MNI POLITICAL RISK - Johnson Clears Hurdle On $95B Aid Package

Executive Summary:

• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) cleared the first procedural hurdle on his USD$95 billion foreign aid supplemental after four Democrats on the Rules Committee voted to discharge the package.
• Johnson will need Democrat support again today when the House votes on the rule. He will need Democrat support a third time in a final vote on Saturday evening, and likely a fourth time at some point in the coming days or weeks to diffuse a Republican move to oust him.
• Israel and Iran have played down the significance of an overnight Israeli strike on Iran. The attack appears to have fulfilled a strategic deterrent objective for Israel by demonstrating it can strike targets within Iran, but calibrated below the threshold to spark a major escalation.
• The US yesterday announced a new round of sanctions and export controls on Iran. Speaker Johnson's foreign aid package also includes two pieces of legislations to target Iran’s crude oil trade.
• White House NSA Jake Sullivan met virtually with Israeli counterparts to discuss Iran and a potential IDF invasion of Rafah.
• The presiding judge in Trump's Manhattan hush money trial confirmed yesterday that oral arguments are on track to begin on Monday.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr has secured a spot on the Michigan ballot but more than a dozen members of the Kennedy family yesterday publicly endorsed Biden.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China next week for a four-day trip likely to focus on US concerns over Chinese overcapacity.

Please find the full article attached below:

MNIPOLRISKUSDaily190424.pdf