U.S. And International Politics

[Rick Plant]

Biden again demands action after eight killed in Texas mall rampage



WASHINGTON (AFP) — President Joe Biden renewed his call Sunday for a national assault-weapons ban and other gun safety measures, a day after eight people were murdered at a Texas shopping mall in the latest mass shooting to shake the nation.
Responders, distressed witnesses and police described scenes of panic and horror in Allen, where video footage shared online showed the shooter exiting a sedan in an outlet mall parking lot Saturday and firing a semi-automatic rifle at people walking nearby.

An officer on an unrelated call nearby quickly responded and "neutralized" the shooter, police said.

Seven people were pronounced dead at the scene, including the shooter, while two others died in the hospital, authorities said.

Three people were in critical condition as of Sunday morning, the Allen Police Department said.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the suspected shooter as Mauricio Garcia, a 33-year-old from Dallas, in a statement Sunday evening.

While the statement did not offer further details about Garcia's background or motive, multiple US media outlets said investigators were probing his social media posts, which allegedly showed an interest in radical right-wing ideology, including white supremacy and neo-Nazism.

"Eight Americans -- including children -- were killed yesterday in the latest act of gun violence to devastate our nation," Biden said in a statement Sunday.

He ordered US flags lowered to half-staff "as a mark of respect for the victims" and repeated his call for lawmakers to take action against a gun "epidemic."

"Once again, I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines," the President said.

He also demanded lawmakers require universal background checks for gun purchases and end legal immunity for manufacturers' whose weapons are used in attacks.

"I will sign it immediately. We need nothing less to keep our streets safe," Biden said in a statement.

Awash in firearms

The attack is the latest in an alarming trajectory of deadly US gun violence. Barely a week earlier, a man shot and killed five neighbors in Cleveland, Texas after one of them asked him to stop firing his rifle in his yard at night while a baby slept.

Several other people have also been gunned down in recent weeks over petty disputes or common mistakes, such as knocking on the wrong door or getting into the wrong car.

Awash in firearms, the United States has already endured 199 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-governmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed.

"Too many families have empty chairs at their dinner tables," Biden said, as he berated his political opponents for inaction.

"Republican members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug," he said. "Tweeted thoughts and prayers are not enough."

No 'quick solution'

The gunfire at Allen Premium Outlets, 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Dallas, erupted Saturday afternoon when it was busy with weekend shoppers, police said.

The officer in the mall "heard gunshots, went to the gunshots, engaged the suspect and neutralized the suspect," said Chief Brian Harvey of the Allen police department.

Biden joined local officials in hailing the quick actions of police for likely saving lives.

The police chief later said authorities believe the unidentified shooter "acted alone."

CNN showed a cropped photograph of the apparent gunman dead on the ground, wearing tactical gear with extra magazines, and with an AR-15-style rifle at his side.

Governor Greg Abbott, who attended a vigil Sunday evening for the victims, said "the hearts of all Texans are with Allen."

Earlier in the day, the Republican had called the shooting an "unspeakable tragedy," and refused to discuss repeated demands by Democrats for tightened gun restrictions.

"People want a quick solution. The long-term solution is to address the mental health issue" including the increased "anger and violence" in America, Abbott told Fox News.

'Unfathomable' carnage

Steven Spainhouer, a former police officer, said he was confronted with horrific images when he rushed to the scene and performed CPR on victims before emergency responders arrived.

Finding one female victim on the ground, "I felt for her pulse, pulled her head to the side, and she had no face," Spainhouer told CBS News. He found the son of another victim lying alive under his dead mother and "covered head to toe" in her blood.

"It's just unfathomable to see the carnage," he said.

With more firearms than inhabitants, the United States has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country -- 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 the year before.

© Agence France-Presse




After Allen shooting, Texas Republican leaders downplay guns, focus on mental health



After a mass shooting on Saturday at an Allen outlet mall ended with eight people dead, Texas Republicans are doubling down on their resistance to gun control legislation.

