Extra Time: Historic vote throws House into chaos; congestion pricing causes contention
In this edition of Eyewitness News Extra Time, we begin with an historic House vote.
For the first time ever, lawmakers voted to oust the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy was 216 to 210. A contingent of hard-right Republican conservatives forced the move, bringing forward the motion to vacate.
The next steps are uncertain. Rep. Patrick McHenry from North Carolina picks up the gavel as Speaker Pro Tempore, but there is no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority.
ABC's Em Nguyen joined Extra Time from Washington with more on the historic day on the hill.
Here are the other major headlines from Tuesday's show:
NJ officials say NYC's congestion pricing could change flow of traffic
Congestion pricing will not go into effect until Spring 2024 at the earliest, but it is causing a contentious debate across the Tri-State area now. The MTA's Traffic Mobility Board laid out four scenarios on Monday, but none of them will fully reimburse the cost of tolls for New Jersey commuters. They only apply to the tunnels leading directly into the congestion pricing zone and not the George Washington Bridge. Some say giving a credit to drivers using the Lincoln and Holland tunnels means they will become more congested and bring more traffic to places like Jersey City, whose mayor is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Lisa Daglian, the Executive Director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory committee to the MTA, joined Extra Time to discuss congestion pricing further.
lisa thank you for joining us tonight.
Make the Road New York
This month, Tiempo, our Sunday morning public affairs program, put a spotlight on the migrant crisis in New York City. The city has more than 62,000 newly arrived asylum seekers in its care right now. More than 118,000 migrants have come through the system since the spring of last year. Later this week, Mayor Eric Adams plans to travel to Central and South America. He wants to build relationships and learn more about the path asylum seekers take before they arrive here. He will meet with national and local leaders.
Meantime, there are many organizations working day and night to help the newly arrived migrants. The organization 'Make the Road New York,' is one of them. It is the largest advocacy organzation in our area, and it's led by immigrants. For years, the group has championed legislation for immigrant New Yorkers. Now it provides resources for newly arrived asylum seekers and migrants. One of the many resources is a manual called "Casita" to help guide asylum seekers here. On Tiempo, Joe Torres spoke with Theo Oshiro and Arlenis Morel, co-executive directors at Make the Road New York.
You can watch 'Eyewitness News Extra Time' live Monday-Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7NY.com or our ABC7NY app on Roku, FireTV, Apple TV and Android TV.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
