Oct 24, 2019

Barr outlines mass shootings prevention plan

Attorney General Bill Barr at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Forensic Science Center in Topeka, Kansas, this month. Photo: Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Attorney General Bill Barr outlined in a memo released Wednesday plans to adopt terrorism prevention initiatives to stop mass shootings via "forward leaning" strategies via court-ordered mental health treatment, supervision and counseling.

Driving the news: Activism around gun violence increased following the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton in August, per Axios' Neal Rothschild.

The big picture: The memo to law enforcement officials does not address the issue of gun control, but the Wall Street Journal notes Barr is exploring support on Capitol Hill for legislation on gun background checks.

  • President Trump initially appeared to support passing meaningful and aggressive legislation gun control in the aftermath of the August shootings, but he later warned of a "slippery slope" on the Second Amendment.
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed multiple gun control bills into law this month to tackle the issue. Several Democratic presidential candidates have released gun control plans.

By the numbers: An August poll found 89% of those surveyed favored Congress expanding background checks to all firearm sales and transfers.

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Axios
Updated 7 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of noon ET: 20,391,697 — Total deaths: 744,211— Total recoveries: 12,625,076 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11:30 a.m. ET: 5,161,612 — Total deaths: 164,690 — Total recoveries: 1,714,960 — Total tests: 63,252,257 — Map.
  3. Business: U.S. already feeling effects of ending unemployment benefits — U.S. producer prices rose last month by the most since October 2018.
  4. Public health: America is flying blind on its coronavirus response.
  5. Education: Gallup: America's confidence in public school system jumps to highest level since 2004.
  6. World: Lebanon reports coronavirus record, UN warns Beirut blast may drive cases higher
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Barak Ravid
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U.S. threatens to veto UN peacekeeping in Lebanon over Hezbollah concerns

Peacekeepers with Lebanese troops in southern Lebanon. Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty

The Trump administration is threatening to veto a resolution to extend the UN's long-standing peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon if its mandate isn't changed, Israeli and U.S. officials tell me.

Why it matters: The U.S. is the main funder of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has an annual budget of $250 million. The veto threat is a tactical move, and part of a broader effort to put pressure on Iran and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.

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Fadel Allassan
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Trump congratulates QAnon conspiracy theorist on GOP runoff win

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump on Wednesday tweeted congratulations to Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vocal QAnon conspiracy theorist who won the Republican nomination in Georgia's deep-red 14th Congressional District runoff.

Why it matters: The president's approval illustrates how the once-fringe conspiracy theory has gained ground within the GOP. Greene is among the at least 11 GOP candidates for Congress who have openly supported or defended the QAnon movement or some of its tenets, per Axios' Jacob Knutson.

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