House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday will lay out his vision for a conservative American foreign policy, addressing the interconnected global threats posed by China, Russia and Iran and the path to counter them through U.S. deterrence and hard power.
Washington
Mike Johnson to detail conservative vision for U.S. foreign policy

Monday’s event comes as European and other foreign leaders descend on Washington this week for the annual summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), whose member nations will be focused on efforts to safeguard the alliance from an increasingly aggressive Russia and further help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion. Russian missiles on Monday struck a children’s hospital in the Ukrainian capital, killing dozens.
This is also a fraught moment is U.S. politics, as President Biden struggles to contain mounting concerns within the Democratic Party — and among foreign allies — about his physical and cognitive fitness to win a second term in November and lead the country for another four years.
“We’ve got a lot of instability in the Middle East, in Europe and in Asia,” said Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow and defense policy expert at the Hudson Institute, who will moderate Monday’s conversation with Johnson. “And so I think there’s a real demand right now [to hear]: Does Speaker Johnson and the Republican Party, from his perspective, have an assessment, a handle, on the threats facing the country, and a way forward?”
There is a desire amid the domestic turmoil, Heinrichs said, to “see a steady hand at the helm” and a clear vision for U.S. foreign policy. “I think that this is one Republican leader who has great influence, and an ability to set a course.”
Johnson’s foreign policy views have been the subject of speculation since he assumed the House speakership in October. The four-term Republican was not widely known and had little formal foreign policy experience before moving into his leadership role.
Johnson has allied himself with Biden’s expected opponent in November, former president Donald Trump, who has contemplated withdrawing the United States from NATO. Johnson also joined Republican hard-liners in opposing aid to Ukraine, a stance he later reversed after delaying for months a House vote on billions of dollars in additional military support for the country.
Johnson, who has spoken about his support for the “peace through strength” foreign policy doctrine espoused by President Ronald Reagan, ultimately sided with Democrats and moderate Republicans to approve Ukraine aid as part of a larger emergency national security spending package. At the time, some characterized the move as an evolution in his thinking.
An aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss Johnson’s thinking, said the speaker’s initial resistance to additional Ukraine funding stemmed from a desire to better understand how the Biden administration was conducting oversight of the vast amount of U.S. weaponry being shipped to the war zone. His “views on a ‘peace through strength’ posture were then what they are now,” the aide said.
Johnson’s office said he will host a reception Monday evening for visiting leaders who are attending the NATO summit and will hold separate meetings with several of them over the course of the week, including his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Fontana and, later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Washington
First confirmed case of measles in Washington, D.C. investigated by health officials

A confirmed case of measles in Washington, D.C. is being investigated by health officials after the contagious person visited several locations in the district.
The DC Department of Health warned the public of the potential exposure in a press release shared late Tuesday morning.
TENNESSEE REPORTS FIRST MEASLES CASE AMID U.S. OUTBREAK
According to the release, those who were in the following places in the district at the listed times may have been exposed:
Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train (Southbound): March 19, 7:30 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.
Amtrak Concourse, Union Station: March 19, 11:00 p.m. through 1:30 a.m.
MedStar Urgent Care, Adams Morgan: March 22, 7:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m.
A measles alert sign hangs outside the entrance to the Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where the state health department confirmed that a baby tested positive and that there is a possibility of exposure to others at the facility, in New Hyde Park, New York, U.S., March 14, 2025. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms usually start 7 to 14 days after exposure. Symptoms include a fever over 101°F as well as a cough, runny nose, and red or watery eyes.
The most distinctive symptom of measles, appearing 3 to 5 days after onset of symptoms, is a rash that starts on the face and spreads across the body. Infected people can spread measles four days before the rash appears and up to four days afterward.
MARYLAND CONFIRMS FIRST MEASLES CASE IN TRAVELER AT MAJOR DC AIRPORT
If you have been exposed to measles or were at one of the locations shared by the DC Department of Health during the times listed and are not vaccinated, health officials recommend watching for symptoms until 21 days after exposure.
If you are in Washington, D.C., health officials also recommend calling a doctor or DC Health at 844-493-2652 for additional guidance. Those exposed to measles are urged to stay home and avoid others if any symptoms appear.

