Mike Johnson, a staunch conservative and vocal Christian who was elected as United States House of Representatives speaker last month, finds himself in a soup. An old video of him accepting the use of an app marketed as a tool to help people 'quit porn' has resurfaced on the internet.

In a year-old video clip, Johnson can be seen discussing his and his son's utilisation of Covenant Eyes, an app designed to track and monitor users' online activity across phones and computers.&nbsp;

<h2>17-year-old 'accountability partner'</h2>

In the video, which was reportedly recorded at a "War on Technology" event held by Cypress Baptist church in Louisiana in October 2022, Johnson said: "Covenant Eyes is the software that we’ve been using a long time in our household."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-mike-johnson-republicans-fourth-us-house-speaker-nominee-651259">Who is Mike Johnson, Republicans' fourth nominee who finally clinched Speakership?</a>

He goes on to describe how the 'subscription-based' app tracks an individual's data and sends an alert to their "accountability partner" whenever an "objectionable" website is accessed.

Johnson goes on to reveal that his 'accountability partner' was his 17-year-old son Jack, who he boasts has a "clean slate".

The pair, he said, gets a report on one another's internet use once a week, and that any objectionable material sends an immediate notification.

<h2>Does Johnson have a porn addiction?</h2>

Despite Johnson's endorsement of the app, there is no indication that he struggles with a pornography addiction.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/denied-relief-by-home-country-italy-terminally-ill-actress-opts-for-assisted-suicide-in-switzerland-656000">Denied relief in Italy, Roman actress opts for assisted suicide in Switzerland</a>

In the video, shared on Elon Musk's social media platform X by user @receiptmaven, Johnson&nbsp;can instead be heard advising fathers of teenage boys to make use of the software.

Watch the video here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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COMPROMISE ALERT: Speaker Mike Johnson uses software Covenant Eyes (learned about at a Promise Keepers retreat) that scans all his electronic devices &amp; gives a weekly report an "accountability partner" his 17 yr old son (so basically don't watch porn or your son/dad will know😬) <a href="https://t.co/SSWpB9IIDB">pic.twitter.com/SSWpB9IIDB</a>
— Receipt Maven (@receiptmaven) <a href="https://twitter.com/receiptmaven/status/1719402267537789152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

While he says that he doesn't profit from referring the app and is only endorsing it as a user, the X user, Receipt Maven in a second post&nbsp;alleged that "He (Mike Johnson) made $20/pop for every referral."

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mike Johnson is once again SCRUBBING his social media. Now he's removed his 2020 Facebook Post where you provides a "refer-a-friend" link to Covenant Eyes so you, too, can lead a porn free life. He made $20/pop for every referral. 
 
Like his bank accounts what else is he hiding? <a href="https://t.co/Rpp40WwhFp">pic.twitter.com/Rpp40WwhFp</a>
— Receipt Maven (@receiptmaven) <a href="https://twitter.com/receiptmaven/status/1721146482173137139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<h2>What is Covenant Eyes?</h2>

As per the Guardian, the Covenant Eyes app is intended to assist users in "live porn-free with confidence".&nbsp;

Calling porn a "human problem," the app's website claims "we provide a human solution".

"Covenant Eyes helps you and the ones you love live porn-free through transformative accountability relationships."

(With inputs from agencies)

Mike Johnson, a staunch conservative and vocal Christian who was elected as United States House of Representatives speaker last month, finds himself in a soup. An old video of him accepting the use of an app marketed as a tool to help people 'quit porn' has resurfaced on the internet.

