Parkland, Fla., students calling for stricter gun laws will be heard at the polls, according to one Florida congresswoman.
“People are going to be hard-pressed running for office this year [if they] are not for real solutions that include making sure that we get weapons of war out of the hands of civilians,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
“Voters need to make sure that...if we can’t get these kinds of laws passed to protect our people, then we need to elect people across this country who will.”
The Valentine’s Day attack has led to a wave of activism from students both in Parkland and across the nation. Some right-leaning politicians have softened their stance, expressing support for stronger background checks, banning “bump stocks”, and increasing the legal age limit for purchasing a gun.
But Wasserman Schultz says words are not enough. She vows that she and her Democratic colleagues will “hold the Republican majority’s feet to the fire.”
While the GOP does currently hold an advantage in both houses of Congress, some pundits believe that Democrats could regain a lead in this year’s midterms in November.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/congresswoman-debbie-wasserman-schultz-d-fl-talks-gun-reform-and-2018).
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
