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Chris Stein in Washington

Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey says ‘real change can happen’ on gun reform – as it happened

Terrorism America Buffalo Joe Biden

Today so far

That’s it from us today. Here’s how the day unfolded in Washington, as voters in several states head to the polls:

  • Primaries are being held in California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota to choose candidates for the upcoming midterm elections in November. At the local level, voters in San Francisco are weighing whether to oust District Attorney Chesa Boudin amid rising concerns about crime and homelessness in the city.
  • Actor Matthew McConaughey appeared at the White House press briefing to urge lawmakers to strengthen gun laws. McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde, recounted his experiences meeting with families who lost children in the massacre at Robb Elementary school last month. He told reporters, “We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before -- a window where it seems like real change, real change can happen.”
  • The Senate judiciary committee held a hearing on domestic terrorism in response to the racist shooting in Buffalo last month. Among those who testified was Garnell Whitfield Jr, whose mother was killed in the Buffalo attack. Whitfield said at the hearing, “I ask every one of you to imagine the faces of your mothers, as you look at mine and ask yourself, is there nothing that we can do? Is there nothing that you personally are willing to do to stop the cancer of white supremacy?”
  • Joe Biden met with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy to discuss negotiations over a compromise gun-control bill. After the meeting, Murphy said he was optimistic about the progress being made in talks with his Republican colleagues. “I am encouraged by the discussions that we have had with Republicans over the course of the last week and a half,” Murphy told reporters on Capitol Hill. “Every day we get closer to an agreement, not further away.”
  • Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and House speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a memorial service for the victims of gun violence on the National Mall. At the memorial, Pelosi condemned Republicans for opposing gun-control legislation in the wake of tragedies like the Uvalde massacre and the shooting in Buffalo. She said, “Understand this: your political survival is nothing compared to the survival of our children.”

The blog will be back tomorrow with more coverage of the Senate’s gun-control negotiations and the January 6 committee’s upcoming hearing. See you then.

Further up the west coast, my colleague Hallie Golden has an article out today about how a recent study found the terrifying tsunami threat to the Pacific Northwest from the Cascadia fault may be even more scary than originally known:

Scientists have long predicted a giant 9.0-magnitude earthquake that reverberates out from the Pacific north-west’s Cascadia fault and quickly triggers colossal waves barreling to shore.

But what if these predictions were missing an important piece of information – one that, in certain scenarios, could tell an even more extreme story?

A new study, published last month in the peer-reviewed journal Earth-Science Reviews, points toward such a missing piece. Researchers revealed a previously unknown relationship between the severity of a tsunami triggered by an earthquake and something known as “the outer wedge”, the area between the main earthquake fault and the seafloor.

Thus far, Californians don’t seem particularly stoked on this election. While every registered voter was mailed a ballot, only 15% of them were returned early as of Monday evening, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The piece chalks the lack of enthusiasm up to a variety of factors unique to the Golden State, including voters’ weariness following last year’s failed recall of Governor Gavin Newsom, the lack of high-profile races and the fact that the polls aren’t viewed as an opportunity to weigh in on the ever-controversial Donald Trump and his allies.

From the piece:

Election experts say the lackluster participation by Californians stems from a dearth of excitement over this year’s contests, which largely lack competitive races at the top of the ticket. It’s a stark contrast with some parts of the nation, where voter turnout is exceeding expectations.

“It’s a boring election,” said Paul Mitchell, vice president of PDI. “It’s clear from what we’re seeing that we’re going to have a low-turnout election despite the fact the state has made it easier than ever to vote.”

The Democratic consultant predicts primary turnout is likely to be under 30%. “Nothing puts this in better contrast than looking at Georgia right now: They’re doing everything they can, it seems, to make it harder to vote, yet they are having record turnout because voters there feel the future of the country is at stake.”

Georgia’s May 24 primary came after a GOP-backed law imposed new voting requirements and restrictions.

Some predicted that a leaked Supreme Court draft decision eliminating federal protection for abortion access as well as a spate of high-profile mass shootings could motivate voters. But in California, this does not appear to be the case.

