Will Speaker Johnson Work with Dems to Pass Ukraine Aid?

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1:

3:05pm- On Tuesday, Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) requested that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) resign—after Speaker Johnson announced he plans to hold a vote on Ukraine aid funding later this week. Massie joins Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) as Republican members of Congress now vocally opposed to Johnson remaining in power. Working with a slim Republican majority in the House (218-213 with 4 vacancies), is Johnson now in serious jeopardy of being removed as Speaker? On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said “Republicans need real leadership” and seemed to suggest Johnson should be replaced in favor of someone who is more fiscally responsible.

3:20pm- Annie Karni of The New York Times writes: “Speaker Mike Johnson’s elaborate plan for pushing aid to Ukraine through the House over his own party’s objections relies on an unusual strategy: He is counting on House Democrats and their leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, to provide the votes necessary to clear the way for it to come to the floor.” You can read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/17/us/politics/johnson-democrats-ukraine-aid-plan.html

3:30pm- The Wall Street Journal writes: “Seven jurors for Donald Trump’s hush-money case were selected quickly Tuesday afternoon after a sluggish start, a pace that could clear the way for trial testimony to begin next week. Three women and four men have been chosen so far for a jury that will be the first ever to decide criminal charges against a former president. The jurors, all Manhattan residents, include a charter-school teacher, a software engineer, a salesman, a corporate lawyer and an oncology nurse.” You can read the full report from Corinne Ramey, James Fanelli, and Alex Leary here: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/jury-for-donald-trumps-hush-money-trial-takes-shape-an-oncology-nurse-a-software-engineer-a-teacher-5a65e772?mod=hp_lead_pos4

3:40pm- While speaking with Wolf Blitzer on CNN, former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori expressed concern about the anonymity and safety of the jurors serving on the Trump “hush money” trial. Khardori explained: “Now, this is not the fault of the media…Responsibility to guard all of the very specific information that we’re learning [about the jury] resides with the D.A.’s office and with the judge. I’m a little surprised that we are learning all of this because I do not think this jury is going to remain anonymous, necessarily, if they keep this up.”