BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

WASHINGTON — Newly elected U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has three weeks to broker an agreement with Democrats to avoid a partial government shutdown when a short-term spending law expires on Nov. 17.

The Louisiana Republican, who has leaped from relative obscurity to one of the four congressional leaders, has already spoken with his Senate counterparts and met with President Joe Biden, though it’s unclear how he’ll handle the transition from lawmaker to top U.S. leader.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Thursday that Johnson has his support as Johnson “begins to steer the House Republican majority.”

“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” McConnell said. “House and Senate Republicans need to work together on a number of urgent priorities, beginning with supplemental appropriations for a number of our national security priorities.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said shortly before McConnell spoke that he had called Johnson to congratulate him and encouraged him to pursue bipartisanship on must-pass bills.

“Whether House Republicans like it or not, this is divided government,” Schumer said. “Bipartisanship is the only way we’ll be able to get anything done.”

The Democratic Senate and Republican House, Schumer said, must work together to provide funding for Israel and Ukraine.

“To allow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to succeed is to endanger America’s national security and it’s alarming that a growing number of House Republicans don’t seem to care about this,” Schumer said.

Schumer also cautioned Johnson against trying to cut funding in the full-year government funding bills below the levels agreed to this summer as part of the debt limit deal.

“They’ll be dead on arrival,” Schumer said. “All they’ll do is waste more time in a moment where every day counts.”

Johnson, who&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mike-johnson-louisiana-picked-newest-gop-nominee-us-house-speaker-8">won the Republican nomination for speaker</a>&nbsp;late Tuesday and was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mike-johnson-louisiana-elected-speaker-us-house-after-three-weeks-stalemate">elected on the floor</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, is relatively unknown to several of his colleagues in the Senate as well as Democrats in the House.

All that will change in the coming weeks as Johnson adjusts to being one of just two powerful Republican leaders in Congress who shape policy and politics nationwide by setting the agenda for their fellow GOP lawmakers.

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Thursday he is trying to find a time to have Johnson meet with GOP senators to introduce himself.

“We’re trying to get him over here, hopefully next week, because I don’t think there’s any senator over here that really knows him,” Mullin said.

Now that Johnson is speaker, Mullin said, he expects Johnson will get more information about the wars in Israel and Ukraine through classified briefings, possibly leading him to support an aid package for the two countries.

“I think as a member, he had his own positions. You can look at his vote records on that. As speaker, he has to take the conference into play,” Mullin said. “And you gotta remember he’s the No. 3 guy now and so he’s going to get read into a lot of information that he may not have had before.”

Johnson, as speaker, is the No. 3 U.S. leader, second in the line of presidential succession behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I think your opinion changes when you get read in at certain levels,” Mullin said, noting he’s gotten the more detailed briefings as part of his membership on the Armed Services Committee.

Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Biden on Thursday afternoon before attending a briefing on the national security supplemental spending request, according to a White House official.

Putting aid for Israel and Ukraine on the same bill as border security may be the best path forward for the emergency spending bill in the House, Mullin said.

Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy, a senior appropriator, said his fellow member of the Louisiana delegation is controlled, confident without being arrogant and works well with others.

“In the rough and tumble world of politics, I can count on a couple of fingers the number of people I’ve ever met that didn’t like Mike,” Kennedy said. “Disliking Mike is like disliking Golden Retrievers, you know. He’s just a very nice guy.”

Kennedy said he wasn’t sure exactly how Johnson would handle the annual government funding process, or put together a bill to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine.

“I think he’ll try to convince his caucus that a partial victory is better than no victory,” Kennedy said. “Now, if that doesn’t work, you’ll go to a plan B.”

Johnson, he said, won’t “be one of these people that says ‘Oh, a shutdown will be good for the country. It’ll show we mean business.’

Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack, a senior appropriator, said he hasn’t heard what the plan will be for funding the government beyond the Nov. 17 deadline, but said “those discussions are going on at the highest levels.”

“It’s just among the critical issues that the new speaker is going to have to wrestle with and it’s a bit unfair to him that he has to inherit such unfinished business, but that’s kind of par for the course around here,” Womack said.

Getting bipartisan agreement on the full-year spending bills, Womack said, will require House Republicans to reckon with their decision earlier this year to cut funding throughout many of the dozen bills below the levels set in the bipartisan debt limit deal.

“I have pushed back against that, because I think that is disrespectful to our process,” Womack said.

“To get through committee, be ready to go to the floor and then find out ‘Oh, we were just kidding on all those numbers,’” Womack said. “So this is going to have to be negotiated and there’s going to have to be some reckoning on it. And I don’t know what that’s going to look like. I’ll leave that to the speaker and his leadership team to fashion a way forward.”

One option, Womack said, would be for the top Republican and top Democrat on each of the dozen spending subcommittees to begin negotiations with their Senate counterparts.

“Those things need to happen. We need a path forward,” Womack said. “And then I’m sure that might set up the next round of potential chaos that we seem to be accustomed to having around here.”

North Carolina Republican Rep. Dan Bishop said he spoke with Johnson on Wednesday evening about the next steps for government funding and the supplemental spending request, though no decisions were made.

“I can’t really give you answers substantively, but we’re working through some stuff,” Bishop said.

Washington state Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she hopes the House would pass another stopgap spending bill before the Nov. 17 deadline, but hasn’t heard anything about what that bill would look like, or how the House would work out full-year bills with the Senate.

“Unfortunately, their plan is to bring bills to the floor that have no chance whatsoever of getting past the Senate,” Jayapal said. “So we’ll need a CR and I believe that we will get one.”

CR refers to continuing resolution, one of the names for the short-term government funding bill that Congress passes to avoid a shutdown when it is unable to approve all 12 full-year spending bills.

The easiest way for Congress to clear a spending bill for Israel and Ukraine, Jayapal said, would be for the Senate to send one over to the House quickly.

“But I don’t know what’s going to be in it. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I don’t know. We just got a speaker,” Jayapal said.

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, chair of the Defense spending panel, said his goal for the supplemental is to have the aid for Israel and Ukraine move together, not individually as some Republicans have advocated.

“Actually to be honest with you, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have disaster and everything in one package, but that’s not a job for me to decide,” Tester said.

Congressional leaders, including newly elected Johnson, will have to decide on that and more in the weeks ahead.

At the top of their to-do list is passing a second stopgap spending bill that is needed to stave off a partial government shutdown when the current funding patch expires on Nov. 17.

Both chambers will then need to find agreement on the dozen annual government funding bills, a challenging task given that the House bills are only backed by Republicans while the Senate bills are broadly bipartisan.

The Biden administration has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/israel-ukraine-global-aid-and-border-funding-would-hit-106-billion-under-biden-request">sent lawmakers</a>&nbsp;a $106 billion supplemental spending request for national security issues as well as a $56 billion&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Summary-of-Funding-Request-to-Meet-Critical-Needs.pdf">request</a>&nbsp;for domestic priorities. Lawmakers will need to decide how much of that funding they are willing to provide and how they want it to move through Congress.

There are also several reauthorizations that need to clear both chambers in the months ahead, including for the Federal Aviation Administration, the annual defense policy bill and the farm bill.

While Johnson may take a different approach to spending bills as speaker, he hasn’t been especially supportive of supplemental aid, stopgap spending measures, or final full-year spending bills in the past.

Johnson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023513?Page=2">voted against</a>&nbsp;the stopgap spending bill that Congress approved in September. That law prevented a partial government shutdown at the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, but it only lasts through Nov. 17.

Johnson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023243">voted for</a>&nbsp;the debt limit and spending levels agreement that Congress approved with broad bipartisan support in June. That agreement was brokered after weeks of negotiations between Biden administration officials, North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry and Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves.