California’s early returns are a major drop off from the same period in September’s gubernatorial recall election, when nearly 38% of voters had voted as of election eve. Some 22% of voters had cast ballots at the same point before the last midterm primary election, in 2018, when ballots were not mailed to all California voters.

Polls are open in California until 8pm.

Updated

Meanwhile in California, polls are open in the state’s primary election, where voters will decide among a slew of candidates. Particularly closely watched will be the mayor’s race in Los Angeles and the petition to recall the prosecutor in San Francisco. The Guardian’s Lois Beckett dove into these issues and what they portend for politics in the country’s most-populous state.

High stakes primary races taking place on Tuesday in California are expected to have major consequences for police reform, incarceration, and the state’s growing homelessness crisis.

The most closely watched race is the mayor’s contest in Los Angeles, where voters are deciding between a tough-on-crime real estate developer, Rick Caruso, who has already poured nearly $40m of his own fortune into his primary campaign, and the former community organizer and Democratic congresswoman Karen Bass.

In San Francisco, the city’s progressive prosecutor, Chesa Boudin, is facing a recall election that could have a major impact on movements for criminal justice reform across the US.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who is taking a leading role in crafting a compromise gun-control bill, said lawmakers are making progress in their negotiations.

Speaking at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Murphy said this felt like “a moment where doing nothing is simply not an option,” in the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

“I am encouraged by the discussions that we have had with Republicans over the course of the last week and a half,” Murphy told reporters. “Every day we get closer to an agreement, not further away.”

Murphy acknowledged that a compromise bill would not encompass all of the gun-control proposals he would like to see enacted, but he emphasized the importance of reaching an agreement with his Republican colleagues.

“The American people are looking for progress right now. They’re looking for action,” Murphy said. “And my hope is, in the coming days, we’ll be able to come together in a way that gets us 60-plus votes.”

Noting that he is the father of a fourth-grader, Murphy expressed hope that Americans could soon live in a country where their children do not have to go through drills to prepare for a tragedy like the one seen in Uvalde.

McConaughey is telling the story of slain 10-year-old Alithia Ramirez, describing how, due to the wounds inflicted on her by the AR-15 style weapon used in the Uvalde shooting, she was identified by the green Converse sneakers she wore to school that day.

“Counselors are going to be needed in Uvalde for a long time. Counselors are needed,” McConaughey said. “I was told by many that takes a good year before people even understand what to do next … A lifetime is not going to heal those wounds.”

“This gun responsibility issue is one that we agree on more than we don’t,” he continued. “But this should be a non-partisan issue. This should not be a partisan issue. There is not a Democratic or Republican value in one single act of the issue.”

After wrapping up his speech, McConaughey left the room.

Updated

Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey says ‘real change can happen’ on gun reform

The daily White House press briefing has started, and at the podium is actor and Uvalde native Matthew McConaughey, who is making his pitch for gun control.

McConaughey said he’d spent the past week in his home town and was now in Washington to share stories of the victims and their families in hopes of swaying lawmakers skeptical of gun control legislation.

“While we honor and acknowledge the victims, we need to recognize that this time seems that something is different,” McConaughey said, speaking from behind the White House podium. “There’s a sense that perhaps there’s a viable path forward. Responsible parties in this debate seem to at least be committed to sitting down and having a real conversation about a new and improved path forward.”

“I’m here today in hopes of applying what energy, reason and passion that I have and to try to turn this moment into a reality. Because as I said, this moment is different. We are in a window of opportunity right now that we have not been in before. A window where it seems like real change. Real change can happen,” he continued.

You can tune into the full briefing here.

Updated

Pelosi says Democrats will introduce gun legislation in the House Wednesday

A package of legislation addressing gun violence will be introduced tomorrow in the House, its speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday:

It’s unclear if this proposal is related to the ongoing negotiations in the Senate, where Democrats and Republicans are trying to reach a bipartisan compromise that can clear the 60-vote bar needed for passage.

Actor Matthew McConaughey will appear at the White House press briefing this afternoon, which is expected to begin at any moment.

McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas, and he has voiced ardent support for strengthening America’s gun laws in the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary school.

