U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) makes a statement to members of the news media in Washington, U.S., February 27, 2024.
For months, we’ve all wondered how US House Speaker Mike Johson was going to square this circle: The Biden administration, most Democrats, and much of the GOP establishment want more aid for Israel and Ukraine, while hardliners in Johnson’s own Republican Party, led by Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, say foreign wars aren’t America’s business and that border security is more important.
Now we know. The Louisiana Republican plans to break that unsquarable circle into a handful of little strips (this metaphor ends here, we promise) – crafting country-specific aid bills for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
The move may skirt a right-wing rebellion in Congress, but it’s a rebuke to the White House, which had called for Johnson to simply take up a version of a bipartisan Senate bill from February, which earmarked $95 billion for Israel and Ukraine.
Johnson thinks he can get the split-up bills passed as soon as this week, but we’re watching to see if his separate-but-equal strategy provokes a backlash from Democrats, whose support he needs to bring these new bills to a vote in the Senate.
People in support of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on Feb. 19, 2026. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment the same day for leading an insurrection with his short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024.
65: The age of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday after being found guilty of plotting an insurrection when he declared martial law in 2024.
In an era when geopolitics can feel overwhelming and remote, sometimes the best messengers are made of felt and foam.
The Hungarian election is off to the races, and nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is facing his most serious challenger in 16 years.
Does skepticism rule the day in politics? Public opinion data collected as part of the Munich Security Conference’s annual report found that large shares of respondents in G7 and several BRICS countries believed their governments’ policies would leave future generations worse off.