October 25, 2023

Who Is Mike Johnson? Here’s a Telling Glimpse of the New House Speaker.

“Boo, shut up! Shut up!”

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks after he was chosen as the Republicans latest nominee for House speaker at a Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington

Jose Luis Magana/AP

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“Boo!” “Shut up! Shut up!” 

That’s what a gaggle of House Republicans yelled at a reporter who dared to ask Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) about the 2020 election, just one day before Johnson was officially elected to the speakership, ending weeks of tumult within the fractured party.

But Johnson’s elevation on Wednesday has many, including some of his senatorial colleagues, asking Who is this man? Well, if you’re unfamiliar, the question about Johnson’s well-documented role in trying to help Donald Trump overturn the presidential election—and the stunning dismissal it prompted—could offer a starting point.

Let’s roll the tape:

The clip is a solid representation of what the GOP-led House has become, much of which was evident as they struggled for three weeks to find a nominee who could secure enough votes to become speaker. Johnson, the fourth nominee for the speakership, is a noted election denialist who spearheaded the House Republican effort to overturn the 2020 election results via a Texas lawsuit. Johnson is also staunchly anti-abortion. Other resume details include his claim that if women gave birth to more “able-bodied workers,” then Republicans wouldn’t need to cut Social Security and Medicaid. 

While the drama over the speakership may have finally ended, the road ahead is anything but certain. One thing’s for sure: Trump’s grip on House Republicans remains as unshakable as ever.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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