In an op-ed published Monday, McConaughey wrote, “I believe that responsible, law-abiding Americans have a Second Amendment right, enshrined by our founders, to bear arms. I also believe we have a cultural obligation to take steps toward slowing down the senseless killing of our children.”

In addition to his appearance at the White House, McConaughey met earlier today with House speaker Nancy Pelosi to discuss the ongoing negotiations over gun-control legislation.

“After the recent tragedy in his hometown of Uvalde, we agreed on the need for urgent action to save lives — especially for the children,” Pelosi said on Twitter.

The shooters in both Uvalde and Buffalo used an AR-15 style rifle, which many Democrats have said they would love to ban nationwide, while Republican have been more hesitant. CNN reporter Manu Raju has today been going around the Capitol asking Republican senators what people need AR-15s for.

Here’s Missouri Senator Josh Hawley’s views:

And in this clip, John Thune of South Dakota and Texas’s John Cornyn, who has been negotiating with Democrat Chris Murphy on a potential gun deal, weigh in:

It’s worth pointing out that the AR-15 was not always available to American gun owners. The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons ban specifically prohibited the Colt AR-15 and some similar weapons, though that measure lapsed in 2004.

Updated

Joe Biden’s meeting with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy lasted around 40 minutes, as the pair discussed the state of negotiations over a potential gun-control bill.

“We had a good conversation,” Murphy told reporters, per CNN. “Obviously we’ve still got work to do in the Senate, and I’m grateful that the White House is giving us the space necessary to get a deal done.”

The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, indicated this morning that he was giving Murphy more time to see if a compromise could be reached with Republicans.

“Senator Murphy has asked for some space to have the bipartisan talks continue, and I have given him the space,” Schumer said in a floor speech.

Murphy and his colleagues need to craft a gun-control bill that can win the support of at least 10 Republican senators in order to overcome the expected filibuster. Time will tell whether a deal can be reached.

Wife of Buffalo victim: 'I am asking, pleading that the Senate do all that they can'

After the Senate judiciary committee hearing this morning, Democratic senators held a press conference with some of the Buffalo residents who lost family members in the mass shooting last month.

Kimberly Salter, the late wife of security guard Aaron Salter Jr, recounted how her husband sacrificed himself to protect the customers of Tops Friendly Market, as a racist gunman targeted Black shoppers at the supermarket.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice for everybody and for me, and I’m making the sacrifice for him. And I’m asking for legislation regarding the guns,” Salter said.

“I am asking, pleading that the Senate do all that they can, that Congress do all that they can. It’s not about Republicans. It’s not about Democrats. It’s about people. It’s about human life. It’s about our existence. It’s about our democracy.”

As senators search for a compromise on gun-control legislation, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said lawmakers have a “moral obligation” to reach a deal.

“You are making sure they will not have died in vain,” Schumer told the family members at the press conference. “And we will join you in that effort until we succeed.”

It seems like one of Democrats’ proposals to address mass shootings, raising the minimum age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, will not be included in the Senate bill.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said the bipartisan group of negotiators is focused on areas where they can achieve consensus, such as expanding the background check system.

“We’re talking about a lot of things. And what we’re talking about most are background checks, juvenile records, the areas where we can get consensus,” Tillis told CNN when asked about the proposal to raise the age requirement.

“That can be in the discussion, but right now we’re trying to work on things where we have agreement.”

When pressed on why senators cannot agree on the need to raise the age requirement, Tillis replied, “We’ve got a lot of people in the discussion. We got to get 60 votes; hopefully we get 75 votes on this.”

