An Oklahoma City bombing survivor on why he’s worried about extremism today

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City.

Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters

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IT IS STARTING TO GET BUSY AGAIN IN WASHINGTON
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent

Happy ~~Tax Day~~ Tuesday everyone.

It has already been quite a week. Republicans produced a double-feature of news Monday in New York City: A large group held a hearing on Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney overseeing the hush-money case involving former President Donald Trump, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave a speech on Wall Street.

The hearing, in particular, became fraught, with emotional testimony about crime from those who have experienced it and charges by Democrats that Republicans’ true goal was to undermine New York’s prosecution of Trump.

But we are in for a few more days of concentrated action.

Where should we start?

The debt ceiling

Tax Day this year has an extra significance. How much or how little the Treasury Department brings in will determine how long until the nation reaches what is called by some the “X-date.” That is the date on which the U.S. government runs out of the ability to pay its bills. And by which the nation’s debt ceiling must be raised.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has written that the date could be as soon as June. The Congressional Budget Office estimated it could be as far away as September.

As we await news of tax receipts, House Republicans are in the middle of a pivotal sorting out of their own.

In his speech yesterday, McCarthy vowed to hold a vote on a plan to raise the debt ceiling for one year.

McCarthy’s starting proposal is still forming. So far, it would include cutting federal spending next year back to 2022 levels and then limiting future growth to no more than 1 percent per year.

There are two problems with that plan, per sources on both sides of the Capitol. There’s open rejection from some Senate Democrats and not enough support from McCarthy’s own House Republicans.

Tuesday morning, House Republicans held what will be the first of ongoing “family discussions” over what — if any — proposal can get 218 of their 222 votes in the House. (The 218 votes are needed for a majority.)

But, we spoke with several House members who are not yet on board. They want more to limit spending, potentially including proposals to clawback tens of billions in added funding for the IRS.

Stay closely tuned on this front.

Decisions about Dianne Feinstein

Watch the segment in the player above.

The Senate’s senior member, Dianne Feinstein, is still recovering from complications resulting from a case of shingles. That is per her office. She has not voted since February, and it is not clear when she may return.

Her absence has meant that Democrats cannot advance judicial (or other) nominees through the Senate Judiciary Committee. (The committee has an even number of Republicans and Democrats without her.)

While two House members have called for her to resign, a key question this week is whether the Senate will allow her to temporarily step off the committee.

That is Feinstein’s hope. (And Democrats’.) But at least 10 Republicans must vote yes in order for that to happen.

And the signals so far are that most Republicans will not get on board.

Watch this week for a bit of a do-or-don’t moment on this question. If Feinstein is not able to temporarily step aside from the committee, then watch to see if calls for her to resign progress from a few House Democrats to a few in the Senate as well.

More on politics from our coverage:

Watch: Why House Republicans held a NYC hearing targeting the district attorney bringing criminal charges against Trump.
One Big Question: As district attorney, what is Alvin Bragg’s job in the case? The Associated Press explains.
A Closer Look: How public schools and families are feeling the pinch after the end of a federal pandemic-era program that provided free meals to students.
Perspectives: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart discuss the 2024 campaign as Republican candidates headline big GOP events.

28 YEARS LATER, A SURVIVOR REMEMBERS THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING

Dennis Purifoy seen inside the Social Security offices of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in March 1995. Photo by Frank Carlson/PBS NewsHour

By Adam Kemp, @Adam_WK
Communities Correspondent

Frank Carlson, @frankncarlson
Senior Coordinating Producer

Sitting in his cubicle the morning of April 19, 1995, on the ground floor of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Dennis Purifoy remembers seeing the flash of an explosion on his computer screen. He remembers falling from his chair and being covered by debris that blocked out all the light.

Purifoy’s desk sat at the opposite end of the building from where a truck exploded. He believes the cubicles between him and the explosion shielded him from some of its devastating effects. Sixteen of Purifoy’s co-workers were killed in the blast and 24 people visiting the Social Security office where he worked were killed that morning.

“There was just so much destruction,” Purifoy told the PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff. “The floors above it pancaked down and there was one — one of my coworkers that died was 15, 20 feet from me, but she was standing up, so she was hit [by] some debris and she died.”

A view of some cubicles inside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in a photo provided by Dennis Purifoy. Photo by Frank Carlson/PBS NewsHour

Purifoy survived the largest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Far-right extremist Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck outside the federal building, resulting in the deaths of 168 people, including 19 children.

Purifoy didn’t have a good understanding of hate before that day.

“I was naive and innocent like most people were, I think. And a lot of people still are,” he said.

In an “America at a Crossroads” report airing Wednesday, Woodruff will explore what motivated the attack 28 years ago and how this act of terrorism relates to growing concerns over extremism in the country today.

The attack, plotted by McVeigh and Terry Nichols, injured more than 600 people in addition to those killed. A third, Michael Fortier, knew about the plot and didn’t alert authorities. McVeigh, in particular, was influenced by a combination of personal grievances and radicalization by white supremacist and anti-government ideologies.

McVeigh, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, became disaffected after failing to join the special forces. He was also deeply angered by the government's handling of the 1992 Ruby Ridge, Idaho, incident and the 1993 Waco, Texas, siege, two events that have also influenced right-wing militia groups. McVeigh targeted a federal building as a symbol of government authority, intending the attack to send a message and inspire others to rise against the government.

A pair of mourners tour the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Photo by Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Purifoy went to McVeigh’s arraignment to try and better understand this person who caused so much pain and suffering. Purifoy remembered being rattled at how emotionless McVeigh was at the hearing and said he left with even more questions.

“I never did understand how he could think anybody could think it would be OK to attack people who were trying to serve the public, servicing American citizens, just doing a job to support their families and to help people,” Purifoy said.

Now, Purifoy hopes that law enforcement agencies pay enough attention to far-right extremism brewing in the country. Nor is there enough discussion about it, he said.

“I think it's out of sight, out of mind for most people. And most of us in America, we don't want to think of our fellow citizens as being capable of terrorism. — but they are. And I think there's an element too, in our current society of the divisions and polarizations in the tribal thinking that we're in now, where it's a lot easier for people to think it's me or us versus them and whoever the ‘them’ is. I'm more worried about that today than I have been in a while.”

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Cybele Mayes-Osterman, @CybeleMO
Associate Editorial Producer

As we mentioned above, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced at the start of the week that Republicans are gearing up to vote on their own plan to avert the looming debt crisis.

The government already blew past its $31 trillion debt ceiling in January, spurring the Treasury Department to take “extraordinary measures,” including some accounting tactics. Without congressional action, the U.S. could run short on cash to fulfill its fiscal obligations this summer.

Our question: Since 1917, the U.S. has set its debt limit at a specific amount of money rather than a percentage of its GDP. Only one other country in the world caps its debt in a similar way. What is that country?

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Who was the only Supreme Court justice in U.S. history to be impeached?

The answer: Associate Justice Samuel Chase. The House of Representatives voted to impeach Chase in the early 1800s, in part for his partisan behavior while on the bench. Chase was later acquitted by the Senate after an impeachment trial in 1805.

Congratulations to our winners: Alfredo Grieco y Bavio and Dan Browning!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.

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