memeorandum: Biden insists McConnell is a ‘rational Republican’ who may come around on gun control, even as the GOP blocks legislation (Katie Balevic/Insider)

4:30 PM ET, May 30, 2022

Top Items:

Katie Balevic / Insider:

Biden insists McConnell is a ‘rational Republican’ who may come around on gun control, even as the GOP blocks legislation — President Biden said Sen. McConnell is “rational” on gun control after the Texas school shooting. — Biden called on Congress to pass restrictions on assault weapons following the attack in Uvalde.

Discussion: Associated Press, Voice of America, Fox News and Raw Story

Christian Datoc / Washington Examiner:

Biden not yet ‘negotiating’ with GOP despite calls for immediate gun control reform — President Joe Biden said he has yet to hold serious talks with Republican lawmakers about a gun control bill, despite calling on Congress to pass legislation immediately in the wake of the Buffalo and Ulvade mass shootings.

Discussion: Townhall, Axios, USA Today, Forbes, Talking Points Memo and Breitbart

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Biden says gun control up to Congress: 'I can't dictate this stuff'

Discussion: ABC News and National Review

Myah Ward / Politico:
Biden says ‘rational Republicans’ offer hope for gun legislation

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Common Dreams

Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Biden points to assault weapons ban as ‘rational’ option for gun control

Discussion: The Daily Caller and MSNBC

Washington Post:

The Uvalde shooting ‘stirred something’ in him. So he gave up his gun. — UVALDE, Tex. — For years, even as mass shootings swept the country, Richard Small bristled at any talk of tighter gun restrictions, viewing it as nothing more than politically driven finger-pointing that would do little …

Discussion: Raw Story and KSAT-TV

James A. Gagliano / City Journal:

Police Must Rush to the Sound of the Guns — Reflections on law enforcement's failure in Uvalde — The aftermath of yet another soul-rending attack on an elementary school, this time in Uvalde, Texas, has left little time for reflection on just why these horrific incidents continue to proliferate in the United States.

Discussion: Off the Kuff and The Texas Tribune

KSAT-TV:
Feds considering razing, rebuilding Robb Elementary School, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez says

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News, Insider, The Gateway Pundit, HuffPost, Fox News and Washington Examiner

Travis Caldwell / CNN:
9-year-old describes escaping out a window during the Uvalde school shooting as anger mounts over law enforcement's response

Discussion: Vanity Fair, New York Times, KDFX-TV and CBS News

Annabelle Timsit / Washington Post:

U.S. marks Memorial Day weekend with at least 11 mass shootings — Since the Uvalde, Tex., elementary school tragedy, there have been at least 14 other shootings that had at least four victims — After a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Tex., that claimed the lives of 19 children …

Discussion: Streams of Crunchiness, Raw Story, Fox News and The Daily Wire

Alexandra Berzon / New York Times:

Lawyer Who Plotted to Overturn Trump Loss Recruits Election Deniers to Watch Over the Vote — A central figure in the scheme to reverse the 2020 election is mobilizing grass-roots activists into an “army of citizens” trained to aggressively monitor elections. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: Raw Story, Election Law Blog and Rolling Stone

Tyler O'Neil / Fox News:

Memorial Day: Veterans launch Green Beret PAC to prevent another Afghanistan-style ‘travesty’ — Jason Bacon is launching the PAC to support former Green Berets and a Navy SEAL running for Congress in the midterm elections — Former Green Berets run for Congress

Discussion: RedState and The Daily Caller

Saul Loeb / ABC News:
Biden to mark Memorial Day with wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, NBC News, RedState, CBS News and New York Post

Mike Brest / Washington Examiner:
Arlington National Cemetery to conduct 154th Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony

Discussion: TODAY.com and The Moderate Voice

Theodore R. Johnson / The Bulwark: Memorial Day—for All Americans

Gerrit De Vynck / Washington Post:

First she documented the alt-right. Now she's coming for crypto. — Molly White, a veteran Wikipedia editor, is fast becoming the cryptocurrency world's biggest critic — In a strange, animated YouTube video, Cryptoland paints itself as the ultimate utopia, featuring luxurious villas …

more at Mediagazer »

Eric Kaufmann / CSPI Center:

Born This Way? The Rise of LGBT as a Social and Political Identity — CSPI Report No. 6 — The last decade has seen a precipitous rise in the share of Americans identifying as LGBT, particularly among the youngest adults. Today, among those under 30, a wide range of surveys converge on a number of around 20%.

Washington Post:

Ukraine suffers on battlefield while pleading for U.S. arms — 'They're just raining down metal on us,' said a soldier fresh from the front line where Russia is advancing — DONETSK OBLAST, Ukraine — The ambulances hurtled into the parking lot one after the other, each carrying wounded troops directly from the nearby front line.

Discussion: Associated Press, Michael's Newsletter, The Guardian and nationalinterest.org

Lee Brown / New York Post:

Nancy Pelosi's husband was in car crash before his DUI arrest: cops — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Porsche-driving husband was involved in a two-vehicle crash in California before his weekend arrest for drunken driving, police have since revealed. — Paul Pelosi, 82, was attempting …

Discussion: Washington Times, The Providence Journal, Power Line, Al Jazeera, Louder With Crowder, RedState, The Daily Wire, Conservative Review, Washington Examiner, CBS News and CNN

Punchbowl News:

5/30/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM. … NO ONE ELSE COMES CLOSE TO JEFFRIES IN THIS POLL. NOTABLE HERE - ONLY 3% OF OUR RESPONDENTS BELIEVE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER, THE CURRENT NO. 2 HOUSE DEMOCRAT, WILL REPLACE PELOSI. … THE MRA IS USED FOR EVERYTHING FROM OFFICE SUPPLIES TO TRAVEL COSTS.

Discussion: The Boston Globe

JONATHAN TURLEY:

Friends with Benefits: Sussmann Trial Further Exposes the FBI and Washington Establishment — Below is a slightly expanded version of my column in the Hill on Sussmann trial and what it revealed about the role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the combined Russian collusion investigations.

Discussion: RedState

Steve Holland / Reuters:

U.S. will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach Russia, says Biden — The United States will not send Ukraine rocket systems that can reach into Russia, President Joe Biden said on Monday, as Ukraine pushes for longer-range weapons system to help in its fight.

Discussion: Fox News, Raw Story, The Hill, The Guardian, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Al Jazeera, Insider, Just The News and РИА …

Nahal Toosi / Politico:

The Putinologist: CIA chief's long history with Putin gives him special insight — Half of Washington, D.C., is in the business of analyzing Vladimir Putin's every word and move these days. But when CIA Director William Burns speaks of the Russian leader, an autocrat waging a brutal war on Ukraine, his words carry unusual weight.

Discussion: AbsurdTimes's Newsletter and The Bismarck Cables