Today so far

Here’s where the day stands so far:

  • The Senate judiciary committee held a hearing on domestic terrorism in response to the racist shooting in Buffalo last month. Among those who testified was Garnell Whitfield Jr, whose mother was killed in the Buffalo attack. Whitfield said at the hearing, “I ask every one of you to imagine the faces of your mothers, as you look at mine and ask yourself, is there nothing that we can do? Is there nothing that you personally are willing to do to stop the cancer of white supremacy?”
  • Joe Biden met with Democratic Senator Chris Murphy to discuss negotiations over a compromise gun-control bill. It remains unclear whether Murphy and his colleagues can craft a bill that will attract the 10 Republican votes necessary to overcome a Senate filibuster. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said today, “Senator Murphy has asked for some space to have the bipartisan talks continue, and I have given him the space.”
  • Schumer and House speaker Nancy Pelosi attended a memorial service for the victims of gun violence on the National Mall. At the memorial, Pelosi condemned Republicans for opposing gun-control legislation in the wake of tragedies like the Uvalde massacre and the shooting in Buffalo. She said, “Understand this: your political survival is nothing compared to the survival of our children.”

The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

The Senate judiciary committee has now wrapped up its hearing on domestic extremism, with its chair Dick Durbin responding to Whitfield’s call for action by pledging that lawmakers will not stand by.

“We accept your challenge. We were elected to do a job now do it. There’s no excuse. And I hope that... we can summon the political will and courage to get that done,” the Illinois Democrat said.

He also responded to Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who had earlier in the hearing said that Democrats played a role in the formation of the Ku Klux Klan hate group and passage of Jim Crow laws in the 19th century but were now accusing the GOP of being behind the resurgence of white supremacy.

“He’s right,” Durbin said of Cruz, before going on to point out that the GOP recently “did not stand by President Lincoln,” a Republican who presided over the end of slavery in the United States. “History has a lot of explanations. And none of us can escape it,” he said.

Pelosi condemns Republican inaction on gun violence at DC memorial

House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer attended a memorial service for the victims of gun violence in Washington this morning.

Former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who became a gun-control activist after being shot at an event with constituents in 2011, has set up a memorial on the National Mall, with 40,000 flowers representing the number of Americans who die from gun violence each year.

Speaking at the memorial, Pelosi condemned Republicans for opposing gun-control legislation in the wake of tragedies like the Uvalde massacre and the shooting in Buffalo.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with former Representative Gabby Giffords, speaks during the opening of the Gun Violence Memorial on National Mall.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with former Representative Gabby Giffords, speaks during the opening of the Gun Violence Memorial on National Mall. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

“You can’t vote for these bills because it’s a problem for you politically?” Pelosi said. “Understand this: your political survival is nothing compared to the survival of our children. We must protect them.”

As the Senate tries to reach a bipartisan compromise on a gun bill, Schumer noted that many proposals have widespread public support, and he expressed confidence that Congress would successfully strengthen America’s gun laws.

“We have the people behind us. We have right behind us,” Schumer said. “We have the momentum behind us as well, and we will prevail.”

What’s causing the rancor and hatred in American politics? Pape, who researches security at the University of Chicago, told senators their inability to reach compromises and pass legislation is itself a driver of violent polarization.

“We are having political logjams today in ways we did not in the 1920s and that is what’s creating” the tension, Pape said, referring to a period 100 years ago when similar nativist sentiment was prevalent in the United States, particularly between Protestants and Catholics.

“It’s almost impossible now for our political leaders to come to agreement on these major threats to our democracy. What we need to do is we need to break through those log jams.”

Earlier in the hearing, Pape had warned that unsuccessful legislative attempts to control gun access could actually make the situation worse. “It is not a free move to simply call for legislation on guns that goes nowhere,” he said, because some gun owners are already convinced the government wants to take their firearms, and Congress’ mulling of new restrictions could raise tensions further.

“If we push legislation which goes nowhere, what we are doing is inflaming the problem more than we are solving it,” Pape said.

Dick Durbin, the Democratic chair of the Senate judiciary committee, noted that replacement theory, the racist conspiracy theory espoused by the alleged Buffalo shooter, has a long history in America.

At the committee hearing on domestic terrorism, Durbin asked one of the testifying experts whether social media and easy access to guns has exacerbated the spread of racist ideology and the frequency of extremist violence.

Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago, told Durbin, “We have volatile capabilities – those are the weapons you’re talking about – now combined with volatile ideas and beliefs in the mainstream. It’s not one or the other. You’ve got the combination of these two.”

