February 15, 2018


News and Views


“FLORIDA GOVERNOR VOWS TO KEEP MENTALLY ILL FROM GETTING GUNS.” I DO HOPE THAT OUR REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR SCOTT WILL PUT HIS HANDS TO THE PLOW ON THIS “VOW” OF HIS TO GET RID OF THE ABUSES OF OUR SECOND AMENDMENT, BY MAKING SOME HELPFUL CHANGES TO PRESENT LAW, INCLUDING THAT AMENDMENT. THE CONSTITUTION IS OUR GUIDE, BUT IT ISN’T THE WORD OF GOD. TO ME, CIVIL RIGHTS SIMPLY CAN’T BE UNLIMITED AND UNCONDITIONAL, EVEN IF A VERY WEALTHY AND INFLUENTIAL SEGMENT OF SOCIETY DOES WANT IT THAT WAY.

THE DESIRE TO GET AN AR-15 AND RUN AROUND IN THE BACKWOODS PLAYING SOLDIER JUST ISN’T REASON ENOUGH TO ALLOW THEIR PURCHASE, IN MY VIEW. IF THE MERE POSSESSION OF A JOINT OF MARIJUANA CAN GET US PUT INTO JAIL, CERTAINLY POSSESSION OR USE OF EXTREMELY DEADLY GUNS, SUCH AS AN AR-15, ALSO SHOULD BE SO PUNISHED. THEY NEED TO BE USABLE FOR WAR ONLY. WHO KNOWS, MAYBE WE COULD EVEN DECIDE TO STOP HAVING WARS. WE COULD THROW A DANCE PARTY EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT INSTEAD, FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT NEEDS.

ON THE OTHER HAND, I MIGHT POSSIBLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE ONE SMALL HANDGUN AND ONE LIGHTWEIGHT SIMPLE HUNTING RIFLE (ASSUMING I WIN THE LOTTERY, AND BUY ME THAT COUNTRY PROPERTY THAT I REMEMBER FROM MY CHILDHOOD); BUT FOR THE DEMONSTRABLY INSANE OR OTHERWISE MENTALLY DISABLED TO BE ABLE TO BUY A GUN, THAT IS NOT ONLY AN EVIL, IT IS TO ME SHEER STUPIDITY. MORE POLITELY PUT, IT IS A VERY BAD DECISION. WILL WE FOREVER REFUSE TO FREE OURSELVES OF THAT ERROR?

THERE ARE TWO OR THREE VERY GOOD SPECIFIC SUGGESTIONS IN THIS ABC NEWS ARTICLE, ON HOW TO DEAL WITH OUR NATIONAL MURDER PROBLEM MORE EFFECTIVELY. BOTH ACTIVE INTERVENTION AND GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION ARE MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES. THE BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF PERSONALLY ASKED FOR LEGISLATION THAT WILL ALLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DETAIN THOSE WHO MAKE THREATS, INCLUDING ON THE INTERNET, FOR MANDATORY MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATION. I WOULD ADD THAT IT SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE MANDATORY ACTIVE TREATMENT, FOR AT LEAST A MONTH OR SO. WHATEVER THE PSYCHIATRIST SAYS -- THEY CAN BE VERY “IVORY TOWERISH” ABOUT THEIR MENTAL ILLNESS DECISIONS -- WHETHER THE PERSON IS BIPOLAR, SCHIZOPHRENIC OR WHAT, IF HE IS CALLING IN THREATS, HE HAS IN HIS MIND A THOUGHT OF POSSIBLY DOING HARM. HEALTHY TEENAGERS DON’T DO THAT.

I DO, VERY MUCH, AGREE WITH THAT AND OTHER MODIFICATIONS OF CURRENT LAWS TO FIT OUR MODERN-DAY SITUATION BETTER. WHATEVER YOU THINK OF HILLARY CLINTON, HER BOOK TITLE “IT TAKES A VILLAGE,” WAS SPOT ON. MODERN CITIES ARE THE OPPOSITE OF THE KIND OF SMALLER ENVIRONMENT THAT I GREW UP IN, WHERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNEW ONE ANOTHER.

MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE MAKING THREATS ARE EXAMINED AND THEN TURNED LOOSE AS FREE AS A BIRD. SIX MONTHS LATER, THEY SHOOT TWO DOZEN PEOPLE. PUTTING THEM THROUGH THE MENTAL HEALTH EXAM WAS A GOOD IDEA, BUT THERE WAS NO FOLLOW THROUGH. TALKING TO A DOCTOR FOR AN HOUR OR TWO WILL DO LITTLE OR NOTHING TO CHANGE THE MENTAL BALANCE OF THE PATIENT.

I WOULD GO ONE STEP FURTHER, THEREFORE. IF THE PERSON ISN’T THEN DIAGNOSED BY A PSYCHIATRIST WITH A PROBLEMATIC MENTAL CONDITION TO BE TREATED, HE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PAY A LEGAL PENALTY OF SOME KIND, INCLUDING A MANDATORY OVERNIGHT IN JAIL THAT CANNOT BE WAIVED FOR ANY REASON; AND FOR THREATS OR FOR SOMETHING LIKE ACTIVELY STALKING OR ASSAULT, LONG TERM PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT. MAKING A THREAT IS OFTEN THE ONLY THING THAT THE PERPETRATOR REALLY PLANS TO DO AT THE MOMENT, BUT IT IS STILL MALICIOUS AND CAUSES EMOTIONAL HARM TO THE VICTIM. IF HE GATHERED TOGETHER A LITTLE MORE COURAGE, WHAT MIGHT HE DO? PEEPING TOMS USED TO BE DISMISSED AS HARMLESS UNTIL THE PSYCHIATRIC COMMUNITY PUT TOGETHER EVIDENCE THAT OVER TIME THEY OFTEN COMMITTED RAPE AS WELL.

