Crooked Media - What A Day: The Maine concern

Hundreds of law enforcement agents are searching New England for the man who perpetrated the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. this year. 
 

• On Wednesday night, a man walked into Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley in Lewiston, ME, and opened fire using a semi-automatic rifle fitted with an extended magazine and a scope. The man then moved on to Schemengees Bar and Grille, about four miles away. In total, he killed 18 people, and injured at least 13 more. 2023 is now one of the worst years in U.S. mass shootings, and Wednesday’s tragedy was one of the deadliest shootings since 2006. 
   

• Police are still searching for 40-year-old Robert Card, currently the prime suspect. Thousands of Lewiston residents and those in nearby towns remained under shelter-in-place advisories, and schools and businesses as far as fifty miles from the sites of the killings were closed in the interest of public safety. The Coast Guard sent a response boat to search the Kennebec River for Card. Dozens of FBI agents were also deployed in the investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives sent 40 agents and other personnel to assist local authorities. 
   

• According to the Pentagon, Card is a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve, and first enlisted in 2002. He was trained as a petroleum supply specialist, which involves transporting and storing vehicle and aircraft fuel. He has never served on any combat deployments. Card reportedly had a run-in with officials during a recent visit to a National Guard training facility near West Point, after which Card was given a mental health evaluation.

The conversation, as always, comes back to guns.
 

• White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “Speaker Johnson and all of the members on the Hill, Republicans in Congress, they have the ability to stop this. They have the ability to put forth legislation to deal with this issue. They can change this.” President Biden called for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, a long-held Democratic priority. Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) had spoken with President Biden twice as of Thursday morning; she said he offered the White House’s full support and any help her state may need. 
   

• Maine has the most permissive gun laws in New England. According to investigators’ reports, the suspect received roughly two weeks of inpatient psychiatric treatment after making concerning statements about shooting up a National Guard base. Maine is not among the 21 states with a “red flag law” that allows a court to remove firearms from people at risk of hurting themselves or others. Maine’s “yellow flag” law, enacted in 2020, only allows law enforcement officials to seek a court order blocking a person’s access to their weapons. Red flag laws also allow family members to request such a court order. Maine’s particular measure also requires a medical evaluation. The state does not ban high-capacity magazines, does not require a permit to carry a concealed gun, and does not require background checks on gun sales. 

As the United States endures yet another mass shooting, we return to the same question: What will be done? Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME)—one of the most moderate Democrats in the House—gave an apologetic press conference today, saying, “I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle he used to carry out this crime. The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure. Which is why I now call on the United States congress to ban assault rifles.”

You know those blood-sucking creatures that prey on and kill more humans than any other creature in the world? No, we're not talking about vampires - we’re talking about mosquitoes! In this week’s America Dissected, host Dr. Abdul-Sayed talks to NYT reporter Stephanie Nolen about the horrifying genetic evolution of mosquitoes. You can catch this episode of America Dissected and more every Tuesday wherever you pod.

Beginning with the deadly October 7 attack when Hamas killed 1,400 Israeli civilians and kidnapped another 200 people, the Israeli government promised to retaliate. But leaders in the government, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have not yet coalesced around a strategy to do so, though a ground invasion has been looming for weeks and could begin as soon as Friday. In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack, the Israeli government called up approximately 360,000 reservists and deployed most of them to the Gaza border, where they have sat waiting since. Some government officials worry that a ground invasion in Gaza—which experts warn could result in some of the worst urban fighting since World War II—could draw the nation into an intractable conflict, or a broader war with the Hamas-allied Lebanese militia, Hezbollah.

President Biden has repeatedly urged the Netanyahu government to delay a ground invasion in the interest of continuing hostage negotiations, allowing humanitarian aid through to Gaza, and refining Israeli military strategy. The Israeli government has said that their aim is to “dismantle Hamas,” but many officials could not answer what metrics they would use to know they had achieved that goal. As our own Pod Save The World host Tommy Vietor put it, new intelligence “suggests there's no clear strategy behind Netanyahu's bombing campaign in Gaza, meanwhile thousands of civilians are getting killed. The US should push for a ceasefire to allow in humanitarian supplies and demand to see a coherent strategy.”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pleaded guilty on Thursday to a misdemeanor charge for falsely triggering a fire alarm in a Congressional office building. He will be placed on probation, pay a $1,000 fine, and write a letter of apology to the United States Capitol Police. Meanwhile, the members of Congress who cheered on an actual attack on the Capitol Building haven’t apologized for anything, in a letter or otherwise.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over her criticism of Israel and, get this, accused her of inciting an insurrection because Tlaib spoke to hundreds of demonstrators at an October 18 rally at the Capitol calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. 

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith’s team accused disgraced former president Donald Trump of threatening his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, after an ABC News report revealed some of the details Meadows provided to investigators about the plot to overturn the 2020 election. Meadows was granted immunity in exchange for his sworn testimony and cooperation. 

President Biden’s approval rating among Democrats dropped a staggering 11 percent just in the month of October according to a new Gallup poll. 

The statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee that once stood in the center of Charlottesville, VA—its proposed removal in part set off the violent “Unite the Right” rally in 2017—was melted down in an undisclosed location and will be turned into a new piece of art.

In the first year of Elon Musk’s ownership of X (formerly known as Twitter) the social media site has hemorrhaged users and advertisers. Do you think he has considered...not being so bad at everything? 

Los Angeles isn’t known for being walkable. But the fantasy Los Angeles of our gay, progressive dreams? That’s a different story. 

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Fulton County prosecutors have reportedly discussed plea deals with at least 6(!) additional co-defendants in the sweeping case charging 17 people connected to disgraced former president Donald Trump and his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The New York State General Assembly is considering a bill that would establish a “workplace readiness week” to educate high schoolers on workplace rights. Cool!