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Senators say they need more time on gun talks

Senate negotiators say they are making progress toward a deal to address gun violence, but they aren’t there yet.

 Sen. Jon Cornyn (Texas), the lead Republican negotiator, on Monday said negotiators are “hovering above the target” but haven’t nailed down anything.   

Cornyn said negotiators need at least another week to resolve their differences and urged Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has warned he will only give negotiators a short period of time to reach a deal, not to rush anything to the floor.  

“Good consensus legislation takes time,” Cornyn said in remarks on the Senate floor. “So I hope Sen. Schumer will let his members work. There’s no use in rushing a vote on a doomed bipartisan bill like the House is expected to vote on this week.”  

The House is set to vote this week on legislation to raise the legal age for buying some semi-automatic rifles to 21, create tax incentives for gun dealers to create safe storage equipment and ban the sale of large-capacity magazines. But that legislation is doomed in the Senate, where it will not garner the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.  

Senate negotiators say proposals to ban assault-style rifles, such as AR-15–style weapons that were used in recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, and to require background checks for all gun sales and transfers are off the table.  

Instead, they are focused on more modest proposals to encourage states to set up red flag laws, promote safe storage of firearms and provide more money to address mental health.  

They are also looking at strengthening and reforming the background check process and raising the minimum age for purchasing an AR-15–style rifle from 18 years old to 21.  

But a Senate Republican aide familiar with the negotiations said whatever proposal emerges from the negotiation will not expand background check requirements like the amendment crafted by Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in 2013 would have done.  

The aide said Republicans are looking at “strengthening and reforming” the process for conducting background checks but not expanding the universe of transfers that would require them.  

“We are not talking about restricting the rights of current law-abiding gun owners or citizens,” Cornyn emphasized on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. “This is a constitutional right, as much as that may go against the grain of some of our colleagues who like to do things to restrict the rights of American citizens under the Second Amendment.”

One proposal under discussion is to include juvenile crime records into the background check database to flag people in the 18-21 age group who recently committed crimes but might still be able to pass an FBI check.  

Manchin, who voted against a proposed assault weapons ban in 2013, on Monday said he “wouldn’t have a problem” at raising the minimum age for owning an assault-style rifle.  

“Why do we have driver’s licenses? Why is there a certain age for everything that we do in this society?” Manchin told CNN. “I don’t see how this one thing can be any different than other things we do.”  

But Cornyn later said that restricting law-abiding citizens from purchasing assault-style rifles is off the table. 

Asked about raising the age limit for purchasing assault weapons, Cornyn said: “I think the president said that, and I think Sen. [Chris] Murphy, sounds like he’s taken that off the table.”

Murphy (D-Conn.) is the lead Democrat in the negotiations on gun legislation.

Cornyn on Monday emphasized identifying people who are dangers to themselves or others and providing more resources for mental health treatment and more money for securing schools as his top priorities.  

“If our schools need more resources to harden their infrastructure and to evaluate their physical security measures and to make necessary improvements, that’s something we can agree on and we need to do,” he said.  

Democrats are desperate for an accomplishment on gun control but acknowledge it will be tough getting 10 Republicans even for a modest proposal to create incentives to set up red flag laws. 

“We’re going to struggle to get 10 votes, but I think it’s possible,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). 

Durbin acknowledged the political headwinds facing any gun control deal in reaction to House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) denouncing red flag laws as unconstitutional.  

“They literally come into your house and take away your gun without you even knowing that there was some kind of proceeding where somebody said, ‘Oh, I think that gun might be a threat,’” Scalise said on “Fox News Sunday.” 

Durbin predicted that whatever emerges from the negotiation will likely secure the votes of all 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus.  

He noted that two key swing votes, Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), are personally involved in the negotiations with GOP colleagues.  

Murphy and Cornyn convened another meeting of the negotiating group on Monday afternoon, sitting down with Sinema and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). 

The other members of the extended negotiating group are Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).  

Murphy conceded during a live panel discussion with gun control activists on Monday that the Senate won’t vote this week on gun violence legislation despite talk last month about setting a 10-day deadline. He said he hopes the Senate will act “in the following weeks.”  

Schumer warned before the Memorial Day recess that he would force Republicans to vote on gun control legislation in June if they didn’t agree to compromise legislation to curb gun violence soon.  

“If these negotiations do not bear any fruit, the Senate will vote on gun safety legislation when we return,” he pledged on May 26.  