Mike Johnson, a staunch conservative and vocal Christian who was elected as United States House of Representatives speaker last month, finds himself in a soup. An old video of him accepting the use of an app marketed as a tool to help people 'quit porn' has resurfaced on the internet. In a year-old video clip, Johnson can be seen discussing his and his son's utilisation of Covenant Eyes, an app designed to track and monitor users' online activity across phones and computers. 17-year-old 'accountability partner' In the video, which was reportedly recorded at a "War on Technology" event held by Cypress Baptist church in Louisiana in October 2022, Johnson said: "Covenant Eyes is the software that we’ve been using a long time in our household." Also read | Who is Mike Johnson, Republicans' fourth nominee who finally clinched Speakership? He goes on to describe how the 'subscription-based' app tracks an individual's data and sends an alert to their "accountability partner" whenever an "objectionable" website is accessed. Johnson goes on to reveal that his 'accountability partner' was his 17-year-old son Jack, who he boasts has a "clean slate". The pair, he said, gets a report on one another's internet use once a week, and that any objectionable material sends an immediate notification. Does Johnson have a porn addiction? Despite Johnson's endorsement of the app, there is no indication that he struggles with a pornography addiction. Also read | Denied relief in Italy, Roman actress opts for assisted suicide in Switzerland In the video, shared on Elon Musk's social media platform X by user @receiptmaven, Johnson can instead be heard advising fathers of teenage boys to make use of the software. Watch the video here: COMPROMISE ALERT: Speaker Mike Johnson uses software Covenant Eyes (learned about at a Promise Keepers retreat) that scans all his electronic devices & gives a weekly report an "accountability partner" his 17 yr old son (so basically don't watch porn or your son/dad will know😬) pic.twitter.com/SSWpB9IIDB — Receipt Maven (@receiptmaven) October 31, 2023 × While he says that he doesn't profit from referring the app and is only endorsing it as a user, the X user, Receipt Maven in a second post alleged that "He (Mike Johnson) made $20/pop for every referral." Mike Johnson is once again SCRUBBING his social media. Now he's removed his 2020 Facebook Post where you provides a "refer-a-friend" link to Covenant Eyes so you, too, can lead a porn free life. He made $20/pop for every referral. Like his bank accounts what else is he hiding? pic.twitter.com/Rpp40WwhFp — Receipt Maven (@receiptmaven) November 5, 2023 × What is Covenant Eyes? As per the Guardian, the Covenant Eyes app is intended to assist users in "live porn-free with confidence". Calling porn a "human problem," the app's website claims "we provide a human solution". "Covenant Eyes helps you and the ones you love live porn-free through transformative accountability relationships." (With inputs from agencies)

US Speaker battling porn addiction? Old video of Mike Johnson endorsing 'porn de-addiction' app resurfaces

Following Kevin McCarthy's removal three weeks ago, there had been a turbulent 22-day vacancy until Mike Johnson was sworn in as the 56th Speaker of the House Representatives.

Republican Mike Johnson of Louisiana elected as speaker of the House

Republicans elect Mike Johnson as 56th speaker of the House

The United States of America, the Republican US house of Representatives still has no speaker. Watch our report to know more.

Republicans begin hunt for new Speaker, Mike Johnson announced as fourth nominee

Leadership of the House of Representatives remains in limbo as Kevin McCarthy faces internal opposition to his bid for speaker. WION tells you more in this report.

U.S. House Speaker Voting: No majority for republican speaker candidate Kevin McCarthy

In the weeks leading up to the 118th session of the United States Congress, which is set to convene on Tuesday (December 3) at noon (local time), the attention has been focused on Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy whose bid to become the speaker of the House of Representatives has been uncertain at best.&nbsp;

Notably, this is not the first time that the California lawmaker has sought to lead the 435-member House. In 2015, he faced similar opposition from a small section of the Republican party (GOP) after he entered the race when House Speaker John Boehner, (R-Ohio) resigned.&nbsp;

Last year, following the midterm elections the GOP, took over the House with a narrow majority of 222-213 from the Democrats and the outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, given the opposition against McCarthy so far, from people of his own caucus, Tuesday might become the first time ever in nearly 100 years that a majority is garnered to elect a speaker of the chamber. &nbsp;

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Importance of a House speaker

The role of a speaker is critical for the government in Washington to function since not only will the lawmaker preside over the lower chamber of Congress they would also be next in line for the presidency. Typically, a speaker is elected at the beginning of a new Congress, however, the House can elect a new one if the incumbent dies, resigns or is removed from office, said a report by Associated Press. &nbsp;

Additionally, the chamber cannot be organised until a speaker who is to preside over it is chosen, therefore, the vote to choose a speaker will be the first one taken once the lawmakers convene for the session on January 3 even before the new and returning members of both parties are sworn in.&nbsp;

The speaker has “massive influence over what sorts of bills and amendments get voted on in Congress”, said Christian Fong, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, to Al Jazeera. He added that this also gives them a significant amount of control over what becomes a law in the upcoming session.&nbsp;

Who will lead the house from both parties in the upcoming session?

