

🔥 The spark.

McCarthy’s downfall was triggered by his decision to rely on Democratic votes to pass a stopgap spending bill over the weekend after Gaetz and his allies refused to back the House GOP measure.

• This prevented a government shutdown, which would have halted pay for federal workers.

• But it also enraged conservatives who felt betrayed by their leader. They said that McCarthy had violated his pledges to them when he was elected Speaker in January, after a marathon 15 rounds of voting.

🗳️ The vote.

On Monday, October 2, 2023, Gaetz introduced a resolution to declare the speakership vacant, a rare and drastic move that has only been attempted twice before in history.

• Gaetz accused McCarthy of breaking his promises to conservatives and working with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

• Gaetz also claimed that McCarthy had made a secret side deal with Democrats on issues like Ukraine funding. McCarthy denied this accusation.

With the support of all Democrats present and eight Republicans, the resolution passed by a narrow margin of 216-210, ending McCarthy’s 10-month reign as Speaker.

🎭 The drama that preceded.

The feud between Gaetz and McCarthy has been brewing for months, ever since McCarthy’s ascension to the speakership.

• In a bid to appease Gaetz and the 19 other Republicans who initially opposed his speakership, McCarthy changed House rules to allow any member to trigger a vote on his removal—which ultimately backfired on him.

• Last week, Gaetz accused McCarthy of paying online influencers to write “negative things” about him.

💭 McCarthy’s response.

After his ousting, McCarthy told the press that Gaetz’s move was more of a “personal” vendetta than a reflection of lost confidence. He insisted it had nothing to do with his bipartisan efforts to keep the US government open.

🤔 What’s next?

With McCarthy gone, the House is now in uncharted territory. The Speaker’s successor remains a mystery, with no Republican stepping up to the plate yet.

• Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina will serve as acting Speaker until a new one is elected.

• Gaetz suggested House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican and McCarthy ally, as a possible candidate.

🌎 The impact.

The removal of McCarthy as Speaker has significant implications for the country and the world.

• It exposes the deep divisions within the Republican Party and its inability to govern effectively.

• It also affects how the US is viewed on the global stage.

With such a deep rooted divide within the House, how will it deal with pressing issues such as the debt ceiling, infrastructure, and immigration?

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇮🇳 India:

India kicks out 41 out 62 Canadian diplomats.

In a fiery diplomatic tussle, India has retaliated against Canada’s accusations with a bold move.

• ⚡️ The spark: Canada accusing India of having a hand in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

• 🔥 The flame: India ordering 41 out of 62 Canadian diplomats to leave the country. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was claimed to have terrorist ties by India.

✱ NOTE: Nijjar was killed by masked gunmen in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb, this past June.

🇮🇳 India:

Is India’s free press under attack? Journalists raided over China funds.

The Indian government raided and arrested journalists of a news website NewsClick for allegedly being bankrolled by China via an American millionaire to spread “Chinese propaganda.”

The millionaire: Neville Roy Singham, currently based in Shanghai, China, stands accused of using a network of non-profit groups and shell companies to finance Chinese propaganda.

NewsClick’s response: It denies any wrongdoing and says it’s being targeted for its critical reporting of the ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

✱ NOTE: According to a New York Times report, one of Singham’s outlets produces a YouTube show, partly funded by the city’s propaganda department. He even reportedly attended a Communist Party workshop on promoting the party internationally.

🇺🇦 Ukraine:

Ukraine is one step closer to joining the EU club.

Despite some legal hurdles, EU leaders are expected to announce the start of formal talks with Ukraine on its accession to the bloc by December. Ukraine is noted to have been working hard to meet the EU’s conditions, such as judicial reforms and anti-corruption measures.

But one sticking point remains: Dealing with its national minorities.

✱ NOTE: Ukraine is not the only country eyeing EU membership. The Commission also plans to issue progress reports on other aspiring members in November.

🇦🇲 Armenia:

Putin can’t visit Armenia now, thanks to ICC.

The Armenian Parliament just ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). This means Armenia will accept the ICC’s authority to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Guess who’s on the ICC’s wanted list? Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin called the move “incorrect.”

✱ NOTE: Armenia is the 124th country to ratify the Rome Statute, which came into force in 2002.