A syringe is pictured ahead of MMR vaccination at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025. REUTERS/Annie Rice (REUTERS/Annie Rice)
Nearby Maryland experienced its first confirmed case of measles in a traveler at the Baltimore airport on March 10. The virus has swept much of the Northeast this winter.
People who have received two doses of the MMR or measles vaccine or were born before 1957 are considered protected. Those with only one dose of the vaccine are mostly protected but may seek a second shot for full immunity. Measles is considered preventable with the MMR vaccine, which offers lifetime protection with two doses.

A view shows MMR vaccine at the City of Lubbock Health Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. February 27, 2025. (REUTERS/Annie Rice)
Infants under 12 months old and those who are unvaccinated are considered most at-risk for measles.
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Measles has been on the rise across the nation this cold and flu season, with 327 cases reported in Texas as of Tuesday, March 25. 40 people have been hospitalized from the outbreak so far in the Lone Star State.
The CDC has confirmed a total of 378 cases nationwide as of March 20 in a release.
Washington
Waymo plans to bring its driverless taxis to Washington in 2026

Waymo on Tuesday added Washington to its pioneering robotaxi service’s steadily expanding list of U.S. markets, although passengers will have to wait until next year until they can take a driverless ride around the nation’s capital city.
For now, Waymo’s robotaxis will continue to map Washington’s streets and corridors with a safety driver sitting behind the wheel to take control of the vehicle if something goes wrong — a precaution required under the regulations currently in force in the District of Columbia.
That’s something Waymo already has been doing since it began sending out its robotaxis in Washington in late January after a brief trial run in the capital last year.
While the robotaxis continue to learn their way around the city, Waymo executives expressed confidence they will be able to work with regulators to clear the way for completely driverless rides at some point next year through its Waymo One app.
“We’re excited to bring the comfort, consistency, and safety of Waymo One to Washingtonians, those who work and play in the city every day, and the millions of people from around the world who travel to the District every year,” Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana.
If Waymo’s ambitions pan out, Washington and Miami next year will be added to four other U.S. markets where its robotaxis are transporting passengers — Phoenix, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, Texas as part of a partnership with ride-hailing leader Uber. Waymo and Uber also are teaming up to begin dispatching its robotaxis in Atlanta later this year.
The growth has helped turn what began as a head-turning novelty in Phoenix and then in San Francisco into an increasingly common sight in the cities where Waymo operates. The company says it had provided more than 4 million driverless rides to paying customers through the end of this year, and is now providing them at a pace of 200,000 paid trips per week.
That has established Waymo as the early frontrunner in driverless technology while others are racing to catch up. Both Amazon and Tesla are gearing up to launch their own services in different U.S. cities while another ride-hailing service, Lyft, has announced plans to add robotaxis as an option in Atlanta and Dallas.
Waymo’s early lead in the still-nascent robotaxi market is a vindication of a technology that began as a secret project within Google in 2009 before it was spun off into a separate company owned by Alphabet Inc. in 2016.
Washington
$6M Washington Avenue repaving moves forward before study results are in, raising concerns

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — $6 million will soon be spent to repave a stretch of Washington Avenue along I-10 and Franklin Street.
The work, which is set to begin next week, will start just a few weeks before findings from a $700,000 study examining ways to improve the street are published.
The city requested the study in 2021 through the Houston Galveston Area Council, a regional planning organization.
Earlier this month Metro approved a $24 million request to repave streets. According to a Metro spokesperson, about six million dollars from the request is going toward repaving Washington.
Board members said the decision was made at the request of the City of Houston.
“I understand that sometimes different parts of government go different speeds but it does seem like a bit of a lost opportunity,” Washington Avenue resident and West End Civic Club Member Matt Tetlow who helped participate in the H-Gac study, which sought resident feedback, said.
Transportation advocate, Peter Eccles, of Link Houston says the stretch of Washington being repaved is part of the city’s high-injury network,
In a statement, a Metro spokesperson told ABC13 the project will improve bus shelters and sidewalks while maintaining their original footprint.
They wrote, “With the work beginning on 1-10, commuters and our buses are getting diverted to Washington. We can’t continue to let the roads deteriorate while more and more drivers and our buses need to use them.”
They added that they felt the improvement was imperative ahead of several large events such as the RNC and World Cup.
“Which is a small share of streets where the majority of serious and fatal crashes occur again, as the city and Metro work together to repave this street. They could use this as an opportunity to redesign it to address those issues,” he said.
For more updates on this story, follow Shannon Ryan on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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