After the midterm elections, both the GOP conference and Democratic caucus held an informal vote where they selected the lawmaker they want to lead their party for the upcoming session. Therefore, by mid-November, following a close-door vote with Republicans, McCarthy emerged as the leader of the House for his party. Subsequently, by the end of the month, Democrats chose Representative Hakeem Jeffries from New York to lead the party in the House. &nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-midterms-republicans-win-the-us-house-kevin-mccarthy-to-become-the-house-speaker-535052">US Midterms: Republicans win the U.S. House; Kevin McCarthy to become the House Speaker</a>

How does the voting take place?

Once the House has the minimum number of members present to proceed or quorum, leaders of the house will read out the names of the speaker nominee from their respective party before the roll call vote for the election. Subsequently, the clerk appoints lawmakers from each party as tellers to tally the votes.&nbsp;

Notably, once the Congress begins on January 3, the members are not obligated to vote for the party’s chosen candidate, in fact, while the person typically is a member of the House it is not required. Therefore, any lawmaker including the incumbent President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and Senators, can be nominated and have previously received votes for speaker’s office, in the past, but not gained the majority, reported AP.&nbsp;

This is because lawmakers in the House call out the name of their choice from the floor in a time-consuming roll call. So far, the number to reach a majority in the 435-member chamber has been 218 votes, however, many speakers including the outgoing speaker Pelosi have taken the gavel with less than that. &nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twitter-slams-kevin-mccarthy-for-saying-he-would-hit-nancy-pelosi-with-gavel-402272">Twitter slams Kevin McCarthy for saying he would hit Nancy Pelosi with gavel</a>

This is because some members vote present instead of calling out a name, therefore, according to AP, every lawmaker that votes “present” lowers the total tally needed to reach a majority. In case a majority is not reached on the first ballot, as many have speculated would happen in McCarthy’s case, the clerk will repeat the roll call vote several times until a majority is garnered.&nbsp;

The passing of the gavel

Once the speaker nominee has won a majority of the vote the clear announces the results. Subsequently, a bipartisan committee typically one consisting of the members of the candidate’s home state escorts the speaker-elect to the dais for the oath-taking ceremony, where the outgoing speaker, in this case, speaker and California Democrat Pelosi, joins their successor and passes the gavel in a peaceful transition of power.&nbsp;

Why do many people McCarthy would not be able to garner a majority to become the speaker?

The last time a speaker for the House of Representatives was not elected in the first round of votes was exactly a century ago in 1923 when a speaker was selected after nearly nine rounds of voting. “It’s a very thin (GOP majority), so it only takes a small group of determined representatives to really get together and pose a credible threat to prevent the Speaker from being elected”, said Fong to Al Jazeera. The professor also spoke about how despite growing bipartisan opposition to the power of the Speaker, the path to the gavel will be particularly difficult for McCarthy.&nbsp;

The situation that&nbsp;the&nbsp;Republican lawmaker faces&nbsp;is not entirely unique, as&nbsp;the outgoing speaker Pelosi who held the position for nearly four years witnessed similar internal opposition during her reelection in 2021. However,&nbsp;despite protests from five members of her caucus she managed to retain her position with&nbsp;Dems'&nbsp;slim majority in the chamber, at the time.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/kevin-mccarthy-struggles-to-clinch-support-to-be-us-house-speaker-amid-hardline-opposition-549139">Kevin McCarthy struggles to clinch support to be U.S. House speaker amid hardline opposition</a> 
 
According to Fong, Republicans who are opposing McCarthy’s bid for the gavel&nbsp;are from the so-called “safe-districts”, where they did not face much competition in the elections&nbsp;or had trouble raising funds due to their strong political base. Therefore, they do not value the power a speaker holds over what would otherwise be “valuable resources” for the House members which include committee assignments and campaign funding.&nbsp;

Additionally, the California Republican faces a number of critics who want change in the way the House operates and have long complained that the structure gives too much power to leaders and argued for changes which would make small groups of dissenters obstruct and change legislation, reported the New York Times.&nbsp;

McCarthy currently faces at least a dozen lawmakers who would choose anyone else but him which has left him scrambling for votes at the last minute&nbsp;and negotiating with the opposing lawmakers on concessions which may dilute his powers, should he take the office of the speaker,&nbsp;in the upcoming session. This mix also includes&nbsp;a group of newly elected lawmakers who are still weighing their options, said the NYT.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tiktok-banned-from-all-us-house-of-representatives-managed-devices-547210">TikTok banned from all US House of Representatives-managed devices</a> 
&nbsp;

What will happen if McCarthy fails?

