The RNC's Kayleigh McEnany on Parkland: The GOP Can Make Change
The deadly attack on a Parkland, Fla., high school last week mobilized not only students to demand action on gun control, but also may have spurred action in Washington.
On Tuesday, President Trump asked the Department of Justice for regulations that would ban so-called “bump stocks.” It’s a move that Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany says shows the issue doesn’t have to be a partisan one.
“Our party can make change. Just because you’re pro-Second Amendment, just because you are with the NRA or seeing money from the NRA, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to do everything possible to avert tragedies like this,” she told Cheddar. “That’s why you’re seeing Republican lawmakers talk about background check systems and Republican lawmakers also talking about bump stocks. These are things that are compatible with the Second Amendment.”
Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day, an attack that left 17 dead and more than a dozen injured.
In the wake of the attack, several students have emerged as advocates for gun control, organizing marches to local and federal government offices and addressing what they saw as President Trump’s inadequate response to the events.
Over the weekend, Trump expressed support for a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) to fix the background check system. That legislation was prompted by a shooting at a Sutherland Springs, Tex., church in November. The “bump stock” bill meanwhile, also bipartisan, came after the Las Vegas attack in October, in which a shooter used the devices to make a semi-automatic rifle act like a machine gun.
McEnany, who’s from the state of Florida, says that gun control regulations have to be a joint effort between states and the federal government.
“This has to be a multi-pronged approach,” she said. “We also need to look at mental health. We also need to look at the missed warning signs at the FBI, the fact that they were called and proper protocol wasn’t followed.”
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rnc-spokeswoman-kayleigh-mcenany-republicans-are-pro-second-amendment-anti-tragedy).
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.
