In The Headlines: Three National Stories to Know This Week
After three weeks of chaos and infighting, the House has finally elected a new speaker. Credit: Emily Stellakis '24.
House elects new Speaker Johnson following weeks of chaos, infighting
Mike Johnson, a little-known Louisiana conservative, was elected the 56th Speaker of the House last Wednesday, ending three weeks of chaos, infighting and dysfunction in the lower chamber.
Johnson secured the gavel without losing any GOP votes. This came after the hard right flank of the party ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) on Oct. 3 and failed to rally behind three candidates to succeed him.
Johnson, a Trump ally, architect of the conservative efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and an evangelical opposed to abortion rights, same-sex marriage and homosexuality, represents a sharp turn to the right for the Republican party. He is also the least experienced legislator to be elected House speaker in 140 years.
He now faces the arduous task of uniting the fractured Republican conference between funding bills for Israel and Ukraine, as well as averting a government shutdown. The short-term funding bill that prevented an Oct. 1 shutdown, which precipitated McCarthy’s ouster, expires on Nov. 17. Speaker Johnson said over the weekend that his “first priority” in leadership is to reach an agreement on government funding.
Israel launches ground assault in Gaza
Israel has appeared to have launched a ground incursion into Gaza, accompanied by aerial bombardments and a communications blackout stretching almost two days over the weekend.
Since Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a brutal terrorist attack on Israel three weeks ago that killed over 1,400 people – mostly civilians – Israel has responded with a weeks-long bombing campaign as a full-scale ground invasion was imminent. The full scope of the assault is unclear, but it appears Israel is launching more of a phased ground incursion.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address Saturday that the war had entered a “second phase” and that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would “destroy the enemy above ground and below ground,” in reference to Hamas. Netanyahu warned Palestine to prepare for a “long and difficult” war.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is rapidly escalating, with Israeli airstrikes killing at least 7,000 so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Critical supplies like fuel and water are running low, and the communications blackout caused massive disruptions to emergency services and left families, as well as journalists on the ground, unable to contact each other and the outside world.
President Joe Biden’s administration urged Israel over the weekend to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to restore internet connectivity following the blackout, part of an effort to address the growing humanitarian crisis amid fears of a widening regional war. White House officials have so far ruled out supporting a ceasefire.
Election Watch: GOP primary field tightens and Biden gains long-shot primary challenger
Last week saw some shake-ups in the 2024 election competition, as the Republican primary field lost contender Mike Pence, the former vice president, and President Biden gained a last-minute primary challenge from Rep. Dean Philips.
Pence ended his campaign on Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, saying, “This is not my time.” The former vice president has struggled to gain traction since entering the race.
The Democratic field saw a puzzling last-minute addition late last week, as Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips made his long-shot presidential bid official in New Hampshire on the last possible day to get his name on the primary ballot. Phillips, a moderate House Democrat and once a fervent ally of President Biden, is focusing his campaign on the 80-year-old Biden’s electability and arguing the party must move on to fresher faces.
Philips, 54, is one of the wealthiest members of congress and will largely self-fund his underdog bid for the White House. His colleagues are calling his bid a “vanity project.”
The reception has been icy among top Democrats, who have rallied around the incumbent president as their 2024 nominee.