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(AP) — The Louisiana Legislature has until Jan. 15 to enact a new congressional map after a lower court last year ruled that the current political boundaries dilute the power of the state’s Black voters, a federal New Orleans appeals court said Friday. Louisiana is among states still wrangling over congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act. They argue that Black populations in the state are too dispersed to be united into a second majority Black district. Lawmakers now have until mid-January to draw and pass a new map, which would have to be done through a special session. However, in the appeals court’s order it does say that the district court will have discretion to grant “limited additional time” if requested.

Persons: John Bel Edwards, Jeff Landry, “, Edwards, Shelly Dick, ” Dick, ” Edwards, Troy Carter, ”, Carter, Landry, Landry won’t Organizations: The Louisiana Legislature, Democratic Gov, Republican Gov, U.S ., Appeals, Fifth District, Louisiana’s GOP, U.S, Supreme, Republicans, Black, Lawmakers, Senate, U.S . Rep, Democratic Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, The Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana’s, Louisiana, Alabama, Black, “

☆ US House Republican spending plan hits new snag as shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Lawmakers said they expect the Louisiana Republican to unveil a continuing resolution or "CR" to avert a partial government shutdown as late as Saturday. Johnson can afford to lose no more than four Republican votes from his slim 221-212 House majority on legislation opposed by Democrats. But he is under pressure from Republican hardliners to lumber any CR with spending cuts and policy riders Democrats uniformly reject. "If there's any kind of CR, there has to be spending reductions," Representative Chip Roy, a prominent conservative, told reporters. House Republicans are trying to pass a full slate of 12 appropriations bills for fiscal 2024, which began on Oct. 1.

Persons: Julia Nikhinson, Mike Johnson, Joe Biden, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Johnson, Chip Roy, Tom Cole, Cole, We've, Steve Womack, Republican centrists, Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy, It's, Ralph Norman, David Morgan, Nandita Bose, Susan Heavey, Scott Malone, David Gregorio, Mark Porter Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Congress, REUTERS, Rights, . House, White, Treasury, Lawmakers, Louisiana Republican, Democratic, Republican, House Republicans, Internal Revenue Service, District of, Food and Drug Administration, Amtrak, Biden, Republicans, Caucus, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Louisiana, Washington, District of Columbia

☆ Republican US House Speaker Johnson nears choice on avoiding gov't shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) addresses the U.S. House of Representatives after he was elected to be the new Speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 25, 2023. Despite signs of some bipartisan talks between the chambers, Johnson has been focused on finding a solution that his 221-212 House Republican majority can accept. The choice will test Johnson's effectiveness as the top Republican in Congress, just two weeks after he was chosen following nearly a month of Republican infighting. Johnson, 51, a relative novice in leadership politics with few political enemies, continues to enjoy goodwill within the fractious House Republican caucus. "The four corners are talking," said Schumer, using a term that refers to Johnson, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and himself.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Elizabeth Frantz, Johnson, David Joyce, Andy Harris, you've, Mike Simpson, Kevin McCarthy, Harris, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Hakeem Jeffries, David Morgan, Scott Malone, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . House, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Democratic, Senate, Committee, Republicans, Louisiana Republican, House Democratic, New York Democrat, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Louisiana

☆ ‘Like Winning the Lottery’: Mike Johnson’s Ascent Excites Conservative Christians
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Ruth Graham | More About Ruth Graham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, a little-known congressman named Mike Johnson took the stage at Christian Center Shreveport to celebrate. “This is a day we’ve been waiting on for a half-century,” he told the ebullient congregation, adding that there was no place he would rather be than with them. He beamed as he read portions of Louisiana’s new law punishing abortion providers with a minimum of one year in prison and a fine of at least $10,000. He closed with a prayer that cited scripture and Ronald Reagan. Mr. Johnson’s sudden ascent last month to speaker of the House, second in line to the presidency, was a surprising turn in a career built quietly in courtrooms, as a lawyer representing socially conservative causes, and through the Louisiana Statehouse and the House of Representatives, to which he was elected in 2017.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Mike Johnson, ”, “, Ronald Reagan Organizations: Christian Center, Louisiana Statehouse, Representatives Locations: Christian Center Shreveport

