November 10, 2023 Issue

Washington, D.C.: Republican Representative Mike Johnson from Louisiana is sworn in as House Speaker at the U.S. Capitol on October 25, following a chaotic three-week long succession battle that froze legislative work and prevented votes on aid for Israel and Ukraine, all with a November 17 deadline to fund the government looming. In his fourth term in Congress and not well known to the public, Johnson is a strong ally of former President Donald Trump and a supporter of his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A crusader against gay rights and outspoken proponent of narrowing the gap between church and state, his installment solidifies the party’s rightward shift.