During an interview on CNN Thursday afternoon, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) reacted to the nation’s latest deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida by arguing that the solution is to make schools more like military checkpoints. “I think that we should be, as I would say, be putting in additional defensive capabilities,” Rounds said. “A series […]
It has been a rough week for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt. On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that Pruitt spent at least $90,000 on first class and business class plane tickets while traveling for official government work last June. On Tuesday, Pruitt boarded a flight from D.C. to Boston — and publicly […]
The Heartland Institute — a free market think tank known for its efforts to promote climate science denial — is lobbying to keep one of the country’s oldest coal-fired power plants alive. But it doesn’t seem to be working. In a letter dated January 30 and publicly disclosed on February 9 by the Missouri Public Service […]
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) responded to the horrific mass school shooting in Parkland on Wednesday by claiming that gun violence prevention efforts were a waste of time. “If we do something, it should be something that works to stop similar future calamities,” he said in a speech on the Senate floor. “…The struggle up to this point […]
A Florida white supremacist group says that Nikolas Cruz, who has been charged with murdering 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was a member. The group, known as Republic of Florida, told the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), that Cruz “participated in one or more ROF training exercises in the Tallahassee area, carpooling with other ROF […]
Less than 24 hours after 17 people were shot and killed at a high school in Florida, lawmakers in the state were scheduled to consider a bill that would allow people to obtain concealed carry permits without passing a background check. But given the national attention on the mass shooting, a representative for the Senate president told […]
In his fourth address to the nation following a mass shooting, President Donald Trump failed to mention the word “gun” once. The president instead chose to talk about mental health issues in broad, general terms, without offering any specific policies. “We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools […]
The teen survivors of a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida wasted no time in calling for action on gun violence this week, even as Republican lawmakers argued it was too soon to address the issue. Seventeen people were killed and at least 14 were injured on Wednesday after a lone gunman entered the Marjory Stoneman […]
In the aftermath of the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which led to the deaths of 17 people Wednesday, survivors took to social media to express their pain, process their emotions, and remember their loved ones. rest easy brother, i love you forever , you always pushed me to be […]
A Kentucky state lawmaker borrowed from a Koch-funded group’s playbook in a recent speech arguing against renewable energy. Delivering a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives last week Kentucky Rep. Jim Gooch (R) hoped to garner support for legislation, backed by the state’s large electric utility monopolies, that would drastically slow growth in […]
As the immigration debate continues to roil Congress, some House Republicans want to make it easier for President Trump’s proposed border wall to circumvent a number of cornerstone environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. Two bills currently before Congress — one introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the other by […]
On Thursday morning, President Trump posted an inflammatory tweet appearing to pin the blame for Wednesday’s shooting at a Broward County high school on the alleged shooter’s classmates and acquaintances. “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” he wrote. “Neighbors and classmates knew […]
Immediately after the mass shooting that left 17 people dead in Broward County, Florida, the Gateway Pundit’s White House correspondent tweeted a fake BuzzFeed story that claimed white people needed to have their guns taken away. The fake post, titled “Why We Need To Take Away White People’s Guns Now More Than Ever”, first appeared […]
The AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that was used to kill 17 people in a Florida high school Wednesday was purchased legally. “No laws were violated in the procurement of this weapon,” said Peter J. Forcelli, the special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Miami. Suspect Nikolas Cruz, 19, had been […]
The morning after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to murder 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Fox & Friends hosts pushed for more guns in schools. During an interview with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), host Brian Kilmeade asked him, “Do you also think it’s time to give the schools a fighting […]
At least 17 people are dead after a deadly mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday afternoon. The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was reportedly a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting took place. Despite initially evading arrest as he blended in with students fleeing the building, […]
A vote this week will determine whether or not Austin, Texas will be the first city in the U.S. South to require paid sick leave, a distinction that could set the tone for other urban hubs in the region, as well as for progressive efforts in the state more broadly. The Austin City Council will […]
Seventy-year-old Marsha Wetzel is suing Glen St. Andrew Living Community (GSALC) in Niles, Illinois for negligent and discriminatory practices, after allegedly suffering untold abuse because she was a lesbian. Wetzel, whose case is being supported by Lambda Legal, told ThinkProgress in an exclusive interview that she was “hit physically” and “called every name in the book.” “They brought […]
As the investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election moves forward, President Donald Trump and his allies have tried recently to recast the FBI as politicized and inherently biased against Trump. But historians and longtime chroniclers of federal law enforcement agencies say Trump’s narcissistic declaration of an anti-Republican rogue operation working to bring him down […]
In 1971, a federal court ordered Jefferson County, Alabama to desegregate its schools. Although that order is still in effect, the residents of a predominantly white city in Jefferson County found a creative way to try to get around it — seceding from the school district altogether. Fortunately for the predominantly black students who would […]
Fox News host Laura Ingraham, just hours after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to murder 17 people at a Florida high school, praised the weapon as “so safe.” Ingraham and her guest, Aaron Cohen, criticized Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) for suggesting the powerful weapon is too widely available. Cohen said that Murphy was “not […]
A 19-year-old former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday afternoon, killing 17 people. The incident is the 18th school shooting and 40th mass shooting of 2018. The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials as Nikolas Cruz, chose the same weapon used to carry out some of the […]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) surprised attendees at the National Congress of American Indians in Boston on Wednesday, using the appearance to give a speech denouncing President Donald Trump’s use of the nickname “Pocahontas” to belittle her claims of Native American heritage. “I’ve noticed that every time my name comes up, President Trump likes to talk […]
Clean energy advocates have their eyes on three states — Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona — where they hope to strengthen renewable energy policies by getting voters to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives. As with previous battles at the ballot box over clean energy, the campaigners are expecting electric utilities and Koch-funded groups to fight against these […]
President Trump broke his silence on issues of domestic violence during a meeting with local elected officials, entrepreneurs, and investors at the White House on Wednesday. The remarks were in response to an ongoing controversy over recently departed Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who has been accused by two ex-wives of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse. “I […]