☆ Now-Speaker Mike Johnson worked with a Louisiana college to minimize the fallout over his resignation as the dean of a Christian law school that never opened, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mike Johnson worked with a Louisiana college to minimize fallout over his resignation as a law school dean, per WaPo. The planned law school was touted by its boosters as one that would "unashamedly embrace" a "biblical worldview." (Louisiana College was renamed Louisiana Christian University in 2021.) AdvertisementAdvertisement"He speaks from an internal moral compass that is true north and everyone should know that 'Mike Johnson cannot be bought,'" Aguillard said. "In short, America is in the best of hands under Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership," he added.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, —, Joe Aguillard, Heath Veuleman, Aguillard, Mike, Mike Johnson's Organizations: Paul Pressler School of Law, Service, Louisiana College, Southern Baptist, Louisiana Christian University, The Washington, The, The Post Locations: Louisiana, Southern, Pineville —, America

☆ Analysis: Israel aid drama is the latest failure of American governance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

House GOP leaders said they plan to hold a vote on the package on Thursday but such is the uncertainty in the party’s chaotic majority that no timetable is ever certain. But House GOP Whip Tom Emmer and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise both said they expect to pass the package later in the day. For years, a vote on aid to Israel might have been one of the least controversial measures to come up in the House all year. But Johnson defended his decision on Thursday to link Israel aid to cuts in IRS funding. But the last few weeks have shown there’s a vast difference between what a GOP speaker wants to do and what he can do.

Persons: Tom Emmer, Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson’s, Johnson, “, that’s, Joe Biden, McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, –, Mitch McConnell, ” McConnell, ” —, McConnell, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine’s, Oklahoma Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, —, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Jessica Rosenberg, ” Biden Organizations: CNN, GOP, Internal Revenue Service, Johnson’s, Hamas, Louisiana Republican, Democratic, White, Senate, Republican Party, Wednesday, Fox News, Putin, Oklahoma, House Republicans, Republican, United Locations: Israel, America, Washington, Ukraine, China, Russia, Louisiana, United States, Kremlin, Kyiv, Carolina, Gaza, Minnesota, Michigan

For more than a year, the Environmental Protection Agency investigated whether Louisiana officials discriminated against Black residents by putting them at increased cancer risk. As attorney general, Landry fought the EPA’s investigation. Health officials, for example, wanted the unilateral power to decide if and when they had to do the EPA-proposed analysis. The AP reviewed a draft agreement edited by state health officials and sent to EPA in May, reflecting negotiations at the time. It has not reviewed any draft agreement that would show what Louisiana's environmental agency might have been willing to accept.

Persons: Biden, Eric Schaeffer, it’s, Schaeffer, Republican Jeff Landry, Landry, Deena Tumeh, Tumeh, “, ”, ” Tumeh, Kevin Litten, VI, Sharon, Lavigne, James, Michael Regan, It's, Stacey Sublett Halliday, Beveridge, Diamond, ” Sublett Halliday Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, The Associated Press, EPA’s, Civil, Louisiana, Republican, EPA, Louisiana Department of Environmental, Louisiana Department of Health, Health, AP, Cancer, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation Locations: Louisiana, chloroprene, St