Johnson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-approves-17-trillion-funding-package-and-sends-it-biden">voted against&nbsp;</a>the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package that Congress approved last December. The law included all 12 of the annual government funding bills. The law also included $40 billion for natural disaster recovery and $45 billion in aid for Ukraine.

Johnson voted for the first tranche of military aid to Ukraine, but he voted against the first batch of non-military aid to Ukraine. That money was included in larger spending packages that each held several other full-year government spending bills.

Johnson voted against the second and third aid packages to Ukraine. While the second bill was a stand-alone measure, the third Ukraine funding law included several other provisions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698661858829.png" alt="New U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Photo Courtesy&nbsp; CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>New U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Photo Courtesy&nbsp; CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>WASHINGTON — Newly elected U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has three weeks to broker an agreement with Democrats to avoid a partial government shutdown when a short-term spending law expires on Nov. 17.The Louisiana Republican, who has leaped from relative obscurity to one of the four congressional leaders, has already spoken with his Senate counterparts and met with President Joe Biden, though it’s unclear how he’ll handle the transition from lawmaker to top U.S. leader.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said Thursday that Johnson has his support as Johnson “begins to steer the House Republican majority.”“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” McConnell said. “House and Senate Republicans need to work together on a number of urgent priorities, beginning with supplemental appropriations for a number of our national security priorities.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said shortly before McConnell spoke that he had called Johnson to congratulate him and encouraged him to pursue bipartisanship on must-pass bills.“Whether House Republicans like it or not, this is divided government,” Schumer said. “Bipartisanship is the only way we’ll be able to get anything done.”The Democratic Senate and Republican House, Schumer said, must work together to provide funding for Israel and Ukraine.“To allow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to succeed is to endanger America’s national security and it’s alarming that a growing number of House Republicans don’t seem to care about this,” Schumer said.Schumer also cautioned Johnson against trying to cut funding in the full-year government funding bills below the levels agreed to this summer as part of the debt limit deal.“They’ll be dead on arrival,” Schumer said. “All they’ll do is waste more time in a moment where every day counts.”<h2>An adjustment to power</h2>Johnson, who&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mike-johnson-louisiana-picked-newest-gop-nominee-us-house-speaker-8">won the Republican nomination for speaker</a>&nbsp;late Tuesday and was&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mike-johnson-louisiana-elected-speaker-us-house-after-three-weeks-stalemate">elected on the floor</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, is relatively unknown to several of his colleagues in the Senate as well as Democrats in the House.All that will change in the coming weeks as Johnson adjusts to being one of just two powerful Republican leaders in Congress who shape policy and politics nationwide by setting the agenda for their fellow GOP lawmakers.Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said Thursday he is trying to find a time to have Johnson meet with GOP senators to introduce himself.“We’re trying to get him over here, hopefully next week, because I don’t think there’s any senator over here that really knows him,” Mullin said.Now that Johnson is speaker, Mullin said, he expects Johnson will get more information about the wars in Israel and Ukraine through classified briefings, possibly leading him to support an aid package for the two countries.“I think as a member, he had his own positions. You can look at his vote records on that. As speaker, he has to take the conference into play,” Mullin said. “And you gotta remember he’s the No. 3 guy now and so he’s going to get read into a lot of information that he may not have had before.”Johnson, as speaker, is the No. 3 U.S. leader, second in the line of presidential succession behind Vice President Kamala Harris.“I think your opinion changes when you get read in at certain levels,” Mullin said, noting he’s gotten the more detailed briefings as part of his membership on the Armed Services Committee.Johnson and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Biden on Thursday afternoon before attending a briefing on the national security supplemental spending request, according to a White House official.Putting aid for Israel and Ukraine on the same bill as border security may be the best path forward for the emergency spending bill in the House, Mullin said.Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy, a senior appropriator, said his fellow member of the Louisiana delegation is controlled, confident without being arrogant and works well with others.“In the rough and tumble world of politics, I can count on a couple of fingers the number of people I’ve ever met that didn’t like Mike,” Kennedy said. “Disliking Mike is like disliking Golden Retrievers, you know. He’s just a very nice guy.”Kennedy said he wasn’t sure exactly how Johnson would handle the annual government funding process, or put together a bill to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine.“I think he’ll try to convince his caucus that a partial victory is better than no victory,” Kennedy said. “Now, if that doesn’t work, you’ll go to a plan B.”Johnson, he said, won’t “be one of these people that says ‘Oh, a shutdown will be good for the country. It’ll show we mean business.’<h2>Spending discussions ongoing</h2>Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack, a senior appropriator, said he hasn’t heard what the plan will be for funding the government beyond the Nov. 17 deadline, but said “those discussions are going on at the highest levels.”“It’s just among the critical issues that the new speaker is going to have to wrestle with and it’s a bit unfair to him that he has to inherit such unfinished business, but that’s kind of par for the course around here,” Womack said.Getting bipartisan agreement on the full-year spending bills, Womack said, will require House Republicans to reckon with their decision earlier this year to cut funding throughout many of the dozen bills below the levels set in the bipartisan debt limit deal.“I have pushed back against that, because I think that is disrespectful to our process,” Womack said.“To get through committee, be ready to go to the floor and then find out ‘Oh, we were just kidding on all those numbers,’” Womack said. “So this is going to have to be negotiated and there’s going to have to be some reckoning on it. And I don’t know what that’s going to look like. I’ll leave that to the speaker and his leadership team to fashion a way forward.”One option, Womack said, would be for the top Republican and top Democrat on each of the dozen spending subcommittees to begin negotiations with their Senate counterparts.“Those things need to happen. We need a path forward,” Womack said. “And then I’m sure that might set up the next round of potential chaos that we seem to be accustomed to having around here.”North Carolina Republican Rep. Dan Bishop said he spoke with Johnson on Wednesday evening about the next steps for government funding and the supplemental spending request, though no decisions were made.“I can’t really give you answers substantively, but we’re working through some stuff,” Bishop said.Washington state Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she hopes the House would pass another stopgap spending bill before the Nov. 17 deadline, but hasn’t heard anything about what that bill would look like, or how the House would work out full-year bills with the Senate.“Unfortunately, their plan is to bring bills to the floor that have no chance whatsoever of getting past the Senate,” Jayapal said. “So we’ll need a CR and I believe that we will get one.”CR refers to continuing resolution, one of the names for the short-term government funding bill that Congress passes to avoid a shutdown when it is unable to approve all 12 full-year spending bills.The easiest way for Congress to clear a spending bill for Israel and Ukraine, Jayapal said, would be for the Senate to send one over to the House quickly.“But I don’t know what’s going to be in it. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I don’t know. We just got a speaker,” Jayapal said.Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, chair of the Defense spending panel, said his goal for the supplemental is to have the aid for Israel and Ukraine move together, not individually as some Republicans have advocated.“Actually to be honest with you, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have disaster and everything in one package, but that’s not a job for me to decide,” Tester said.<h2>Johnson voting record on spending</h2>Congressional leaders, including newly elected Johnson, will have to decide on that and more in the weeks ahead.At the top of their to-do list is passing a second stopgap spending bill that is needed to stave off a partial government shutdown when the current funding patch expires on Nov. 17.Both chambers will then need to find agreement on the dozen annual government funding bills, a challenging task given that the House bills are only backed by Republicans while the Senate bills are broadly bipartisan.The Biden administration has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/israel-ukraine-global-aid-and-border-funding-would-hit-106-billion-under-biden-request">sent lawmakers</a>&nbsp;a $106 billion supplemental spending request for national security issues as well as a $56 billion&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Summary-of-Funding-Request-to-Meet-Critical-Needs.pdf">request</a>&nbsp;for domestic priorities. Lawmakers will need to decide how much of that funding they are willing to provide and how they want it to move through Congress.There are also several reauthorizations that need to clear both chambers in the months ahead, including for the Federal Aviation Administration, the annual defense policy bill and the farm bill.While Johnson may take a different approach to spending bills as speaker, he hasn’t been especially supportive of supplemental aid, stopgap spending measures, or final full-year spending bills in the past.Johnson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023513?Page=2">voted against</a>&nbsp;the stopgap spending bill that Congress approved in September. That law prevented a partial government shutdown at the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, but it only lasts through Nov. 17.Johnson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023243">voted for</a>&nbsp;the debt limit and spending levels agreement that Congress approved with broad bipartisan support in June. That agreement was brokered after weeks of negotiations between Biden administration officials, North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry and Louisiana Rep. Garret Graves.Johnson&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-approves-17-trillion-funding-package-and-sends-it-biden">voted against&nbsp;</a>the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package that Congress approved last December. The law included all 12 of the annual government funding bills. The law also included $40 billion for natural disaster recovery and $45 billion in aid for Ukraine.Johnson voted for the first tranche of military aid to Ukraine, but he voted against the first batch of non-military aid to Ukraine. That money was included in larger spending packages that each held several other full-year government spending bills.Johnson voted against the second and third aid packages to Ukraine. While the second bill was a stand-alone measure, the third Ukraine funding law included several other provisions.

