Post-Uvalde Poll: Majority Says U.S. Has More Mass Shootings Because It Has More Guns

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

Despite Certain Narratives…

After a mass shooting, Republicans generally throw their hands up in the air and claim that well, nothing can really be done here, plus it’s the price we have to pay for Our Freedoms under the glory of America’s red, white and blue–but a vast majority of Americans aren’t drinking that water, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll conducted after the Uvalde elementary school shooting.

• Only 28 percent believe mass shootings are “unfortunately something we have to accept as part of a free society,” while a whopping 72 percent believe that mass shootings are “something we can prevent and stop if we really tried.”
• A majority of Americans also aren’t buying into the idea that the country’s gun violence epidemic can be chalked up to mental health issues, not because there’s too many guns out there: 54 percent say that the U.S. has more mass shootings than many other countries because it has “more availability of guns,” while only 47 percent believe it’s because the U.S. has “more people with mental health issues.”

Blake Masters Blames Gun Violence On Black People

The Daily Beast dug up a right-wing podcast interview with GOP Arizona Senate hopeful and Peter Thiel mentee Blake Masters from April 11, during which the far-right Trump endorsee argued that yes, the country has a gun violence problem, but “Black people, frankly” are responsible for it.

• That nugget of racism came moments after Masters complained that people ought to “stop obsessing about race all the time,” the context being Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment, the Daily Beast notes.

Congress Gets Back To Work On Gun Reform

The Senate is in session today, and the House will start tomorrow, so it’s possible we might maybe see some progress on gun reform perhaps. For what it’s worth, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who’s leading the Senate’s bipartisan talks over gun legislation, told CNN yesterday that he’s “more confident than ever” that lawmakers might reach a deal.

• The Senate is holding several bipartisan negotiations: One between Murphy and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), and other with Murphy plus Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
• The House will vote on Democrats’ sweeping gun control package this week, as announced by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) in a “Dear Colleague” letter sent last Friday.

Trump Gives McCarthy A Hard-Won Treat

The ex-president endorsed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Saturday, describing him as a “strong and fearless leader of the House Republican Conference.” So whatever promises McCarthy made to Trump as potential House speaker after those tapes of him directly blaming the ex-president for the Jan. 6 attack must’ve really, really paid off.

DOJ Won’t Charge Meadows Or Scavino

The Justice Department has decided not to pursue the House’s recommendations to charge ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former White House social media chief Dan Scavino with contempt of Congress.

• The House Jan. 6 Committee is pissed, with its leaders saying on Friday night that they “hope” the DOJ “provides greater clarity on this matter.”
• The DOJ unsealed an indictment against ex-White House trade adviser Peter Navarro earlier on Friday, and he was the first Trump official to be arrested in connection to Jan. 6. He’s still representing himself in court. He has no law degree.

Jan. 6 Panel Split On Recommending Abolishing Electoral College

The House Jan. 6 Committee’s members are at odds with each other over what kind of legislative recommendations to make in their final report on the Capitol insurrection, according to Axios. For example, Rep. Jamie Raskin’s (D-MD) reportedly been pushing hard to recommend doing away with the Electoral College altogether, something committee vice chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) flatly opposes.

Pro-Impeachment GOPer Could Vote For Trump If He Apologizes For Jan. 6

Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over Jan. 6,  told ABC News on Sunday that he “might consider” voting for the ex-president again if “he came out and said, ‘I’m sorry I made a huge mistake on January 6th.’”

• But Rice also said he’s “still livid” about the Capitol attack and would vote for impeachment again otherwise.

Boris Johnson Faces No-Confidence Vote From Own Party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of no confidence today (between 1-3 p.m. ET) after his fellow Conservative lawmakers reached the threshold to hold the vote over the scandal around the lockdown-breaking parties at Downing Street.

Michigan Supreme Court Deals Final Blow Against Ex-GOP Gubernatorial Frontrunners

The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday turned down the lawsuits brought by James Craig, Perry Johnson and Michael Markey, three of the Republican gubernatorial hopefuls who were entangled in the fraudulent signatures scandal.

• Now the candidates (who were the frontrunners of the race by the way) are permanently off the ballot. The Michigan Supreme Court was the candidates’ last hope after losing their cases in the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Court of Claims.

A Special Pride Month Greeting

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