What Kind of Political Creature is Mike Johnson?

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With House Republicans clinging to a narrow majority ahead of the 2024 elections, it’s only natural that the party would worry about whether new House Speaker Mike Johnson has the fundraising chops to enable the GOP to hang on.

But there’s another, related question that isn’t getting much airing — and may be just as critical to the party’s prospects next year: What kind of political creature is Johnson? How much does he understand about the modern political map and the field conditions affecting his conference?

All members of Congress are political animals, of course. But the ones who rise on the national stage often have a more sophisticated and nuanced grasp of the political landscape beyond their own backyard, and a climatologist’s feel for the atmospheric patterns from state to state and region to region.

Kevin McCarthy, Johnson’s predecessor as speaker, is one of those politicians. A former district director for Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), minority leader of the California House and head of recruiting for the National Republican Congressional Committee, he was primed for the political dimensions of the House speakership. Even as McCarthy ran for an open seat in Congress in 2006, he was sending donations to other aspiring House Republican candidates in contested races across the nation.

Nancy Pelosi, the former Democratic speaker, was introduced to campaigns and elections at an early age — her father was a big-city mayor with an urban machine to attend to. Before winning election to Congress, she served as state party chair of California — back when it was still a competitive two-party state — and got a crash course in the political distinctions between Northern and Southern California, Orange County and Marin County, the Central Valley and Silicon Valley.

Johnson, on the other hand, has a far more limited range of experience. His political frame of reference is essentially the Trump era. A constitutional lawyer and talk show host, he was unopposed in his special election to a single term in the state legislature in 2015 and then won election to Congress in 2016.

He had to win a crowded primary to capture his Northwest Louisiana-based congressional seat, but he’s never broken a sweat since then. Johnson has skated to reelection three times in his comfortably Republican district; last year, he had no opposition at all.

Johnson hails from a one-party district in a one-party state — and that state is Louisiana, which holds off-year legislative and gubernatorial elections and has a unique primary system that makes it something of an exotic among the 50 states. Louisiana politics is not for the faint of heart, but neither is it the best preparation for the business of defending 221 seats spread across nearly every region of the nation.

Johnson will need to get up to speed quickly on the very different pressures faced by many of his GOP colleagues — 18 of whom sit in districts carried by President Joe Biden in 2020. In those places, Johnson’s call for a national abortion ban and his leading role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election results will not be helpful to them. Most, if not all, of those Biden-district Republicans will be pedaling hard to distance themselves from their party leader on the campaign trail.

In that sense, Johnson’s social conservatism, fidelity to Trump and red-state pedigree could make him a partisan bogeyman similar to Pelosi. Her wealth, liberal politics and San Francisco base made her easy to caricature in GOP campaign ads against vulnerable Democrats. Demonizing Johnson is the Democrats’ hope and intention, at least. There’s no guarantee it will work: It could take years before Johnson, who is largely unknown, builds any name recognition.

Pelosi, like McCarthy, had an ace in the hole — she minted money for her caucus. Johnson has the unenviable task of following two of the most prolific fundraisers Washington has ever seen.

Next year, there will be a simple way to test Johnson’s ability to master the political dimensions of the speakership. There are a handful of first-term New York Republicans — in places like the Hudson Valley and Long Island — who could be the difference between holding and losing the majority. Is Mike Johnson an asset, a liability or a wash for them?

Rep. Jared Golden reverses on assault weapons ban

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Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), a conservative Democrat, reversed his previously held opposition and said on Thursday that he now supports an assault weapons ban following a mass shooting in his state.

“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime,” Golden said at a news conference in Lewiston, Maine. “The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles.”

Golden said he would work with “any colleague to get this done in the time that I have left in Congress.”

His reversal won immediate praise from fellow Democrats, including those who have called for tight gun restrictions.

“Powerful, brave, and moving. This is leadership,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wrote on X.

He spoke alongside a fellow moderate, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who called for a ban on “very high-capacity magazines — I think that would have more input and more effectiveness.”

“There’s always more that we can do,” she said.