New House Speaker has 3-weeks to dodge a government shutdown

KANSAS CITY —The FDA issued a public health alert advising parents and caregivers not to purchase or feed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to toddlers and young children because they may contain elevated levels of lead, according to a statement from the agency.

The FDA was recently made aware of a developing investigation by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture &amp; Consumer Services (NCDA&amp;CS) regarding four children with elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity. The NCDHHS investigation identified WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches as a potential shared source of exposure. As part of their investigation, NCDHHS analyzed multiple lots of WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree, detecting extremely high concentrations of lead. The FDA has reviewed and supports NCDHHS’s analytical findings and found that analytical results at this level could result in acute toxicity. The FDA has shared the results with the firm whose representatives are cooperating with the FDA and have agreed to voluntarily recall all WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches regardless of expiration.

Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. Lead exposure in children is often difficult to see. Most children have no obvious immediate symptoms. If there’s suspicion that a child may have been exposed to lead, parents should talk to their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test. Although lead can only be diagnosed through clinical testing, signs and symptoms of lead toxicity vary based on exposure.

Short term exposure to lead could result in the following symptoms:

Longer term exposure could result in additional symptoms:

The FDA is continuing to work with state officials and the firm, collecting additional information, and taking steps to remove all contaminated product from the market.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698669783345.png" alt="FDA image" />
 <figcaption>FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The FDA issued a public health alert advising parents and caregivers not to purchase or feed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to toddlers and young children because they may contain elevated levels of lead, according to a statement from the agency.The FDA was recently made aware of a developing investigation by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture &amp; Consumer Services (NCDA&amp;CS) regarding four children with elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity. The NCDHHS investigation identified WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches as a potential shared source of exposure. As part of their investigation, NCDHHS analyzed multiple lots of WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree, detecting extremely high concentrations of lead. The FDA has reviewed and supports NCDHHS’s analytical findings and found that analytical results at this level could result in acute toxicity. The FDA has shared the results with the firm whose representatives are cooperating with the FDA and have agreed to voluntarily recall all WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches regardless of expiration.Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. Lead exposure in children is often difficult to see. Most children have no obvious immediate symptoms. If there’s suspicion that a child may have been exposed to lead, parents should talk to their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test. Although lead can only be diagnosed through clinical testing, signs and symptoms of lead toxicity vary based on exposure.Short term exposure to lead could result in the following symptoms:<ul>
 <li>Headache</li><li>Abdominal pain/Colic</li><li>Vomiting</li><li>Anemia</li>
 </ul>Longer term exposure could result in additional symptoms:<ul>
 <li>Irritability</li><li>Lethargy</li><li>Fatigue</li><li>Muscle aches or muscle prickling/burning</li><li>Occasional abdominal discomfort</li><li>Constipation</li><li>Difficulty concentrating/Muscular exhaustibility</li><li>Headache</li><li>Tremor</li><li>Weight loss</li>
 </ul>The FDA is continuing to work with state officials and the firm, collecting additional information, and taking steps to remove all contaminated product from the market.

FDA warning: Test children after lead found in fruit puree pouches

WASHINGTON —The U.S. State Department released an updated “Worldwide Travel Alert” Sunday stating that American citizens should exercise increased caution around the world due to increasing tensions in various locations and the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.&nbsp;

<a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/worldwide-caution.html">Click here</a> for additional details from the U.S. State Department

In an alert October 19, the FBI reported the agency is continuing to monitor threats both in the United States and overseas.&nbsp;As the conflict continues, the FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions, according to a statement from the agency.

"We take all potential threats seriously and are working closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate&nbsp;investigative&nbsp;action.&nbsp;As always, we encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement. "

"FBI field offices across the country are communicating not just with our law enforcement partners but also with faith-based organizations and the private sector, among others. To help keep our communities safe, we are talking with leaders of all faiths, including Jewish and Muslim leaders, sharing information, and asking them to let us know if they see anything concerning."

"Through our Legal Attaché office in Tel Aviv, we are working with our Israeli and U.S. Embassy partners to identify all Americans who have been impacted in the region, including those who remain unaccounted for, and our victim services specialists are working closely with victims and their families here and abroad."

"Countering terrorism remains the FBI’s number one priority, and we will not tolerate violence motivated by hate and extremism.&nbsp;We&nbsp;will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people and pursue justice for the victims and their families."

WASHINGTON —The U.S. State Department released an updated “Worldwide Travel Alert” Sunday stating that American citizens should exercise increased caution around the world due to increasing tensions in various locations and the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698610497926.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/worldwide-caution.html">Click here</a> for additional details from the U.S. State DepartmentIn an alert October 19, the FBI reported the agency is continuing to monitor threats both in the United States and overseas.&nbsp;As the conflict continues, the FBI has seen an increase in reports of threats against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and institutions, according to a statement from the agency."We take all potential threats seriously and are working closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate&nbsp;investigative&nbsp;action.&nbsp;As always, we encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement. ""FBI field offices across the country are communicating not just with our law enforcement partners but also with faith-based organizations and the private sector, among others. To help keep our communities safe, we are talking with leaders of all faiths, including Jewish and Muslim leaders, sharing information, and asking them to let us know if they see anything concerning.""Through our Legal Attaché office in Tel Aviv, we are working with our Israeli and U.S. Embassy partners to identify all Americans who have been impacted in the region, including those who remain unaccounted for, and our victim services specialists are working closely with victims and their families here and abroad.""Countering terrorism remains the FBI’s number one priority, and we will not tolerate violence motivated by hate and extremism.&nbsp;We&nbsp;will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people and pursue justice for the victims and their families."

U.S. State Department updates worldwide travel alert

KANSAS CITY (AP)—United Airlines will start boarding passengers in economy class with window seats first starting next week, a move designed to reduce the time planes spend sitting on the ground.

The airline said in an internal memo that it will implement the plan on Oct. 26. The plan – called WILMA, for window, middle and aisle — was tested at several locations and deemed to shave up to two minutes off boarding time.

Variations of the WILMA approach have existed for many years.

“It spreads people out along the aisle of the airplane so that more people can put their luggage away at the same time. That's the main thing that speeds up the boarding process,” said Jason Steffen, an associate professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ac4b7ad357c94974b1e134a7ce7dbf11">designed his own boarding model</a>&nbsp;a decade ago.

The change will begin with passengers in the fourth boarding group. Customers in first class and business class will see no change in their routine, and there's also no change for those with priority-boarding privileges, including travelers with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, active-duty military, and families with children who are 2 or under.