A gunman used an AR-15-style weapon to open fire on shoppers on Saturday afternoon, killing eight people and injuring at least seven others in the suburb 25 miles north of Dallas. The massacre ended when a police officer, already at the scene, killed the gunman.

The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the gunman as 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. Investigators have been searching a nearby motel at which the suspect had been staying and a home in the Dallas area connected to the suspect. The city of Allen said Sunday that the Texas Department of Public Safety would lead the investigation into the shooting going forward.

In an interview Sunday, Fox News presented Gov. Greg Abbott with a poll that showed Americans overwhelmingly favored background checks and raising the minimum age to buy firearms. But the governor shunned gun safety options in Texas and instead pointed to the need to increase mental health funding.

“We are working to address that anger and violence by going to its root cause, which is addressing the mental health problems behind it,” Abbott said. “People want a quick solution. The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue.”

There has been no public indication from investigators that mental illness played a role in the shooting Saturday, but WFAA reported, citing unnamed sources, that the gunman was removed from the U.S. Army "due to mental health concerns." Abbott attended a vigil at Cottonwood Creek Church Allen on Sunday.

U.S. Rep. Keith Self, a Republican who represents Allen, also emphasized mental health as a solution to gun violence. In an interview with CNN, Self said “many of these situations are based on” the closures of mental health institutions.

Republican leaders in Texas and across the nation often focus on mental illness after mass shootings. But mental health experts argue this lets lawmakers avoid talking about other issues related to gun violence and further stigmatizes people with mental health issues.

The shooting in Allen comes as Texas lawmakers face fresh calls for gun safety legislation. But efforts to restrict access to firearms have been elusive this legislative session. A measure to raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle in the state from 18 to 21 — backed by families of the Uvalde school shooting victims — appears likely to miss a deadline to pass out of a House committee on Monday.

At an intersection near the mall on Sunday, a man carried a sign with a depiction of an AR-style rifle that read, “Well-regulated militia murders 8 people in Allen.” Shoppers who had been trapped at the mall the previous day waited outside to retrieve cars that remained in the parking lot as the law enforcement investigation continued.

As Texas Republicans invoke mental illness after the Allen shooting, lawmakers on the other side of the aisle home in on the weapon the gunman used.

The Texas Democratic Party called on the state Legislature to pass gun safety legislation — such as background checks with no private sale loopholes and raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase firearms — before the Legislature adjourns at the end of this month.

“We support the Second Amendment,” the statement said. “We also believe that the best way to uphold Texas’ strong heritage of responsible gun ownership for self defense, hunting, and recreation is to make sure we’re keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and others deemed dangerous to themselves and others."

A little after 3:30 p.m. Saturday, a gunman stepped out of a gray car outside Allen Premium Outlets and began shooting at shoppers on the sidewalk. Of the seven injured, three were still in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon, according to Medical City Healthcare. Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims but have asked witnesses or those with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI and to share photos or video of the incident at fbi.gov/allenmallshooting.

The gunman was wearing tactical gear and used an AR-15-style assault weapon to carry out the shooting, President Joe Biden confirmed in a statement Sunday.

An AR-15-style weapon was used in 2022 when an 18-year-old gunned down 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Police responding to the Uvalde school shooting said they feared the weapon, which is designed to be used in combat.

That type of rifle was also used when a 36-year-old gunman went on a shooting rampage in the Midland-Odessa area in 2019, and when a 26-year-old gunman opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs in 2017.

At the federal level, Biden called for universal background checks and safe storage of firearms. If Congress sent a bill with such measures to his desk, he said Sunday, he would “sign it immediately.” The president also ordered flags across the country to be flown at half-staff through May 11 to honor the victims of the shooting.

https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/07/allen-shooting-guns-mental-health/




Massacre witness refutes right-wing talking point: 'It wasn't mental health that killed these people'



Steven Spainhauer told MSNBC he witnessed victims massacred by a gunman in Texas over the weekend, and he disagreed with conservatives blaming "mental health" for the shooting.