A Democratic aide, however, said that Schumer does not plan to schedule a vote on a gun control bill this week, as the Senate is already scheduled to consider nominees and legislation to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.  

Source: TEST FEED1

March For Our Lives planning more than 50 meetings with lawmakers

Student-led organization March For Our Lives (MFOL) has announced plans to hold more than 50 meetings with lawmakers to demand gun reform legislation in the wake of a recent string of mass shootings in the U.S. 

In a statement on Monday, the group said its activists have arranged more than 50 meetings with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in an effort to pass legislation to curb gun violence in the U.S. 

The organization said the meetings on Capitol Hill will set the stage for next week, when it plans is planning more than 450 demonstrations across the world to demand gun reform.

March For Our Lives was launched in 2018 in response to the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. where seventeen students and teachers were killed. 

Their latest actions follow an even deadlier shooting in Uvalde, Texas that left 19 elementary school students and two teachers dead, and another massacre last month targeting Black people in a Buffalo, N.Y. grocery store that killed 10.

“This moment is different. Fueled by a growing movement of Americans from all backgrounds, politicians are more willing to find common ground and work toward solutions. Real lives are being lost, and real children are suffering, including in their districts,”  the organization said in its statement.

“March For Our Lives will be on the Hill all week to look lawmakers in the eye and get commitments on record to curb this epidemic.” 

President Biden last week called on lawmakers to address this issue urgently, suggesting Congress pass laws on expanding background checks, implementing a national red flag law system, and banning assault-style rifles. 

However, Biden has remained out of talks between a bipartisan group of senators discussions more limited gun reform legislation in response to the mass shootings. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is leading the GOP in the talks, said “it will be embarrassing” if the Senate can’t agree on a legislative response after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

The talks so far have focused on so-called “red flag” laws allowing law enforcement to seize guns from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others, as well as expanded background checks for firearms purchased and other measures to address school safety and mental health.

“We are a generation defined by the endless trauma of gun violence,” said Zoe Touray, a survivor of the mass school shooting in Oxford, Mich. last year, said in a statement on this week’s meetings.

“From the countless school shootings, like the one at my high school this past November that left four of my classmates dead, to the everyday gun violence seen in city streets, it is evident that youth bear the brunt of this epidemic,” added Touray, now an organizer with March For Our Lives.

“This is far from inevitable. Our elected officials have decided to put party politics before our safety — before our lives.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Democrat Taddeo ends bid for Florida governor, will run for Miami House seat

Florida state Sen. Annette Taddeo announced on Monday that she would exit her state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary and instead run for a Miami-based House seat. 

Taddeo jumped into the Democratic primary for governor in the fall, throwing herself into contention with two other prominent Florida Democrats, Rep. Charlie Crist and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. 

But Taddeo’s campaign struggled to gain the kind of traction needed to win the primary. She also found herself at a significant financial disadvantage; because Taddeo is a sitting state senator, she is not allowed to fundraise for her campaign while the legislature is in session.

Taddeo said that she will instead seek to challenge Rep. Maria E. Salazar (R) in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. She said she was inspired to make the switch after the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas.

“We are at a pivotal moment in our country and we desperately need leadership in Washington that can be trusted to put politics aside for the best interests of Miamians,” she said in a statement. 

“I’m excited for the opportunity to earn the trust and support of the people who live in Florida’s 27th Congressional District which includes much of the area I’ve been grateful to represent in my historic time in the Florida Senate since 2017,” she added.

Taddeo’s decision to end her gubernatorial campaign to run for a battleground district in South Florida is likely to be welcome news for Democrats, who struggled for months to recruit a top-tier candidate to challenge Salazar. 

It also clears the way for a head-to-head match-up between Crist and Fried for the Democratic nomination for governor. The eventual winner will take on Gov. Ron DeSantis, an archconservative and rising GOP star, in the November general election.

Even before Taddeo’s announcement on Monday, there was speculation that she would run for the Miami-based House seat.

Democratic Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins announced last month that she would end her campaign to represent the 27th District, saying that she caught wind that Taddeo would soon enter the race. Taddeo’s campaign at the time denied the rumor.

Still, defeating Salazar won’t be easy. 

Salazar won the seat in 2020, ousting Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), who managed to flip the seat from Republican hands only two years earlier. What’s more, Democrats are facing a tough political environment in 2022 as they look to defend their paper-thin congressional majorities.

