Republicans have no plans to vote on gun control after Trump slammed their bill
Remember earlier this week, which now feels like five years ago? Things were different then. Republicans started out with momentum behind a modest gun control bill. They were optimistic that they could begin voting soon, in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
A bill to beef up the national background check registry gained 50 cosponsors, then it was stopped in its tracks when President Trump said in a surprise-filled meeting that it doesn’t go far enough. That’s the same meeting where Trump said, “take the guns first, go through due process second.”
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said, “What I can’t comprehend is the idea, the possibility we might end up leaving here this week without doing anything.” Now it seems likely that Congress won’t pass a bill before a large gun control rally in Washington, DC, March 24.
As Trump spirals, many of his staffers are looking for an exit
Even for a White House marked by its chaos, the last few weeks have been exceptionally tough. After a tragic mass shooting, big-name staff departures, and a few scandals, morale is low and the mood is one of constant frustration.
Many mid- and low-level staffers are anxious to leave and are actively looking for jobs elsewhere, sources close to the White House say. Those staffers saw the surprising resignation of Trump loyalist and communications director Hope Hicks as a sort of tipping point.
One source we spoke to said, “I've talked to several people in the last week trying to find a way out, but they can't get out because no one is really hiring people with Trump White House experience. Not a fun time to say the least.”
A 13-year-old boy planned a school shooting, then killed himself instead
Police in Ohio say that the teen made a plan to become a school shooter on his cell phone and hid a semiautomatic rifle under his clothes as he walked onto campus, but instead of opening fire on his classmates, he fatally shot himself in the bathroom.
According to police, the seventh grader wrote that “this will be bigger than anything this country's ever seen.”
Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Brink said, “Why he went back into the bathroom after he had come out holding the gun, and then committed suicide, we do not have an answer to it.”
A bunch of normal people will attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding
But probably not you. The wedding guest list — 2,640 strong — will include 1,200 members of the public. That means mere commoners like you and me will be in attendance for the wedding of the year, though they probably won’t be seated next to Sporty Spice.
Kensington Palace announced in a statement that “guests from every corner of the kingdom” are invited to “watch the arrivals of the Bride and Groom, and their wedding guests, at the chapel and to watch the carriage procession as it departs from the castle.”
How do you get to be one of the 1,200 members of the public? Well, you get nominated to attend by one of nine regional Lord-Lieutenant offices. Harry and Meghan have asked that they be chosen from diverse backgrounds and age groups, including those who have served their communities.
Psst: Should teachers be armed with guns to protect against mass shooters? Should librarians be armed with naloxone to protect against opioid overdoses? We're discussing these issues and more in our Outside Your Bubble Facebook group, with people who have firsthand knowledge and others who have thoughtful opinions. All are welcome. Please join us and share the stories and experiences that have helped broaden your perspective!
Quick catch-up
Delta blues: Georgia lawmakers just passed a bill that punishes Delta Air Lines for ditching the NRA. Delta announced last week that it was ending discounted rates for NRA members. In response, Georgia removed a sales tax exemption on jet fuel. Delta would have been the primary beneficiary of the tax break.
Weinstein takeover: The Weinstein Company, the film studio cofounded by disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein, has been spared having to file for bankruptcy. The company isbeing sold off to a group of investors who plan to set up a victims' compensation fund and install a majority-women board of directors.
Hedley hiatus: The Vancouver-based band, facing a growing number of sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations, announced it will take an "indefinite hiatus" after finishing its tour. The band’s lead singer, Jacob Hoggard, said he had objectified women and treated them poorly, but denied the sexual assault allegations.
Canadian invasion: A Canadian air force helicopter dropped an 80-pound raft through the roof of a house in Miami. It narrowly missed a woman lying in bed. The Royal Canadian Air Force has aircraft in Florida for offshore search and rescue exercises. A spokesperson told us, “it is unclear exactly how or why this happened.”
Twitter is sorry for all the trolls and wants your help
Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s CEO, tweeted a long thread where he acknowledged that the company’s had some, uh, problems. You know, the poor handling of harassment problem, the bad bot problem, the troll problem, just to name a few.
Now, Dorsey says, Twitter wants to “help increase the collective health, openness, and civility of public conversation, and to hold ourselves publicly accountable towards progress.”
What does that look like? Well, Twitter is looking for outside companies to pitch it proposals to “help us identify how we measure the health of Twitter, keep us accountable to share our progress with the world and establish a way forward for the long-term.”
Some long reads to take it easy this weekend
“I couldn’t believe that I’d had such a great first date (and second, and third...) with the first woman I’d gone out with.” Katie Heaney has a memoir coming out called Would You Rather?, and this excerpt from it — a story about online dating — will restore your faith in love.
Things can never be the same after Wakanda. As contributor Steven Scaife writes, Black Panther raises the bar for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By engaging with complex political and ethical questions, director Ryan Coogler has made it so superhero movies will have to work a lot harder.
It doesn’t seem to matter what we eat, a great deal of our conversation about food is constantly thinking about how to eat “better." Katie Okamoto writes thoughtfully and honestly on the effects of that kind of thinking (“Struggling with eating shook my confidence in my ability to know how to be”), and why her relationship with food is a mess — and that’s fine.