Officials have saidat least 18 people were killed in a series of mass shootings Wednesday in the area. Law enforcement officers had surrounded a house near Bowdoin, Maine, on Thursday night and were calling for anyone inside to surrender.

Drug Takeback Day provides a place to safely dispose of unwanted medication, syringes

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Ramsey County residents with unwanted or expired medications in need of disposal will find a safe place to do just that at an event held by the Opioid Prevention and Unified Services Coalition.

The event is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cub Foods Midway, 1440 University Ave. in St. Paul.

Along with drive-through, no-questions-asked drug drop-offs, participants will be able to access Narcan, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, and test strips that can detect fentanyl and xylazine in street drugs. For the first time, a Clinic 555 Syringe Services Program van will exchange used sharps and needles for clean ones, according to Lizzie Byrne, a spokesperson for the event. Clinic 555 is another Ramsey County program that beyond syringe exchange also provides overdose reversal medication, wound care, and HIV and Hepatitis C testing.

“Proper disposal prevents crime, addiction, and misuse,” Byrne said.

Older residents typically account for much of the traffic at takeback day events because they have the most unused and expired medication to get rid of.

“That’s an important fact because 75 percent of people who suffer from addiction or misuse prescription medications get them from friends or relatives, not just from medical professionals,” Byrne said.

Jonessa Wisniewski, community engagement manager for the OPUS Coalition, added that by having a physical event where attendees can talk to professionals, people can get over any technology barriers that might prevent them from finding good information about medication disposal.

“The event is also not just for keeping the unwanted medications out of the hands of other people, but also for disposing of it safely so that it stays out of our water and agriculture,” Wisniewski said.

The OPUS Coalition was formed in 2017 after Ramsey County recorded over 107 overdose deaths in its community. The OPUS Coalition’s sector representatives are comprised of members from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, the County Attorney’s Office, local schools and tribal governments. OPUS also focuses on marijuana, tobacco and vaping and alcohol. It has established year-round drop sites for unwanted medication in Ramsey County. Find more information at opuscoalition.org.

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Anti-Israel protests on college campuses drive calls for increased safety

posted in: Politics | 0

NEW YORK — Friction is continuing on college campuses a day after a tense moment between Jewish students and participants in a pro-Palestinian rally at Cooper Union, heightening safety concerns amid ongoing clashes over the Israel-Hamas war.

Jewish leaders and students gathered Thursday afternoon on the Manhattan campus to condemn the college’s handling of the incident. Advocates said several Jewish students in the campus library felt threatened by protestors who shouted pro-Palestine messages and appeared to be intent on breaking into the library room.

“This school is in violation of the civil rights of these students,” said New York City Council Member Inna Vernikov — who was recently charged with gun possession after she protested against a pro-Palestinian rally.

“It is their job to protect Jewish students. Could you imagine this happening to any other ethnic minority in New York City?”

The clash at Cooper Union is the latest example of conflict between students and faculty on college campuses. Anxiety surrounding campus safety has been growing as protests erupt across the country over the conflict in the Middle East.

Columbia University earlier this week postponed a major fundraising drive following an assault on an Israeli student after he confronted a woman for tearing down posters with names of photos of Israelis that Hamas took as hostages and dueling demonstrations on campus.

And following an anti-Israel protest at Binghamton University, a student declared that “Israel is worse than Nazi Germany.” Jewish students, faculty and alumni at New York University, meanwhile, signed onto a letter this week condemning the institution’s lack of response to the rise in antisemitism.

Students at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., also projected pro-Hamas messaging onto campus buildings at night, with one reading “Glory to our Martyrs.”

And officials at Drexel University are investigating whether a Jewish student was the victim of a hate crime after the student’s dorm room door was set on fire.

Gerard Filitti, an attorney with the Lawfare Project — a group that defends Jewish people’s rights — wants to press criminal charges against the pro-Palestinian protestors at Cooper Union for menacing, as well as rioting and incitement charges. Students did not speak during the rally for safety reasons.

Cooper Union’s president, Laura Sparks, is now facing calls from advocates and students to step down.

Vernikov brought a pre-written resignation letter for Sparks to Thursday’s rally outside the library.

