The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Gun debate intensifies after Uvalde tragedy
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URL: what-we-know-about-the-uvalde-victims-famillies-suspect-gun-legislation-heatedly-debated
TALK OF THE MORNING
This really, really hurts:
Nineteen elementary school children and two teachers were killed in Uvalde, Texas, yesterday when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire two days before the start of summer break.
➤WHAT WE KNOW:
Were others injured?: Yes, dozens of other students, teachers and officers were injured in the shooting, according to authorities.
Who are the victims?: Here are the names and photographs of the victims who have been identified so far.
More on what we know about the tragedy
Who is the alleged gunman?: Salvador Ramos, 18, a senior at Uvalde High School. Ramos was killed by police on the scene. Ramos “frequently missed school and struggled to get along with classmates,” acquaintances told the New York Times.
Unrelated, but worth mentioning: “Graduating seniors from Uvalde High School had visited the elementary school on Monday and high-fived the students, who are in second through fourth grade, as part of the high school’s senior week. One student who participated said on social media that Mr. Ramos had not attended.” Video of seniors high-fiving the young kids Full story from The New York Times
IT’S WEDNESDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
➤ THE AFTERMATH:
The local civic center was used for families to reunite: Photos from the Austin Statesman’s Niki Griswold
^ For context — this was a polling center earlier in the day: NBC’s Garrett Haake pointed out, “This morning the Uvalde civic center was a polling place in the Texas runoff elections. Tonight it’s a Notification Center, where families are either reunited with their children, or told the horrible news they won’t be.”
I can’t even fathom what these parents are thinking: “It’s getting dark and there are still plenty of families waiting for any news about their children.” Via the Statesman’s Niki Griswold
This is tough to read, but the reality of the situation: KHOU’s Anayeli Ruiz tweeted, “Families tell me they’re going one by one inside getting swabbed for DNA to help investigators.”
Watch the White House’s flag lowered to half-mast: Via CBS News
➤REACTIONS:
Right after President Biden landed from his Asia trip, he delivered remarks: “Beautiful, innocent, second, third, fourth graders. And how many scores of little children who witnessed what happened? See their friends die as if they’re on a battlefield for God’s sake.” Clip of Biden’s remarks — his emotions are palpable
From Axios’ Erin Alberty: “I just told my 3rd grader about the shooting. She replied: ‘Yeah. We had a lockdown drill today. There aren’t very many hiding places in our room. The good ones all get taken in like 3 seconds.’ Then she left.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused Democrats of politicizing the shooting: “Inevitably when there’s a murder of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it. You see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. That doesn’t work.” Cruz also called for armed law enforcement in schools. Watch Cruz’s full reaction on MSNBC
From Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.): “Spare me the bullshit about mental illness … We don’t have any more mental illness than any other country in the world … You cannot explain this through a prism of mental illness because…we’re not an outlier on mental illness.”
In Congress
Everyone is looking at the Senate:
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is under heavy pressure to move a gun-related measure before the July 4 recess.
What measures come to mind?: “Two proposals to expand and strengthen background checks that passed the House in March of 2021 have sat in limbo for more than a year as Democratic senators have shown little appetite for a partisan battle over gun control, knowing that finding 10 GOP votes to overcome a filibuster would be hard to find.” How this could play out
➤WHERE DOES SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.VA.) STAND?:
Manchin said he would support “commonsense” gun limits but that he would not support nixing the filibuster to do so. Meaning: Senate Democrats would need 60 votes to break a filibuster — and that could be extremely tough to reach.
Manchin’s reasoning: “The filibuster is the only thing that prevents us from total insanity. Total insanity.” What this means for gun legislation
➤TIDBIT — THE NRA HAPPENS TO BE HOLDING A SUMMIT IN HOUSTON LATER THIS WEEK:
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), former President Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are all scheduled to speak at the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) leadership summit in Houston — which will now take place in the shadow of a horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.” Other lawmakers speaking at the summit
🗳 On the campaign trail
This is what would have been the big news of the day:
Via The Hill’s Max Greenwood, “Tuesday marked yet another eventful primary night with former President Trump’s political brand once again being put to the test.”
The gist of the primary results yesterday — on the right: “Trump’s endorsement suffered a major loss in Georgia’s gubernatorial race with incumbent Brian Kemp’s (R) victory over former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.).”
And on the left: “On the Democratic side, the runoff between incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and progressive activist Jessica Cisneros remained razor-thin going into midnight.”
Takeaways:
‘A resounding defeat for Trump in Georgia.’
‘Voters reject proponents of Trump’s election claims.’
‘But Trump acolytes still won elsewhere.’
‘It was a good night for incumbents.’
‘The establishment also won out.’
Context and details for each, via The Hill’s Max Greenwood
🦠 Latest with COVID
➤ BY THE NUMBERS
Cases to date: 83.2 million
Death toll: 999,785
Current hospitalizations: 19,151
Shots administered: 585 million
Fully vaccinated: 66.6 [EM1] percent of Americans
🐥Notable tweets
I’ll keep this light today.
There’s a duck roaming around the Capitol complex:
@AmeliaFrappolli tweeted: “There’s a duck that seems somewhat distressed on the East Front of the Capitol. It wouldn’t stop quacking near a sewer grate, but I couldn’t hear any ducklings below or anything…” Video
⏱On tap
The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.
11 a.m.: Three roll call votes in the Senate. Senate schedule today
1:30 p.m.: Biden receives the President’s Daily Brief.
1:45 p.m.: First lady Jill Biden and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy greet the arrival of infant formula at Dulles International Airport.
4 p.m.: Biden signs an executive order on policing and public safety.
All times Eastern.
📺What to watch
11 a.m.: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Robert M. Califf and baby formula manufacturers testified on the shortage. Livestream
4 p.m.: President Biden and Vice President Harris deliver remarks. Livestream
🥂🍷 In lighter news
Today is National Wine Day!
And to leave you on a happier note, here’s footage of what your dog does when you close the door.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