THERE HAS BEEN A TREND RECENTLY IN THESE NEWS ARTICLES FOR “CREATIVE” JUDGMENTS SUCH AS “RESTORATIVE JUSTICE” TO BE USED. LOOKING AT THOSE TWO OR THREE CASES, THEY DIDN’T APPEAR AT ALL LIKE PUNISHMENTS TO ME, AND WERE LINKED WITH THINGS LIKE CHURCH ATTENDANCE AND SOME SORT OF FAMILY OR NEIGHBORHOOD SUPERVISION OF THE PERSON. I WONDERED IF, IN THOSE CASES, THE CRIMINAL HAD BEEN FROM A LOCALLY PROMINENT FAMILY, PERHAPS. IN OTHER WORDS, WOULD A BLACK MAN WITH A TENTH GRADE EDUCATION FROM THE INNER CITY BE GIVEN ONE OF THOSE PUNISHMENTS?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/florida-high-school-shooting-plunges-city-mourning-53101623
Florida governor vows to keep mentally ill from getting guns
By TERRY SPENCER AND KELLI KENNEDY, ASSOCIATED PRESS PARKLAND, Fla. — Feb 15, 2018, 11:22 AM ET

Photograph -- This photo provided by the Broward County Jail shows Nikolas Cruz. Authorities say Cruz, a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018, killing more than a dozen people and injuring several. (Broward County Jail via AP)

An orphaned 19-year-old with a troubled past and his own AR-15 rifle was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday morning following the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in five years.

Law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that Nikolas Cruz legally purchased the assault weapon used in the attack.

As reactions poured in Thursday, President Donald Trump focused on the young man's mental health, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he wants the Justice Department to study how mental illness and gun violence intersect, to better understand how law enforcement can better use existing laws to intervene before these school shootings happen.

"It cannot be denied that something dangerous and unhealthy is happening in our country," Sessions told a group of sheriffs in Washington. In "every one of these cases, we've had advance indications and perhaps we haven't been effective enough in intervening."

Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he's already told House Speaker Paul Ryan that "if someone is mentally ill he should not have access to a gun." Broward County Schools Superintendent Rob Runcie said "now is the time to have a real conversation about gun control legislation," and said that if adults can't manage that in their lifetimes, he said students will do it.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel called for giving law enforcement more power to detain people who make threats.

"What I'm asking our lawmakers to do is go back to places like Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., to give police the power," the sheriff said, to detain people who make graphic threats or post disturbing material online, and bring them involuntarily to mental health professionals to be examined.

The sheriff said law enforcement can certainly visit gun owners whose mental health is questioned, "whether they have a gun legally or not."

Thirteen wounded survivors were hospitalized, including two people in critical condition. The sheriff said some bodies remained inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as authorities investigate the crime scene. The slain included a school athletic director and another adult who worked as a monitor at the school. Runcie called them heroes.

Cruz was ordered held without bond and booked into jail early Thursday, still wearing a hospital gown after he also was treated, for labored breathing. The jail said he is 5-foot-7 and weighs 131 pounds.

His former classmates thought they were having another drill when a fire alarm sounded, requiring them to leave their classrooms Wednesday.

That's when police say Cruz, equipped with a gas mask, smoke grenades and magazines of ammunition, opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people and sending hundreds of students fleeing into the streets.

It was the nation's deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years ago. The overall death toll differs by how such shootings are defined, but Everytown For Gun Safety has tallied 290 school shootings in America since 2013, and this attack makes 18 so far this year.

Trump lamented in a tweet that there were "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!"

Trump also issued a proclamation saying, in part, "Our Nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones," and planned to address the nation about the shooting. Pope Francis sent a telegram of prayer and condolences, and the New York Stock Exchange held a minute of silence after its opening bell.

Cruz legally purchased the AR-15 used in the attack about a year ago, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials, not authorized to discuss this publicly, spoke on condition of anonymity. Federal law allows people 18 and older to legally purchase long guns, including this kind of assault weapon.

Authorities offered no immediate details about a possible motive, except to say that Cruz had been kicked out of the high school, which has about 3,000 students. Students who knew him described a volatile teenager whose strange behavior had caused others to end friendships with him.

Cruz's mother Lynda Cruz died of pneumonia on Nov. 1 neighbors, friends and family members said, according to the Sun Sentinel . Cruz and her husband, who died of a heart attack several years ago, adopted Nikolas and his biological brother, Zachary, after the couple moved from Long Island in New York to Broward County.

The boys were left in the care of a family friend after their mother died, said family member Barbara Kumbatovich, of Long Island.

Unhappy there, Nikolas Cruz asked to move in with a friend's family in northwest Broward. That family agreed and Cruz moved in around Thanksgiving. According to the family's lawyer, who did not identify them, they knew that Cruz owned the AR-15 but made him keep it locked up in a cabinet. He did have the key, however.

Attorney Jim Lewis told the AP that the family is cooperating with authorities, and had no idea he was planning the shooting.

He seemed like "just a mildly troubled kid who'd lost his mom" during the three months they lived together; respectful and quiet, but also sad because his mother had died, Lewis said.

They had "no indication that anything severe like this was wrong," Lewis said. "He totally kept this from everybody."

Lewis also said the family was not aware of any other weapons in the gun cabinet he had, and couldn't talk about how long they knew of the AR-15 because people are looking to sue them now. Photos posted in an Instagram account linked to Cruz show a half-dozen weapons displayed on a mattress and a box of ammunition.

Victoria Olvera, a 17-year-old junior, said Cruz was expelled last school year because he got into a fight with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. She said he had been abusive to the girl.

"I think everyone had in their minds if anybody was going to do it, it was going to be him," said Dakota Mutchler, also 17.

