Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) blamed declining church attendance, violent video games, prescription drugs, social media bullying and other societal factors — but not guns — for the wave of mass shootings in the U.S. during an address to National Rifle Association (NRA) members on Friday. “We know that many of these who seek to commit…
Author: Karl Evers-Hillstrom
NRA leader calls gun ownership ‘fundamental human right’
National Rifle Association (NRA) officials dismissed calls for stricter gun laws on Friday during their annual convention, which is taking place in Houston, a city less than 300 miles from the Texas school shooting that claimed the lives of 19 children and two adults. NRA Wayne LaPierre told his group’s members that the Uvalde mass…
All eyes on NRA meeting featuring Cruz, Trump following Texas tragedy
Tuesday’s devastating mass shooting is thrusting the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) annual meeting in Houston, Texas this weekend into the spotlight. The pro-gun lobbying group’s convention, located roughly 300 miles from the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school where at least 19 children were shot and killed, is set to feature remarks from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott…
Lobbying world
Kim Corbin joined Pioneer Public Affairs as a partner. Corbin most recently served as senior adviser to House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and previously was staff director of the U.S. Joint Economic Committee under Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). Maria Pica Karp joined food processing company ADM as vice president of global government relations. Pica Karp most recently…
Freight railroad slowdowns under microscope amid supply crunch
Freight railroads are failing to keep pace with consumer demand, putting additional strain on the nation’s supply chains that have been plagued by trucker shortages and congested ports, among other challenges. Trade groups representing energy and agricultural producers say that rail service disruptions are delaying shipments of raw materials and driving up prices that…
On The Money — Biden faces soft deadlines, hard choices with agenda
Senate Democrats missed a milestone to get President Biden’s economic agenda through the Senate. We’ll also look at a steep drop in home sales and how the Federal Trade Commission is trying to get to the bottom of the formula shortage. But first, read up on the ISIS plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush. Welcome…
Bottom line
TECHNOLOGY Shopify hired Tiber Creek Group to lobby on issues related to sustainability, small businesses, competition policy and platform liability. Tim Molino, former counsel for Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, will work on the account. The tech-backed Chamber of Progress hired Subject Matter to lobby on issues related to technology and competition. Steve Elmendorf, former senior adviser to…
DC housing market hot despite rate hikes
Rising interest rates are expected to cool the housing market, but some markets may be immune — chiefly in Washington, D.C., where decision-makers are raising rates. The housing market in the nation’s capital has shaken off previous economic swoons, and it is continuing to stay hot even as rising interest rates and record prices cool…
Senate blocks $48 billion aid package for restaurants, other small businesses
The Senate on Thursday blocked a bipartisan bill to provide $48 billion to restaurants, gyms and other small businesses hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Senators voted 52-43 to hold a vote on the bill, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to move forward. Just five GOP senators voted for the motion to proceed,…
Retailers press Biden to lift China tariffs to fight inflation
The National Retail Federation (NRF) on Wednesday urged President Biden to reduce or eliminate tariffs on Chinese goods as a way to help combat red-hot inflation. The lobbying group claimed that lifting tariffs on Chinese goods first imposed by the Trump administration could reduce consumer prices by as much as 1.3 percent. “Consumers and businesses…