☆ Mike Johnson tests his new power with risky gambit on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —New House Speaker Mike Johnson is already tying Washington in new partisan knots. Johnson surprises by picking Israel funding as his first test of credibilityJohnson’s hard ball play on Israel funding came as a surprise given that some of the urgency for ending the speakership impasse last week was to swiftly clear a funding package following the Hamas attacks. The Biden administration on Tuesday formally threatened to veto the House GOP’s standalone Israel aid bill. The inclusion of the offsets could indicate that Johnson needs to placate his most hardline members even to pass a measure as popular as Israel funding. Some other Senate conservatives are also at odds with their leader, backing the decoupling of Israel and Ukraine aid.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden’s, Mitch McConnell, McCarthy, McConnell, Johnson, ” Beth Sanner, “, Biden, ” Sanner, Johnson’s, ’, Jared Moskowitz, ”, “ I’m, Marjorie Taylor Greene of, Rashida, Greene, George Santos, McConnell –, Donald Trump, –, Vladimir Putin, don’t, Rand Paul, he’s, ” Paul, CNN’s Manu Raju, Chuck Schumer, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Putin, ‘ I’m Organizations: CNN, New, Washington, Republican, Republicans, stoke, Internal Revenue, GOP, Louisiana Republican, Democratic, Senate, National Intelligence, Central ”, White, Israel, National Republican, Extreme, Democrats, Jewish Democrat, “, GOP Rep, Democratic Rep, Democrat, New York Rep, titans, Taiwan, New York Democrat, US, NATO Locations: Israel, Louisiana, Ukraine, China, Russia, Washington, Gaza, Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Palestinian American, Michigan, Kyiv, Kentucky, United States, Moscow, Iran, Tehran, Baltic

☆ Mike Johnson symbolizes a new turn for the religious right
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —The arc of Rep. Mike Johnson’s career encapsulates the shifting priorities of the religious right in the era of Donald Trump. More than half of White evangelicals agreed with that statement as well – the only major religious denomination in which it found majority support. Yet both groups are much more influential inside the GOP coalition, with evangelicals representing nearly one-third of Republican voters and all White Christians about two-thirds. But in Congress, Johnson has also identified more with some of the party’s Trump-era priorities that revolve around demographic change. But each man appears equally committed to a vision of America that elevates the moral and political preferences of conservative White Christians over any other group.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Donald Trump, Barack Obama’s, Johnson, MAGA, Long, Trump’s, Trump, Robert P, Jones, Johnson “, ”, Mike Podhorzer, ” Podhorzer, Jimmy Carter, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, ” Jones, Dobson, CNN’s KFile, KFile, he’s, Ron DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor, it’s, ” Johnson, He’s, “, Biden, who’s, PRRI, there’s, Tresa Undem, Undem, White, George W, Bush, Obama, Pete Wehner, Wehner, David Barton, Barton, that’s, ” Wehner, ‘, ” Barton Organizations: CNN, Louisiana Republican, Republican, GOP, Yorker, Trump, Survey, Religion Research Institute, White, AFL, CIO, Republicans, Representatives, Alliance Defense Fund, Defending, Gov, Georgia Rep, Whites, Trinity Forum, ”, NBC News, Trump - Locations: Louisiana, America, White, “, Florida, Mexico

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected to public office, he was the dean of a small Baptist law school that didn't exist. “The law school deal was really an anomaly. As dean of the proposed law school, Johnson embarked on a major fundraising campaign and described a big-dollar event in Houston with former Arkansas Gov. Bobby Jindal and Pressler, according to an account Johnson wrote in a 2011 alumni magazine. Meanwhile, the historic former federal courthouse in Shreveport that was selected as the law school’s campus required at least $20 million in renovations.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, It's, “, ”, Gene Mills, Johnson's, ” J, Michael Johnson, Southern Baptist Convention luminary, Tony Perkins, Jerry Falwell, “ I’m, Joe Aguillard, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Aguillard, “ Mike, Gilbert Little, ” Johnson, Perkins, Little, Barack, Kelly, Kelly Johnson, Louis “ Woody ” Jenkins, Jenkins, Democrat Mary Landrieu, Moon Griffin, Eugene Mills, Mills, ” Mills, Johnson’s, George W, Bush’s, it’s, Lamar White Jr, Lamar, Richard Lardner, Trenton Daniel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Paul Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College, Louisiana Christian University, Republican House, Southern Baptist Convention, Family Research, Southern Poverty Law, Liberty University, Daily, ”, Arkansas Gov, Louisiana Gov, Freedom Guard, Southern Baptist Conference, Shreveport Times, ABC News, Louisiana State University, Democrat, Louisiana Family, Alliance Defense Fund, Alliance Defending, ADF, CNN, Democratic, Civil, Associated Press Locations: Louisiana, Washington, Alexandria , Louisiana, Houston, Pressler, Africa, Shreveport, Shreveport , Louisiana, everyone’s, America, New Orleans, Texas, Orleans Parish, Trump’s, Baton Rouge, New York