Pape argued that this “deadly cocktail” has led to more incidents of extremist violence in the US compared to its peer nations like the UK.

The professor also noted that prominent figures in media and government who embrace racist beliefs, such as replacement theory, are receiving political and financial benefits for taking that stance, which incentivizes leaders to move further to the right.

Pape said, “Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, is more powerful today as a result of January 6th than he would have been without January 6th. That is a very, very worrisome trend.”

Updated

Back in the judiciary committee, Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono asked a question of participants: “Do you agree that the easy access to guns is a significant driver of the factor of mass shootings in our country?”

The panelists, who were invited by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers more or less agreed. “Gun access is certainly a driver of this violence,” said Whitfield, whose mother was among the Buffalo massacre’s victims. “But I would say that it comes under the, under the banner of white supremacy. It’s one of those things that are contributing to it.”

Justin Herdman, who was a US attorney in the northern district of Ohio during the Trump administration, avoiding saying he agreed, but acknowledged guns as ubiquitous is domestic terror cases he was involved in. “Every case that I described before the committee involves at least the contemplation of acquiring firearms or the actual attempted or or acquisition of firearms,” he said. “When we’re dealing with federal firearms statutes or federal terrorism offenses, we’re almost always looking at a gun at the center of that violation.”

Updated

Biden to meet with Democratic gun reform negotiator as talks set to lengthen

President Joe Biden will this morning meet with Senator Chris Murphy, the top Democrat negotiating with Republicans on a potential gun control measure, the White House press secretary announced.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer meanwhile announced that Murphy has requested more time to reach a deal. Schumer earlier delayed a vote on a gun control measure that was unlikely to pass, opting instead to attempt to forge a bipartisan compromise following the latest mass shootings.

Updated

The Senate judiciary committee hearing comes one day the House oversight committee will hold its own hearing on addressing gun violence in the US.

Miah Cerrillo, a fourth-grade student at Robb Elementary school who survived the shooting by smearing blood on herself, will testify at the House hearing. Felix and Kimberly Rubio, who lost their daughter Lexi in the Uvalde shooting, will also testify, as will Zeneta Everhart, whose son Zaire was shot in Buffalo and thankfully survived.

The House hearing, entitled “The Urgent Need to Address the Gun Violence Epidemic,” will begin at 10am ET tomorrow morning.

“After 19 innocent children and two teachers lost their lives in Texas just ten days after the mass shooting in my home state of New York, I’m turning my anger into action,” said Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic chair of the committee.

“Our hearing will examine the terrible impact of gun violence and the urgent need to rein in the weapons of war used to perpetrate these crimes. It is my hope that all my colleagues will listen with an open heart as gun violence survivors and loved ones recount one of the darkest days of their lives.”

Maloney expressed hope that the hearing would “galvanize my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation” to combat gun violence, but it remains unclear whether a gun-control bill can pass the evenly divided Senate.

In his opening statement, Chuck Grassley, the Republican ranking member of the Senate judiciary committee, made a point to condemn extremist violence from “all sides of the political spectrum”.

However, studies show that the vast majority of recent incidents involving extremist violence were carried out by attackers with far-right views.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, political extremists have committed about 450 murders in the US over the past decade.

Of those 450 killings, 75% were carried out by right-wing extremists. Nearly half of the murders were specifically linked to white supremacists.

In comparison, Islamic extremists committed about 20% of the 450 killings documented by the ADL, while left-wing extremists were involved in 4% of the murders.

So while left-wing extremist violence is certainly occurring, right-wing extremists carry much more responsibility for this alarming trend. For example, the suspect in the Buffalo shooting expressed support for racist conspiracy theories, such as replacement theory. Ten people were fatally shot in Buffalo, and most of them were Black.

Garnell Whitfield Jr, whose mother was among the victims in Buffalo, said at the hearing today, “I ask every one of you to imagine the faces of your mothers, as you look at mine and ask yourself, is there nothing that we can do? Is there nothing that you personally are willing to do to stop the cancer of white supremacy?”

In his testimony, University of Chicago political science professor Robert A Pape drew a link between domestic extremism and people who come to believe in the “Great Replacement” theory – the belief in an orchestrated decline in the white population.