Source: TEST FEED1

Former AG Holder says GOP has 'welded itself' to gun lobby

Former Attorney General Eric Holder said on Monday the Republican Party has “welded itself” to the gun lobby after continued inaction to pass what he called “reasonable gun safety measures” in Congress. 

Holder, an appointee, said the tight political relationship must be broken, but that some politicians rarely face any consequences for opposing even generally popular gun legislation because of how their districts are drawn.

“This is a really graphic example of the harm, the concrete harm, of gerrymandering where a politician can do something inconsistent with the desires of his or her constituents and not suffer any political consequences because they are in these gerrymandered-safe districts,” Holder said in an interview with Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart.

Holder’s comments come as Congress responds to a series of horrific mass shootings, including an attacker at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 10 Black people and a gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. 

The House is poised to pass an expansive gun control package, however Senate negotiators are discussing a more limited package, seeking bipartisan support to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the 50-50 chamber. 

Holder, who now serves as chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said that while the majority of the nation supports background checks and bans on assault weapons, that’s not reflected in the actions of elected representatives. 

“We have got to hold our politicians accountable, but we also have to change our systems so that we actually can hold our politicians responsible,” Holder said.

Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) led talks on bipartisan legislation in 2013 that would have expanded background checks to most gun sales. The legislation, informally known as the Manchin-Toomey gun bill, failed by six votes, with five Democratic senators voting against the measure.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has now tapped Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to lead negotiations with Democrats on new legislation, though it’s unclear whether legislators can find the 10 votes necessary to pass legislation.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who is leading Democrats in the talks, has said that he hopes to reach a limited deal that can garner bipartisan support, focusing talks on so-called “red flag” laws, expanding background checks and other provisions to protect schools and address mental health. 

In an interview with POLITICO, Cornyn said “it will be embarrassing” if the Senate can’t agree on a legislative response after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“It would feed the narrative that we can’t get things done in the public interest,” Cornyn said. “I don’t believe that narrative, I believe we can get a bipartisan deal done in the public interest.”

Some Republican donors in Texas have also joined the calls for congressional action, writing an open letter this week applauding Cornyn as “the right man” to lead the effort and voicing support for red flag laws, expanded background checks and increasing the legal purchase age for some firearms. 

“Most law enforcement experts believe these measures would make a difference,” the donors wrote. “And recent polls of fellow conservatives suggest that there is strong support for such gun-safety measures.”

Holder placed the blame for gun violence squarely on United States gun policies, including the presence of and ease of access to acquiring guns in the country. On the debate over mental health, he noted that other countries also have people with mental health issues and yet lower rates of shootings.

In 2014, Holder said the lack of more gun control regulations was among the biggest failures of his tenure, which, especially after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, “weighs heavily” on his mind.

“It is time, it is beyond time, for the leaders of this nation, for Congress, for our state legislatures, to act and to put into place reasonable gun safety measures to stop this,” Holder said Monday.

Source: TEST FEED1

Enes Kanter Freedom to appear at Republican Study Committee lunch

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom will speak to the conservative Republican Study Committee this week about his activism regarding China and the Uyghur genocide.

The former Boston Celtics center, now a free agent, has been a vocal critic of the NBA for continuing activities in China and other countries despite human rights abuses. He has accused the NBA of trying to silence him for speaking out on those issues, and legally added “Freedom” to his surname last year before being cut by the Celtics.

A Republican Study Committee spokesperson confirmed Kanter Freedom’s Wednesday lunch appearance to The Hill on Monday. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) — the chairman of the study committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House — praised the player’s “passionate support for freedom.”

“The US cannot continue to enable the ongoing Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang and other atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party. In the face of immense corporate opposition, Enes Freedom has stood up for what is right – no matter the consequences,” Banks said in a statement.

“I’m grateful for his continued and passionate support for freedom around the world and appreciate his endorsement of my legislation to hold China accountable,” he added.

Politico, which first reported on Kanter Freedom’s lunch visit, said he will advocate for a Uyghur labor sanctions bill Banks is preparing to introduce. That legislation, however, will not be revealed until Wednesday.

Kanter Freedom attended a Senate Republican Study Committee lunch in February, where he received standing ovations from the GOP lawmakers. The senators said his advocacy for human rights and criticism of China’s government was “very inspiring” and “amazing.”

During that appearance, the basketball player spoke about China’s increasing influence on the NBA, and noted that players and personnel who speak out against Beijing’s history with human rights are blacklisted.

