Welcome to Friday, August 9th, teas and coffees...

70% of all voters would support banning assault weapons, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll.

The poll was conducted Aug. 5-7, in the immediate aftermath of two mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio.

86% of Democrats would back such a ban.

55% of GOP voters would support banning assault weapons, and 54% said they’d support stricter gun laws more generally. (Politico notes that this finding contradicts President Donald Trump’s claims that there’s “no political appetite” for such restrictions.)

90% of Republican voters said they would back universal background checks for weapons purchases.

23% of potential voters opposed an assault weapons ban.

52% of respondents think it’s either not very likely or not likely at all that Congress will act. Don't allow inaction. Tell Congress whether you support or oppose an assault weapons ban:

On the Radar

Castro Tweets Trump Donor List

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) is standing by his decision to tweet a list of 44 San Antonio, Texas, residents who have given the maximum individual donation to President Trump―a list that includes their names, workplaces, and whether they’re retirees or homemakers.

Castro tweeted the list in an effort to shame them because “their contributions are fueling a campaign of hate that labels Hispanic immigrants as ‘invaders.’”

The information is publicly available because campaign finance law requires the Federal Elections Commission to publish all donations above $200, and the $2,800 donations were the maximum an individual can give to a candidate in a single election (primaries and general elections count separately). The public disclosure requirement is intended to prevent corruption.

But as critics of Castro’s tweet argue, there is a difference between donor information being publicly available and a member of Congress broadcasting that information in a manner which could lead to the donors being harassed or worse when they aren’t bundlers or mega-donors to Super PACs.

Should political donations be anonymous?

Executive Order on Social Media Bias

President Trump is reportedly drafting an executive order targeting social media companies for bias against conservatives.

This report came before the Trump campaign and national GOP committees announced they'll stop advertising on Twitter after the platform locked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's account for sharing a video of a profanity-laced protest outside the Kentucky Republican's home.

“Twitter’s hostile actions toward Leader McConnell’s campaign are outrageous, and we will not tolerate it,” said Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “The NRSC will suspend all spending with Twitter until further notice. We will not spend our resources on a platform that silences conservatives.”

Trump’s executive order on social media bias could look something like that he issued over protecting campus free speech. The March order threatened to withhold federal research and education funds from colleges if they failed to protect free speech rights.

Would you support an executive order on social media bias?

Under the Radar

Loot Boot

Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have agreed to disclose the odds of obtaining premium content in loot boxes. Many video games allow players to spend actual currency to purchase virtual loot boxes that could contain valuable weapons, armor, or character outfits—or something not useful at all.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), who's raised concerns about loot boxes with the FTC and Entertainment Software Rating Board, told Engadget she was " encouraged that the video game industry has taken this important step forward to improve loot box transparency.

"I'll keep working to ensure that children are protected from the predatory and addictive effects of loot boxes in video games."

Do you support banning loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions?

VP to POTUS

On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon became the first president to resign from office amid an accelerating impeachment inquiry prompted by the Watergate scandal. Vice President Gerald Ford took the oath of office to become the 38th president of the United States.

Less than two weeks before Nixon’s resignation, the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress over the course of July 27-30, 1974.

Nearly a month later - on September 8, 1974 - Ford granted Nixon a full and unconditional pardon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office. The decision sparked controversy and later led to Ford becoming the first sitting president since Abraham Lincoln to give testimony before the House of Representatives in an effort to explain the pardon.

How do you feel about Nixon's resignation on its anniversary?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should Obamacare’s Health Insurance Tax Credits & Subsidies Be Expanded?