Daily Digest: Candidates respond to Orlando
Good morning, and welcome to Tuesday. More today on the aftermath of the Orlando attack and some issues of note in St. Paul.
1. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had sharply different responses to the Orlando shooting. In a speech in New Hampshire, Trump blamed President Obama and said Clinton would double down on immigration policies that would make the country more dangerous. He said the U.S. should not allow immigration from any country with ties to terrorism, even though the Orlando shooter was born in New York. Clinton, meanwhile, called for a tighter focus on preventing "lone wolf" attacks and said during a speech in Cleveland that guns like the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle should be banned. (Later in the day Monday Trump banned reporters from the Washington Post from covering his campaign events for the way the paper framed another story) (Washington Post)
2. The Orlando gunman had been to the Pulse nightclub several times before the shooting, and he also used an online gay dating app. This information raises new questions about his motivations, and whether he may have been gay himself. The FBI had put him on a watch list, but then removed him. There will no doubt be more questions about why that happened. And there are also reasons to believe he may have considered an attack on Disney World. (L.A. Times)
3. Democrats in the U.S. Senate will soon push for another vote on a proposal to ban people on FBI watch lists from buying firearms. Republicans remain opposed to the proposal, but Democrats see it as good policy and good politics, especially if they can put some GOP senators on the spot who are up for re-election this year. Opponents say being on a watch list isn't enough to deny people their constitutional rights. (Politico)
4. St. Paul has a new police chief. Mayor Chris Coleman named veteran police commander Todd Axtell to the top job on Monday. Axtell has been a St. Paul Police officer since 1989, and was assistant chief under his predecessor Tom Smith, overseeing some of the department's largest operations since 2013. He was one of five finalists for chief. (MPR News)
5. The fight in St. Paul over things including bike lanes and garbage hauling are really about the future of the city. They may also reflect a generational conflict between baby boomers and millennials. (MinnPost)
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