Back at square one

Jim Jordan's bid to become speaker ends after secret failed vote, Hamas frees 2 American hostages from captivity, and more [View this email in your browser]( [What makes a subscription to The Week so valuable now? Click the banner]( [The Week]( 10 things you need to know today 1. [Jim Jordan's bid to become speaker ends after secret failed vote]( Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had his bid to become the next speaker of the House ended on Friday after a secret vote ousted him as the party's candidate. Jordan lost the ballot by a vote of 86-112, bringing the Republicans back to square one following the removal of Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) two weeks ago. The secret ballot was held after Jordan [lost three consecutive votes]( to become speaker, garnering fewer 'yes' votes from Republicans each time. The controversial Ohio congressman is known for his far-right tendencies and staunch support of former President Donald Trump. A  forum is expected to begin Monday to search for a new speaker candidate, and Jordan told reporters the GOP should unite around someone. [NPR]( [Politico]( 2. [Hamas frees 2 American hostages from captivity]( Two American hostages kidnapped by Hamas were released Friday, Israeli officials said. Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie, were taken hostage by the Palestinian-led terrorist group following their attack on Israel on Oct. 7, among a number of other Americans captured by the insurgents. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said the pair had been released by Hamas into the care of the Red Cross and are currently on track to come back to the United States. The duo lives in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, and Hamas said in a statement that they released the Raanans "for humanitarian reasons" while chastising the Biden administration. President Biden [spoke with]( the pair following their release. [NBC News]( [ABC News]( Sponsored by Wise Bread [Best $300 Welcome Bonus Card of 2023]( 3. [First humanitarian aid trucks enter Gaza]( The first convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrived in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The vehicles made their way into the war-torn region [via Egypt]( with the 20 trucks carrying food, water, medicine and other necessities for Palestinian civilians remaining in Gaza. The United Nations welcomed the aid but said that more would be required in the coming days, and that closer to 100 trucks of aid per day are needed to contain the crisis. Israel had previously blocked aid from reaching Gaza, but allowed assistance to be given following pressure from the United States. However, Israel noted that the aid would be halted if any of the supplies made their way into the hands of Hamas. [Reuters]( [The Wall Street Journal]( 4. [Ex-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty in Georgia]( Kenneth Chesebro, a one-time attorney for former President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty on Friday as part of an alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Chesebro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit filing false documents, hatching a deal to avoid jail time. He will instead serve three to five years of probation and was also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution while agreeing to testify in future cases. Chesebro was initially charged as a co-conspirator in the racketeering case against Trump, as well as charges related to the installation of false electors in Georgia. Chesebro's guilty plea comes one day after another former lawyer for Trump, Sidney Powell, [pleaded guilty]( in the same case. [The Washington Post]( [USA Today]( 5. [Alex Jones can’t use bankruptcy to avoid Sandy Hook payouts, judge rules]( Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones can't use his pending bankruptcy to get out of paying the families of the Sandy Hook massacre victims, a Texas judge ruled Friday. Jones, known for his inflammatory views as the host of the far-right radio show Infowars, can't use his bankruptcy to discharge the money he was ordered to pay the families because the payment is a result of "willful and malicious injury by the debtor," the judge wrote. Jones was previously [ordered to pay nearly $1.5 billion]( in damages to the families of the Sandy Hook victims after he spread the baseless conspiracy theory that the 2012 mass shooting was a false-flag operation. Jones has yet to pay any of this money out. [Forbes]( [CNN]( Advertisement by Hims [ED treatment options that are 95% cheaper than the name brands with Hims]( 6. [India conducts spaceflight test ahead of planned astronaut missions]( India's space agency on Saturday conducted the first of a series of spaceflight tests ahead of its plan to launch astronauts into space in 2025. The Gaganyaan spacecraft was launched and then brought back to Earth in order to test the vessel's crew escape system, the Indian Space Research Organization said. Though the test was delayed by inclement weather and engine issues, the Gaganyaan eventually launched successfully and touched down in the Bay of Bengal following the flight. The test is the first leg of India's [expansion into space]( as the agency is planning to helm an Indian-led manned mission prior to the creation of an Indian space station in the 2030s. [The Associated Press]( [BBC]( 7. [Baltimore to pay $48 million to trio of wrongfully convicted men]( The city of Baltimore agreed this past week to pay $48 million to three men who were wrongfully convicted of murder — and spent 36 years in prison as a result. The Baltimore Board of Estimates approved the payout to settle a lawsuit from Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart, who were arrested in 1983 and charged with fatally shooting a 14-year-old boy. The trio was convicted and sentenced to life in prison based on eyewitness testimony, and were behind bars until the discovery of new evidence led to their exoneration and release in 2019. The three men had previously received $2.9 each from the state of Maryland before filing a federal lawsuit. [The Baltimore Sun]( [The New York Times]( 8. [Ex-Florida lawmaker who sponsored ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill sentenced to prison]( A federal judge on Thursday sentenced to prison the former Florida lawmaker who sponsored the so-called ["Don't Say Gay" bill]( that generated nationwide controversy. Former State Rep. Joe Harding (R) was sentenced to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty earlier this year to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements in relation to a Covid-19 fraud scheme. Harding was also sentenced to two years of supervision following his release. The former lawmaker is known for sponsoring the Parental Rights in Education Act, commonly referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, that highlighted the ongoing culture wars between Florida corporations and the state's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. [Politico]( 9. [Spirit Airlines cancels dozens of flights for plane inspections]( Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines canceled around 100 flights on Friday after removing some of its planes from service for inspection. Spirit did not specify why the planes were being inspected, but the Federal Aviation Administration said it was related to their airframes, calling it a "mandatory maintenance inspection." At least 11% of the carrier's nationwide itinerary was canceled on Friday as 25 of Spirit's 198 planes were removed from service, the company said in a statement. Spirit added that the delays to their schedule were "expected to last several days as we complete the inspections and work to return to normal operations." [The Associated Press]( 10. [Italian prime minister splits from partner following sexist comments]( Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Friday that she was splitting from her TV journalist partner after he made a number of sexually charged comments on television. "My relationship with Andrea Giambruno, which lasted almost ten years, ends here," Meloni wrote on social media. "I thank him for the splendid years we spent together." Meloni's announcement comes after Giambruno, who shares a 7-year-old daughter with Meloni, was seen on video during a television commercial break making a number of lewd comments. This includes asking his co-hosts if they were interested in having sex, and he was also seen grabbing his genitals. [CNN]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Share via email](mailto:?Subject= Italian prime minister splits from partner following sexist comments &body=Read the story here utm_campaign=10_things_newsletter_20231021&utm_source=10_things_newsletter) [Read more things you need to know at theweek.com]( [Play The Week's daily puzzles]( Popular reads [10 things you need to know today: October 21, 2023]( [5 muffled cartoons about the Trump gag order]( [The primordial wilds of La Gomera]( [Read more on theweek.com]( [What makes a subscription to The Week so valuable now? Click the banner]( © Future US, Inc • [theweek.com]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Privacy Policy]( The Week is published by Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036.