National

Former President Donald Trump confirmed in a statement Wednesday that he still intends to speak at an annual meeting of the National Rifle Association, which is set to take place in Houston later this week.

Driving the news: Trump's doubling down on his speaking engagement comes a day after a gunman killed at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

What they're saying: "America needs solutions and real leadership in this moment, not politics and partisanship," Trump said in the statement.

"That's why I will keep my longtime commitment to speak in Texas at the NRA convention and deliver an important address to America," he added. 

"In the meantime, we all continue to pray for the victims, their families, and our entire nation — we are all in this together!"

The big picture: The tragedy at Robb Elementary School has brought new attention to many GOP members' close ties with the gun lobby.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed Republican lawmakers on Wednesday as "disconnected from the suffering of the American people."

"Too many members on that side care more about the NRA," Schumer added.

Sen. Ted Cruz faced backlash for his response to the shooting, in which he said he and his wife were "lifting up in prayer the children and families" involved.

"Aren’t you slated to headline a speaking gig for the NRA in three days - in Houston, no less? You can do more than pray. Faith without works is dead," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted in response.

The NRA's annual convention will take place from May 27-29.

"Firearms, firearm accessories, knives, and other items" will be prohibited during the former president's remarks, the NRA said in a statement, noting that the Secret Service will "take control" during the speech.

Remembering the victims of the Texas school shooting

The GOP lawmakers who get the most cash from gun rights groups

Trump refuses to pull out of NRA speaking spot in Texas

"I will keep my longtime commitment to speak in Texas at the NRA convention and deliver an important address to America."

Donald Trump at the 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in April 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Mass shootings

Politics & Policy

Arranging for high level peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is becoming "more and more difficult" as the war goes on, Ukrainian President Zelensky told Axios' Jonathan Swan during an interview on Monday.

What they're saying: "It is difficult because there is the line that can hardly be crossed, after Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol and other towns and cities," Zelensky said of the Russian invasion. 

"I think it will be more difficult to arrange any kind of meeting at the presidential level between the two countries, for the two countries," Zelensky said of a meeting between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Unfortunately, it's very difficult. It's very hard. Nevertheless, we have to try to put an end to this war."

"We have no way out of this situation," he added.  

Go deeper: What to know about Ukraine's wartime president

Zelensky calls it "very difficult" to arrange meeting with Putin

Nevertheless, we have to try to put an end to this war," Zelensky said.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Arranging for high level peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is becoming &quot;more and more difficult&quot; as the war goes on, Ukrainian President Zelensky told Axios&#x27; Jonathan Swan during an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="interview" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/20/livestream-interview-zelensky-jonathan-swan" data-vars-content-id="77c08951-6fe5-4b10-9269-9bf3d5767254" data-vars-headline="Zelensky calls it &quot;very difficult&quot; to arrange meeting with Putin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/20/livestream-interview-zelensky-jonathan-swan" target="_self">interview</a> on Monday.What they&#x27;re saying: &quot;It is difficult because there is the line that can hardly be crossed, after Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol and other towns and cities,&quot; Zelensky said of the Russian invasion.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

If Ukraine loses the war against Russia, Russia will go on to attack NATO countries, potentially putting American lives at risk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an interview with Axios' Jonathan Swan on Monday.

Driving the news: President Biden has repeatedly insisted that he will not send American troops into Ukraine. But an attack on a NATO member would trigger Article 5, the alliance's collective defense commitment. 

What they're saying:  "Members of the alliance should know and believe that if any country tries any aggression against them, then NATO, collectively, will provide for their defense," Zelensky said.

"If we fall, if we don't hold the line, Russia will proceed, attacking the Baltic states — Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia" and smaller states.

"The US military will have to go to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, according to the fifth article, and they will have to fight there and die there."

Zelensky says Ukraine falling would put American lives at risk

"If we fall, if we don't hold the line, Russia will proceed."

Zelensky speaks at Davos. Photo by Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images 

If Ukraine loses the war against Russia, Russia will go on to attack NATO countries, potentially putting American lives at risk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="interview" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/20/livestream-interview-zelensky-jonathan-swan" data-vars-content-id="7aec55fa-37b5-413d-b025-efb191d82f3f" data-vars-headline="Zelensky says Ukraine falling would put American lives at risk" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/20/livestream-interview-zelensky-jonathan-swan" target="_self">interview</a> with Axios&#x27; Jonathan Swan on Monday.Driving the news: President Biden has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="repeatedly insisted" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/01/25/biden-us-troop-ukraine" data-vars-content-id="7aec55fa-37b5-413d-b025-efb191d82f3f" data-vars-headline="Zelensky says Ukraine falling would put American lives at risk" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/01/25/biden-us-troop-ukraine" target="_self">repeatedly insisted</a> that he will not send American troops into Ukraine. But an attack on a NATO member would trigger Article 5, the alliance&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="collective defense commitment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/06/14/biden-nato-summit-article-five" data-vars-content-id="7aec55fa-37b5-413d-b025-efb191d82f3f" data-vars-headline="Zelensky says Ukraine falling would put American lives at risk" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/06/14/biden-nato-summit-article-five" target="_self">collective defense commitment</a>.

Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway's new memoir, "Here's the Deal," offers an inside look into former President Trump's administration and includes a roster of charged statements about individuals both within and outside the administration.

Driving the news: One of the book's most notable moments comes when Conway — who remains loyal to the former president — admits that Trump lost the 2020 election.

What they're saying: "Despite the mountains of money Trump had raised, his team simply failed to get the job done," Conway wrote, per Politico.

"Instead supplicant after sycophant after showman genuflected in front of the Resolute Desk and promised the president goods they could not deliver," she added of unnamed individuals in Trump's orbit.

