President Donald Trump shocked a bipartisan group of lawmakers Wednesday when he called for a series of changes to current gun laws, including comprehensive background checks and age limits for buyers.
And Florida Congressman Darren Soto told Cheddar that, if changes aren’t made, this will be a major issue come midterms.
“This will absolutely be one of those litmus test issues that can really swing a lot of voters,” he said in an interview before the president’s comments. “We’re talking about our young people keeping up their energy until the November elections.”
The latest developments come two weeks after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Survivors have sparked a nationwide #NeverAgain movement and even discussed gun control with high-profile Republican legislators, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and the commander-in-chief.
Soto said this isn’t the first time one group has been able to effect change at the ballot. He pointed to Democrat Margaret Good, who won Florida’s 72nd House district, a usually Republican area, the day before the Parkland, Fla., shooting.
“We saw that in the special election recently in Florida, that Republican women, suburban women who were independent, have come out in favor of Democrats,” he said. “They see that the Republicans aren’t willing to do anything to help protect our kids.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-darren-soto-speaker-ryans-gun-control-comments-a-real-shame).
Non-profit, Equal Ground, is looking drive up Black voter turnout in Florida with a new initiative. Jasmine Burney-Clark, the Director of Equal Ground, joined Cheddar to discuss efforts to increase Black voter turnout.
According to the latest Cheddar/SurveyUSA poll, attitudes toward social media giants like Facebook and Twitter are largely mixed among Americans ahead of the 2020 election.
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans powered past a Democratic boycott Thursday to advance Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate, keeping President Donald Trump's pick on track for confirmation before Election Day.
A pilot study from New York University found that over the summer a quarter of NYC transit workers reported testing positive for the coronavirus and that 90 percent of them still had fears of contracting COVID-19 on the job.
Justice Department officials told The Associated Press that Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion.
Pope Francis endorsed gay civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for a feature-length documentary that made its premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a vocal critic of big tech, said the antitrust lawsuit filed on Tuesday by the Department of Justice against Google has the potential to become the biggest strike against monopoly power since the Microsoft case settled in 2001.
Sarah Nelson, president of the Flight Attendants Association, joined Cheddar to discuss the airline industry's need for renewed stimulus. Nelson also talks about the impact layoffs and furloughs have had on airline workers.
Social media is taking a particularly important role in this year's election as the platforms works to remove misinformation. Cheddar's Michelle Castillo reports.
Former Trump administration National Security Advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, joined Cheddar to discuss the U.S.-China conflict and the threat the nation poses.