Cruz was taken into custody without a fight about an hour after the shooting in a neighborhood about a mile away. He had multiple magazines of ammunition, authorities said.

The sheriff said 12 bodies were found inside the building, two more outside, and another a short distance away from the school.

Hearing loud bangs as the shooter fired, many of the students hid under desks or in closets, and barricaded doors.

"We were in the corner, away from the windows," said freshman Max Charles, who said he heard five gunshots. "The teacher locked the door and turned off the light. I thought maybe I could die or something."

Charles said he passed four dead students and one dead teacher on his way out, and was relieved to finally find his mother.

"I was happy that I was alive," Max said. "She was crying when she saw me."

———

This story has been corrected to fix the attribution of a quote to Dakota Mutchler, not Victoria Olvera.


I AM POLITICALLY ON PRETTY MUCH THE OPPOSITE END OF THE SPECTRUM FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP; AND I FULLY BELIEVE HE CHEATED BIG TIME TO GET INTO OFFICE AND SHOULD BE BOOTED OUT OF OFFICE FOR HIS “HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS;” AND I FULLY BELIEVE THAT A COHORT OF THE REPUBLICANS IN THE LEGISLATURE HAVE GONE OVER TO HIS SIDE AS APOLOGISTS FOR SOME OF HIS BEHAVIORS WHICH THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY PUBLICLY REJECTED. I OCCASIONALLY HEAR HIM SAY SOME THINGS, THOUGH, WHICH I BELIEVE TO BE GOOD.

TWO SUCH MATTERS ARE CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE – FIRST, WHEN A MAN, WOMAN OR CHILD EXHIBITS MENTAL PROBLEMS WITH OR WITHOUT A PRONENESS TO VIOLENCE, HE SHOULD BE PLACED UNDER DIRECT SURVEILLANCE TO WHATEVER DEGREE SUCH IS POSSIBLE, AND MANDATORY CARE INCLUDING TALK OR GROUP THERAPY AND HELPFUL MEDICATIONS. THEY SHOULD NOT BE HOSPITALIZED IF THEY CAN BE SHOWN TO BE FOLLOWING THE TREATMENT PLAN FULLY.

AT SANDY HOOK, THAT YOUNG MAN WAS UNDER PSYCHIATRIC CARE INITIALLY, BUT WAS ALLOWED BY HIS MOTHER TO GO OFF THE MEDICATION. I DON’T KNOW WHETHER HE HAD ANY GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL TALK THERAPY AT THE TIME, BUT THE NEWS REPORT SAID THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK, HE WAS NO LONGER UNDER TREATMENT. THERE IS A STRONG CURRENT OF CIVIL LIBERTIES DISPUTE OF MANDATORY PSYCHIATRIC CARE. I LOVE THE ACLU, BUT I BELIEVE WE SHOULD HAVE A LIMIT ON THE SUPPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES AGAINST THIS AND THAT.

THERE SHOULD BE NO GUARANTEED CIVIL LIBERTY TO GO OFF PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATIONS IN CASES OF KNOWN MENTAL DISORDERS, NOR TO BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN OUTSIDE A HOSPITAL WHEN THERE ARE SIGNS INDICATING THAT THE PERSON “IS OR MAY BECOME A DANGER TO HIMSELF OR OTHERS.” IT IS PAINFUL TO ME THAT, THOUGH I DELIGHT IN THE IMPROVED TREATMENTS FOR MENTAL DISTURBANCE THAT WE HAVE TODAY, WE ARE UNWILLING AS PEOPLE AND AS A SOCIETY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT SOMEONE WE KNOW PERSONALLY HAS SOME DANGEROUS SYMPTOMS OF MENTAL ILLNESS.

TOO OFTEN THE MOST OBVIOUS SIGN THAT THE PERSON MAY HAVE A WIDER RANGE OF PROBLEMS THAT DON’T SHOW ON THE SURFACE IS THAT OFTEN DESCRIBED “WITHDRAWAL” WHICH TENDS TO BE SEEN AS “SHYNESS.” THEY DON’T TALK, AND THEY CAN’T MEET YOUR EYE. SUCH PEOPLE ARE TOO OFTEN MORE THAN SOCIALLY TIMID, AND IN FACT ARE IN THE MIDST OF A DELUSIONAL OR HALLUCINATORY EXPERIENCE. THE RESULT IS THAT THEY “AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION” TO WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THEM, AND WE NEED VERY MUCH TO KNOW THE NATURE OF THEIR DELUSIONS.

WHEN I WAS ON A TRIP TO ENGLAND, MY FRIEND AND I, BOTH MEMBERS OF AA, WENT TO A MEETING IN LONDON AT A MENTAL HOSPITAL. A SLIGHTLY BUILT YOUNG WOMAN WITH A LOOK ON HER FACE OF COMBINED HUMOR AND MISCHIEF WALKED UP TO US JUST AS WE GOT INTO THE BUILDING. SHOULD SHE HAVE BEEN RESTRAINED? I THINK SO. HOWEVER, SHE FOCUSED ON MY FACE WITH THAT STRANGE AND DISTURBING EXPRESSION AND ADVANCED TOWARD ME SLOWLY WHILE LIFTING HER HAND UP AND DOWN AS THOUGH HOLDING WHAT IT SEEMED CLEAR TO ME WAS IN HER MIND A KNIFE – STAB, RAISE, STAB, RAISE, ETC. SHE DIDN’T SPEAK A WORD. AFTER A MINUTE OR LESS OF THIS, A HOSPITAL WORKER CAME UP TO HER AND TOLD HER TO GO AWAY, AND SHE DID. SO, IT REALLY DOES MATTER WHAT A GIVEN PERSON IS THINKING. IN SUCH CASES, GIVING HER A HANDFUL OF PILLS AND SENDING HER HOME WOULD BE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE. EVEN IF SHE DOES REMEMBER TO TAKE THEM, SHE MAY BE UNABLE TO GET RID OF THE IDEA THAT YOU ARE AN ENEMY, AND ARE TRYING TO POISON HER.