As mentioned earlier, the speaker is an important part of not only the House but also the functioning of the US government, therefore with&nbsp;no one to preside over the chamber, it cannot fully form, name its committee chairmen, or even hold floor proceedings. In one word, chaos,&nbsp;"One thing to stress about this whole process, nothing else happens in the House of Representatives until a speaker is elected. It's the only leadership position specifically mentioned in the Constitution," said NPR's&nbsp;congressional correspondent, Deirdre Walsh.

She added, "Members of Congress cannot even be sworn in to start a new session of Congress without a speaker first being elected. So opening day could be very chaotic."&nbsp;

Additionally, the GOP is holding on to a majority in the lower chamber by just a couple of&nbsp;votes which&nbsp;makes McCarthy’s bid to become the next speaker all the more critical given that members with outsized power can threaten to effectively dilute if not wipe out the&nbsp;power Republicans would otherwise enjoy as a majority in the chamber,&nbsp;affecting potentially every upcoming legislation the dissenters&nbsp;they do not get their way.&nbsp;

“One reason why you don’t see more opposition to the Speaker in the modern era is that the Speaker controls all kinds of valuable resources that members of the House of Representatives really want,” said Fong to Al Jazeera.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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In the weeks leading up to the 118th session of the United States Congress, which is set to convene on Tuesday (December 3) at noon (local time), the attention has been focused on Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy whose bid to become the speaker of the House of Representatives has been uncertain at best.

