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Breaking: Republicans Kill Gun Control Bills 8 Days After Deadliest Mass Shooting in US History

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After Democrats Waged a 15 Hour Filibuster to Force the GOP to Allow a Vote, They Have Just Defeated Two Gun Control Measures

Just eight days after the worst mass shooting in America’s history, Republicans in the U.S. Senate Monday afternoon defeated four gun control bills – including two sponsored by the GOP.

Republicans defeated a bill sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) that would allow the US Attorney General to deny the sale of a firearm to anyone they have aa “reasonable belief” that purchaser might engage in terrorism. That bill, known as the “no-fly, no-buy” amendment, extends farther than just the “no-fly” list.

They also defeated a bill by the Senate Majority Whip, John Cornyn (R-TX), that would require law enforcement officials be notified if someone currently on the terror watchlist attempts to buy a gun from a licensed dealer. That would not include sales among family members or at gun shows. “If the buyer has been investigated for terrorism within the past five years, the attorney general could block a sale for up to three days while a court reviews the sale,” USA Today reports.

Two additional bills also were killed. One, by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), would actually make it harder to add someone with a mental health issue to the background check database. The other, by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), would finally close the “gun show loophole,” mandating all gun sales, by licensed dealers or by unlicensed dealers at gun shows, to include background checks.

RELATED: Tired of Congress Doing Nothing About Gun Violence? Here’s How to Tell All 535 of Them What You Want

The bills had not even been under consideration until Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut staged a nearly 15-hour filibuster promising he would not relinquish control of the Senate floor until Republicans gave some form of assurance they would allow a vote on gun control. Sen. Murphy, who has delivered dozens of speeches urging the Senate act on legislation to curb the nation’s gun violence crisis, was joined by a total of 40 other Senators, including two Republicans and on Independent.

Today’s defeat by the Republican controlled Senate should come as no surprise. The last time the Senate took up gun control legislation was literally one day after the massacre by terrorists in San Bernardino, California, in December. The GOP defeated that legislation. And before that, the Senate took up gun control legislation after the Sandy Hook shooting that left 20 first graders and six school officials dead. The GOP defeated that legislation as well.

UPDATE: Gun Control: Here’s How Every Senator Voted on Background Checks and Terror Watchlist Suspects Bills

 

EARLIER:

Exclusive: Sanders Campaign Explains Why He Did Not Take Part in Democratic Gun Control Filibuster

Senate Democrats End 15 Hour Filibuster for Gun Control With Emotional Story of 6-Year Old Victim

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‘Start the Kevin McCarthy Death-Clock’ After Biden Wins Debt Ceiling Battle: Rick Wilson

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Appearing late Saturday night on MSNBC after it was announced that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had reached an agreement “in principle’ on a budget deal, former GOP strategist Rick Wilson claimed this could be the beginning of the end for McCathy’s speakership.

Sitting in on a panel with guest host Michael Steele, Wilson suggested that McCarthy’s decision to compromise with the president to avoid a default that would spin the economy into chaos will not go over well with far-right members of his House caucus who could make a motion to “vacate the chair” to express their displeasure.

Asked by host Steel about what comes next, Wilson stated it was a win for the White House which will not make conservatives happy.

RELATED: ‘Crazy cuckoo MAGA people’ could sink debt ceiling deal: Dem strategist

“Great night for Joe Biden, great night for the White House even though I think their messaging has been kind of tentative the past few weeks” the Lincoln Project founder began. “I think though we are now going to start the Kevin McCarthy death-clock. He has certainly got a very angry part of his caucus tonight who probably burning up his phone no matter how good it is for the country not to default.”

“It’s not going to please the chaos caucus in the GOP,” he added.

Watch below or at the link:

 

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Debt Ceiling: McCarthy Faces ‘Lingering Anger’ and a Possible Revolt as Far-Right House Members Start Issuing Threats

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As House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to negotiate a deal to avoid a debt crisis, members of the far-right Freedom Caucus are growing furious with him over broken promises he made to them.

According to MSNBC political analyst Steve Benen, with a slim GOP majority in the House, McCarthy is walking a tightrope to get a budget deal passed and may need help from House Democrats if members of his caucus refuse to go along with him.

As Benen points out, in order to win the speakership McCarthy agreed to an easier path for a motion to “vacate the chair” which could end his tenure as Speaker. That could come into play if the Freedom Caucus stages a revolt.

“… as the negotiations approach an apparent finish line, the House Republicans’ most radical faction is learning that it isn’t likely to get everything its members demanded — and for the Freedom Caucus, that’s not going to work,” he wrote in his MSNBC column.

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Trump in danger of heightened espionage charges after bombshell report: legal expert

Citing a Washington Times report that stated, “[Freedom Caucus members] want everything from the debt limit bill passed by the House last month plus several new concessions from the White House,” Benen suggested far-right House Republicans are now issuing veiled threats.

In an interview, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) stated, “I am going to have to go have some blunt conversations with my colleagues and the leadership team. I don’t like the direction they are headed.”

With Politico reporting, “The [House Freedom Caucus] was already unlikely to support a final bipartisan deal, but lingering anger with Kevin McCarthy could have lasting implications on his speakership,” Benen added, “If this is simply a matter of lingering ill-will from members who come to believe that GOP leaders ‘caved,’ the practical consequences might be limited. But let’s also not forget that McCarthy, while begging his own members for their support during his protracted fight for the speaker’s gavel, agreed to tweak the motion-to-vacate-the-chair rules, which at least in theory, would make it easier for angry House Republicans to try to oust McCarthy from his leadership position.”

Adding the caveat that he is not predicting an imminent McCarthy ouster he added, “But if the scope of the Freedom Caucus’ discontent reaches a fever pitch, a hypothetical deal clears thanks to significant Democratic support, don’t be surprised if we all start hearing the phrase ‘vacate the chair” a lot more frequently.”

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BREAKING NEWS

Prosecutors Tell Trump They Have a Recording of Him and a Witness: Report

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Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial have notified the ex-president’s attorneys they have a recording of him and a witness. The notification comes in the form of an automatic discovery form, CBS News reports, which “describes the nature of the charges against a defendant and a broad overview of the evidence that prosecutors will present at Trump’s preliminary hearing or at trial.”

CBS reports prosecutors have handed the recording over to Trump’s legal team.

It’s not known who the witness is, nor are any details known publicly about what the conversation entails, or even if it is just audio or if it includes video.

READ MORE: ‘Likely to Be Indicted Soon’: Trump Might Face Seven Different Felonies, Government Watchdog Says

According to the article’s author, CBS News’ Graham Kates, via Twitter, prosecutors say they also have recordings between two witnesses, a recording between a witness and a third party, and various recordings saved on a witness’s cell phones.

Trump is facing 34 felony counts in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case related to his allegedly unlawful attempt to hide hush money payoffs to a well-known porn star by falsifying business records to protect his 2016 presidential campaign.

See the discovery form above or at this link.

Image via Shutterstock

 

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