In an interview on Sunday, Spainhauer, a former police officer, said he went to the scene of the shooting at the outlet mall in Allen after getting a call from his son.

"I found seven people shot in front of the store," he said.

Spainhauer recalled the horrific details of three victims, noting that one girl "had no face."

"There was nothing else I could do," he lamented. "I'll just be honest with you. When you get hit with an automatic weapon fire at close range, there's no opportunity for survival."

Spainhauer sought to push back on people who blame "mental health" instead of a gun for the killings.

"I don't know what the gunman's problem was," he said. "I don't know his motive, but it wasn't mental health that killed these people. It was an automatic rifle with bullets. That's what killed them."

"I'm a gun lover; I have guns," he added. "I'm a former police officer. I'm a former army officer. But these M4s, MAR15s, they've got to get off the streets, or this is going to keep happening."

Watch:

[Richard Smith]

Since President Biden took office, small businesses have created 3.1 million jobs – a near record level.




FACT SHEET: The Small Business Boom Under the Biden-⁠Harris Administration

Through the American Rescue Plan and the equitable implementation of emergency relief programs, President Biden and Vice President Harris fostered the strongest recovery for Main Street on record. In 2021, Americans applied to start 5.4 million new businesses—more than 20 percent higher than any previous year on record.

The boom in new business creation has been particularly strong for entrepreneurs of color. In 2021, Hispanic Americans started new businesses at the fastest rate in more than a decade and 23 percent faster than pre-pandemic levels.

And, in the three-quarters of 2021, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees created 1.9 million jobs, the fastest start to small business job growth in any year on record.

This new White House report details the historic recovery for America’s small businesses and demonstrates how the Biden-Harris agenda laid the foundation for this small business boom. By focusing on combatting the pandemic, providing Americans with greater financial security, and delivering more than $450 billion in emergency relief to small businesses, the Biden-Harris Administration has helped create the conditions for unprecedented business and job creation.

The Biden-Harris strategy to rescue and revitalize Main Street contrasts sharply with the latest tax plan from Republicans in Congress. The Congressional Republican proposal put forward by Senator Rick Scott to impose a minimum tax on middle-class families would increase taxes on small businesses across the country. In addition to detailing the historic economic progress the Biden-Harris Administration has made to date, the Appendix includes a new state-by-state analysis of the Congressional Republican tax plan. The analysis finds that this tax plan would raise taxes on nearly half of small business owners (6.1 million people), including 82 percent of small business owners making less than $50,000 per year. Under the Congressional Republicans’ plan, the typical small business owner would see their taxes increased by almost $1,200.

President Biden rejects Congressional Republicans’ plan to increase taxes on half of small business owners. His four-pillar economic strategy for small businesses will lower costs and level the playing field for families and small businesses. The plan is focused on:

1. Expanding access to capital,

2. Making historic investments in helping small businesses navigate available resources,

3. Leveraging federal spending to support small businesses, and

4. Leveling the playing field for small business owners by reforming the tax code.

Read the full report here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/President-Biden-Small-Biz-Boom-full-report-2022.04.28.pdf

More outrageous falsehoods.  The leftists shut the country down.  They destroyed the economy.  Allowing people to return to work is not "creating jobs".  That is Alice-in-Wonderland nonsense. It is just lifting the police state lockdown.  Ukraine Joe has created not a single job.  In fact, he has destroyed the US energy sector.  They only industry that has prospered are the military contractors who make bombs and ammo for Ukraine.  Hundreds of billions have been spent already with no end in sight.  And no plan for ending it.

[Rick Plant]

Texas shooter shared swastika tattoos and mall surveillance photos online

A Texas mass shooter shared surveillance photos online of the mall where he killed eight people.

