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Senate Dems' gun control tightrope
A day after the seventh mass shooting in as many days in the United States, a painfully familiar question has returned to Washington: What, if anything, can be done to prevent this kind of tragedy?
On Capitol Hill, the answer is as complicated as ever.
The Democrat-controlled House recently passed bills tackling who can buy a gun and how to close loopholes on background checks. President Joe Biden announced support for both measures, saying on Tuesday, "I don't need to wait another minute, let alone an hour, to take common-sense steps that will save lives in the future."
BUT the Democrats’ razor-thin Senate majority significantly limits what they -- and the administration -- can accomplish. And right now, the Senate remains at an impasse over expanding background checks on gun sales.
Republicans in the Senate say they aren't interested in bills to expand background checks. They argue they won't work, they would eat away at gun rights and the focus should be on other matters, like addressing the root causes of crime.
Democrats are pointing to that GOP resistance as yet another reason to bust the filibuster -- saying the Senate's rules should be changed so that 51 senators can break a filibuster, rather than 60. But they even lack the votes within their own 50-member caucus to change the rules.
Despite all of this, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to bring the House's universal background check bill to the Senate floor. "This Senate will be different," Schumer said, promising that the chamber would take up debate on gun legislation.
The Point: Democrats are in control, but their majorities are too narrow to bring the kind of sweeping gun reforms advocates are calling for in the wake of yet another horrific and senseless mass shooting.
-- Lauren
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Until then, I am a no vote on the floor on all non-diversity nominees."
-- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, frustrated with the lack of Asian American/Pacific Islander representation in the Biden Cabinet, said that until there are AAPI nominees to vacant positions, she's a no vote.
A HISTORIC FIRST
Tuesday marked the first day for Boston’s new acting mayor, Kim Janey. She took the helm of the city after Mayor Marty Walsh resigned to become the US labor secretary on Monday evening.
With the new promotion, Janey notched two historic feats: She is both the first woman and the first Black person to serve as Boston’s mayor.
Read more from Lauren on Janey's history-making mayorship.
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2020 ... NOT GREAT!
Democracy in nations around the world took a hit in 2020, including in the United States, according to a new report.
Chris explains why democracy faltered in the US and elsewhere last year.
Stick with The Point on YouTube and subscribe.
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LAUREN'S GOOD READS
No reasonable people, eh?
Two dueling AAPI trend lines
Remembering the victims in Boulder
This town is rolling out a reparations program for Black residents
The rush to replace Rush
Can't wait to check these out myself
Congrats on the new job, Prince Harry
Ducks, ranked!
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MUSICAL INTERLUDE
We love Penny & Sparrow in any context. Here’s Friend Group’s 2021 remix of 2019's “Don’t Wanna Be Without Ya.”
Today's episode: DC’s response to the latest mass shooting.
5 THINGS ABOUT LINA KHAN
Let’s meet Lina Khan, President Joe Biden’s pick to fill a seat on the Federal Trade Commission. An associate professor at Columbia Law School, she is lauded by the left as a leading critic of the tech industry’s power.
Here are five things you may not have known about this Big Tech trust-buster:
- While a law student at Yale, Khan authored a paper that garnered a lot of attention, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox,” which explored her position on how the tech giant’s conduct violates antitrust law.
- This wasn’t the first time Khan had spoken out on how Amazon’s pricing practices can manipulate industries. In 2014, she wrote an opinion piece for CNN about a spat between the tech giant and smaller book suppliers.
- Khan recently served as legal counsel for the House Judiciary’s antitrust subcommittee and helped to conduct a 16-month investigation into the tech industry’s monopoly power.
- Her path to confirmation will be rocky – Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, the ranking Republican on the Senate antitrust subcommittee, said Khan would be a bad fit for the job.
- If confirmed, the 32-year-old would be the youngest FTC commissioner ever.
-- Sonnet
ONE BIG ANNIVERSARY
11
The Affordable Care Act, sometimes known as Obamacare, turns 11 years old today.
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