TPM Reader JB checks in from Boston on guns …
It has been somber around here as you could expect and everyone remains jumpy (a part of my hospital was evacuated yesterday because of a smoking car in drop off area), so I was less angry at the gun safety legislation loss than disappointed. It just seems a pattern of late. That said, I am cautiously encouraged by what happened.
We’ve posted some of the overnight photos from that devastating explosion last night in the small town of West, Texas, along I-35 between Waco and the DFW metroplex.
Some firefighters, apparently local volunteers, remain missing. The death toll is still unknown. At a press briefing a short time ago, a law enforcement spokesperson described some of parts of the town around the fertilizer plant as “gone.” Read More
Investigators reportedly plan to release ‘clear video images’ of two bombing suspects today.
And after yesterday’s big arrest that never happened clown show, here’s what actually seems to have happened.
Interesting, telling juxtaposition. Gabby Giffords and Mitch McConnell react to the successful Republican filibuster of the background check compromise.
Big fertilizer plant explosion in Waco, Texas. More soon.
Late Update: Incredible, horrifying video of the explosion.
Late Update, 11:27: Details on the explosion here.
Rubio rushes to stave off a conservative backlash over the Gang of 8 immigration bill and tamp down the right wing rumor mill.
The demise of expanded background check legislation in the Senate today will be especially disappointing to gun control advocates who also backed strong filibuster reforms earlier this year. But the filibuster is what it is, and now that the Manchin-Toomey amendment is dead, it’s especially crucial that reporters covering the story accurately characterize what happened.
Of course, that’s always important. But as in any story some facts are more central to the plot than others. Tonight, I’m seeing a lot of early reports to the effect that the Senate has rejected the background check amendment. That’s not false, but it is highly obfuscatory. Read More
There’s more support in the Senate for undermining states prohibiting concealed carry permits than for expanding background checks.
Cable news devolves into chaos as authorities chase bombing leads and probe suspicious behavior across the nation.