Chicago-based United said that when multiple customers are on the same economy reservation, such as families, they will be allowed to board together.

The new policy will be used on domestic flights and some international flights.

Airlines have long searched for the perfect boarding process. Even Orville and Wilbur Wright&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/learn/historyculture/thefirstflight.htm">flipped a coin</a>&nbsp;to see who got the lone seat on their flying machine.

United is making changes now because, it says, average boarding time has increased by two minutes since 2019.

Tinkering with the boarding process has increased since airlines began charging fees for checked bags more than a decade ago. Those fees encourage passengers to bring carry-on bags, which generally are still free except at low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Frontier.

“Any time you have to wrestle with luggage up over your head, it's going to slow things down,” Steffen said.

The push to board faster is also complicated by the airlines' desire to sell early boarding or give it to elite members of their frequent-flier programs. Only after those people are seated — generally near the front of the plane — can everyone else board, passing the priority customers on the way to their seats in the back of the cabin.

“Priority boarding is a moneymaker. Up to a certain point, that money is worth more than worrying about boarding three minutes earlier every time,” said Seth Miller, who writes about the travel experience at Paxex.aero.

Two minutes doesn't make much difference on a transatlantic flight, but on heavily trafficked shorter routes — think about the Northeast, or between the Hawaiian islands — delays tend to cascade, pushing late-day flights farther and farther behind schedule.

If a few passengers dawdle while stowing their bag and finding their seat, it can make the difference between a flight being on time or late in the government’s official statistics.

The last passengers to board face the risk that there won't be room for their carry-on bag in the overhead bins. That leads passengers in late boarding groups to crowd the gate area so they can jump in line ahead of others. Gate agents and seasoned travelers call the line jumpers “gate lice.”

KANSAS CITY (AP)—United Airlines will start boarding passengers in economy class with window seats first starting next week, a move designed to reduce the time planes spend sitting on the ground.The airline said in an internal memo that it will implement the plan on Oct. 26. The plan – called WILMA, for window, middle and aisle — was tested at several locations and deemed to shave up to two minutes off boarding time.Variations of the WILMA approach have existed for many years.“It spreads people out along the aisle of the airplane so that more people can put their luggage away at the same time. That's the main thing that speeds up the boarding process,” said Jason Steffen, an associate professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/ac4b7ad357c94974b1e134a7ce7dbf11">designed his own boarding model</a>&nbsp;a decade ago.The change will begin with passengers in the fourth boarding group. Customers in first class and business class will see no change in their routine, and there's also no change for those with priority-boarding privileges, including travelers with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, active-duty military, and families with children who are 2 or under.Chicago-based United said that when multiple customers are on the same economy reservation, such as families, they will be allowed to board together.The new policy will be used on domestic flights and some international flights.Airlines have long searched for the perfect boarding process. Even Orville and Wilbur Wright&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/wrbr/learn/historyculture/thefirstflight.htm">flipped a coin</a>&nbsp;to see who got the lone seat on their flying machine.United is making changes now because, it says, average boarding time has increased by two minutes since 2019.Tinkering with the boarding process has increased since airlines began charging fees for checked bags more than a decade ago. Those fees encourage passengers to bring carry-on bags, which generally are still free except at low-cost carriers such as Spirit and Frontier.“Any time you have to wrestle with luggage up over your head, it's going to slow things down,” Steffen said.The push to board faster is also complicated by the airlines' desire to sell early boarding or give it to elite members of their frequent-flier programs. Only after those people are seated — generally near the front of the plane — can everyone else board, passing the priority customers on the way to their seats in the back of the cabin.“Priority boarding is a moneymaker. Up to a certain point, that money is worth more than worrying about boarding three minutes earlier every time,” said Seth Miller, who writes about the travel experience at Paxex.aero.Two minutes doesn't make much difference on a transatlantic flight, but on heavily trafficked shorter routes — think about the Northeast, or between the Hawaiian islands — delays tend to cascade, pushing late-day flights farther and farther behind schedule.If a few passengers dawdle while stowing their bag and finding their seat, it can make the difference between a flight being on time or late in the government’s official statistics.The last passengers to board face the risk that there won't be room for their carry-on bag in the overhead bins. That leads passengers in late boarding groups to crowd the gate area so they can jump in line ahead of others. Gate agents and seasoned travelers call the line jumpers “gate lice.”

Airline rolls out plan that lets passengers with window seats board first

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/samantha-dietel/">SAMANTHA DIETEL</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress shared their experiences and called for bipartisan legislative action Thursday in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

“Each one of us here today are tributes to our friends, our loved ones, our family members who have fought and some that have survived, and unfortunately some have not,” said U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican and co-chair of the women’s caucus.

Cammack said that during the pandemic, many women postponed or canceled preventive screenings for breast cancer, which has now created a backlog of patients seeking care.

She encouraged women everywhere to get screened for breast cancer, as early detection is “critical.”

In the U.S., breast cancer is the second-most-common cancer among women, according to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/index.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.

“The average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her lifetime, which we’re seeing earlier and earlier, younger and younger — it’s about 13%, or 1 in 8,” Cammack said.

Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat and breast cancer survivor, also said that early detection “is the key to survival.”

She said that if she had not been aware enough to practice a self-examination and recognize that “something felt different,” she potentially “would not be standing in front of you today.”

The representatives widely advocated for bipartisanship in their search for solutions to combat breast cancer.

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Ohio Democrat and vice chair of the women’s caucus, said it is important “to find a bipartisan path.”

“This is not a red issue,” said Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican and vice chair of the women’s caucus. “It’s not a blue issue. This is a red, white and blue issue for all American women.”

De La Cruz said representatives must “come together and support each other in this cause for bringing awareness, supporting research and diagnosis, and supporting the family of those women who are suffering from breast cancer.”

Sykes said it is necessary to increase access to quality, affordable care, affordable prevention, early detection and treatment options.

Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, said that “too many women of color in particular” are dying because they are not aware of opportunities to have early breast cancer detection.

Sykes said Black women are more than 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

“And these incredible obstacles that prevent us from getting the screening, and the preventative care and the treatment are abysmal, startling and just plain wrong,” Sykes said.

Sykes referenced her support for the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sewell.house.gov/2023/3/reps-sewell-arrington-hudson-and-ruiz-introduce-the-nancy-gardner-sewell-medicare-multi-cancer-early-detection-screening-coverage-act">Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act</a>. This bill would help improve accessibility for early detection cancer screenings.

Wasserman Schultz re-introduced legislation in March that would also improve accessibility to cancer screenings. Under the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://wassermanschultz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2961#:~:text=%E2%80%9COur%20Reducing%20Hereditary%20Cancer%20Act,need%20to%20live%20better%20lives.%E2%80%9D">Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act</a>, genetic testing would also be covered under Medicare.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Iowa Republican, co-sponsored that legislation.

“We want to make sure that women know that there is prevention, that there is treatment, and that there is recovery,” said Miller-Meeks, who lost her aunt and sister to breast cancer.

Miller-Meeks, who is an ophthalmologist, also noted her service as the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. She said there have been a number of advancements in prevention, treatment and recovery.

“All of our portfolio that we have to treat breast cancer has dramatically changed … and that includes genetic testing as well,” Miller-Meeks said.

In terms of recovery, Miller-Meeks said possible avenues for women may include breast reconstruction or other devices.

She said there is legislation in Congress “on all of those issues.”

Cammack said the representatives are “united in the fight against breast cancer.”

