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National

A man in Houston killed three of his neighbors after setting fire to multiple units at a rental complex Sunday and shooting at those evacuating, before he was shot and killed by a police officer, authorities said.

Details: The shooting happened at about 1am Sunday. The suspected gunman, whose name was not released, is a man in his 40s who had been recently told he would be evicted from the complex.

“That may have been a trigger point for him — I don't know,” said Police Chief Troy Finner at a news conference Sunday. “That’s part of the investigation.”

The victims were not named, but Finner said they were men between the ages of 40 and 60. Finner said authorities believe they were all residents of the complex.

Finner said the gunman "unfortunately and very sadly" set fire to the units in an attempt to draw residents out of the rooms so he could attack them in an ambush, Finner said. 

The fire and police departments got the calls about the fire and shooting at around 1am. Firefighters arrived first on the scene but had to take cover when the gunman opened fire.

Officers found the man in a parking lot across the street from the complex when they arrived, before an officer shot and killed him.

The officer who killed the gunman has been placed on administrative leave per Houston Police Department policy. 

Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third died at the hospital.

What he's saying: "It's just sad what's going on in our nation. I've seen things that I haven't seen before in 32 years," Finner said after asking the public to pray for the victims and the city. 

"And it’s happened time and time again, and people ask the police chief and police leaders, ‘Why?’ And we don’t even know right now. We just ask that the community come together.”

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Gunman kills 3 at Houston property after starting fire to lure victims out

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner speaks to the media following the shooting deaths of three men.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner. Photo: Lao Chengyue/Xinhua via Getty Images

Politics & Policy

Former President Trump remains a popular figure in the GOP, as a majority of Republican voters believe he should be the party's nominee in 2024, a USA Today/Ipsos poll out Sunday indicates.

Why it matters: The poll was conducted after the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago. The results illustrate Trump's continued grip on the GOP despite his myriad legal troubles.

The big picture: Roughly 59% of Republican voters said Trump should be the Republican nominee in 2024 and that he "deserves re-election," while 41% said it's time for a change within the GOP and that Trump shouldn't run.

By contrast, 56% of Democratic voters surveyed said it was time for change within the party, while only 44% said Biden should be the Democratic nominee in 2024 and deserves re-election.

About 82% of Republican voters believe Trump can win the election, while only 60% of Democratic voters said the same of Biden.

Worth noting: Democratic voters gave President Biden the highest favorability numbers among a slate of candidates at 82%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) (78%) and Vice President Kamala Harris (76%).

Trump, meanwhile, had an 81% favorability rating, followed by former Vice President Mike Pence (69%), Sen. Ted Cruz (68%) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (67%).

Methodology: This USA Today/Ipsos poll was conducted between Aug. 18–22 among a nationally representative survey of 2,345 adults, including 800 Republican voters, 1,031 Democratic voters, and 514 voters that don’t vote for either party or are non-voters. 

The credibility interval of ± 4.2 percentage points for Republican voters, ±3.7 percentage points for Democratic voters and ±5.3 percentage points for voters that don’t vote for either party or are non-voters.

Poll: Republican voters rally behind Trump despite Mar-a-Lago search

About 82% of Republican voters believe Trump can win the 2024 election.

Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on Aug. 10. Photo: James Devaney/GC Images

Donald Trump

Elections 2024

State Of The Union With Jake Tapper And Dana Bash-9 02 49 Am - 9 03 49 Am-2022-08-28

Revelations about the documents former President Trump kept at his Mar-a-Lago home have left Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) "deeply alarmed," she told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

Driving the news: The Department of Justice on Friday released a redacted version of the affidavit that led to the FBI's search of Trump's residence this month. 

The unsealed affidavit revealed that 14 of the 15 boxes retrieved from Trump earlier this year by the National Archives and Record Administration contained 184 documents with classification markings, Axios' Erin Doherty and Alayna Treene write.

The DOJ wrote there was "probable cause to believe" that more classified information remained at the premises and that there was also "probable cause" to believe evidence of obstruction would be found at Mar-a-Lago. 

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers in a letter on Friday that U.S. intelligence officials plan to evaluate the natural security risks of the top secret documents obtained from Mar-a-Lago. 

What they're saying: "I am deeply alarmed by what we're learning because it's not only about whether or not Donald Trump broke the law, but it's that he could be putting our national security at risk," Warren said.

"He could be putting the lives of individual people who work for the United States at risk," she added.

"I think it's powerfully important we give the Justice Department the space to follow the evidence wherever it leads, without fear or favor. If they have the evidence, they will bring the charges and prosecute appropriately. And I support them in that."

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that Trump "should have turned the documents over."

"I understand he turned over a lot of documents, he should have turned over all of them. I imagine he knows that very well now as well," he added.

Asked about the redacted affidavit during an appearance on the same program, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said his view was that "there's something a little bit absurd when it appears that we have a former president who was taking highly classified documents to his own residence."

"I mean, it just is incomprehensible to me, but then again, when we talk about President Trump, there's a lot of incomprehensible things," he added.