Former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, now president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, told ESPN that he was “really worried” about his family’s safety amid blowback from his tweet in 2020 supporting Hong Kong pro-democracy protests.

Kanter Freedom has become a prominent critic of the governments in China and his native Turkey over the past few years. His criticism of China has focused on its alleged genocide against the Uyghers, a Turkic and Muslim minority.

President Biden in December signed a bill that sought to counter China for its treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population in Xinjiang. The U.S. has also claimed that China is carrying out a genocide against Uyghurs.

The bill passed the House in a voice vote before a compromise version cleared the Senate by unanimous consent. It specifically bans important from the Xinjiang region of China unless people or companies are able to proverb that the commodities or materials are produced without slave labor.

Emily Brooks contributed.

Source: TEST FEED1

Former Republican congressman who represented Uvalde wants more than 'thoughts, prayers and complaining'

Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), who represented the community of Uvalde, Texas, while in Congress, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that he wants more to be done on gun control amid the recent string of mass shootings in the U.S. 

In the Times op-ed published Sunday, Hurd wrote that inaction from lawmakers has the media, the public and some elected officials believing that nothing can be done to address gun violence, noting there are more mass shooting victims than the number of military personnel killed during the Afghanistan War. 

“Yet, neither horrifying headlines nor stunning statistics have generated substantial legislative action,” Hurd wrote in his essay. “This inaction has caused the public, the media, and some of those same elected officials to believe that nothing can be done. But that simply isn’t true.”

“There is not one piece of legislation that can prevent all mass shootings, but there are many things that we can do to save lives.” 

Hurd also mentions in his op-ed his support for H.R. 8, proposed legislation that would require universal background checks for gun owners, adding that elected officials need to take action instead of sending “thoughts and prayers” or complaining about the bill going through a Senate filibuster. 

“We also must be prepared in case guns do find their way into the wrong hands. We need to protect our most vulnerable places, like schools, churches, and hospitals,” Hurd, who once received an “A+” rating from the National Rifle Association, wrote. “We need to ensure local law enforcement is trained in the most effective ways of dealing with mass shooters.” 

“We are not helpless, and if the people we elect to address our country’s tough challenges think nothing can or should be done beyond thoughts, prayers and complaining about the filibuster, then it’s time we help them find a new career,” Hurd added. 

The Uvalde community is still reeling from the massacre at Robb Elementary School last month, when a gunman entered a fourth grade classroom and killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers. 

Several additional mass shootings happened across the U.S. over the weekend, including in Philadelphia, where three people were killed and 11 others wounded after multiple gunmen opened fire in the city’s South Street neighborhood. 

A bipartisan group of Senators has already started discussions on creating gun reform legislation in response to the mass shootings. 

Last week, President Biden publicly called on Congress to quickly address this issue, asking them to pass laws expanding background checks, implementing a national red flag law system and banning assault rifles.

Source: TEST FEED1

US men's soccer team calls for Congress to address gun violence

The U.S. men’s national team (USMNT) is calling on lawmakers to address the scourge of gun violence following the recent string of mass shootings in the U.S. 

In a letter sent on Sunday, the soccer team’s players and staff called on Congress to vote for gun reforms, noting that most of them play professionally overseas and are often asked why America can’t take any action to address this issue. 

“As athletes who have the privilege of traveling the globe representing the greatest country in the world, we are often asked how in a place like the United States there can be such horrific gun violence. We are also asked why the representatives of the people do nothing even though most Americans want them to take action,” the letter reads. 

“Those of us who play professionally abroad experience none of these things in our daily lives, yet we return home to a place where mass shootings are frighteningly common and the victims are often defenseless children,” it adds. 

The USMNT also said in its letter that gun violence has created a mental health strain on children, parents and educators who wonder if they or someone they love will be the next victim of a mass shooting. It added that not using its platform to talk about this issue would be “irresponsible,” saying that it was doing so due to lawmakers’ neglect of the matter.

“Our ability to affect change is limited, but yours is not. You could vote this week to address gun violence in America, and in fact, you will be given that opportunity. In the coming days, the U.S. House of Representatives is voting on several bills that would address this serious issue,” the letter reads. “Please vote yes on all the bills being considered.”

The letter comes as the U.S. has seen a recent wave of mass shootings in the past few weeks, with major incidents occurring in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, N.Y.; and Philadelphia. 

