Mike Johnson’s House speaker challenge [Video]

The new Congress has opened with one major task at hand — the election of the House speaker.Watch a livestream above as the House meets for the first session of the 119th Congress.Newly-elected lawmakers are in place at the U.S. Capitol but current Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda of tax cuts and mass deportations as Republicans sweep to power in Washington.With opposition from his own GOP colleagues, Johnson arrived with outward confidence after working into the night to sway hardline holdouts. A flop by Johnson could throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker. Even backing from Trump himself, usually a sure bet for Republicans, was no guarantee Johnson will stay in power.”We don’t have time for drama,” Johnson said as he walked into the Capitol.The Louisiana Republican …