THE NRA DOESN’T WANT PEOPLE LIKE ME TO SAY THIS, BUT A PERSONAL COLLECTION OF GUNS AND WEAPONS OR A FASCINATION WITH AGGRESSIVE WEAPONS LIKE THE AR-15 ASSAULT RIFLE, ARE CLEAR INDICATIONS OF THE NATURE OF THAT INDIVIDUAL’S FANTASY LIFE. THE NRA WANTS TO BE ABLE TO REGISTER AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE SO THEY CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE MORE AND MORE MONEY, AND THE GOP GLADLY SUPPORTS THEM FOR THE VERY SAME REASON. “MO MONEY, MO MONEY, MO MONEY,” OR PUT IN A CONSIDERABLY MORE CREATIVE WAY, “THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.” THE NRA, WITH ALL THAT MONEY AT STAKE, JUST CAN’T SEE THEIR WAY CLEAR TO REQUIRING BACKGROUND CHECKS WITH EVERY GUN PURCHASE NO MATTER WHAT THE SOURCE, AND AN ALL OUT UNCONDITIONAL BAN ON THE WHOLE RANGE OF ASSAULT AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. REMEMBER, GUYS, IF YOU CAN’T HIT YOUR MAN WITH ONE BULLET, YOU NEED MORE TARGET PRACTICE.

LET ME QUICKLY SAY THAT NOT EVERY REPUBLICAN IS IN THIS CLASS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE CHECKED THEIR CONSCIENCES AT THE DOOR WHEN THEY ENTERED THE PARTY; AND SOME DO INDEED CARE ABOUT THE LAWS THAT THEY ENACT MORE THAN THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR POCKETBOOKS, OR THAT SUPPOSEDLY HIGH-MINDED ALLEGIANCE TO PHILOSOPHICAL “CONSERVATISM” IN THE FORM OF TOTAL ECONOMIC FREEDOM THAT THEY NEARLY ALL ESPOUSE. SOME ARE DEFINITELY STATESMEN, JUST AS MANY OF OUR DEMOCRATS ARE. I WISH I COULD SAY THAT ALL OF EITHER PARTY ARE, BUT IF WE WATCH POLITICAL NEWS FOR VERY LONG, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT. I’M STATING THAT IN THIS WAY BECAUSE POLITICS IS A HOME FOR THE HIGH-MINDED UNTIL THEY BECOME CORRUPTED BY THE POWER AND MONEY THAT ARE SO FREELY AVAILABLE THERE.

AND LIKEWISE, WHILE IT’S TRUE THAT MOST PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL DISORDER ARE NOT VIOLENT, SOME VERY WELL MAY BE -- THOSE WHO ARE CHRONICALLY, SUDDENLY OR VIOLENTLY ANGRY, PERIODICALLY, CHRONICALLY OR HEAVILY DEPRESSED, SEVERELY DELUDED, LACKING IN IMPULSE CONTROL, HALLUCINATORY, HATE-FILLED TOWARD ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE, OVERLY “RELIGIOUS” ESPECIALLY IN A DOGMATIC AND UNTHINKING FUNDAMENTALIST WAY, LACKING IN SIMPLE HUMAN EMPATHY, SEXUALLY EXCITED IN HIGHLY ABNORMAL WAYS SUCH AS BY ENGAGING IN PHYSICAL OR MENTAL CRUELTY, GREAT EXCITEMENT OVER WEAPONS, RAPE, TORTURE, ETC., DESIRE FOR CONSTANT PERSONAL ATTENTION OR FOR POWER, OVERLY ACTIVE FANTASY LIFE OR SOME OTHER OVERLY STRONG REMOVAL FROM REALITY (HABITUAL DRUG OR ALCOHOL USE). ALL OF THOSE HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE URGE TO COMMIT CRIMES. IN OTHER WORDS, CRIME PREVENTION HAS TO COVER MORE THAN GREATER SECURITY MEASURES. IT HAS TO COVER THE HUMAN MIND, AND IS DIRECTLY LINKED WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY, THINGS LIKE NUTRITION AND HOME LIFE, AND, OF COURSE, “SIN.” IN AA IT IS CALLED “CHARACTER FLAWS.”

MAYBE, FOR INSTANCE, THE KILLER HAS A PERSISTENT FANTASY OF BEING MORE THAN JUST KING OF THE HILL – KING OF THE USA OR OF THE WORLD. THAT GIVES HIM OR HER A THINKING PROCESS THAT LEADS TO POWER SEEKING AND A DANGEROUS LACK OF ATTENTION TO THE LIFE AND WELL-BEING OF OTHER HUMANS AND THE WORLD IN GENERAL. THAT IS WHAT I, PERSONALLY, CALL “EVIL.” IN OTHER WORDS, INSANITY CAN PRODUCE EVIL.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/15/president-trump-address-nation-11-m-florida-school-shooting/340318002/?csp=chromepush
President Trump calls Florida school shooting a moment of 'hatred and evil'
Ledyard King, USATODAY Published 9:17 a.m. ET Feb. 15, 2018 | Updated 11:31 a.m. ET Feb. 15, 2018

WASHINGTON — President Trump in an address to the nation Thursday called the Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead and another 15 wounded a moment of "hatred and evil."

"To every parent, teacher and child who is hurting so badly, we are here for you whatever you need," Trump said. "Whatever we can do to ease your pain, we are all joined together as one American family. Your suffering is our burden."