President Biden pleaded to Congress last week to address this issue urgently, asking them to pass laws expanding background checks, implementing a national “red flag” law system and banning assault rifles. 

A bipartisan group of senators has already started discussions on creating gun reform legislation in response to the mass shootings. 

Other professional sports teams and leagues such as the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles have also used their platform to call for gun reform. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Strawberry tea possibly linked to Hepatitis A outbreak recalled

RICHMOND, Calif. (WXIN) — An organic tea has been recalled over its possible connection to strawberries potentially contaminated with Hepatitis A.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the company Urban Remedy is voluntarily recalling Organic Revitalizing Tea Tonic Strawberry Hibiscus Rose.

According to Urban Remedy, it contracts with Youngstown Grape Distributors Inc. to co-manufacture the organic tea. Youngstown may have used the FreshKampo organic strawberries that are believed to be the source of the Hepatitis A outbreak that’s under investigation by the FDA, according to Thrillist.

“Currently, the potentially affected FreshKampo and HEB products are past shelf life. People who purchased FreshKampo and HEB fresh organic strawberries between March 5, 2022, and April 25, 2022, and then froze those strawberries for later consumption should not eat them,” the FDA said in late May.

The organic tea was sold in 12 oz. bottles in stores in 23 states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming — between May 17 and May 29 of this year.

Urban Remedy says anyone who bought the product should not drink it. If you do consume the tea, the company recommends you “consult your health care provider or local health department to determine if a vaccination is appropriate.”

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the tea to date.

Hepatitis A is a contagious virus that can cause liver disease, according to the FDA. In rare cases, it can progress to liver failure.

According to the FDA, illness usually occurs within 15 to 50 days after eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Symptoms of Hepatitis A infection include fever, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, jaundice, dark urine or pale stool. In some instances, particularly in children under the age of six, Hepatitis A infection may be asymptomatic.

Source: TEST FEED1

Climbing child care costs put strain on parents

(NewsNation) — Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, the cost of child care has been on the rise.

Parents are seeing an average annual cost increase of 41% for center-based child care providers, spending an average of just over $14,000 per year, according to data from a recent LendingTree report released earlier this year.

Cindy Lehnhoff, director of the National Child Care Association, discussed the skyrocketing cost of child care during an appearance on NewsNation “Prime.”

“During the pandemic and following the pandemic, we’ve seen everything rise in cost, which has to be put back to the consumer, unfortunately,” Lehnhoff said. “And as a result of the high cost of child care, many families are forced into unlicensed care.”

There is a big difference between licensed and unlicensed child care providers, according to Lehnhoff.

“The licensed child care industry is heavily regulated. And in every state, you are required to be licensed if you’re taking care of a number of children that are not related to you in a group setting,” she said. “And the cost of regulation has risen over the years because there’s a lot more expectation for the workforce to be educated and well-trained, which certainly we don’t object to. But it raises the cost.”

The licensed providers are more expensive and often out of reach for some families, who then turn to unqualified providers or they’re leaving the workforce to watch the kids themselves or have family members that are helping them.

“In some cases, parents are working different shifts, and taking care of the children,” Lehnhoff said. “And actually not even having any kind of family life because one parent working days, one parent is working nights, and there really isn’t time to function as a family unit. And that’s unfortunate because we know how important high-quality early care and education is.”

According to Lehnhoff, statistics from the Department of Labor show that over a million women have not returned to the workforce since leaving it during the pandemic, whether they left voluntarily to take care of their school-aged children and do the coaching or virtual learning or they were laid off.

“That’s a lot of women staying home,” she said. “And the availability of child care right now is limited, because our workforce was reduced by about 350,000 at the beginning of the pandemic because there wasn’t the need for it. And we have not had everyone return.”

It’s estimated that between 100,000 and 125,000 child care professionals and early educators have not returned to work following the pandemic, according to Lehnhoff.

There is also a difference between cities and rural areas when it comes to the availability and affordability of child care services.

“Even before the pandemic, about 51% of all children, between the ages of zero and 6 years lived in what is known as a child care desert,” Lehnhoff said.

That means there are more children in those age groups that need care while their parents work than there are spaces available.

“One of the reasons for this is the high cost of opening a child care center,” Lehnhoff said. “They can’t afford to open in those areas because the people that are living in those areas are typically your middle and lower-middle-class families and they can’t afford the cost of care.”

Source: TEST FEED1