OnPolitics: He wants to give you $1,000
A spate of shootings in the United States — at a synagogue, a university and a Denver STEM school — rippled into the 2020 race this week as candidates spoke out on gun control and a host of other hot-button topics
An Iowa 8th-grader, through tears, asked Beto O'Rourke what he would do to stop school shootings. "Society is becoming numb to children being slaughtered," she said. O'Rourke, in a civics class, said the power rested with her: "You're forcing people in power to do the right thing right now."
Also on guns: Cory Booker debuted plans for a national gun licensing program and a one-per-month limit on gun purchases, and President Donald Trump joked about shooting migrants — but "only in the Panhandle."
Meanwhile, Andrew Yang pitched his plan to dole out $1,000 to every American every month if he's elected. Elizabeth Warren said drug execs should "go to jail" for their role in the opioid epidemic. Bernie Sanders pushed a 15% cap on credit card interest rates to combat "greed" in the banking industry.
Joe Biden, after debuting in earnest last week, hit on the real issue: Who's the real Irishman in the 2020 race? "It's me," Biden said, but John Delaney and O'Rourke may beg to differ.
Want more 2020 Dem policy talk? Look no further than the bastion of the Democratic Party known as .... Fox News? They're planning Democratic town halls. Lots of them.
Or, you could just let us slide into your inbox every week. That's probably the better call.
This week in Trump:
- Trump lost $1 billion over a decade, according to a New York Times report on the president's old tax documents.
- But Trump blamed that billion dollar loss on "write offs," "depreciation" and tax shelters .
- More Trump tax records may fall into the hands of New York lawmakers.
- His approval ratings are higher than any point since when he first took office.
- Trump 'won't back down' on China trade pressure ahead of a high-stakes meeting.
- Trump's campaign rally at Panama City Beach came with a plan for Florida disaster relief.
- Trump asserted executive privilege over the Mueller report as lawmakers voted to hold William Barr in contempt over it.
This week in 2020 Democrats:
- Jill Biden says to get over her husband at the Anita Hill hearings: "It's time to move on."
- Hillary Clinton to 2020 Dems: Oh, FYI, "You can have the election stolen from you."
- Julián Castro, Pete Buttigieg and others want an investigation after video recorded by Sandra Bland surfaced after her death.
- Barack Obama's new memoir might land during the 2020 race, putting him in an influential spotlight.
See you next week, OnPolitics friends. Stay mindful this weekend. — Josh Hafner
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