“This truly is an epidemic that we need to confront head on,” Cammack said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698458158159.png" alt="Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Speaking is Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and standing to her left is breast cancer survivor Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption>Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Speaking is Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and standing to her left is breast cancer survivor Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/samantha-dietel/">SAMANTHA DIETEL</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>WASHINGTON — Members of Congress shared their experiences and called for bipartisan legislative action Thursday in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer.“Each one of us here today are tributes to our friends, our loved ones, our family members who have fought and some that have survived, and unfortunately some have not,” said U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican and co-chair of the women’s caucus.Cammack said that during the pandemic, many women postponed or canceled preventive screenings for breast cancer, which has now created a backlog of patients seeking care.She encouraged women everywhere to get screened for breast cancer, as early detection is “critical.”In the U.S., breast cancer is the second-most-common cancer among women, according to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/statistics/index.htm">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>.“The average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her lifetime, which we’re seeing earlier and earlier, younger and younger — it’s about 13%, or 1 in 8,” Cammack said.Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat and breast cancer survivor, also said that early detection “is the key to survival.”She said that if she had not been aware enough to practice a self-examination and recognize that “something felt different,” she potentially “would not be standing in front of you today.”<h2>‘A bipartisan path’</h2>The representatives widely advocated for bipartisanship in their search for solutions to combat breast cancer.U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Ohio Democrat and vice chair of the women’s caucus, said it is important “to find a bipartisan path.”“This is not a red issue,” said Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican and vice chair of the women’s caucus. “It’s not a blue issue. This is a red, white and blue issue for all American women.”De La Cruz said representatives must “come together and support each other in this cause for bringing awareness, supporting research and diagnosis, and supporting the family of those women who are suffering from breast cancer.”<h2>Prevention, treatment and recovery</h2>Sykes said it is necessary to increase access to quality, affordable care, affordable prevention, early detection and treatment options.Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, said that “too many women of color in particular” are dying because they are not aware of opportunities to have early breast cancer detection.Sykes said Black women are more than 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.“And these incredible obstacles that prevent us from getting the screening, and the preventative care and the treatment are abysmal, startling and just plain wrong,” Sykes said.Sykes referenced her support for the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sewell.house.gov/2023/3/reps-sewell-arrington-hudson-and-ruiz-introduce-the-nancy-gardner-sewell-medicare-multi-cancer-early-detection-screening-coverage-act">Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act</a>. This bill would help improve accessibility for early detection cancer screenings.Wasserman Schultz re-introduced legislation in March that would also improve accessibility to cancer screenings. Under the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://wassermanschultz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2961#:~:text=%E2%80%9COur%20Reducing%20Hereditary%20Cancer%20Act,need%20to%20live%20better%20lives.%E2%80%9D">Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act</a>, genetic testing would also be covered under Medicare.Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Iowa Republican, co-sponsored that legislation.“We want to make sure that women know that there is prevention, that there is treatment, and that there is recovery,” said Miller-Meeks, who lost her aunt and sister to breast cancer.Miller-Meeks, who is an ophthalmologist, also noted her service as the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. She said there have been a number of advancements in prevention, treatment and recovery.“All of our portfolio that we have to treat breast cancer has dramatically changed … and that includes genetic testing as well,” Miller-Meeks said.In terms of recovery, Miller-Meeks said possible avenues for women may include breast reconstruction or other devices.She said there is legislation in Congress “on all of those issues.”Cammack said the representatives are “united in the fight against breast cancer.”“This truly is an epidemic that we need to confront head on,” Cammack said.

Women in Congress call for more action on breast cancer prevention, treatment

WASHINGTON (AP) —Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress. But never before have they had one so thoroughly embedded in their movement as new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a longtime culture warrior in the courthouse, in the classroom and in Congress.

Religious conservatives cheered Johnson's election Wednesday, after which he brought his Bible to the rostrum before taking the oath of office. “The Bible is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority ... each of you, all of us," he said.

“Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News interview. “I said, ’Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.’”

But progressive faith leaders are sounding the alarm about Johnson’s opposition to LGBTQ rights and his rallying of Republicans around former President Donald Trump’s legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results. And, more broadly, they are concerned about Johnson's “desire to impose his narrow religious vision upon the rest of us," in the words of Paul Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance, a broad coalition of progressive religious groups.

To be sure, Christian conservatives have held the House speakership with Republican majorities in the past, from Catholics such as Paul Ryan and John Boehner to Newt Gingrich, who was Southern Baptist when he was speaker in the 1990s and later converted to Catholicism.

In fact, the 2023 House speaker drama has been in some ways an intra-church affair starring Southern Baptists — including Johnson himself, short-term speaker Kevin McCarthy and the representative who led the revolt to oust McCarthy, Matt Gaetz.

But Johnson is a bona fide culture warrior, with a resume reading like a roadmap of powerful institutions of the religious right.

He has served as professor at the government school of Liberty University in Virginia, a Christian school and conservative bastion.

From 2004 to 2012, Johnson served on board of the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, whose 13 million members comprise the nation's largest Protestant denomination. During his tenure with the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, it rallied members to place strong emphasis on "values voting." Such activism helped reinforce Republicans' opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights.

Brent Leatherwood, the commission's current president, said he met with Johnson in the early days of his own tenure. “It was clear to me he carries an abiding devotion to our convention of churches, subscribes to the principles that are dear to so many Southern Baptists, and has a deep pride in our nation," Leatherwood said.

Johnson served as an attorney with what's now known as Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the foremost legal advocates of causes valued by many on the religious right.

With the ADF, Johnson championed a 2004 Louisiana ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage, writing in the Shreveport Times that “homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural” and that society should not approve “such a dangerous lifestyle.” In 2003, after the U.S. Supreme Court nullified state laws banning same-sex sexual relations — which the ADF had urged it to retain — Johnson lamented the decision, writing that by “closing these bedroom doors, they (the justices) have opened a Pandora's box.”

Johnson's own public interest law firm, called Freedom Guard, helped win a legal battle regaining tax incentives on behalf of a Noah’s Ark theme park in Kentucky, overcoming state concerns that the project’s mission had shifted from tourism to ministry.

Johnson recently led a congressional hearing on transgender issues, saying in a statement, ”Gender affirming care’ is anything but 'affirming’ and ‘caring.’ It is adults deciding to permanently alter the bodies of children who do NOT have the capacity to make life altering decisions on their own.”

Religious conservatives embraced Johnson as one of their own as they cheered his election as speaker.

“His commitment to unity and passion for protecting freedom will benefit all Americans,” ADF president Kristen Waggoner said on X (formerly Twitter).

The Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, welcomed Johnson’s speakership not only because of his conservative political record, but also because he is a “a self-consciously committed evangelical Christian.”

“He has somehow pulled off the task of being very convictional and I believe right on most of these issues, and at the same time considered to be respectful and gracious even well-liked by members of his own party, and presumably by members of the other party as well,” Mohler said on his podcast.

Johnson invoked images cherished by Christian conservatives as he ascended to the speakership, pledging “servant leadership,” leading fellow Republicans in a prayer, touting the national motto, “In God We Trust” and highlighting the Declaration of Independence's statement that humans "are endowed by their Creator” with rights.

John Fea, who studies religious conservatives and is a professor of history at Messiah University in Pennsylvania, said Johnson is a Christian nationalist, part of a movement that fuses Christian and American values, symbols and identity and sees the United States as having a divine destiny similar to the biblical Israel. Johnson has paid tribute to the “profound influence" of Wallbuilders, an organization promoting the view that America was created as a Christian nation, on his own career.

“We should not be fooled by his aw-shucks style,” Fea added in Current, an online journal. “He is a culture warrior with deep connections to the Christian Right. One might call him a happy warrior.”

Progressive faith leaders expressed alarm at Johnson‘s election, and his remarks on Wednesday evoking the Bible as saying authorities are chosen by God.

“He must remember that he was elected by the people, not by God,” Raushenbush said.

