First Run News

Former President Obama on Monday called for action in response to back-to-back mass shootings over the weekend and urged Americans to "soundly reject" leaders who feed "a climate of fear and hatred." The former president issued a lengthy statement after more than 30 people were killed in mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. He did not name any specific leaders, but his comments amounted to an implicit rebuke of MORE. “We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred and normalizes r

The Treasury Department on Monday labeled China a currency manipulator, escalating the U.S.-China trade war with a significant rebuke to Beijing. Treasury Secretary MORE designated China a currency-manipulating country a day after the nation’s central bank allowed the Chinese yuan to fall to a new low against the U.S. dollar. "Secretary Mnuchin, under the auspices of added to their heavy losses Monday after Treasury's announcement, with overnight trades setting up a 480-point drop for Tuesday morning.

Mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that left 31 people dead over the weekend are raising new calls for background checks on gun sales, testing the power of a National Rifle Association plagued by months of internal turmoil.   Gun reformers on Capitol Hill, long frustrated by the gun lobby’s power to block tougher laws, believe they have a new opportunity given the NRA’s perceived weakened state. The NRA is “not as powerful” as it was, Rep.

El Paso Mayor Dee Margo confirmed that the president would visit the community on Wednesday after the shootings. “This is not a political visit,” he said Monday. “And he is President of the United States.

“This president, who helped create the hatred that made Saturday’s tragedy possible, should not come to El Paso. We do not need more division,” O’Rourke wrote on Twitter. “We need to heal. He has no place here.” O’Rourke is the latest Democrat to urge the president to steer clear of El Paso after a gunman shot dead 22 people and injured 53 at a Walmart. The suspect, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, was charged with capital murder, making him eligible for the death penalty. The Justice Department is weighing bringing hate crime charges against Crusius, which also carries the death penalty.

Trump addressed the nation Monday on the deadly shootings that occurred over the weekend, resulting in more than 30 fatalities and dozens of injuries. He unequivocally condemned racism, bigotry, and white supremacy, calling them “sinister ideologies” that “must be defeated.” “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy,” Trump said. “These sinister ideologies must be defeated.

The latest Harvard/Harris Poll reveals that about 69 percent of swing voters said they are somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to support a 2020 presidential candidate that supports opening the U.S.-Mexico border to more illegal and legal immigration. Overall, about 64 percent of registered voters said they would be more unlikely to support a 2020 presidential candidate that backs increasing illegal and legal immigration to the country — including about 63 percent of Generation X

DETROIT —Former vice president Joe Biden, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, faced down a barrage of criticism Wednesday night as his opponents sought to cast him as a relic of a bygone era, ill-equipped to lead his party as it grapples with urgent questions about race, immigration, and the best way to beat President Trump. One by one they dug in, denigrating Biden’s health care plan, criminal justice record, support for free trade policies, and the immigration policies pursued by President Barack Obama.

Read a transcript of Trump’s remarks on Monday morning about the two mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. My fellow Americans, this morning, our nation is overcome with shock, horror, and sorrow. This weekend, more than 80 people were killed or wounded in two evil attacks. On Saturday morning, in El Paso, Texas, a wicked man went to a Walmart store, where families were shopping with their loved ones.

President Trump has significantly ramped up his use of the word “invasion” to describe the flow of immigrants to the southern border in recent months, frequently using a divisive call that was apparently echoed by the mass shooter in El Paso, Texas, shortly before this weekend’s killing spree. The shooter is believed to be behind an online posting that described a “Hispanic invasion of Texas” as the reason behind his attack, which left 22 dead and many more wounded.