Our Best Coverage of a Week of Tragedy

Heartbreak and anger in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.

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Hello and happy Memorial Day weekend. I was all set to begin this newsletter by telling you much I dreaded writing this newsletter, given the news of the week. But that’s kind of how Jonah started his G-File on Friday.

It’s hard to find words in the wake of tragedies like the Uvalde school shooting on Tuesday. Not only were innocent children killed, but their last moments were spent in terror. Their parents spent hours in anguish before learning that the unimaginable had happened. Hundreds of children experienced a trauma from which it will take months or even years to recover. What finally broke me was the reports that parents had to provide DNA samples to help determine the identity of the victims.  

Mass shootings, and school shootings especially, leave us heartbroken—and angry. But I have a feeling that this particular tragedy is going to bring out even more anger than usual. And not just because it’s the second mass shooting in two weeks, coming on the heels of a gunman killing 10 people in a predominantly black neighborhood in Buffalo. 

No, the anger is emerging because of what we’re learning about the police response. In the early hours after the shooting, there were reports that police had engaged the gunman but that he was still able to make his way into the building (those early reports also indicated he was wearing body armor). That would be frustrating in and of itself, but the truth is much grimmer. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Stephanie

    Thank you for the usual excellent newsletter, Rachael.

    Re: the GA primaries and Trump's influence, 2 thoughts, from Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark.

    1. GA has open primaries which enabled Democrats to vote in numbers, against Trump's endorsed nominees, so the "stop the steal" Republican voters couldn't elect the "stop the steal" candidates. The Democratic vote is what brought Raffensperger over the threshold.

    2. Trump avoided GA during the last weeks prior to the election because he was distancing himself from David Perdue's losing race. Therefore he wasn't able to stump for Jody Hice against Raffensberger, and focus group voters didn't recognize the name; thought it was a woman.

    So it seems like a one-off type of situation in some respects, and Democrats can only affect Republican primaries and pull them to the center in states that have open primaries.

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    Dave Conant - MO

    Thanks for a great wrap-up on a very sad week. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend.

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    Sgrantsm

    Thanks for this: "when official statements contradict video that was posted as the event was going on and is widely available to the public, it feels less like the fog of war and more like disinformation."

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  4. Francis Allocca

    At some point the public and political class will realize that 'harding' schools will be the quickest answer to containing these horrid acts! Please provide the number of Courts, Federal Buildings, Airports, etc that have experienced mass shootings! After 911 we acted quickly to contain terrorist actions.. If we can send Billions to a Nation to help them fight a vicious enemy, we can find the resources to protect our young children!

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      rlritt

      Guns are not allowed at the current NRA convention. Isn't that ironic?

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      1. Phil P

        Fake News Alert! Firearms, knives, mace, etc. are only banned in the main assembly because a former president is speaking and the Secret Service is in charge of security. In the rest of the center, forearms are allowed in accordance with the laws of Texas and Houston.

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          rlritt

          From CNN article

          What are the security measures?
          The NRA said that because Trump will be at the event, the US Secret Service "will take control of the General Assembly Hall and have magnetometers in place before entry."

          Attendees are What are the security measures?
          The NRA said that because Trump will be at the event, the US Secret Service "will take control of the General Assembly Hall and have magnetometers in place before entry."

          Attendees are prohibited from bringing "firearms, firearm accessories, knives, and other items," including backpacks and selfie sticks. from bringing "firearms, firearm accessories, knives, and other items," including backpacks and selfie sticks.

          Why can't people bring in their guns to the General Assembly? It's a free country.

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          1. Phil P

            I planned to stay out of the "debate" for the rest of the weekend and apologize if I wasn't clearer in my initial response. If you want a president, past or present, at your event, you play by the Secret Service's rules. It was the SS that banned firearms, among many other items, and not the NRA, and just in the assembly hall where Trump was to speak. Didn't mean any harm, but that they claimed was easily debunked or at least needed additional context. Anyway, have a good rest of your weekend.

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          Sgrantsm

          Thanks for the clarification. Context matters.

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        3. Phil P

          Firearms not forearms, but I believe they’re allowed too

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  5. halfthemoney

    I don't know if I'm stirring the pot on something unworthy, but could you possibly use a word other than "Happy" before Memorial Day? For some of us it's more than a three day party to start off the summer.

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      Paul Hoover

      Halfthemoney, you make a “whole” good point. And thanks for the timely reminder. This isn’t really a “happy” holiday, but rather a time for reflection and gratitude.

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  6. M. Eleanor

    "Disinformation," is a smokescreen word that clouds the truth. It's a polite word for "lies," a word that should have appeared in the first lines, not near the last.

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  7. Gordon REID SAUNDERS

    When are people going to realize that gun control has little to do with mass shootings. If they want to kill they will find a gun.We need to focus on making sure that our young should be told the truth about God every day,as it used to be a long time ago in our public schools, that it is all about loving your neighbor and not about hate ,anger and lies..

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      Dona Dunsmore

      Just to be clear, was this the Christian God, or all Gods? I was born in 1940 and raised in a military family. I went to 22 different schools through high school. I never went to one that had religious instructions or scheduled prayer.

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      cheerio

      Personally, I feel that gun control would have much to do with preventing all gun incidents-- not just mass shootings. I think that long guns should be predicated upon actual hunting licenses and hunter safety courses. Pistols with background checks, permits and safety courses. Refresher courses every 3 years to keep those permits. Insurances-- homeowner riders or separate (like auto insurance). AR-15s should be banned, no reason for them. I grew up with a hunting family and they did not need AR-15s, they had skill in bow-hunting, rifles and shotguns. Also my husband was in a marksmanship league-- pistols. He managed to get permited in one of the most restrictive gun law states in the union-- requires background check, references, education, etc. Insurance is the only thing we don't have but we feel confident in that we have the firearms secured very safely. He also used to do reloading to save money on purchasing ammunition as the prices went up pretty quickly during the Obama administration d/t higher demand.

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      rlritt

      People are killed all the time in the name of God. I bet this shooter was a church goer.

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    RevJulia

    Thanks, Rachel. Now could you please go over to the French Press comment section and yell at some of the hotheads over there?

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      Dave Conant - MO

      Hotheads? Surely you jest!

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    Peter_Shalen

    "[T]he 'special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction (SIGAR) … determined that the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan had been the "single most important factor" in the Afghan forces’ collapse.'"

    Yes, that's reasonable. It's like saying that somebody's decision to run in front of a car going 60 miles an hour was the single most important factor in his death.

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