Similar concerns were expressed by the Rev. Nathan Empsall, executive director of Faithful America, an online Christian community advocating for social justice.

Empsall, in a statement, depicted Johnson as “an insurrection-supporting politician who will do anything to grab power, no matter who it hurts, simply to enforce his brand of right-wing Christianity on the rest of us.”

After the 2020 election, Johnson organized more than 100 House Republicans to file a brief supporting Trump's challenge to President Joe Biden's election — a challenge that appalled many legal observers and that the Supreme Court rejected.

On Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress prepared to certify Biden’s win and just before Trump’s supporters overran the Capitol, Johnson tweeted: “We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic! It will be my honor to help lead that fight in the Congress today.”

He later tweeted a condemnation of the rioters who beat police and broke into the Capitol. He still voted with most House Republicans to overturn Biden's victories in two states.

Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said via email that Johnson “has an obligation to serve all Americans," those of all faiths and none.

“Johnson’s brand of Christian nationalism is bad American history and a betrayal of the historic Baptist commitment to religious freedom,” Tyler added.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698433700705.png" alt="Johnson took the Speaker's gavel on Wednesday afternoon-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Johnson took the Speaker's gavel on Wednesday afternoon-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Evangelical Christian conservatives have long had allies in top Republican leadership in Congress. But never before have they had one so thoroughly embedded in their movement as new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a longtime culture warrior in the courthouse, in the classroom and in Congress.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) addressed the U.S House of Representatives before being sworn in as Speaker of the House. <a href="https://t.co/mHMvuQIldA">pic.twitter.com/mHMvuQIldA</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1717260910954205574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Religious conservatives cheered Johnson's election Wednesday, after which he brought his Bible to the rostrum before taking the oath of office. “The Bible is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority ... each of you, all of us," he said.“Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’” Johnson said Thursday in a Fox News interview. “I said, ’Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.’”But progressive faith leaders are sounding the alarm about Johnson’s opposition to LGBTQ rights and his rallying of Republicans around former President Donald Trump’s legal effort to overturn the 2020 election results. And, more broadly, they are concerned about Johnson's “desire to impose his narrow religious vision upon the rest of us," in the words of Paul Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance, a broad coalition of progressive religious groups.To be sure, Christian conservatives have held the House speakership with Republican majorities in the past, from Catholics such as Paul Ryan and John Boehner to Newt Gingrich, who was Southern Baptist when he was speaker in the 1990s and later converted to Catholicism.In fact, the 2023 House speaker drama has been in some ways an intra-church affair starring Southern Baptists — including Johnson himself, short-term speaker Kevin McCarthy and the representative who led the revolt to oust McCarthy, Matt Gaetz.But Johnson is a bona fide culture warrior, with a resume reading like a roadmap of powerful institutions of the religious right.He has served as professor at the government school of Liberty University in Virginia, a Christian school and conservative bastion.From 2004 to 2012, Johnson served on board of the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, whose 13 million members comprise the nation's largest Protestant denomination. During his tenure with the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, it rallied members to place strong emphasis on "values voting." Such activism helped reinforce Republicans' opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights.Brent Leatherwood, the commission's current president, said he met with Johnson in the early days of his own tenure. “It was clear to me he carries an abiding devotion to our convention of churches, subscribes to the principles that are dear to so many Southern Baptists, and has a deep pride in our nation," Leatherwood said.Johnson served as an attorney with what's now known as Alliance Defending Freedom, one of the foremost legal advocates of causes valued by many on the religious right.With the ADF, Johnson championed a 2004 Louisiana ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage, writing in the Shreveport Times that “homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural” and that society should not approve “such a dangerous lifestyle.” In 2003, after the U.S. Supreme Court nullified state laws banning same-sex sexual relations — which the ADF had urged it to retain — Johnson lamented the decision, writing that by “closing these bedroom doors, they (the justices) have opened a Pandora's box.”Johnson's own public interest law firm, called Freedom Guard, helped win a legal battle regaining tax incentives on behalf of a Noah’s Ark theme park in Kentucky, overcoming state concerns that the project’s mission had shifted from tourism to ministry.Johnson recently led a congressional hearing on transgender issues, saying in a statement, ”Gender affirming care’ is anything but 'affirming’ and ‘caring.’ It is adults deciding to permanently alter the bodies of children who do NOT have the capacity to make life altering decisions on their own.”Religious conservatives embraced Johnson as one of their own as they cheered his election as speaker.“His commitment to unity and passion for protecting freedom will benefit all Americans,” ADF president Kristen Waggoner said on X (formerly Twitter).The Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, welcomed Johnson’s speakership not only because of his conservative political record, but also because he is a “a self-consciously committed evangelical Christian.”“He has somehow pulled off the task of being very convictional and I believe right on most of these issues, and at the same time considered to be respectful and gracious even well-liked by members of his own party, and presumably by members of the other party as well,” Mohler said on his podcast.Johnson invoked images cherished by Christian conservatives as he ascended to the speakership, pledging “servant leadership,” leading fellow Republicans in a prayer, touting the national motto, “In God We Trust” and highlighting the Declaration of Independence's statement that humans "are endowed by their Creator” with rights.John Fea, who studies religious conservatives and is a professor of history at Messiah University in Pennsylvania, said Johnson is a Christian nationalist, part of a movement that fuses Christian and American values, symbols and identity and sees the United States as having a divine destiny similar to the biblical Israel. Johnson has paid tribute to the “profound influence" of Wallbuilders, an organization promoting the view that America was created as a Christian nation, on his own career.“We should not be fooled by his aw-shucks style,” Fea added in Current, an online journal. “He is a culture warrior with deep connections to the Christian Right. One might call him a happy warrior.”Progressive faith leaders expressed alarm at Johnson‘s election, and his remarks on Wednesday evoking the Bible as saying authorities are chosen by God.“He must remember that he was elected by the people, not by God,” Raushenbush said.Similar concerns were expressed by the Rev. Nathan Empsall, executive director of Faithful America, an online Christian community advocating for social justice.Empsall, in a statement, depicted Johnson as “an insurrection-supporting politician who will do anything to grab power, no matter who it hurts, simply to enforce his brand of right-wing Christianity on the rest of us.”After the 2020 election, Johnson organized more than 100 House Republicans to file a brief supporting Trump's challenge to President Joe Biden's election — a challenge that appalled many legal observers and that the Supreme Court rejected.On Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress prepared to certify Biden’s win and just before Trump’s supporters overran the Capitol, Johnson tweeted: “We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic! It will be my honor to help lead that fight in the Congress today.”He later tweeted a condemnation of the rioters who beat police and broke into the Capitol. He still voted with most House Republicans to overturn Biden's victories in two states.Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, said via email that Johnson “has an obligation to serve all Americans," those of all faiths and none.“Johnson’s brand of Christian nationalism is bad American history and a betrayal of the historic Baptist commitment to religious freedom,” Tyler added.___

🎥 Christian conservatives cheer as Mike Johnson assumes Congress' most powerful seat

WASHINGTON (AP) — The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its strike group has moved through the Strait of Gibraltar, putting two American carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, a rare sight in recent years.

The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is already in the eastern Mediterranean, part of a buildup of forces as the U.S. supports Israel in its war against Hamas.

The Eisenhower sailed into the Mediterranean on Saturday and is slated to move through the Suez Canal to the U.S. Central Command region as the American forces expand their presence in the Middle East to deter Iran and its proxy militant groups from trying to widen the war.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696803172229.png" alt="The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Oct. 18-photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Oct. 18-photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and its strike group has moved through the Strait of Gibraltar, putting two American carriers in the Mediterranean Sea, a rare sight in recent years.The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is already in the eastern Mediterranean, part of a buildup of forces as the U.S. supports Israel in its war against Hamas.The Eisenhower sailed into the Mediterranean on Saturday and is slated to move through the Suez Canal to the U.S. Central Command region as the American forces expand their presence in the Middle East to deter Iran and its proxy militant groups from trying to widen the war.

