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The Short List: Hot mess in the House; Facebook says something we 'like'; Selena Gomez and her diagnosis

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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy leaves a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 8, 2015, after dropping out of the race to replace House Speaker John Boehner.

Remember that hotly anticipated nomination for House speaker? Didn't happen

Looks like we're going to have to wait a little longer to learn who's going to replace John Boehner atop the House's pecking order. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy stunned House Republicans —  including Boehner — when he abruptly dropped out of the race for House speaker Thursday. Everything seemed fine early Thursday morning when McCarthy met with colleagues to make the case for his election. But then at the noon nominating forum, McCarthy backed out. What?! "I just think it's best to have a new face," he said afterward. Of course, Twitter spazzed, and then eyes quickly turned to former VP nominee Paul Ryan, who said thanks, but no thanks. Now what? The GOP has a hot mess on its hands, so they postponed the Oct. 29 vote while they consider other candidates. Who are they?  It's a short list.

Facebook wants you to feel all the feels beyond 'like'

You're also going to have to wait a little longer for the mythical "dislike" button. But Facebook is going to give you the option to express more of your emotions — you know, without much more social commitment than an emoji. Get ready to like "Reactions," emoji-like symbols that include "love," "haha," "wow" and "yay," as well as angry and sad faces. The symbols are designed to be universally recognized across cultures. If you're in Spain and Ireland, you get to give them the thumbs-up first — so to speak — because Facebook begins testing Reactions there first.

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We learn the real reason Selena Gomez took a break

Pregnant? Nope. Rehab? Nope, again. Haters, and tabloids, hear this: Selena Gomez has lupus. That's why she was in rehab in 2014, she tells Billboard. Some excerpts: “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about." "I wanted so badly to say, ‘You guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy.' " "It’s so disappointing that I’ve become a tabloid story.” Read her interview with USA TODAY here. What exactly is lupus? More on the disease here.

Airman Spencer Stone, who helped foil French train attack, is stabbed

It's news that makes you say, "what?!" Remember the attack on a French train not too long ago, in which three Americans were hailed as heroes for thwarting a terrorist? One of those heroes, Spencer Stone, was repeatedly stabbed Wednesday night in Sacramento following an incident at a bar, police said. Deputy police chief Ken Bernard emphasized that the attack "was not a terrorist-related incident, nor is it related to what happened in France a few months ago." Stone's injuries were described as significant but non-life-threatening.

President Obama poses with Army Spc. Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone  and Anthony Sadler after a meeting in the Oval Office in September.

Amazon gets all artsy-craftsy going after Etsy

Etsy lovers, prepare to be bedazzled. Amazon has a new place for you to buy your beloved handcrafted trinkets and gifts. Handmade at Amazon will feature more than 80,000 items, from all 50 states and 60 countries, and it's open ONLY to artists making the items — unlike Etsy who has been in hot glue for its decision in 2013 to allow sellers to use some outside manufacturers. Never a company to just sit around and knit, Etsy announced this week that it's launching Etsy Manufacturing, a marketplace for designers and manufacturers, which Etsy says will make it easier for sellers to source what the company calls "responsible production assistance."

If you read only one thing today: College football coaches are piling up even more cash through bonuses. Want to find out how much each coach makes? Check out the database by USA TODAY Sports.

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Extra bites:
Meet Boo. And danke schoen to Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton, for letting us take a peek into his legendary home where monkeys, Arabian horses, peacocks — and even penguins abound.

This is disturbing. More than a third of top police officials surveyed didn't know they could seize firearms from people who a judge has determined to be a danger to themselves or others.

Have you seen it? This little girl can't wait to hug her soldier dad and runs right across the gym, straight into our hearts.

We all need a little distraction at some point during the day (what else are smartphones for?), so add DISTRACTME on the YO app. It'll be fun, we promise.

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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.

Contributing: Paul Singer, Ledyard King, Cooper Allen, Deirdre Shesgreen, Donovan Slack, Jessica Guynn, Kelly Lawler, Doug Stanglin, John Bacon, Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

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