This week Congressman Mike Johnson was voted in as Speaker of the House, following three weeks of rare genuine uncertainty in Washington. Johnson’s path to one of the most powerful positions in DC is an unusual one, a historically modest fundraiser who previously held a lower-level position in Republican leadership as Vice Chairman of the GOP Conference.

The alarming events taking place in the Middle East are growing worse and have more than a small potential to entangle the United States in another foreign war. Hamas’s well-coordinated, surprise attack on Israel from Gaza clearly blindsided Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. However, Israel is now responding with overwhelming force—as it has to previous, smaller-scale attacks over the decades.