Trump's address came about two hours after the president issued a proclamation honoring the victims of one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, ordering the American flag to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings and grounds.

Our Nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones in the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. As a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible act of violence perpetrated on February 14, 2018, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, February 19, 2018. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

A 19-year-old former student with a history of menacing social media posts was booked into Broward County Jail Thursday morning on charges of premeditated murder in the killing of the 17 students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. near Fort Lauderdale.

More: Fox News anchor Shepard Smith emotionally lists all 25 fatal school shootings since Columbine

Earlier Thursday, Trump tweeted that there were "so many signs" that the shooter was "a big problem."

13 Feb

Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Negotiations on DACA have begun. Republicans want to make a deal and Democrats say they want to make a deal. Wouldn’t it be great if we could finally, after so many years, solve the DACA puzzle. This will be our last chance, there will never be another opportunity! March 5th.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!

7:12 AM - Feb 15, 2018
47.6K
55.6K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Nikolas Cruz, who was expelled last year for fighting, returned to the school Wednesday with a gas mask, smoke grenades and multiple magazines of ammunition and a semi-automatic weapon.

The shooting drew an outcry among Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill that it was time for additional gun control measures, such as a ban on assault rifles and expanded background checks, few of which are expected to get any traction in the GOP-controlled Congress.

"When is this going to stop?" tweeted Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.


Bill Nelson
✔
@SenBillNelson
Sandy Hook, Pulse nightclub, Ft. Lauderdale airport, Las Vegas and now Parkland, Florida - when is this going to stop? It’s not going to stop until the American people say: enough is enough! What is it going to take for enough to be enough?

8:39 PM - Feb 14, 2018
2,054
1,478 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, addressing the Major County Sheriffs of America conference in Washington Thursday morning, called the shooting "painful."

"It's certainly a tragic event an we're going to work on it in may ways to do something about it," he told the sheriffs. "It cannot be denied that something dangerous and unhealthy is happening in our country. ... We've got to confront the problem. There's no doubt about it."

Contributing: Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY


RAMPANT MENTAL ILLNESS IS THE FOCUS IN THE US RIGHT NOW, WITH THIS KILLING BEING THE 30TH OR SO SCHOOL SHOOTING SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR (I CAN’T REMEMBER THE FIGURE I HEARD, BUT IT WAS SHOCKING.) I PULLED THIS ARTICLE BECAUSE THE YOUNG MAN HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE REGULAR CLASSES AND MANDATORILY PUT INTO AN “ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL” WITHIN THE BROWARD COUNTY SYSTEM.

I DID GOOGLE THAT TERM, AND IT IS APPARENTLY A SORT OF “REFORM SCHOOL,” AS WE CALLED IT WHEN I WAS YOUNG. IT WAS CONSIDERED A JAIL MORE OR LESS FOR “SPECIAL NEEDS” KIDS. THEY ARE PUT IN THERE NOT FOR PSYCHIATRIC TEST SCORES, BUT FOR BEHAVIOR SPECIFICALLY.

PRESIDENT OBAMA ACTED TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR KIDS TO BE PULLED OUT OF CLASSES AND KEPT UNDER THAT KIND OF STRONGER SYSTEM OF CONTROL, MORE THAN THEIR BEING ACTUALLY “EDUCATED” THERE. HE FEARED THAT “SPECIAL NEEDS” IN THIS SITUATION WAS BEING USED AS A TERM FOR “UNDESIRABLE,” AND PERHAPS FREQUENTLY FOR RACIAL MINORITY KIDS WHO NEEDED GUIDANCE OR WERE DISRUPTIVE. TO GET THEM OUT OF THE REGULAR CLASSES, THEY ARE SAFELY HOUSED ALL DAY LONG, BUT OTHERWISE NOT SCHOOLED.

IT’S ACTUALLY A HOLDING TANK FOR YOUTH WHO ARE DIFFICULT TO MANAGE, AND BECOMES THEIR NEW HOME WITHOUT CLOSE ATTENTION TO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT BEFORE CALLING THEM “SPECIAL NEEDS.” THEY PROBABLY ALL DO NEED CARE, HOWEVER, BECAUSE A HEALTHIER KID WOULD MAINSTREAM MORE EASILY. ONE ARTICLE YESTERDAY OR TODAY LISTED THE OFFENSES FOR WHICH A CHILD COULD BE PUT IN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING. SOME WERE CLEARLY SERIOUS, AND OTHERS WERE MORE A MATTER OF DISRESPECT FOR THE SCHOOL AND TEACHERS. I DON’T SEE WHY WE DON’T HAVE SOME COUNSELING FOR KIDS WHILE MAINSTREAMING THEM, BUT MAYBE IT JUST SLOWS EVERYBODY ELSE DOWN TOO MUCH. IT’S STILL SAD.

CRUZ, THE SHOOTER, DID LOSE BOTH PARENTS WITHIN A FEW YEARS OF EACH OTHER, AND BEFORE HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, SO THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE HE SUSTAINED FROM THE LOSSES MAY BE SEVERE. I HOPE HE WILL BE PUT INTO A HOSPITAL FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE RATHER THAN A PRISON, BECAUSE HE IS IMMATURE, EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE AND POSSIBLY NOT VERY INTELLIGENT. HE ALSO IS ONLY 5’6” TALL AND WEIGHS 131 LBS. IN OTHER WORDS, HE IS UNABLE TO DEFEND HIMSELF. THIS A TERRIBLE SITUATION FROM ANY ANGLE. THE DAMAGE DONE IS UNSPEAKABLE, BUT THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THIS YOUNG MAN IS MENTALLY INCOMPETENT IS HIGH. THAT’S THE WAY IT APPEARS TO ME, ANYWAY. IT’S A SORT OF MORALITY PLAY. WHAT RESPONSIBILITY DO COURTS AND JUDGES HAVE IN THESE SITUATIONS?