Mr. Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who has personally voted against sending military aid to Kyiv, released a $14 billion aid bill for Israel on Monday. But Mr. Johnson spurned that request, in an acknowledgment of how toxic funding for Ukraine has become among Republicans. agents,” Mr. Johnson said. “Instead of advancing a serious proposal to defend Israel, defend Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid, this House G.O.P. My guess is you can get Ukraine aid passed, probably as a stand-alone bill here.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Biden, Johnson, Biden’s, Fox News’s, ” Mr, Chuck Schumer, Mr, Kevin McCarthy, Thomas Massie of, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “, ’, Ms, Greene, —, Steven Ellis, MacGuineas, Mitch McConnell of, ”, Schumer, McConnell, Oksana Markarova, I’ve, Johnson’s, Susan Collins of, “ I’m, Josh Hawley, Let’s, Hawley, McConnell “, let’s, Patty Murray, Antony J, Blinken, ” Zach Montague Organizations: Senate, Louisiana Republican, Internal Revenue Service, Israel, Fox, Democratic, Republicans, United, Taxpayers, Federal Budget, Biden, Republican, University of Louisville, Ukraine, Mr Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Louisiana, Kyiv, Taiwan, United States, New York, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, America, Kentucky, Ukrainian, Susan Collins of Maine, Gaza, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Washington, Russia, Iran

☆ House GOP’s $14.3 billion Israel aid sets up collision course with Senate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Haley Talbot | Kristin Wilson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The House has released text of its planned Israel funding bill, appropriating $14.3 billion dollars to aid the country, setting up one of the first leadership tests for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson. In the Senate, both leaders have pressed to have any funding for Israel combined with Ukraine and border security funding. Johnson has pushed to detach the aid to Israel from the Ukraine aid. And right now, the Senate has a chance to produce supplemental assistance that will help us do exactly that,” McConnell said. Not some of them, but all of them … you can send Israel over by itself, that’d be fine,” he said.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Republicans – Thomas Massie of, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia –, Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, “, ” Schumer, Mitch McConnell, Oksana Markarova, ” McConnell, “ Israel, ”, Sen, Rick Scott, Missouri Sen, Josh Hawley, Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham of, CNN’s Manu Raju, Sam Fossum, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: Louisiana Republican, GOP, Republicans, Senate, Israel, Fox News, Democrats, House Democratic, Ukraine, ”, Florida Republican, Republican, “ Locations: Israel, Louisiana, Georgia, Ukraine, Gaza, America, Ukrainian, Louisville , Kentucky, Florida, Missouri, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

☆ Kelly Johnson, who is married to House Speaker Mike Johnson, practices a form of Christian counseling that classifies people into 'choleric', 'phlegmatic,' and other ancient personality types purporte
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kelly Johnson, the wife of House Speaker Mike Johnson, was a Christian therapist. It is not clear if Kelly Johnson will continue her practice. Not long after Rep. Mike Johnson became House speaker last week, Kelly Johnson's website became inaccessible. The couple is deeply religious; both Kelly and Mike Johnson previously worked with religious organizations and causes the religious right advocates for. Along with her counseling, Johnson is also listed as an advisor to the Louisiana Right for Life, an anti-abortion organization.

Persons: Kelly Johnson, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Hippocrates, —, Kelly Johnson's, Kelly, Richard, Phyllis Arno, Tim LaHaye, LaHaye, Jack Kemp's, George W, Mike Huckabee, LeHaye, Hodges Organizations: Service, National Christian Counselor's, National Christian Counselors Association, The New York Times, Arkansas Gov, APS, Education, Louisiana Tech, Centenary College, Cypress Baptist Church, Johnsons, Southern Baptist Convention, LGBT, CNN Locations: Louisiana, Benton, La

☆ Kelly Johnson, who is married to House Speaker Mike Johnson, practices an ancient form of Christian counseling that classifies people into 'choleric', 'phlegmatic,' and other personality types purport
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