“Increasingly, some politicians and media figures tell whites they are deliberately being replaced by minorities and destined to become second class citizens. White decline in one’s community can reinforce and seemingly confirm these political and media narratives and have impact beyond electoral politics,” he said, calling the Buffalo shooter a “prime example” of this effect.

Not only did the shooter write a manifesto saying specifically why he was targeting the grocery store in a majority Black neighborhood because of its clientele’s race, but Pape noted he also lived in a county that had a large decline in the share of its population that was white.

Pape also noted his research found that 18 million people believe Biden is an illegitimate president and former president Donald Trump should be returned to the White House by force. He named both the “Great Replacement” theory and the QAnon conspiracy theory as two of the drivers for people who believe in this false narrative around the 2020 election:

Our country needs a national conversation based on the facts about the consequences of violent ideas moving into the mainstream. Ultimately, the solutions to violent populism are the pillars that have always guided our great American democracy, dialogue and listening to each other.

Updated

Son of Buffalo attack victim demands action against 'cancer of white supremacy'

Garnell Whitfield Jr, whose mother was among the victims in the Buffalo supermarket, has begun testifying with powerful words for senators, demanding they take action to stop such attacks:

We believe in God we trust in God. But this wasn’t an act of God. This was an act of a person and he did not act alone. He was radicalized by white supremacists. His anger and hatred were metastasized like a cancer by people with big microphones in high places screaming that Black people were going to take away their jobs and opportunities. Every enforcement agency charged with protecting the homeland has conducted risk and threat analysis and determined that white supremacy is the number-one threat to the homeland. And yet, nothing has been done to mitigate it or eradicate it.

I ask every one of you to imagine the faces of your mothers, as you look at mine and ask yourself, is there nothing that we can do? Is there nothing that you personally are willing to do to stop the cancer of white supremacy... Because if there is nothing, then respectfully, senators, you should yield your positions of authority and influence to others that are willing to lead on this issue. The urgency of the moment demands no less. My mother’s life mattered. My mother’s life mattered. You are actions here today would tell us how much it matters to you.

Updated

Durbin links Proud Boys indictment to domestic extremist threat, Grassley sees violence coming from 'all sides'

Democratic Senate judiciary chair Dick Durbin began the hearing on an emotional note, listing the names of those killed in Buffalo and displaying a video of people remembering their lives.

He also specifically called out Fox News’s Tucker Carlson and other figures on the network for what he described as their promotion of hate, while noting the indictment yesterday of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and other top figures in the group for seditious conspiracy related to the actions around the January 6 attack.

For those who believe that what the subject matter of this hearing is a contrivance and doesn’t reflect reality, these indictments indicate that we’re talking about real life, crime and real life terrorism. Violent extremism, however, just doesn’t appear out of thin air.

Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the committee, pointed to incidences of violence by people on the “far left” as evidence that domestic terrorism comes from “all sides” of the US political spectrum, pointing to the shooter on the New York subway and the driver who sped his vehicle through a parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

One constant of domestic terrorism is that the threat is always shifting. And violence comes from all sides of the political spectrum.

Updated

Senate judiciary committee begins its hearing on domestic terrorism

The Senate judiciary committee is starting its hearing on domestic terrorism in the United States, which will include testimony from the son of one of the people killed in the Buffalo grocery store massacre. You can watch it here.

The hearing comes as the Department of Homeland Security warns of a heightened domestic extremism threat over the next six months due to the supreme court’s upcoming ruling on abortion, the midterm elections and the arrival of migrants at the southern border, the Associated Press is reporting.

While the department’s National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin did mention ongoing threats from al-Qaida and rivals like Iran and Russia, much of its warnings focused on threats from homegrown extremists, such as the shooter at the Buffalo grocery store.

From the AP’s report:

The bulletin, which is scheduled to expire Nov. 30, said calls for violence by domestic extremists directed at democratic institutions, candidates and election workers will likely increase through the fall.

A senior DHS official, speaking to reporters ahead of the release of the bulletin, said it describes the situation as “dynamic” because authorities are seeing a wider variety of people motivated by a broader range of grievances and incidents than in the past.