ON LEARNING DISABILITIES THAT ALSO CAUSE SERIOUS MISBEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, SEE THIS EXTREMELY INTERESTING ARTICLE ON A NEW EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT FOR THE SO-CALLED “FRAGILE-X” CONDITION. IT IS A FAULTY “COATING” SO TO SPEAK ON AN IMPORTANT CHROMOSOME, CAUSING IT TO BE INACTIVE. THE INACTIVITY IS PART OF THE BRAIN DYSFUNCTION IN AUTISM, ADD AND ADHD, AND SEVERAL OTHER SERIOUS LEARNING AND MENTAL CONDITIONS.

SUCH BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS ARE OFTEN PART OF THE SITUATION WHEN A KID IS CONSIDERED INTELLECTUALLY OR MENTALLY INCOMPETENT. TEN YEARS AGO “FRAGILE-X” WASN’T A COMMONLY KNOWN TERM IN THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND AUTISM WAS AN EXCRUCIATINGLY DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO WORK WITH. IF THIS CRISPR/Cas9-GUIDED ACTIVATION METHOD WORKS, THE TWO CHINESE SCIENTISTS WHO DEVELOPED IT MAY BE IN LINE FOR A MAJOR SCIENCE PRIZE.

THE BEAUTY OF THIS ARTICLE IS THAT THE NEW TREATMENT SEEMS TO HAVE TURNED ON THE GO LIGHT FOR THE DISABLED GENE, CAUSING NORMAL FUNCTIONING FOR THE PATIENT. IT IS JUST AT THE EXPERIMENTAL STAGES, SO FAR, BUT IF IT WORKS RELIABLY THERE WILL BE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHOSE LIFE COULD BE TURNED AROUND. GO TO WIKIPEDIA, ETC., AND LOOK UP “FRAGILE-X” AND “CRISPR/Cas9” FOR AN ILLNESS OF A TYPE THAT OFTEN CONTRIBUTES TO CHILDREN’S BEING SIDELINED FROM SCHOOL INTO PRISON EARLY. WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, LOOK UP “FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON.” HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FLOWERS_FOR_ALGERNON.

http://news.mit.edu/2018/mit-whitehead-fragile-x-syndrome-neurons-restored-crispr-0215
Study: Fragile X syndrome neurons can be restored
Whitehead Institute researchers are using a modified CRISPR/Cas9-guided activation strategy to investigate the most frequent cause of intellectual disability in males.
Nicole Giese Rura | Whitehead Institute
February 15, 2018

Fragile X syndrome is the most frequent cause of intellectual disability in males, affecting one out of every 3,600 boys born. The syndrome can also cause autistic traits, such as social and communication deficits, as well as attention problems and hyperactivity. Currently, there is no cure for this disorder.

Fragile X syndrome is caused by mutations in the FMR1 gene on the X chromosome, which prevent the gene’s expression. This absence of the FMR1-encoded protein during brain development has been shown to cause the overexcitability in neurons associated with the syndrome. Now, for the first time, researchers at Whitehead Institute have restored activity to the fragile X syndrome gene in affected neurons using a modified CRISPR/Cas9 system they developed that removes the methylation — the molecular tags that keep the mutant gene shut off — suggesting that this method may prove to be a useful paradigm for targeting diseases caused by abnormal methylation.

Research by the lab of Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch, which is described online this week in the journal Cell, is the FIRST DIRECT EVIDENCE THAT REMOVING THE METHYLATION FROM A SPECIFIC SEGMENT WITHIN THE FMR1 LOCUS CAN REACTIVATE THE GENE AND RESCUE FRAGILE X SYNDROME NEURONS.

The FMR1 gene sequence includes a series of three nucleotide (CGG) repeats, and the length of these repeats determines whether or not a person will develop fragile X syndrome: A normal version of the gene contains anywhere from 5 to 55 CGG repeats, versions with 56 to 200 repeats are considered to be at a higher risk of generating some of the syndrome’s symptoms, and those versions with more than 200 repeats will produce fragile X syndrome.

Until now, the mechanism linking the excessive repeats in FMR1 to fragile X syndrome was not well-understood. But Shawn Liu, a postdoc in Jaenisch’s lab and first author of the Cell study, and others thought that the methylation blanketing those nucleotide repeats might play an important role in shutting down the gene’s expression.

In order to test this hypothesis, Liu removed the methylation tags from the FMR1 repeats using a CRISPR/Cas9-based technique he recently developed with Hao Wu, a postdoc in the Jaenisch lab. This technique can either add or delete methylation tags from specific stretches of DNA. Removal of the tags revived the FMR1 gene’s expression to the level of the normal gene.

“These results are quite surprising — this work produced almost a full restoration of wild type expression levels of the FMR1 gene,” says Jaenisch, whose primary affiliation is with Whitehead Institute, where his laboratory is located and his research is conducted. He is also a professor of biology at MIT. “Often when scientists test therapeutic interventions, they only achieve partial restoration, so these results are substantial,” he says.

The reactivated FMR1 gene rescues neurons derived from fragile X syndrome induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, reversing the abnormal electrical activity associated with the syndrome. When rescued neurons were engrafted into the brains of mice, the FMR1 gene remained active in the neurons for at least three months, suggesting that the corrected methylation may be sustainable in the animal.

“We showed that this disorder is reversible at the neuron level,” says Liu. “When we removed methylation of CGG repeats in the neurons derived from fragile X syndrome iPS cells, we achieved full activation of FMR1.”

The CRISPR/Cas-9-based technique may also prove useful for other diseases caused by abnormal methylation including facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and imprinting diseases.

