Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Talks Gun Control and Midterm Elections
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).
California Governor Gavin Newsom is projected to keep his job. Around two-thirds of the votes have been reported, and roughly 64% of those votes are in favor of keeping Newsom as their governor.
Daniel Strauss, senior political correspondent at The New Republic, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more about what Newsom's win means to both political parties moving into Midterm elections season.
The Department of Justice is suing Texas over the state's new abortion law that prohibits abortions after six weeks, well before many women even know they're pregnant. The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent. It was filed last week in federal court in Texas, but could go all the way to the high court within weeks. Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, discusses the DOJ lawsuit and what it could mean for other abortion laws across the country.
26 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their population with Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts fully vaccinating at least two-thirds of their residents. These three states are among the ones with the lowest new Covid-19 cases per capita, but in states with low vaccination rates, hospitals are filling up again.
Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and executive director of Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more.
The Biden Administration has officially extended a ban on a Trump-era policy that prohibits traveling with a U.S. passport to North Korea. The extension is expected to last until August 2022. The ban was initially enforced after the death of Otto Warmbier, who entered a vegetative state while in North Korean custody. Advocates against the ban argue that it has caused crippling impacts on Korean Americans who have not been able to reunite with their families back home. Senior Fellow at The Foundation For Defense of Democracies Anthony Ruggiero joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss more.