Warren: Trump could be putting American lives at risk

"[I]t's not only about whether or not Donald Trump broke the law, but it's that he could be putting our national security at risk."

Meet The Press-10 49 48 Am - 10 52 01 Am-2022-08-28-0

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R) called out members of his own party and its leadership Sunday, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that Republicans could suffer in the midterms if they fail to clarify their position on issues like abortion. 

What he's saying: "I think Republicans are in real trouble because we have no leadership," Kinzinger said. "This is the problem ... [House Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy isn’t leading, he’s asking, 'What does Marjorie Taylor Greene want me to do?'" 

"[Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s just trying to save the Senate. He’s probably not going to do that. We have no leaders, and no wonder our base basically believes everything Donald Trump says."

Kinzinger said the topic of abortion, in the wake of the Supreme Court's repeal of Roe v. Wade, "definitely changed the complexion of midterms some." Kinzinger noted he's always supported exceptions in abortion bans for rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger, "and that was actually a fairly common thing in the Republican Party."

"[A]nd now you’ve been seeing these Republicans go, 'There is absolutely no exception,' because somehow in the Republican Party, the crueler you are, the more likely you are to win a primary."

Asked about former President Trump's apparent mishandling of classified information, Kinzinger criticized "the hypocrisy of folks in my party that spent years chanting lock her up about Hillary Clinton" who are now "defending a man who very clearly did not take the national security of the United States to heart."

"[N]o president should act this way, obviously."

Worth noting: Kinzinger condemned Republicans who he said would undermine democracy, and said he'd prefer to see Democrats he disagrees with on policy issues win in the midterms.

"[I]f you have Republicans that are running against even left-wing Democrats that believe in democracy and believe in voting, that person should be elected over somebody who basically would overthrow the will of the people and ultimately destroy this country."

"This country cannot survive outside of democracy. It will turn into a power struggle between groups of different races, of different ethnicities, of different religions, because the thing that holds us together is this belief that we can self-govern. 

"Take that away, this country's a mess. And so Republicans that are for that have no place in office. I don't care what their policy position on taxes are."

Kinzinger says GOP in trouble ahead of midterms: "We have no leadership"

"Kevin McCarthy isn’t leading, he’s asking, 'What does Marjorie Taylor Greene want me to do?'"

Republicans

Policymaking

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who is seeking re-election, warned in an interview with the Guardian published Sunday that Americans need to pay close attention to secretary of state races across the country to safeguard voting rights.

Why it matters: Democrats have been sharpening their focus on secretary of state races to ensure the results of the 2024 presidential election aren't overturned.

There are 27 secretaries of state contests on U.S. ballots this year — for 13 offices held by Democrats, 13 held by Republicans and one — in North Dakota — held by an independent, Axios' Alexi McCammond writes.

A number of Republican candidates for secretaries of state have echoed former President Trump's unfounded claims about the 2020 election.

What they're saying: “What we can expect from the extreme Republicans running across this country is to undermine free and fair elections for the American people, strip Americans of the right to vote, refuse to address security breaches and, unfortunately, be more beholden to Mar-a-Lago than the American people,” Griswold, who chairs the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, told the Guardian.

“For us, we are trying to save democracy," she said.

“The country could lose the right to vote in less than three months," she added, warning that Trump-backed candidates could use their posts to subvert election results or raise doubts about elections their party loses.

“We must reject that it is partisan to protect the right to vote. It’s not,” Griswold said. “It’s the most American and democratic thing you can do.”

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Colorado secretary of state says "extreme" GOP might strip voting rights

"The country could lose the right to vote in less than three months."

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold holds a news conference on Feb. 8. Photo: Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Voting rights

This Week With George Stephanopoulos-9 16 23 Am - 9 19 57 Am-2022-08-28

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) praised President Biden's decision to cancel some student loans during an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, saying the move would benefit working families and low-income people.

Driving the news: The Biden administration announced last week that it will cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for individual borrowers who make under $125,000 per year.

The decision was panned by some Democrats running in battleground Senate and House races.

The plan doesn't address the high cost of college that will burden future students.

What they're saying: "I know it is shocking, George, to some Republicans that the government on occasion does something to benefit working families and low-income people," Sanders told host George Stephanopoulos.

"I don't hear any of these Republicans squawking when we give massive tax breaks to billionaires," he added.

Sanders pans GOP response to Biden canceling some student loans

"I don't hear any of these Republicans squawking when we give massive tax breaks to billionaires."

Axios

Sunday's top stories

Gunman kills 3 at Houston property after starting fire to lure victims out

Poll: Republican voters rally behind Trump despite Mar-a-Lago search

Warren: Trump could be putting American lives at risk

Kinzinger says GOP in trouble ahead of midterms: "We have no leadership"

Colorado secretary of state says "extreme" GOP might strip voting rights

Sanders pans GOP response to Biden canceling some student loans

Mossad chief to visit D.C. as Israel ramps up pressure on U.S. over Iran deal

National Archives hit with threats after Trump search

Judge signals support for "special master" review of Trump documents

Omicron booster shots are right around the corner