memeorandum: True Colors — Watching the NRA's Wayne LaPierre hold forth … (David Kurtz/Talking Points Memo)

1:15 PM ET, February 22, 2018

Top Items:

Shooting Survivor: CNN Gave Me “Scripted Question” After Denying Question About Armed Guards — Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Colton Haab said he was approached by CNN to ask a question at Wednesday night's town hall but decided not to after the network gave him a “scripted question,” quashing one he wrote himself.

Discussion: RedState, The Resurgent, Front Page Magazine, CNN, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, True Pundit, Instapundit and Washington Free Beacon

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Washington Post:

Why is only one side in the gun culture war required to show respect? — You have perhaps heard the joke about the liberal who is so open-minded that he can't even take his own side in an argument. — What's less funny is that on gun control, liberals (and their many allies who are moderate …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Daily Kos, CNBC, The Week and Mediaite

Daniella Diaz / CNN:

6 things Marco Rubio said at the CNN town hall that made news in the US gun debate — Washington (CNN)Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, facing high school students Wednesday night who survived the Parkland, Florida, shooting, defended his stance on gun rights — while changing the conversation surrounding the issue.

Discussion: Washington Post, HuffPost, New Republic, Washington Examiner, WTVR-TV, WPIX 11 New York, IJR, The Week, KTLA, CBS Miami and VICE News

CNN:

School shooter threatened others with a gun, first host family told police — Shooter showed violence and mental instability — (CNN)Just months before Nikolas Cruz killed 17 at his former high school in South Florida, the host family who had taken him in immediately after his mother's …

Discussion: New York Post and twitchy.com

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

The economics of arming America's schools — Sitting with students and parents on Tuesday — including some students who were at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week when a shooter killed 17 people — President Trump explored possible ways in which mass shooting incidents at schools could be prevented.

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

NRA opposes new age limits on gun purchases — The National Rifle Association (NRA) said Wednesday it opposes any new legislation that would put age restrictions on firearm purchases. — “We need serious proposals to prevent violent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill from acquiring firearms …

Discussion: Politico, The Daily Caller and Splinter

Louis Nelson / Politico:

Trump: I never said ‘give teachers guns’ — President Donald Trump claimed Thursday morning that he did not suggest the blanket arming of teachers at a White House listening session a day earlier, accusing CNN and NBC News of misinterpreting his proposal. — “I never said 'give teachers guns …

Discussion: ABC News and The Root

Washington Post:

NRA goes on the offensive after Parkland shooting, assailing media and calling for more armed school security … After a week of media silence following the school shooting in Florida, the National Rifle Association went on the offensive in its first public response to the massacre …

Discussion: NPR, The Atlantic, RedState, Vox, New York Times and Shareblue Media

Lisa J. Huriash / Sun-Sentinel:
Video delays misled cops at Stoneman Douglas shooting

Discussion: Orlando Sentinel, Business Insider, AOL and WSVN-TV

Washington Post:
How a survivor of the Florida school shooting became the victim of an online conspiracy

Discussion: Shareblue Media, Raw Story, Washington Times, New York Magazine, Mediaite and Snopes.com, more at Mediagazer »

Rebecca Morin / Politico:
Facing jeers and boos, Rubio shifts on guns during tense forum

Discussion: Axios, Florida Politics, Breitbart and NewsBusters

Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Marco Rubio and an N.R.A. Official Were Jeered and Lectured on Gun Control

Discussion: New York Magazine, Jezebel and CNN

CNN:
Transcript: Stoneman students' questions to lawmakers and the NRA at the CNN town hall

Discussion: Weekly Standard, Business Insider, Refinery29, Breitbart, NewsBusters, The Week and CBS Miami

Eli Rosenberg / Washington Post:
A superintendent threatens to suspend students protesting gun laws. But that's not legal.

Discussion: Business Insider

Peter Burke / WPLG-TV:
CNN refutes Parkland school shooting survivor's ‘scripted’ question claim

Discussion: RedState, RT, Business Insider, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, twitchy.com, Breitbart, True Pundit, IJR and Joe.My.God.

Nicholas Fondacaro / NewsBusters:
CNN's Tapper Sits Back as Student Equates Rubio to School Shooter

Discussion: Breitbart, twitchy.com and Instapundit

CNN:
Trump suggests arming teachers as a solution to increase school safety

New York Times:
In School Shooting's Painful Aftermath, Sheriff Faces Questions Over Police Response

Discussion: Splinter

David Rutz / Washington Free Beacon:
Town Hall Crowd Jeers NRA Spokeswoman's Story of Rape Survivor Who Wished She Was Armed

Discussion: twitchy.com

Jack Heretik / Washington Free Beacon: CNN Town Hall Crowd Cheers Idea of Banning Every Semiautomatic Rifle in America

CNN:

McMaster could leave WH after months of tension with Trump — Washington (CNN)With tensions flaring between President Donald Trump and national security adviser Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the Pentagon is considering options that would allow the President to potentially move the three-star general …