2nd U.S. aircraft carrier group moves into Mediterranean 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Friends" star Matthew Perry, the Emmy-nominated actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television's most famous and most quotable characters, has died at 54.

The actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry's death.

"Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family," the company said in a statement. "The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans."

Perry's publicists and other representatives did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Asked to confirm police response to what was listed as Perry's home address, LAPD Officer Drake Madison told the AP that officers had gone to that block "for a death investigation of a male in his 50s."

Perry's 10 seasons on "Friends" made him one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.

As Chandler, he played the quick-witted, insecure and neurotic roommate of LeBlanc's Joey and a close friend of Schwimmer's Ross. During the show's hijinks, he could be counted on to chime in with a line like "Could this BE any more awkward?" or another well-timed quip.

Perry was open about his long and public struggle with addiction, writing at the beginning of his 2022 million-selling memoir: "Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead."

"Friends" ran from 1994 until 2004, winning one best comedy series Emmy Award in 2002. The cast notably banded together for later seasons to obtain a salary of $1 million per episode for each.

By the "Friends" finale, Chandler is married to Cox's Monica and they have a family, reflecting the journey of the core cast from single New Yorkers trying to figure their lives out to several of them married and starting families.

The series was one of television's biggest hits and has taken on a new life — and found surprising popularity with younger fans — in recent years on streaming services.

Perry described reading the "Friends" script for the first time in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing."

"It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life. One character in particular stood out to me: it wasn't that I thought I could 'play' Chandler. I 'was' Chandler."

Unknown at the time was the struggle Perry had with addiction and an intense desire to please audiences.

"'Friends' was huge. I couldn't jeopardize that. I loved the script. I loved my co-actors. I loved the scripts. I loved everything about the show but I was struggling with my addictions which only added to my sense of shame," he wrote in his memoir. "I had a secret and no one could know."

"I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn't laugh, and that's not healthy for sure. But I could sometimes say a line and the audience wouldn't laugh and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions," Perry wrote. "If I didn't get the laugh I was supposed to get I would freak out. I felt that every single night. This pressure left me in a bad place. I also knew of the six people making that show, only one of them was sick."

He recalled in his memoir that Aniston confronted him about being inebriated while filming.

"I know you're drinking," he remembered her telling him once. "We can smell it," she said, in what Perry called a "kind of weird but loving way, and the plural 'we' hit me like a sledgehammer."

In the foreword to Perry's memoir, Lisa Kudrow described him as "whip smart, charming, sweet, sensitive, very reasonable, and rational." She added, "That guy, with everything he was battling, was still there."

An HBO Max reunion special in 2021 was hosted by James Corden and fed into huge interest in seeing the cast together again, although the program consisted of the actors discussing the show and was not a continuation of their characters' storylines.

Perry received one Emmy nomination for his "Friends" role and two more for appearances as an associate White House counsel on "The West Wing."

Perry also had several notable film roles, starring opposite Salma Hayek in the rom-com "Fools Rush In" and Bruce Willis in the the crime comedy "The Whole Nine Yards."

He worked consistently after "Friends," though never in a role that brought him as much attention or acclaim.

In 2015, he played Oscar for a CBS reboot of "The Odd Couple" that aired for two seasons. He told the AP that playing Oscar Madison, the character originally made famous in the 1960s series by Walter Matthau, was a "dream role." He also said he was surprised how much he enjoyed being filmed again in front of a live audience.

"I didn't realize I missed it really until it actually happened, til we actually shot the pilot and there was a studio audience there and I realized, 'Wow, I really like this. This is nice,'" he said. "You kind of ham up for the people in the audience. My performance never got better than when there was an audience there."

Perry was born Aug. 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His father is actor John Bennett Perry and his mother, Suzanne, served as press secretary of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and is married to "Dateline" correspondent Keith Morrison.

Associated Press writers Alicia Rancilio, Janie Har, Hillel Italie, Ryan Pearson and Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698541233773.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Friends" star Matthew Perry, the Emmy-nominated actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television's most famous and most quotable characters, has died at 54.The actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry's death."Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family," the company said in a statement. "The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans."Perry's publicists and other representatives did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.Asked to confirm police response to what was listed as Perry's home address, LAPD Officer Drake Madison told the AP that officers had gone to that block "for a death investigation of a male in his 50s."Perry's 10 seasons on "Friends" made him one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.As Chandler, he played the quick-witted, insecure and neurotic roommate of LeBlanc's Joey and a close friend of Schwimmer's Ross. During the show's hijinks, he could be counted on to chime in with a line like "Could this BE any more awkward?" or another well-timed quip.Perry was open about his long and public struggle with addiction, writing at the beginning of his 2022 million-selling memoir: "Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.""Friends" ran from 1994 until 2004, winning one best comedy series Emmy Award in 2002. The cast notably banded together for later seasons to obtain a salary of $1 million per episode for each.By the "Friends" finale, Chandler is married to Cox's Monica and they have a family, reflecting the journey of the core cast from single New Yorkers trying to figure their lives out to several of them married and starting families.The series was one of television's biggest hits and has taken on a new life — and found surprising popularity with younger fans — in recent years on streaming services.Perry described reading the "Friends" script for the first time in his memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.""It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life. One character in particular stood out to me: it wasn't that I thought I could 'play' Chandler. I 'was' Chandler."Unknown at the time was the struggle Perry had with addiction and an intense desire to please audiences."'Friends' was huge. I couldn't jeopardize that. I loved the script. I loved my co-actors. I loved the scripts. I loved everything about the show but I was struggling with my addictions which only added to my sense of shame," he wrote in his memoir. "I had a secret and no one could know.""I felt like I was gonna die if the live audience didn't laugh, and that's not healthy for sure. But I could sometimes say a line and the audience wouldn't laugh and I would sweat and sometimes go into convulsions," Perry wrote. "If I didn't get the laugh I was supposed to get I would freak out. I felt that every single night. This pressure left me in a bad place. I also knew of the six people making that show, only one of them was sick."He recalled in his memoir that Aniston confronted him about being inebriated while filming."I know you're drinking," he remembered her telling him once. "We can smell it," she said, in what Perry called a "kind of weird but loving way, and the plural 'we' hit me like a sledgehammer."In the foreword to Perry's memoir, Lisa Kudrow described him as "whip smart, charming, sweet, sensitive, very reasonable, and rational." She added, "That guy, with everything he was battling, was still there."An HBO Max reunion special in 2021 was hosted by James Corden and fed into huge interest in seeing the cast together again, although the program consisted of the actors discussing the show and was not a continuation of their characters' storylines.Perry received one Emmy nomination for his "Friends" role and two more for appearances as an associate White House counsel on "The West Wing."Perry also had several notable film roles, starring opposite Salma Hayek in the rom-com "Fools Rush In" and Bruce Willis in the the crime comedy "The Whole Nine Yards."He worked consistently after "Friends," though never in a role that brought him as much attention or acclaim.In 2015, he played Oscar for a CBS reboot of "The Odd Couple" that aired for two seasons. He told the AP that playing Oscar Madison, the character originally made famous in the 1960s series by Walter Matthau, was a "dream role." He also said he was surprised how much he enjoyed being filmed again in front of a live audience."I didn't realize I missed it really until it actually happened, til we actually shot the pilot and there was a studio audience there and I realized, 'Wow, I really like this. This is nice,'" he said. "You kind of ham up for the people in the audience. My performance never got better than when there was an audience there."Perry was born Aug. 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His father is actor John Bennett Perry and his mother, Suzanne, served as press secretary of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and is married to "Dateline" correspondent Keith Morrison.___Associated Press writers Alicia Rancilio, Janie Har, Hillel Italie, Ryan Pearson and Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

Matthew Perry, Emmy-nominated 'Friends' star, dead at 54

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Former Vice President Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;on Saturday dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, ending his campaign for the White House after struggling to raise money and gain traction in the polls.

