MNI POLITICAL RISK-White House Talks Ukraine With Spkr Johnson

Executive Summary:

• House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-LA) first substantive interview since assuming the speakership has given some clues on his position on Ukraine but his rapid rise has means there is a lack of clarity on how he will approach any aspect of governing the House.
• The Pentagon has deployed 900 US troops to US Central Command ahead of onward deployment to the Middle East. The deployment, which won't include sending troops to Israel, comes as attacks on US personnel, reportedly perpetrated by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria, threaten to draw the US into a broader regional conflict.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met yesterday as the latter began a high-profile two-day visit to Washington. Wang will meet with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan today to explore ways to reopen military-to-military lines of communication.
• US President Joe Biden has warned Republicans in Congress against destabilising the economy through brinkmanship with a government shutdown or proposals to cut taxes for the wealthy.
• A group of New York House Republicans have filed a resolution to expel fellow New York Republican Rep, George Santos (R-NY), from Congress.
• Rep Dean Phillips (D-MN) will formally launch a primary challenge against President Biden today.
• Poll of the Day: President Biden’s approval rating amongst Democrats has dropped by 11% in the last month.

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MNIPOLRISKUSDaily271023.pdf