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Outside the Beltway, AOL, Raw Story, The Week and Political Wire

ESPN:

Warriors to spend part of D.C. trip with local kids, as they won't be heading to White House — OAKLAND, Calif. — With President Donald Trump tweeting last September that a White House invitation for the Golden State Warriors was “withdrawn,” the reigning NBA champs have decided …

Discussion: Axios, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine, The Comeback, Washington Free Beacon, Deadspin and ABC News

Nicole Lafond / Talking Points Memo:
CNN: Pentagon Mulling Options To Move McMaster Out Of WH, Back Into Military

Discussion: Shakesville

Michael M. Grynbaum / New York Times:

Margaret Brennan Named Host of ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS — WASHINGTON — Margaret Brennan, the senior foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News, will be the next moderator of “Face the Nation,” the network's prestige Sunday morning public affairs show and one of the most influential venues in American politics.

Discussion: Mediaite

Jeremy Venook / Politico:

Why You Shouldn't Be a Russiagate Skeptic — It is time to stop being a Russiagate skeptic. We just know too much. — Earlier this week, the editor of this magazine, Blake Hounshell, laid out the case for skepticism, centering on President Donald Trump's incompetence and the apparent lack of a smoking gun.

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money and Talking Points Memo

Edward-Isaac Dovere / Politico:
Bernie blames Hillary for allowing Russian interference

Discussion: digital.vpr.net, Shakesville, RedState, Political Wire and Jacobin

Paul Sperry / RealClearInvestigations:
Mueller Still Relying on Discredited Steele Dossier

Discussion: Real Clear Politics

London Evening Standard:

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in ‘racist’ anthrax threat terror — EXCLUSIVE: Letter containing white powder sent to couple at Kensington Palace — POPULAR VIDEOS — Scotland Yard is investigating after a letter containing white powder purporting to be anthrax was sent to Meghan Markle at Kensington Palace.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Jezebel, The Root, East Bay Times, CBS New York and The Blast

Vikram Dodd / The Guardian:
White powder letter sent to Meghan Markle treated as racist hate crime

Discussion: Sputnik International and thecut

Jackie Wang / Dallas Morning News:

Fueled by a Democratic surge, Texans turn out in force on first day of early voting — AUSTIN — Of the 51,249 Texans who cast ballots Tuesday on the first day of early voting, more than half voted in the Democratic primary. — The total number of voters from 15 of the state's largest counties is high for a midterm year.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Off the Kuff and Politico

Heather Sher / The Atlantic:

What I Saw Treating the Victims From Parkland Should Change the Debate on Guns — As I opened the CT scan last week to read the next case, I was baffled. The history simply read “gunshot wound.” I have been a radiologist in one of the busiest trauma centers in the nation for 13 years …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:

Apple Plans Upgrades to Popular AirPods Headphones — Company working on water resistance, more Siri integration — Apple CFO says wearables revenue rose almost 70% last year — Apple Inc., seeking to bolster its wearables business, is working on upgrades to its wireless AirPods headphones …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Mashable, The Verge, Engadget, Gizmodo, 9to5Mac and VentureBeat, more at Techmeme »

Jeffrey Solochek / Tampa Bay Times:

Florida House approves bill to post “In God We Trust” in all public schools — With the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting still looming large, its students in the Capitol to lobby for gun controls, the Florida House overwhelmingly passed a measure Wednesday its sponsor said aimed at bringing “light” to the schools.

Discussion: USA Today and Friendly Atheist

Politico:

SPG signs DRC, will open London office — SPG SIGNS DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: SPG will lobby for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Washington as a subcontractor to Mer Security and Communications Systems, an Israeli firm that's worked for the country since last year.

Discussion: RedState

David Ferguson / Raw Story: MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle connects the dots in latest Mueller indictment to tie Trump directly to Putin

Elizabeth Zwirz / Fox News:

Ohio student dies after shooting himself in school bathroom, officials say — The Ohio student who apparently shot himself with a gun in his school bathroom on Tuesday has died, officials announced Wednesday. — The deceased seventh grader, from Jackson Memorial Middle School …

Discussion: fox8.com

Washington Post:

Does the Second Amendment really protect assault weapons? Four courts have said no. … Almost exactly a year ago, a federal appeals court considered whether a Maryland law banning assault weapons was unconstitutional. — The law was passed in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre …

Bret Stephens / New York Times:

Free Speech and the Necessity of Discomfort — This is the text of a lecture delivered at the University of Michigan on Tuesday. The speech was sponsored by Wallace House. — I'd like to express my appreciation for Lynette Clemetson and her team at Knight-Wallace for hosting me in Ann Arbor today.

Emily Cochrane / New York Times:

Questions Swirl as Melania Trump's Parents Obtain Green Cards — WASHINGTON — The parents of the first lady, Melania Trump, have obtained lawful permanent residency in the United States, a lawyer for the couple confirmed Wednesday, but it remains unclear how or when the couple received their green cards.