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).
The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin openly invaded the neighboring country of Ukraine on Thursday following weeks of overtures and discussions on keeping an incursion from happening. David Salvo, the deputy director for the Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined Cheddar to go into the Russian leader's motivations. "What I'm sure he understands is that his invasion of Ukraine in 2014 probably ended the discussion of Ukraine joining NATO, even if publicly we won't admit that, that's just the reality. And I'm sure that President Putin understands that," he said, noting that Putin could be using the taking of Ukraine territory as leverage to gain more security concessions from the West.
Following Russia's incursion into Ukraine, the U.S. is warning businesses and major banks to brace themselves for cyberattacks. Lester Munson, a senior fellow at the National Security Institute, joined Cheddar News to break down what this means for financial institutions “So we need to be concerned about not just intentional Russian hacks against American entities but also what Russia is doing in Ukraine. Those things can impact us as well," he said
After weeks of talks and posturing in hopes of staving off an attack, Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, an incident that has already impacted the global economy, including the U.S.. Jason McMann, head of geopolitical risk analysis for Morning Consult, joined Cheddar’s Closing Bell to break down what investors might do to prepare themselves as the crisis continues. "I think there are a few things that we have our eye on over at Morning Consult that could cause the situation to become a bit more severe or unstable as far as market outcomes would be concerned," McMann said. "One of those things would be if the U.S. and the EU kind of moved in concerted fashion to block Russia from the SWIFT transaction system. So, I would say that's one thing that would be worth keeping an eye on."
Alex Walker, candidate for Colorado's 3rd Congressional District, joins Cheddar News to discuss why he's running against Lauren Boebert and the inspiration behind his viral campaign ad.
Lisa Hagen, politics reporter for U.S. News and World Report, joins Cheddar News to preview what to expect from President Biden's State of the Union Address on March 1.