“This work validates the approach of targeting the methylation on genes, and it will be a paradigm for scientists to follow this approach for other diseases,” says Jaenisch.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation, the Rett Syndrome Research Trust, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, and the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. Jaenisch is co-founder of Fate Therapeutics, Fulcrum Therapeutics, and Omega Therapeutics.


WE DEFINITELY DO NEED A DREAMER BILL TO BE GOOD ENOUGH AND FAIR ENOUGH TO ALL, THAT IT WILL PASS. I’M NOT SURE WHEN THE DEADLINE IS, BUT IT’S COMING UP SOON. DEPORTING ADULT MEN IS ONE THING, BUT NOT THE VERY YOUNG WHO MAY NOT HAVE FAMILY THAT THEY KNOW IN MEXICO AND BEYOND. THERE IS A CERTAIN SELF-CONFIDENCE THAT COMES WITH AGE, THAT KIDS DON’T HAVE YET. MOST OF THEM HAVEN’T FINISHED COLLEGE YET, AND PROBABLY AREN’T PREPARED TO DO A WELL-PAID JOB. PUTTING THEM OUT IN THE WAY THAT TRUMP ET AL ARE CONSIDERING DOING IS TRULY INHUMANE. EVEN TRUMP HIMSELF DOESN’T WANT TO DO IT EITHER, I DON’T THINK. I HOPE SOMETHING HAPPENS FAST ABOUT THIS.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/15/senate-set-vote-dreamer-bills-but-theres-no-clear-path-any-them/341985002/?csp=chromepush
Senate blocks Trump-backed immigration plan and everything else on the table
Eliza Collins and Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY Published 2:58 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2018 | Updated 4:12 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2018

Photograph -- The U.S. Senate has begun talking about an immigration plan that would pave a path to citizenship for up to 1.8 million young "DREAMer" immigrants in the U.S. illegally. (Feb. 13) AP

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday killed four immigration bills, including a Republican measure backed by President Trump and a competing bipartisan proposal, both of which would have offered legal protections to undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

The Senate’s failure to reach a consensus on the volatile issue of immigration puts those immigrants in jeopardy of deportation starting March 5, when the White House plans to rescind their Obama-era legal protections. It’s unclear what, if anything, the House will do to address the issue.

Thursday's Senate votes came after the White House mounted an all-out, scorched-earth campaign to defeat the bipartisan proposal.

Top Trump administration officials lobbied senators to take their names off that bipartisan bill, with White House officials suggesting that lawmakers were either misinformed or misrepresenting the legislation’s intent and impact. And Trump himself weighed in via Twitter just as the Senate was about to begin voting, saying the bipartisan plan would be a "total catastrophe."


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
The Schumer-Rounds-Collins immigration bill would be a total catastrophe. @DHSgov says it would be “the end of immigration enforcement in America.” It creates a giant amnesty (including for dangerous criminals), doesn’t build the wall, expands chain migration, keeps the visa...

2:25 PM - Feb 15, 2018
20.1K
11.4K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy

The bipartisan bill, unveiled Wednesday night by a group of 16 senators, would have provided a pathway to citizenship for the DREAMers, those undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The bill would have also allocated $25 billion to strengthen security at the southern border with Mexico, limited family-based immigration, and barred the parents of DREAMers from becoming citizens.

“This is the only bill that has a chance to get through the United States Senate,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, a lead sponsor of the bill told reporters before Thursday's vote. Unlike the GOP-controlled House, which can pass legislation with the support of the majority party, most major pieces of legislation require 60 votes in the Senate and therefore bipartisan support. Republicans hold only 51 seats in the Senate, so any of the four bills would have needed bipartisan support.

The White House slammed King's bill and threatened a presidential veto.

“This Amendment would drastically change our national immigration policy for the worse by weakening border security and undercutting existing immigration law,” a statement from the White House said.

SPONSORED BY EVERQUOTE
Jacksonville, Florida: This Brilliant Company Is Disrupting A $200 Billion Industry
See more →

The Department of Homeland Security said the bill "would be the end of immigration enforcement in America."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a co-sponsor of the bipartisan bill who has had an on-again-off-again relationship with the president, urged him to reverse course.

"Mr. President you're being led down a path where you won't get a result. Reject this kind of engagement with the Congress," Graham said Thursday. "What's wrong with Washington? You give (the Department of Homeland Security) $25 billion of the money they ask for and they slam you."

President Trump instead backed a more restrictive Senate bill, which was also defeated on Thursday. That proposal, sponsored by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, would have granted eventual citizenship to 1.8 million of the DREAMers and given Trump his requested $25 billion for immigration enforcement, including funding for a wall along the U.S. southern border.

It also would have met Trump's demands for changes to family-based immigration, or what Republicans call “chain migration,” and ended a diversity visa lottery system. That bill would have cut legal immigration by at least 25%.

The Senate also rejected two narrower bills: one to create path to citizenship for the DREAMers and improve border security, and a second to withhold funding from “sanctuary cities” which limit local police officers' cooperation with federal immigration authorities.


Senator Thom Tillis
✔
@SenThomTillis
Schumer-Rounds-Collins is well-intentioned but falls drastically short of being a proposal that can get a vote in the House and be signed into law. The Senate needs to learn from the Gang of 8 failure, not repeat it.

9:40 AM - Feb 15, 2018
94
125 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
With the four failed votes Thursday afternoon, the Senate is left with no clear path to address the fate of the DREAMers, and the House has not yet scheduled a vote on the issue.

