Welcome to Wednesday, September 11th, readers and writers...

President Donald Trump announced the resignation of national security adviser John Bolton in a Tuesday-morning tweet:

Bolton's resignation letter to Trump, dated Tuesday, was short:

"I hereby resign, effective immediately, as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Thank you for having afforded me this opportunity to serve our country."

The president has had three national security advisers: Bolton, Michael Flynn, and H.R. McMaster.

White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters that Charles Kupperman is the acting national security adviser.

"John Bolton's priorities and policies just don't line up with the president's and any sitting president has the right to put someone in that position that can carry out his agenda. That became no longer tenable so the president made a change," Gidley said.

How do you feel about Bolton's forced resignation?

On the Radar

Dems Advance Gun Control Bills

The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday passed a trio of gun control bills after a lengthy markup hearing, including a ban on magazines with more than 10 rounds of ammunition and a so-called “red flag law”. The committee originally planned to return early from summer recess to hold the hearing last week, but the plan was postponed in response to Hurricane Dorian.

The three gun control bills passed along party-line votes, and here’s a look at each.

• The Keep Americans Safe Act would ban “high capacity” ammunition magazines which carry more than 10 rounds. It has the support of 141 Democratic cosponsors.
• The Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2019 would provide grants to states to adopt laws providing for Extreme Risk Protection Orders to prevent those deemed a risk to themselves or others from accessing firearms, and establish procedures for obtaining ERPOs in federal court.
• The Disarm Hate Act would make people convicted of misdemeanor hate crimes ineligible for gun ownership. 

In the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has indicated he won’t bring gun control legislation to the floor unless President Trump says he would sign it into law. 

Do you support these bills?

988 for Mental Health Crisis

“988” would become the new number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, replacing the current 10-digit number, if a Federal Communications Commission recommendation is enacted.

The current phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. The FCC said that number received 2 million calls in 2018.

“There is a suicide epidemic in this country, and it is disproportionately affecting at-risk populations, including our Veterans and LGBTQ youth,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.

“Crisis call centers have been shown to save lives. This report recommends using a three-digit number to make it easier to access the critical suicide prevention and mental health services these call centers provide," Pai added.

Last year, President Trump signed the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act into law, directing the FCC to examine the feasibility of designating a three-digit dialing code — like 911 — for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system.

Should ‘988’ call the Suicide Prevention Hotline?

Under the Radar

Endorsement Income for College Athletes

The California Assembly on Monday voted 72-0 to approve a bill that would require colleges to allow student-athletes to earn endorsement income beginning in 2023.

The amended bill will now return to the Senate as early as this week, which passed its version of the bill on a 31-5 vote earlier this summer, before likely reaching the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Under the "Olympic model" student-athletes would receive endorsement income from businesses in exchange for the use of their name, image, or likeness. 

NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a 2018 interview with the Associated Press that his organization is open to considering adopting the Olympic model.

“There’s a lot of discussion about the Olympic model and I think it’s well deserving of serious consideration inside the context of college sports," Emmert said.

Should student-athletes be able to earn income from their name, image, and likeness?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should HUD Housing Have Carbon Monoxide Detectors?