This morning, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-VA), a congressional staffer, and members of the congressional police force were shot in Alexandria, Virginia. Members of Congress were practicing for the annual congressional baseball game set to take place tomorrow when a gunman appeared and opened fire, according to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) who was at the scene and recounted the details.
At least five people were wounded in what is being reported as a deliberate attack. Rep. Scalise, who was shot in the hip, is in stable condition and will undergo surgery. At a press conference this morning, Trump said the gunman died from his injuries. Trump also called for unity saying, “we are strongest when we work together for the common good.” In response to the shooting, Virginia Governor Terry McCauliffe said, “I think we need to do more to protect all of our citizens,” adding, “There are too many guns on the street.”
This shooting was yet another senseless act of gun violence—an act that is far too common in our country. In the United States, 90 Americans are killed with guns every day. In 2017 alone, there have been over 13,400 gun injuries and over 6,800 gun deaths. This is not normal. There is more we can do to keep weapons of war out of dangerous hands.
ACTION OF THE DAY
#VoteNo. The Senate is holding the fate of millions of people in their hands. And no matter how they spin it, all signs suggest their bill is as cruel as the version the House passed and they’ll try to vote on it by the end of this month. That means they need to hear from you NOW. Join a national call-in day today to tell the Senate 23 million Americans can’t afford to lose their health care: call 866-426-2631 and urge your senator to #VoteNo on Trumpcare.
WHAT’S TRENDING
London. At least six people were killed more than 70 others were injured in London last night, where a fire engulfed a high-rise apartment building. The cause is still unknown, but a tenant group had complained about fire hazards. This is just the latest tragedy to strike London in the past few months.
Mean. That’s what Trump called the House version of Trumpcare yesterday. Yes, this is the same bill that Trump and House Republicans celebrated with a party in the Rose Garden after it passed the House. Trump also reportedly had some even harsher words to describe the bill, on which House Leaders spent a lot of political capital. Trump also told senators to be “more generous” with their version. All signs suggest the senate version will be no more generous than the House version.
Cognizant. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said the Senators in charge of drafting the Senate version of Trumpcare are “very cognizant of preexisting conditions.” But the reality is nothing could be further from the truth. Based on the leaked version of the bill, in both the private insurance market and in Medicaid, coverage would be eviscerated for millions of people. Find out how here. In other Trumpcare news, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ independent actuary released its report of Trumpcare yesterday. Their analysis? Trumpcare could cause the individual market to fail.
#TrumpForSale. Over 190 members of Congress will bring the largest congressional suit in history against a sitting president in his official capacity claiming he is breaking the law by refusing to relinquish ownership of his sprawling real-estate empire while it continues to profit from business with foreign governments. More details here.
UNDER THE RADAR
“Judicial Prostitute.” That’s how Damien Schiff, Trump’s nominee for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, referred to Justice Anthony Kennedy. And that’s just one of his many offensive comments. With a Republican-controlled Congress, Trump has the opportunity to fill some of the many vacant judicial positions and today two of those nominees have their hearings. The first is Damien Schiff. The second is John Bush, a nominee for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, who once compared abortion to slavery. Here are the top five most offensive statements from these nominees.
GOOD NEWS
Green Peaches. Georgia is probably not the first state you’d expect to be taking aggressive climate action. But debate about climate change and potential solutions has been inserted in the fiercely competitive race to replace Rep. Tom Price, with both the Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff and the Republican Karen Handel addressing the issue and what to do about it. Handle, for the record, tried to hide her position, but finally resorted to the common “I am not a scientist” trope.