State of play: Conway cast a wide net with her criticisms, including even her husband, George.

George's attacks on Twitter were "sneaky, almost sinister," Conway wrote, adding that after work her husband would be "just steps away from me, tucked away in his home office, plotting against my boss and me."

Conway also goes after Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and former senior adviser, whom she described as "shrewd and calculating" and full of "schemes and dreams," the Washington Post reported.

“There was no subject he considered beyond his expertise. ... If Martian attacks had come across the radar, he would have happily added them to his ever-bulging portfolio. He’d have made sure you knew he’d exiled the Martians to Uranus and insisted he did not care who got credit for it."

Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus is described by Conway as “thoroughly conservative but not remotely MAGA,” per the Post.

Conway also targeted journalist Taylor Lorenz, who in 2020 shared social media posts created by Conway's daughter Claudia.

Conway slammed “Miss Taylor Lorenz, who has blue blood and thin skin," going on to write that "the unmarried and childless Lorenz spent most days trolling other people’s kids on social media, occasionally slandering them," the Daily Beast reported.

The bottom line: While Conway stays away from criticizing Trump too directly, she reserves some praise for herself, per Politico.

“I may have been the first person Donald Trump trusted in his inner circle who told him that he had come up short this time,” Conway wrote of the aftermath of the 2020 election.

The most eye-popping moments from Kellyanne Conway's book

One of the book's most notable moments comes when Conway admits that Trump lost the 2020 election.

Kellyanne Conway at an event on Jan. 28. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Kellyanne Conway

Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway&#x27;s new memoir, &quot;Here&#x27;s the Deal,&quot; offers an inside look into former President Trump&#x27;s administration and includes a roster of charged statements about individuals both within and outside the administration.Driving the news: One of the book&#x27;s most notable moments comes when Conway — who remains loyal to the former president — admits that Trump lost the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2020 election" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2020/11/07/joe-biden-elected-president-ap-projects" data-vars-content-id="bb17b5cc-c350-43a4-a8d7-7e9d14a89a90" data-vars-headline="The most eye-popping moments from Kellyanne Conway&#x27;s book" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2020/11/07/joe-biden-elected-president-ap-projects" target="_self">2020 election</a>.

The gunman who opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday killed 19 students and two teachers in a single classroom, local law enforcement officials said on Wednesday.

The latest: The shooter was inside Robb Elementary School for upwards of 40 minutes, as witnesses told AP they urged police to go in. 

Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw said at a briefing Wednesday "law enforcement was there," per CNN. 

"They did engage immediately. They did contain him in the classroom," he said, noting the gunman was killed "within, like, 40 minutes, [within] an hour."

The big picture: Once the suspect entered the classroom, he "barricaded himself by locking the door and started shooting children and the two teachers inside that classroom," Lt. Chris Olivarez, said a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, on CNN.

 17 people, including three police officers, were injured during the attack, but no injuries are life-threatening, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Zoom in: Local law enforcement responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call that a vehicle had crashed near the school and an individual was seen entering the school with a weapon, Olivarez said.

The officers — at a tactical disadvantage once the shooter had barricaded himself and lacking sufficient manpower — "started breaking windows around the school, and trying to rescue, evacuate children and teachers, while that was going on," he added.

"At that point, we had a specialized tactical team arrive, comprised of federal officers, local police officers, as well. They made forcible entry into the classroom."

One of the tactical team members was shot in the confrontation, though it is a non-life-threatening injury. "At that point, they were able to shoot and kill the shooter."

Asked by host John Berman how many children were in the fourth-grade classroom, Olivarez said he couldn't confirm the exact number of students, but estimated it was between 25 and 30.

What to watch: Officials are still trying to establish an exact timeline of events, how much ammunition the shooter had and whether he had intended for the Robb Elementary School to be a target, Olivarez noted.

Background: Abbott said the shooter posted on Facebook about 30 minutes before reaching the school.

In the first post, the shooter said he would shoot his grandmother. In the second post, he stated that he shot his grandmother.

In the third and final post, coming less than 15 minutes before he arrived at the school, he said, "I'm going to shoot an elementary school," according to Abbott.

What they're saying: "When you have someone with this intent to just kill anybody — have no regard for human life and also with a rifle — he can kill numerous people in a matter of seconds," Olivarez said.

"There could have been further loss of life if those initial officers weren't on scene to break those windows and rescue any other children and teachers inside that classroom."

"We're absolutely heartbroken about yesterday’s tragic events and committed to doing our part to support our partners in the investigation and the Uvalde community as we begin to try to move forward," FBI Director Chris Wray said Wednesday in a statement. 

Wray said the FBI was working with local law enforcement on the case. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details throughout.

Texas shooting victims killed were in same classroom, official says

"Just goes to show you the complete evil from this shooter."

The gunman who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="opened fire at an elementary school" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/24/texas-elementary-school-shooting" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/05/24/texas-elementary-school-shooting" target="_self">opened fire at an elementary school</a> in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday killed 19 students and two teachers in a single classroom, local law enforcement officials said on Wednesday.The latest: The shooter was inside Robb Elementary School for upwards of 40 minutes, as witnesses <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="told AP" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-texas-school-shooting-44a7cfb990feaa6ffe482483df6e4683" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-texas-school-shooting-44a7cfb990feaa6ffe482483df6e4683" target="_blank">told AP</a> they urged police to go in.

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Stories

Texas shooting victims killed were in same classroom, official says

Trump refuses to pull out of NRA speaking spot in Texas

The most eye-popping moments from Kellyanne Conway's book

Zelensky calls it "very difficult" to arrange meeting with Putin

Zelensky says Ukraine falling would put American lives at risk