Contributing: Herb Jackson, Alan Gomez


BANNON CONTINUES TO THUMB HIS NOSE AT THE CONGRESS, WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOR HOURS AND HOURS WITH MUELLER. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW DETAILS, BUT THAT ISN’T LIKELY TO HAPPEN. I HAVE SOMETIMES TRIED WATCHING C-SPAN, BUT MOST OF THE TIME A LONG-WINDED SPEECH OF ANY KIND BEGINS TO DRONE ON UNENDURABLY FOR ME AND I TURN THE CHANNEL. THAT’S WHY I WANT PRINT ARTICLES. PRINT WORDS STAY IN PLACE ON THE PAGE AND DON’T BECOME TOO BORING TO HOLD MY ATTENTION. IF SPEAKERS WOULDN’T MAKE SUCH EXTREMELY LONG SPEECHES, OR WOULD BE LIVELY SPEAKERS (LIKE BERNIE SANDERS) IT WOULDN’T AFFECT ME THAT WAY. CONSERVATIVES CALL HIM A “FIREBRAND,” BUT HE ISN’T BORING. SO, I’LL JUST COLLECT THIS ARTICLE AND MAYBE GO TO YOUTUBE AND LISTEN TO SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING TO HEAR THERE.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bannon-hill-closed-door-interview-russia-probe-160148311--politics.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=dbb2094c-7d9a-37c0-96b9-7f844af62e78&.tsrc=notification-brknews
Bannon interviewed in Mueller's Russia investigation
Mary Clare Jalonick and Jonathan Lemire, Associated Press
February 15, 2018

Photograph -- Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's former chief strategist, arrives for questioning by the House Intelligence Committee as part of its ongoing investigation into meddling in the U.S. elections by Russia, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Steve Bannon, the combative former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, was interrogated for 20 hours over two days this week as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the process.

The person, who declined to be named because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation, said Bannon answered every question that was put to him by Mueller's team. That's in contrast to a Thursday interview with the House intelligence committee, where Bannon declined to answer some of lawmakers' questions, despite a subpoena.

While the exact questions for Bannon are unknown, Mueller is investigating whether there was any coordination between Trump's campaign and Russians who meddled in the 2016 election, and also whether there have been any efforts to obstruct the ongoing FBI probe into those contacts. The House panel is investigating the meddling and whether Trump's campaign was involved.

Because Bannon was one of Trump's top advisers, both Mueller and the lawmakers were expected to question him about key events during his time in the White House, including Trump's firings of former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former FBI Director James Comey.

After Bannon's roughly three-hour interview on Capitol Hill, Republicans on the House intelligence panel were weighing whether to hold him in contempt. Like his first visit to the House intelligence committee in January, Bannon declined to answer questions in the closed-door session.

According to lawmakers of both parties, Bannon would only answer 25 questions that had been pre-approved by the White House when asked about any events in the time period after President Donald Trump's election. His answer to each question was "no" and he told the committee he was not authorized to elaborate.

Bannon was already under subpoena as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been critical of the White House's sweeping interpretation of executive privilege and its contention that pretty much everything is off limits until the president says it's not.

The escalating fight between Congress and the White House over the privilege issue has centered around Bannon, an outsized figure in President Donald Trump's campaign and White House and an inspiration to some conservatives as he has publicly battled the Republican establishment. He was fired from the White House last summer, and more recently had a falling out with Trump after the January publication of a book in which he sharply criticized Trump family members.

Despite his fractured relationship with Trump, Bannon has followed White House direction as the House lawmakers have sought to talk to him. At issue is whether Bannon can talk about the presidential transition, his time at the White House and communications with Trump and others since he left last summer.

Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the panel's Russia probe, said Bannon would only answer the pre-approved questions about any time period past the day Trump was elected in November 2016. He said committee Republicans would discuss whether to hold Bannon in contempt with House lawyers and with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is likely to have the final say.

"That's an ongoing conversation we'll have among an awful lot of lawyers," Conaway said after Bannon's interview.

At least one Republican on the intelligence panel said before the interview that a contempt vote would be necessary if Bannon were uncooperative. Florida Rep. Tom Rooney said Tuesday that if Bannon didn't cooperate with the panel and they didn't hold him in contempt, that would set a bad precedent.

"For not just our committee but every committee, that (subpoenas) don't mean anything, that it's just a hollow threat," Rooney said. "You can't do that."

Democrats are pushing for a contempt vote, with the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, California Rep. Adam Schiff, saying he believed Bannon's non-answers were all an attempt to draw out and block the Russia probe.

"That's not how privilege works, that's how stonewalling works," Schiff said. "And we cannot take that kind of stonewalling for an answer."

Negotiations between the House and White House have been ongoing since Bannon's first interview, and several interviews have been scheduled and postponed in recent weeks. Lawmakers headed into the meeting ahead of Bannon's entrance appeared unsure if he would arrive.

Bannon is one of the committee's few remaining witnesses in its Russia probe, which Republicans on the panel have said they want to wrap up early this year.

The Senate intelligence committee is running a separate investigation into the Russian meddling. The Senate panel hasn't yet spoken to Bannon, according to a source familiar with the probe. The person declined to be named because the interview schedule isn't public.



MADDOW TODAY
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show

THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/15/18
Trump team uses gun tragedy as cover, reveals financial documents
Rachel Maddow notes the particular timing of the Trump team's release of financial documents showing questionable use of tens of millions of dollars of campaign funds. Duration: 9:18


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/15/18
Trump words on gun tragedy ring hollow given past legislation
Rachel Maddow points out that the first significant piece of legislation Donald Trump signed was to give mentally ill people easier access to guns, so his concern that the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter was mentally ill and shouldn't have been allowed a gun doesn't carry much weight. Duration: 12:25


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 2/15/18
'Queen for a day' likely means another witness flip for Mueller
Barbara McQuade, former U.S. attorney, helps Rachel Maddow understand what it means that former Trump campaign staffer Rick Gates had a "Queen for a day" interview with Robert Mueller's team, and why Donald Trump should be worried. Duration: 7:50