☆ How 2020 election denialism greases the path to power in the Republican Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Johnson, who played a leading role in the effort to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, benefited in his ascent to the speakership last week from the approval of pro-Trump lawmakers. His tortured explanations of his constitutionality correct decision – that he lacked power to overturn Biden’s 2020 election win in Congress – failed to convince grassroots Republicans bought into the ex-president’s false claims that he won the election. An alternative lesson that the ex-president’s rivals might draw is that forceful condemnations of Trump’s 2020 election denialism are likely to be fatal to their campaigns. There was evidence last week that Johnson’s maneuvering after the 2020 election helped secure his rise to the speakership. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, said that Emmer’s vote to certify the 2020 election “played a big role” in her vote against him.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Johnson, Joe Biden’s, Pence, Biden’s, –, Liz Cheney, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, Trump’s, Trump, ”, ’, Vladimir Putin, thrall, Ronald Reagan, trekked, —, Chris Christie, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, Tom Emmer, Marjorie Taylor Greene, “, ” Greene, Republicans “ Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, White House, Republicans, Wyoming, Utah, Trump Organization, GOP, New, New Jersey Gov, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, Fox News, Capitol, Louisiana Republican, House Republicans, Electoral, Georgia, Democrats, Democratic Congressional, MAGA Locations: New York, autocrats, Iowa, United States, “, New Jersey, “ State, New Hampshire, Louisiana, Texas, Minnesota

☆ Mike Johnson is the first Republican House speaker from the South since Newt Gingrich, putting the region back in the driver's seat of GOP politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Mike Johnson's ascent to the House speakership last week took most in the GOP by surprise. He's now the first House speaker from the South since Newt Gingrich held the gavel in the 1990s. "This happened sort of suddenly," the Louisiana Republican said last Wednesday after succeeding Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as speaker and as the new leader of the House GOP conference. Rep. Mike Johnson takes the oath of office to become the next House speaker on October 25, 2023. Challenges to Republican-drawn congressional districts across the South could give Democrats a significant opening to flip the House in 2024.

Persons: Mike Johnson's, He's, Newt Gingrich, —, couldn't, Kevin McCarthy of, Johnson, Bill Clinton, Sen, Mitch McConnell, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, Alex Brandon Cue McConnell, Steve Scalise, Gingrich —, Drew Angerer, Gingrich, Donald Trump, Kim Chandler, McCarthy Organizations: GOP, Service, Louisiana Republican, Southern Republican, Republican, White House, House Republicans, AP, Democratic, Kentucky Locations: Washington, Louisiana, Kevin McCarthy of California, Georgia, Kentucky, Southern, Ukraine, New York, Chicago, Denver, Johnson's, Kim Chandler In Alabama, Black, Alabama's, Florida, Arkansas, South Carolina , Tennessee

WASHINGTON (AP) — New House Speaker Mike Johnson inherits many of the same problems that bedeviled Republican leaders with far more experience. But can he unite House Republicans where others failed? Trump, who is running for a second White House term, enthusiastically backed Johnson and said he will be “a fantastic speaker." The House Republican Conference is deeply divided on those issues. The intractability of many House Republicans forced McCarthy to turn to Democrats for help in keeping the government running.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Johnson, “, ” Johnson, McCarthy, John Boehner, Christian, Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Johnson's, Trump, Biden, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, Alejandro Mayorkas, Chip Roy, Roy, Veronica Escobar, George Santos, Santos, Jordan, ”, Don Bacon, Rep, Thomas Massie, stabby Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, House, Louisiana Republican, GOP, Caucus, Republicans, Committee, Democrat, Trump, lotto, Ukraine, Democratic, White, Fox, Homeland, Republican Conference, Texas Republican, Texas Democrat, New York Republicans, Nebraska Republican, Jordan, Kentucky Republican Locations: Louisiana, Ohio, California, Israel, Ukraine, Mexico, Texas, Kentucky

The fallout was quick: Nevada, which saw a 44 percentage-point jump in congenital syphilis from 2021 to 2022, was supposed to get more than $10 million to bolster its STD program budget. In 2021, there were 77.9 cases of congenital syphilis per 100,000 live births. Doing so in a timely manner can prevent congenital syphilis. Mississippi is also seeing an uptick in congenital syphilis cases, which a recently published study showed rose tenfold between 2016 and 2022. Agency head Dr. Dan Edney said one of his top priorities now is finding money from other parts of the state's health budget.