“It’s become clear to me: This is not my time," Pence said at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jewish-republicans-trump-desantis-2024-45ee4b88592754dfd6ed5332612373b6">Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”

“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets," Pence went on to tell the friendly audience, which reacted with audible surprise to the announcement and gave him multiple standing ovations.

Pence is the first major candidate to leave a race that has been dominated by his former boss-turned-rival,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump,</a>&nbsp;and his struggles underscore just how much Trump has transformed the party. A former vice president would typically be seen as a formidable challenger in any primary, but Pence has struggled to find a base of support.

Pence did not immediately endorse any of his rivals, but continued to echo language he has used to criticize Trump.

“I urge all my fellow Republicans here, give our country a Republican standard-bearer that will, as Lincoln said, appeal to the better angels of our nature, and not only lead us to victory, but lead our nation with civility," he said.

Pence's decision, more than two months before the Iowa caucuses that he had staked his campaign on, saves him from accumulating additional debt, as well as the embarrassment of potentially failing to qualify for the third Republican primary debate, on Nov. 8 in Miami.

But his withdrawal is a huge blow for a politician who spent years biding his time as Trump’s most loyal lieutenant, only to be scapegoated during their final days in office when Trump became convinced that Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep both men in office — a power Pence did not possess.

While Pence averted a constitutional crisis by rejecting the scheme, he drew Trump’s fury, as well as the wrath of many of Trump’s supporters, who still believed his lies about the election and see Pence as a traitor.

Among Trump critics, meanwhile, Pence was seen as an enabler who defended the former president at every turn and refused to criticize even Trump's most indefensible actions time and again.

As a result, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from August found that the majority of U.S. adults, 57%, viewed Pence negatively, with only 28% having a positive view.

Throughout his campaign, the former Indiana governor and congressman had insisted that while he was well-known by voters, he was not “known well” and set out to change that with an aggressive schedule that included numerous stops at diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants.

Pence had been betting on Iowa, a state with a large white Evangelical population that has a long history of elevating religious and socially conservative candidates such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. Pence often campaigned with his wife, Karen, a Christian school teacher, and emphasized his hard-line views on issues such as abortion, which he opposes even in cases when a pregnancy is unviable. He repeatedly called on his fellow candidates to support a minimum 15-week national ban and he pushed to ban drugs used as alternatives to surgical procedures.

He tried to confront head-on his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 , explaining to voters over and over that he had done his constitutional duty that day, knowing full well the political consequences. It was a strategy that aides believed would help defuse the issue and earn Pence the respect of a majority of Republicans, whom they were were convinced did not agree with Trump’s actions.

But even in Iowa, Pence struggled to gain traction.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Former Vice President Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;on Saturday dropped his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, ending his campaign for the White House after struggling to raise money and gain traction in the polls.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Mike_Pence?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mike_Pence</a>: &quot;It&#39;s become clear to me: This is not my time. So, after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TVVxEaPIyL">pic.twitter.com/TVVxEaPIyL</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1718341013578613090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“It’s become clear to me: This is not my time," Pence said at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jewish-republicans-trump-desantis-2024-45ee4b88592754dfd6ed5332612373b6">Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual gathering</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas. “So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today.”“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets," Pence went on to tell the friendly audience, which reacted with audible surprise to the announcement and gave him multiple standing ovations.Pence is the first major candidate to leave a race that has been dominated by his former boss-turned-rival,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump,</a>&nbsp;and his struggles underscore just how much Trump has transformed the party. A former vice president would typically be seen as a formidable challenger in any primary, but Pence has struggled to find a base of support.Pence did not immediately endorse any of his rivals, but continued to echo language he has used to criticize Trump.“I urge all my fellow Republicans here, give our country a Republican standard-bearer that will, as Lincoln said, appeal to the better angels of our nature, and not only lead us to victory, but lead our nation with civility," he said.Pence's decision, more than two months before the Iowa caucuses that he had staked his campaign on, saves him from accumulating additional debt, as well as the embarrassment of potentially failing to qualify for the third Republican primary debate, on Nov. 8 in Miami.But his withdrawal is a huge blow for a politician who spent years biding his time as Trump’s most loyal lieutenant, only to be scapegoated during their final days in office when Trump became convinced that Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep both men in office — a power Pence did not possess.While Pence averted a constitutional crisis by rejecting the scheme, he drew Trump’s fury, as well as the wrath of many of Trump’s supporters, who still believed his lies about the election and see Pence as a traitor.Among Trump critics, meanwhile, Pence was seen as an enabler who defended the former president at every turn and refused to criticize even Trump's most indefensible actions time and again.As a result, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from August found that the majority of U.S. adults, 57%, viewed Pence negatively, with only 28% having a positive view.Throughout his campaign, the former Indiana governor and congressman had insisted that while he was well-known by voters, he was not “known well” and set out to change that with an aggressive schedule that included numerous stops at diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants.Pence had been betting on Iowa, a state with a large white Evangelical population that has a long history of elevating religious and socially conservative candidates such as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. Pence often campaigned with his wife, Karen, a Christian school teacher, and emphasized his hard-line views on issues such as abortion, which he opposes even in cases when a pregnancy is unviable. He repeatedly called on his fellow candidates to support a minimum 15-week national ban and he pushed to ban drugs used as alternatives to surgical procedures.He tried to confront head-on his actions on Jan. 6, 2021 , explaining to voters over and over that he had done his constitutional duty that day, knowing full well the political consequences. It was a strategy that aides believed would help defuse the issue and earn Pence the respect of a majority of Republicans, whom they were were convinced did not agree with Trump’s actions.But even in Iowa, Pence struggled to gain traction.He had an equally uphill climb raising money, despite yearslong relationships with donors. Pence ended September with just $1.18 million in the bank and $621,000 in debt, according to his most recent campaign filing. That debt had grown in the weeks since and adding to it would have taken Pence, who is not independently wealthy, years pay off.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-2024-election-fundraising-iowa-trump-50caaf71b004b25d866aa0dace68b1ec">The Associated Press first reported earlier this month</a>&nbsp;that people close to Pence had begun to feel that remaining a candidate risked diminishing his long-term standing in the party, given Trump’s dominating lead in the race for the 2024 nomination. While they said Pence could stick it out until the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses if he wanted — campaigning on a shoestring budget and accumulating debt — he would have to consider how that might affect his ability to remain a leading voice in the conservative movement, as he hopes.Some said that Hamas' attack on Israel in October, which pushed foreign policy to the forefront of the campaign, had given Pence a renewed sense of purpose given his warnings throughout the campaign against the growing tide of isolationism in the Republican Party. Pence had argued that he was the race’s most experienced candidate and decried “voices of appeasement” among Republican, arguing they had emboldened groups such as Hamas.But ultimately, Pence concluded that he could continue to speak out on the issue without continuing the campaign. He chose the Las Vegas event to announce his decision, in part, so he could address the topic one last time before formally leaving the race.He is expected to remain engaged, in part through Advancing American Freedom, the conservative think tank he founded after leaving the vice presidency and that he envisions it as an alternative to the The Heritage Foundation.Pence's group is expected to continued to advocate for policies that he supported in his run, including pushing for more U.S. support for Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion and proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare to rein in the debt. Such ideas were once the bread-and-butter of Republican establishment orthodoxy but have fallen out of a favor as the party has embraced Trump’s isolationist and populist views.