Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), (R), looks on as Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks to reporters after waging an almost 15-hour filibuster on the Senate floor in order to force a vote on gun control. Murphy wants the Senate to vote on a measure banning anyone on the no-fly list from purchasing a weapon. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
Talking filibuster –> Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-style filibusters are rare these days, but Democrats, led by Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, kicked one off yesterday and kept it going for 15 hours. Seung Min Kim and Burgess Everett at Politico report that after it ended, at a little after 2 a.m. today, senators had yet to formally strike a deal, but “the Senate was likely to vote on two Democratic-backed gun measures: a proposal from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) meant to bar those on federal terror watch lists from obtaining firearms, and a plan from Murphy and Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) mandating background checks for sales at gun shows and over the internet. Republicans are expected to put forward two of their own proposals for votes.”
And: Trump is not toeing the GOP party line on this. He tweeted yesterday that he “will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no-fly list, to buy guns.”
But: At The Atlantic, Russell Berman writes that not just Republicans but the ACLU has concerns about tightening gun control through the terror watch list: “The NRA and most Republicans have opposed linking the terror watch list, or the smaller ‘no-fly’ list, to gun restrictions as both an infringement on Second Amendment rights and on due process, since many of the people on the list have never been convicted or even accused of a crime. The ACLU has also criticized the proposal as a violation of civil liberties. ‘The standards for inclusion on the no-fly list are unconstitutionally vague, and innocent people are blacklisted without a fair process to correct government error,’ Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, wrote in December.”
At Slate, Justin Peters writes about the class of weapon used in the mass shootings in Orlando, San Bernardino, Aurora and Newtown: “In appearance and in spirit, the MCX is a battle weapon. In gun industry parlance, however, the MCX is a ‘modern sporting rifle.’ …Modern sporting rifle is a euphemism that the gun industry created in 2009 to describe modular semi-automatic rifles. The phrase is an artful attempt to recast weapons such as the MCX and the AR-15 (and its variants) as all-American toys.”
Wriggling back in –> Maxwell Tani at Business Insider: “Sen. Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that he is seriously considering a bid for reelection following the deadly terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, the Florida senator said that he was considering mounting a last-minute reelection bid for his seat. He previously said that he would not run for reelection.”
More appalling than appealing –> John McCormick at Bloomberg Politics: “Just 32 percent of Americans view the Republican Party favorably as it prepares to formally nominate Donald Trump for president, the latest Bloomberg Politics national poll shows, the lowest level recorded since the poll’s inception in September 2009. The Democratic Party, by contrast, is seen favorably by 49 percent. Congress is viewed favorably by just 24 percent, the lowest since March 2010 and a response that found near bipartisan agreement in the poll… ‘This is obviously related to perceptions of Trump,’ said pollster J. Ann Selzer, who oversaw the survey. ‘This bleeds out into perceptions of the party and to other GOP politicians.’
“… The survey, conducted Friday through Monday, shows a high level of upheaval within the GOP as Trump trails Clinton by 12 percentage points in the horse race.”
And he knows it: “My problem is people love me or they hate me.” — Trump, in a moment of alleged introspection.
SEC political cash battle –> Democrats are taking on one of their own, head of the Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Jo White, because the agency has for years refused to consider rules that would require corporations to disclose political spending to investors. The Hill’s Peter Schroeder writes, “Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) went so far as to suggest that White contributed to the political environment that enabled the rise of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump… ‘You want to know why people are so discontent? It’s in part because of a few powerful people who send out a cascade of ads,’ he said. ‘You frankly are aiding and abetting it at the SEC.'”
If the spectacle of our own politics isn’t enough… –>… Take a look across the pond. Activists and politicians for and against “Brexit” — next week’s vote over whether the UK will leave the European Union — took to the Thames yesterday, in boats, to spray each other with hoses.
Morning Reads was written by John Light and edited by Michael Winship. See a story that you think should be included in Morning Reads? Tell us in the comments!
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