Bellingcat researcher Aric Toler located one social media profile created by gunman Mauricio Garcia. Using the Russian Odnoklassniki platform, Garcia posted extensive writings that included Nazi symbolism and right-wing slogans.

On April 16, Garcia posted what appeared to be surveillance video of the mall in Allen where the shooting would later take place.

Screen captures showed Garcia was using Google to monitor peak times of traffic at the mall.

In an April 22 post, Garcia shared a photo of what appeared to be the tactical vest that he was wearing during the shooting. It included a patch with the letters "RWDS" — an acronym for "Right Wing Death Squad."

In another April 22 post, Garcia complained about "diversity" and showed off a swastika tattoo and other Nazi tattoos.

Garcia posted writings that defended mass shootings, praised Adolf Hitler, and expressed hate for women.

"Go tell aunt Rhody that everybody is dead," Garcia wrote in his final post, referring to lyrics from a video game.

He then quoted from Kenotia's "You've Dug Your Grave, Now Lie In It."

"I can't unbreak something that's broken now / This is over for me / This is just the way it has to be / I'm so sorry," the post said.

https://www.rawstory.com/mauricio-garcia-social-media/



'Texas Republicans complete impotence': Nicolle Wallace blasts Texas Republicans after latest mass shooting.

The latest mass shooting at the mall in Allen, Texas, left even some gun owners demanding action.

MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace began her show on Monday by attacking the inaction of Texas Republican lawmakers who continue to fight back against any possible gun safety laws, despite voters in the state approving of them overwhelmingly.

"The violent collision of hate and easy access to weapons of war expanded its blast radius over the weekend to a premium outlet mall in Texas where that state's Republican leaders are today striking a pose of complete impotence in the face of both deadly forces. The 199th shooting took place in Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, texas. Eight people were murdered, including a 5-year-old boy. Six others were injured. Unimaginable, unthinkable carnage unfolded as a man armed with an AR-15-style rifle opened fire."

She played the clip that spread through the world on Sunday, showing a witness who ran to help, seeing a woman in the bushes. When he turned her over, he explained her face was gone.

"The accounts are getting more graphic. His account is just one of many in which eyewitnesses describe the horrors inflicted by weapons of war," continued Wallace. "Weapons like the AR-15. The gunman was eventually shot dead by a police officer. Now, his motive is still under investigation. The Washington Post reports that the suspect, 'had an apparent fascination with white supremacist or neo-Nazi beliefs that are now being examined by investigators as a possible motive for the attack.' That is according to people familiar with the investigation."

It was the second deadliest mass shooting in the country in 2023.

State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, a Democrat, explained that Texas Republicans choose to protect guns over people. He noted that the graphic descriptions of what happened to the victims are jarring but they're not something that changes the minds of the Republican lawmakers.

While the state GOP leaders are focusing on the "mental health" aspect of the tragedy, they've been unwilling to do anything about mental health either. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) slashed mental health funding drastically in the recent budget. There are no laws barring those with mental health issues from having guns. There are no red-flag laws in Texas that allow a judge to take a gun away if a person is deemed to be a danger to themselves or society. There are no plans to put up a ballot measure to allow Texas citizens an opportunity to enact laws their elected officials refuse.

The one thing that has happened thus far is that a House panel approved a bill to raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle to 21 years old. It's unclear if the votes are there to pass it or if Abbott would be willing to sign it.

More than 65 percent of Texans supported a red-flag law, according to a 2022 poll by the University of Texas at Austin.

Abbott's solution is more guns not less.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Bill Pascrell, Jr. @BillPascrell

In light of learning that the Texas mall mass murderer was a rightwing domestic terrorist I want to remind everyone that when we voted last year to crack down on domestic extremists 99.5% of republicans voted no.



https://twitter.com/BillPascrell/status/1655364128469393408

[Rick Plant]

The favorite pollster of the Republican party, Rasmussen polls, came out with their daily Presidential tracking poll and it shows President Biden with a 51% approval rating. So, over half the country approves of Biden's job performance. And they should, because Biden created the greatest economy in history with the most job creation and the lowest unemployment in history.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll, for Monday shows that 51% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Biden’s job performance.