Persons: they’d, Dawn Cribb, ”, Sam Burgess, Deneshun Graves, Lupita Thornton, Graves, Thornton, “, Dan Edney, Rebecca Scranton, ” Scranton, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: Nevada Division of Public, Behavioral, Associated Press, Louisiana Department of Health, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Houston Health Department, Health, Mississippi State Department of Health, Agency, of Health Services, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: U.S, Nevada, . Mississippi, Arizona

☆ New House speaker Mike Johnson knocks Biden's 'cognitive decline' but can't remember all the times he attacked LGBTQ relationships
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In the same interview, Johnson said couldn't remember a number of comments attacking LGBTQ Americans. AdvertisementAdvertisementHouse Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday night agreed with Fox News host Sean Hannity that President Joe Biden is showing a "cognitive decline." Johnson, who is an evangelical Christian, worked to thwart same-sex marriage and served in leadership roles with the Southern Baptist Convention. Asked about the comments, Johnson, perhaps conveniently, forgot years' worth of statements. The House speaker said that now views the issue of same-sex marriage as settled after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Biden, Johnson, Sean Hannity, couldn't, —, Joe Biden, Hannity, chatted, Hodges Organizations: Fox News, Service, Louisiana Republican, Southern Baptist Convention, CNN, White Locations: Louisiana, Obergefell

She blamed the corrosion on the water piped in from the area's longtime drinking water source: the Mississippi River. As in New Orleans, drinking water in the parish is drawn from the river. Parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin — all part of the vast Mississippi River basin, which touches 31 states — are experiencing extreme drought conditions. New Orleans officials also were working on a plan to build an emergency pipeline. This is the fifth year the Corps has built an underwater structure to slow the salt water flow.

Persons: Monique, Byron Marinovich, ”, Belle Chasse, “ We've, Keith Hinkley, “, —, Stephen Murphy, Cynthia Lee Sheng, Murphy, ” ___ Smith, Mary Katherine Wildeman, Camille Fassett Organizations: ORLEANS, ”, U.S . Geological Survey, Wisconsin —, Tulane University’s School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine, Management, U.S . Army Corps of Engineers, Corps, NOAA’s Center, Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, Associated Press Locations: Mississippi, Plaquemines Parish, New Orleans, Gulf of Mexico, Port Sulphur, Pointe, Plaisance, Marinovich, Belle, ”, Midwest, Vicksburg , Mississippi, U.S, Kansas , Nebraska , Missouri , Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Orleans, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish, Plaquemines, Jefferson, United States, Tampa Bay , Florida, Gulf Coast, Buras , Louisiana, Hartford , Connecticut, Seattle

Rushing to meet an urgent spending deadline and facing a revolt from House Republicans, congressional leaders left money for Ukraine out of a short-term bill to keep federal funding flowing. But the ouster days later of Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, from the speaker’s post and the installation of Mr. Johnson, a right-wing Republican with a history of voting against Ukraine assistance, has shifted the dynamics. Now leaders are facing yet another shutdown deadline on Nov. 17, and congressional Democrats, White House officials and some leading Republicans are scrambling to salvage Ukraine aid. In the days since his election, Mr. Johnson has signaled that he will not seek to block aid to Ukraine altogether, but he has also made it clear that he wants to consider it separately from any assistance for Israel, and put tight restrictions on it. “Our consensus among House Republicans is that we need to bifurcate those issues,” Mr. Johnson said of Ukraine and Israel assistance in an interview on Thursday with Sean Hannity of Fox News.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Johnson, Johnson’s, Mr, Sean Hannity, “ We’re, ” Mr Organizations: Louisiana Republican, Kyiv, Hamas, House Republicans, Republican, Ukraine, White, Mr, Republicans, Israel, Fox News Locations: Ukraine, California, Kyiv, Israel