“We will demand the prosecution to the fullest extent of the law,” Filitti said. “We need to send a message in New York City and elsewhere that there are consequences for threatening and intimidating Jewish students or any other students.”

A spokesperson for Cooper Union said staffers remained with students in the library and Sparks was in the building until after the protesting students dispersed.

The school is reviewing reports and footage from the incident, boosted security and is contacting affected communities, the spokesperson said.

“The devastation and loss of life in Israel and Gaza are a cause of deep pain and anger for people around the world and in our own community,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “While we support our students’ right to peacefully protest and express themselves, a walkout on Wednesday reached an unacceptable level when protesting students entered a campus building and disrupted the learning environment.”

Sari, the mother of a Cooper Union graduate student who was in the library, said her daughter recounted the experience to her.

“She’s frightened,” Sari said during the rally, asking for her last name to be withheld for safety reasons. “She’s frightened to be on this campus.”

Several NYPD officers were on site at Cooper Union the day of the protest at the behest of school officials and accompanied roughly 20 pro-Palestinian protesters who made their way through the building, eventually arriving at the library.

NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell on Thursday morning said that the doors to the library were closed, but not locked — contradicting reports from shaken students who said school administrators battened down the room as pro-Palestinian protesters banged on doors and large glass windows.

Officers later asked some of the Jewish students in the library if they needed assistance getting home, according to Chell, which they declined.

“There [were] no direct threats, there was no damage, there was no danger to any students in that school,” he said during a press briefing.

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday evening said his administration has been in contact with the school as well as law enforcement.

“While the students at Cooper Union have a right to peacefully protest, hate has no place in our city,” Adams said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Gov. Kathy Hochul also shared a similar message of support.

The City University of New York has deployed public safety officers to spaces on campus where Jewish, Muslim and Arab students gather, CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez said in a letter to students and staff on Wednesday. A CUNY spokesperson referred POLITICO to the letter.

Matos Rodríguez noted that while the university is committed to free speech, students are prohibited from using university property and platforms, including computers or email addresses, to promote political activities or agendas.

When asked about the incident at Binghamton, a SUNY spokesperson declined comment. Earlier this month, SUNY Chancellor John King expressed support for the Jewish community and said resources are available for all students that request it. A Binghamton spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Students, staff and politicians implored school leaders to do more to safeguard students from hate speech and violent protests on campuses.

David Greenfield, a Brooklyn College adjunct law professor and CEO and executive director of the Met Council — the country’s largest Jewish charity dedicated to combating poverty — said institutions are not doing enough to draw the line between protecting free speech and ensuring students’ safety.

“These protests start as peaceful protests, but what ends up happening is more times than not, they end up as violent protests,” Greenfield said in an interview. “They start from a place of free speech and end in a place of hate speech and intimidation. And that’s a line that we cannot allow them to cross.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) — an outspoken pro-Israel supporter — is holding a press conference Friday morning with Jewish students, parents, faith leaders and advocates to condemn antisemitism incidents on college campuses.

Assemblymember Nily Rozic, the first Israeli-born state assemblymember, blasted rampant antisemitism on campuses.

“The reality and illusions of safety on campus have almost completely disappeared — what a frighteningly dangerous time to be a Jewish student on any campus in New York,” Rozic, a Democrat, said in a statement. “There needs to be accountability from university and college presidents, particularly for any college or university that receives public funding. Antisemitism on campus cannot be tolerated — full stop.”

GOP Rep. Marc Molinaro — who authored legislation to promote the teaching of accurate Holocaust history in schools — said he was “deeply disturbed” by the Binghamton student’s invoking of Nazi Germany.

“Let me speak directly to the students who have launched these anti-Israel protests at colleges across America,” Molinaro said in a statement. “We will always respect — and fight — for your right to free expression. But we will never accept bigotry or outright idiocy. Please take the time to learn history, remember the past and open your eyes and minds to truth. We will not forget.”

New York GOP Chair Ed Cox said he would like to see the expulsion of students who resort to violent or threatening activities.

“Any foreign students participating in such activity should be deported from the United States,” Cox said in a statement.

Joe Anuta contributed to this report.