The upcoming decision from the Supreme Court, which could overturn Roe v. Wade, could lead to violence from either extremist supporters or opponents of abortion rights depending on the outcome, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss some factors that went into the preparation of the bulletin.

Racial extremists may be motivated by immigration enforcement or whether the government continues to rely on Title 42, the public health order that has been used since the start of the coronavirus pandemic to prevent people from seeking asylum at the southwest border, DHS said.

The agency and the FBI are working with state and local law enforcement to raise awareness of the threat, and DHS has increased grant funding to local governments and religious organizations to improve security, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement released with the bulletin.

Updated

One of the most closely watched races today will be happening in San Francisco, where district attorney Chesa Boudin is facing the threat of a recall election.

After being elected in 2019 on a platform to reform the criminal justice system, Boudin is now facing criticism over how the San Francisco government has handled violence in the city.

My colleague Sam Levin covered the dynamics of the race in a fascinating piece published last week:

A former public defender and the son of two leftist Weather Underground radicals who spent decades in prison, Boudin pledged to undo the harms of racism in the system, hold police accountable for misconduct and end the criminalization of poverty. After his election in November 2019, he became one of the most prominent leaders in a growing movement to elect progressive prosecutors.

Boudin, 41, enacted many campaign promises: he became the first San Francisco district attorney to charge an officer for on-duty manslaughter; created a wrongful conviction unit that freed a man imprisoned for decades; stopped prosecuting contraband cases stemming from minor traffic stops; eliminated cash bail; and reduced jail and prison populations.

But amid escalating anxieties about crime during the pandemic, Boudin has faced intensifying opposition from law enforcement, conservatives, tech investors and some constituents and elected Democrats in the city, including the mayor. Critics have blamed Boudin for the city’s struggles with violence, homelessness and addiction and have called for a law enforcement crackdown and harsher punishments.

Read the Guardian’s full report:

Fox News will be the only major network not airing the January 6 committee hearing live on Thursday, the company confirmed.

The network said it would “cover the hearings as news warrants”. Once the hearing concludes, three Fox News hosts will “anchor a two-hour live special” with analysis of the testimony.

Instead, Fox hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will anchor special coverage of the hearing on Fox Business Network, starting at 8pm ET. The hearing will also be livestreamed on Fox News Digital, Fox News Audio and Fox Nation.

Every other major network -- including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC -- is expected to show the primetime hearing in full.

Fox’s decision heightened concerns that the network and its anchors would attempt to discredit the findings of the January 6 committee, as Donald Trump and his allies prepare to launch a counterprogramming effort against the hearing.

Host Tucker Carlson, who will just be beginning his show as the hearing gets underway on Thursday night, recently mocked the January 6 committee as “grotesque”.

My colleague Chris McGreal has a look at an emerging strategy among survivors of gun violence: suing firearms manufacturers despite a federal law trying to prevent such claims.

With each slaughter of innocents, the gun industry offers its sympathy, argues that even more weapons will make America safer, and gives thanks for a two-decade-old law shielding the firearms makers from legal action by the victims.

Mike Fifer, the chief executive of one of the US’s leading handgun manufacturers, Sturm Ruger, once described the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) as having saved the firearms industry because it stopped in its tracks a wave of lawsuits over the reckless marketing and sale of guns.

But now victims of gun crime are following an alternative path forged by legal actions against cigarette makers, prescription opioid manufacturers and big oil in an attempt to work around PLCAA – and the lack of political will to act on gun control – to hold the firearms industry accountable for the bloody toll of its products.

Congress holds domestic terrorism hearing as Americans vote in primaries

Good morning, US politics blog readers. A Senate committee is holding a hearing today on domestic terrorism that will feature testimony from the son of one of the victims of last month’s racist massacre in Buffalo, New York, while voters in a handful of states are heading to the polls to choose candidates for the November midterm elections.

Here’s what’s on the agenda:

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On "Everything Fab Four," he discusses his new comedy special, working with Michael McDonald and visiting Liverpool
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