☆ Who is Mike Johnson, the new Republican US House Speaker?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Mike Johnson has been elected by his fellow Republicans to serve as speaker of the House of Representatives, after three weeks of turmoil and three failed candidates. Prior to Congress, Johnson was a lawyer who mainly worked on religious freedom issues, successfully defending Louisiana's same sex marriage ban in 2004. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the latest House Republican nominee for House Speaker, reacts to former Speaker nominee and current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) voting for Johnson during another round of voting to pick a new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreHe opposes same sex marriage and introduced a bill in 2022 that would have banned schools from promoting or discussing gender identity. LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCEJohnson served as chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee and was elected vice-chair of the conference, but otherwise has no leadership experience - a potential hindrance as he enters into negotiations with the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House. RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMPJohnson is an avowed supporter of Trump, as evidenced by his support for Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, CONSERVATIVE Johnson, Donald Trump's, Steve Scalise, TRUMP Johnson, Trump, Mike Johnson's, Moira Warburton, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republican, Louisiana Baptist Message, Louisiana statehouse, Congress, CONSERVATIVE, Trump, U.S . Rep, U.S . House, U.S, Capitol, Russia, Ukraine, Democratic, White, Thomson Locations: Shreveport, Louisiana's, Louisiana, Washington , U.S, UKRAINE, Ukraine, Washington

☆ New Speaker Mike Johnson’s To-Do List: A Looming Funding Deadline and Israel, Ukraine Aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Kristina Peterson | Lindsay Wise | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana as speaker of the House on Wednesday, more than three weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Photo: Reuters/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON—The House is back open for business. But getting legislation through it—much less agreeing with the Democratic Senate and President Biden—won’t be easy for brand-new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson , with major deadlines less than a month away. After 22 days of GOP infighting, the Louisiana Republican secured his post Wednesday without any opposition from his fellow House Republicans. That unity will be tested soon, with lawmakers facing a slew of policy and political challenges, including a government funding deadline in three weeks, aid requests for Israel and Ukraine and a farm bill that has already expired.

Persons: Mike Johnson of, Kevin McCarthy, Elizabeth Frantz WASHINGTON, Biden — won’t, Mike Johnson Organizations: Republicans, Reuters, Democratic Senate, Louisiana Republican Locations: Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Louisiana, Israel, Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson is the new speaker of the House, but the ally of Donald Trump inherits many of the same political problems that have tormented past GOP leaders, tested their grasp of the gavel and eventually chased them out of office. But the goodwill toward Johnson blurs the political fault lines challenging the Louisianan's ability to lead the GOP majority as it faces daunting issues ahead. While not the party's top choice for the gavel, the deeply religious and even-keeled Johnson has few foes and an important GOP backer: Trump. In the House, far-right members had refused to accept a more traditional speaker, and moderate conservatives didn't want a hard-liner. A lawyer specializing in constitutional issues, Johnson had rallied Republicans around Trump’s legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Johnson, Joe Biden, Biden, ” Johnson, “, ” Trump, “ He’s, ” Biden, it’s, didn't, Matt Gaetz, McCarthy, Democrat Biden, MAGA, ”, Suzan DelBene, Israel ”, John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Newt Gingrich, Tom Emmer, Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, Jill Colvin, Darlene Superville Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, GOP, Republican, Trump, Democrat, “ Republicans, Democrats, Lawmakers, Republicans, Hamas, Jordan’s, Associated Press Locations: Israel, Ukraine, York, Washington, Russia, Louisiana, New York

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson did work for a 'crisis pregnancy' center that used a van to find pregnant women
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Newly elected Speaker Mike Johnson was the bookkeeper for a crisis pregnancy center, IRS forms show. Crisis pregnancy centers have a history of spreading medical misinformation. Crisis pregnancy centers, or pregnancy resource centers, aim to stop people who are pregnant from seeking abortions by promoting adoption and parenting skills. Imagine Life Ministries noted on its website that many women "have never heard of pregnancy centers or the resources offered there." Imagine Life Ministries did not designate itself under that category in any filings since its founding.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, —, van, they're, who's, Kevin McCarthy's, he's Organizations: Service, Internal Revenue, Inc, Liberty University, Human Locations: Louisiana, Virginia

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