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/biden_administration/prez_track_may08

[Rick Plant]

The Democratic Party continues to create jobs for Americans:

The Biden economy created 253,000 new jobs in April, demolishing expectations.

No surprise. Over the last 84 years, the US economy under Democratic presidents has created an AVERAGE of over 100,000 MORE jobs per month than under Republican presidents.

Think about that.

This whole "Republicans are better on the economy" idea is a MYTH put forward by the GOP's billionaire backers who just want those 1% tax cuts.

It doesn't hold up to FACTS.

[Rick Plant]

More outrageous falsehoods.  The leftists shut the country down.  They destroyed the economy.  Allowing people to return to work is not "creating jobs".  That is Alice-in-Wonderland nonsense. It is just lifting the police state lockdown. Ukraine Joe has created not a single job. In fact, he has destroyed the US energy sector.  They only industry that has prospered are the military contractors who make bombs and ammo for Ukraine.  Hundreds of billions have been spent already with no end in sight.  And no plan for ending it.

No, the blatant outrageous falsehoods is in your post above. 

3.1 million small business jobs that never existed before. Those new jobs happened under President Biden. That IS job creation. 

Unemployment is at the lowest level in history at 3.4%. People didn't have a job until President Biden came into office. That IS job creation.

Black unemployment is at the lowest level in history. People now have jobs that didn't before. That IS Job creation. And you falsely say "Biden never created a job".

Criminal Donald had manufacturing in a recession in 2019. President Biden now has a manufacturing boom with nearly 1 million new manufacturing jobs. Those are new jobs that never existed before. That IS job creation.   

Then you falsely say that "leftists shut the country down". Criminal Donald was president in 2020. Are you falsely going to claim that "leftists" had more power than Criminal Donald who was supposed to be president? That's hilarious.             

You falsely say that "Biden destroyed the energy sector". Energy is booming with thousands of new green energy jobs thanks to President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act that's bringing new jobs and factories to red states and Republican districts. 

Next time, don't post blatant falsehoods. 


Biden’s massive manufacturing push is working and U.S. companies have already committed $200 billion to new projects
https://fortune.com/2023/04/17/biden-manufacturing-chips-companies-spending-200-billion/

Unemployment Rate Is the Lowest in 50 Years
https://newrepublic.com/post/169864/december-jobs-report-unemployment-rate-lowest-50-years

Black unemployment rate hits record low 5 percent
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/07/black-unemployment-rate-record-low/

Jobs report: it's the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years
 https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/video/jobs-report-its-the-lowest-unemployment-rate-in-50-years/

Job Creation Higher than Expected in April
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/bls-hr-jobs-unemployment-may-2023.aspx

Chart: Clean energy jobs are booming. What sectors are growing most?
Plus, nearly half of the new clean energy jobs don’t require a bachelor’s degree, and most pay more than the national median salary.
https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy-jobs/chart-clean-energy-jobs-are-booming-what-sectors-are-growing-most

'Transformational change’: Biden’s industrial policy begins to bear fruit: Republican districts are winning projects
More than 75 per cent of all investment is headed to Republican-held Congressional districts, where it will create 58,000 jobs, according to FT data.
https://www.ft.com/content/b6cd46de-52d6-4641-860b-5f2c1b0c5622

Clean Energy Jobs Are Booming, Making Up For Rising Fossil Fuel Unemployment
https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2022/06/29/clean-energy-jobs-are-booming-making-up-for-rising-fossil-fuel-unemployment/

The Green Jobs Boom Is Benefiting the People Who Need It Most
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/climate-jobs-boom-communities-economy/