In the weeks leading up to the 118th session of the United States Congress, which is set to convene on Tuesday (December 3) at noon (local time), the attention has been focused on Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy whose bid to become the speaker of the House of Representatives has been uncertain at best. Notably, this is not the first time that the California lawmaker has sought to lead the 435-member House. In 2015, he faced similar opposition from a small section of the Republican party (GOP) after he entered the race when House Speaker John Boehner, (R-Ohio) resigned. Last year, following the midterm elections the GOP, took over the House with a narrow majority of 222-213 from the Democrats and the outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi. However, given the opposition against McCarthy so far, from people of his own caucus, Tuesday might become the first time ever in nearly 100 years that a majority is garnered to elect a speaker of the chamber. ALSO READ | US, South Korea plan 'coordinated response' against North Korea's nuclear threat Importance of a House speaker The role of a speaker is critical for the government in Washington to function since not only will the lawmaker preside over the lower chamber of Congress they would also be next in line for the presidency. Typically, a speaker is elected at the beginning of a new Congress, however, the House can elect a new one if the incumbent dies, resigns or is removed from office, said a report by Associated Press. Additionally, the chamber cannot be organised until a speaker who is to preside over it is chosen, therefore, the vote to choose a speaker will be the first one taken once the lawmakers convene for the session on January 3 even before the new and returning members of both parties are sworn in. The speaker has “massive influence over what sorts of bills and amendments get voted on in Congress”, said Christian Fong, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, to Al Jazeera. He added that this also gives them a significant amount of control over what becomes a law in the upcoming session. Who will lead the house from both parties in the upcoming session? After the midterm elections, both the GOP conference and Democratic caucus held an informal vote where they selected the lawmaker they want to lead their party for the upcoming session. Therefore, by mid-November, following a close-door vote with Republicans, McCarthy emerged as the leader of the House for his party. Subsequently, by the end of the month, Democrats chose Representative Hakeem Jeffries from New York to lead the party in the House. ALSO WATCH | US Midterms: Republicans win the U.S. House; Kevin McCarthy to become the House Speaker How does the voting take place? Once the House has the minimum number of members present to proceed or quorum, leaders of the house will read out the names of the speaker nominee from their respective party before the roll call vote for the election. Subsequently, the clerk appoints lawmakers from each party as tellers to tally the votes. Notably, once the Congress begins on January 3, the members are not obligated to vote for the party’s chosen candidate, in fact, while the person typically is a member of the House it is not required. Therefore, any lawmaker including the incumbent President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and Senators, can be nominated and have previously received votes for speaker’s office, in the past, but not gained the majority, reported AP. This is because lawmakers in the House call out the name of their choice from the floor in a time-consuming roll call. So far, the number to reach a majority in the 435-member chamber has been 218 votes, however, many speakers including the outgoing speaker Pelosi have taken the gavel with less than that. ALSO READ | Twitter slams Kevin McCarthy for saying he would hit Nancy Pelosi with gavel This is because some members vote present instead of calling out a name, therefore, according to AP, every lawmaker that votes “present” lowers the total tally needed to reach a majority. In case a majority is not reached on the first ballot, as many have speculated would happen in McCarthy’s case, the clerk will repeat the roll call vote several times until a majority is garnered. The passing of the gavel Once the speaker nominee has won a majority of the vote the clear announces the results. Subsequently, a bipartisan committee typically one consisting of the members of the candidate’s home state escorts the speaker-elect to the dais for the oath-taking ceremony, where the outgoing speaker, in this case, speaker and California Democrat Pelosi, joins their successor and passes the gavel in a peaceful transition of power. Why do many people McCarthy would not be able to garner a majority to become the speaker? The last time a speaker for the House of Representatives was not elected in the first round of votes was exactly a century ago in 1923 when a speaker was selected after nearly nine rounds of voting. “It’s a very thin (GOP majority), so it only takes a small group of determined representatives to really get together and pose a credible threat to prevent the Speaker from being elected”, said Fong to Al Jazeera. The professor also spoke about how despite growing bipartisan opposition to the power of the Speaker, the path to the gavel will be particularly difficult for McCarthy. The situation that the Republican lawmaker faces is not entirely unique, as the outgoing speaker Pelosi who held the position for nearly four years witnessed similar internal opposition during her reelection in 2021. However, despite protests from five members of her caucus she managed to retain her position with Dems' slim majority in the chamber, at the time. ALSO WATCH | Kevin McCarthy struggles to clinch support to be U.S. House speaker amid hardline opposition According to Fong, Republicans who are opposing McCarthy’s bid for the gavel are from the so-called “safe-districts”, where they did not face much competition in the elections or had trouble raising funds due to their strong political base. Therefore, they do not value the power a speaker holds over what would otherwise be “valuable resources” for the House members which include committee assignments and campaign funding. Additionally, the California Republican faces a number of critics who want change in the way the House operates and have long complained that the structure gives too much power to leaders and argued for changes which would make small groups of dissenters obstruct and change legislation, reported the New York Times. McCarthy currently faces at least a dozen lawmakers who would choose anyone else but him which has left him scrambling for votes at the last minute and negotiating with the opposing lawmakers on concessions which may dilute his powers, should he take the office of the speaker, in the upcoming session. This mix also includes a group of newly elected lawmakers who are still weighing their options, said the NYT. ALSO READ | TikTok banned from all US House of Representatives-managed devices What will happen if McCarthy fails? As mentioned earlier, the speaker is an important part of not only the House but also the functioning of the US government, therefore with no one to preside over the chamber, it cannot fully form, name its committee chairmen, or even hold floor proceedings. In one word, chaos, "One thing to stress about this whole process, nothing else happens in the House of Representatives until a speaker is elected. It's the only leadership position specifically mentioned in the Constitution," said NPR's congressional correspondent, Deirdre Walsh. She added, "Members of Congress cannot even be sworn in to start a new session of Congress without a speaker first being elected. So opening day could be very chaotic." Additionally, the GOP is holding on to a majority in the lower chamber by just a couple of votes which makes McCarthy’s bid to become the next speaker all the more critical given that members with outsized power can threaten to effectively dilute if not wipe out the power Republicans would otherwise enjoy as a majority in the chamber, affecting potentially every upcoming legislation the dissenters they do not get their way. “One reason why you don’t see more opposition to the Speaker in the modern era is that the Speaker controls all kinds of valuable resources that members of the House of Representatives really want,” said Fong to Al Jazeera. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Explained: Will the US House of Representatives have a speaker when it convenes?

US Speaker Nancy Pelosi has named impeachment managers ahead of the vote to impeach Trump. The team includes three women, Rep Jamie Raskin will be the lead manager.

Breaking News: US Speaker Nancy Pelosi names impeachment managers

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