Feb 22 Opioid overdose deaths dropped in these 14 states, prompting cautious optimism By Christine Vestal, Stateline In an opioid epidemic that began in the late 1990s, drug deaths have been climbing steadily every year, in nearly every state. A break in that trend, even if limited to just 14 states, has prompted cautious optimism among some… Continue reading
Feb 22 Trump endorses raising minimum age to 21 for more weapons By Catherine Lucey, Matthew Daly, Associated Press President Donald Trump endorsed stricter gun-control measures Thursday, including raising the minimum age to 21 for possessing a broader range of weapons than at present. Continue reading
Feb 21 Pennsylvania GOP leaders ask Supreme Court to block new congressional map By Associated Press The request to Justice Samuel Alito says the state Supreme Court usurped legislative authority and calls the decision unprecedented. Continue reading
Feb 21 ‘We want change now’: Students across country stage walkouts to protest gun laws By Ryan Connelly Holmes From Washington, D.C., to Florida and Texas, hundreds of students walked out of class in solidarity with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where a gunman killed 17 people with an AR-15 rifle last week. Continue reading
Feb 21 Florida sheriff orders deputies to carry rifles on school grounds in wake of shooting By Associated Press Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference Wednesday that the rifles will be locked in a patrol car when not in use until the agency secures gun locks and lockers. Continue reading
Feb 21 Watch 5:25 Staging walkouts and rallies, students and family members implore lawmakers to end gun bloodshed By PBS News Hour As dozens of survivors from the Florida school shooting lobbied the Republican-led Florida legislature for tougher gun control, thousands across the country heeded a call to walk out of classes, massing at Florida’s state capitol, as well as the U.S. Continue watching
Feb 21 Watch 4:19 News Wrap: Trump says Obama should have done more to stop Russian election meddling By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Wednesday, President Donald Trump charged again that former President Obama should have done more about Russian meddling in the 2016 election, while also questioning why his Attorney General Jeff Sessions is not investigating Democrats in the… Continue watching
Feb 21 Watch 11:18 These students are fed up with going to school scared for their lives By PBS News Hour Student-led rallies in support of gun control are picking up momentum in Florida and around the country, in part born out of anger over the easy availability of assault-style weapons. Judy Woodruff gets perspectives from Camille Richter and Jake Bennett,… Continue watching
Feb 21 Watch If we arm teachers, ‘we have accepted… that school shootings will not stop,’ says Detroit teacher By PBS News Hour After last week's mass shooting at a Florida school, "students are scared," gasping even at the sound of the normal school announcement system going off, says Mike Conrad, a teacher at a high school outside Detroit. Conrad joins Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Feb 21 Watch 3:19 For kids who survived the Florida shooting, the next assault is from online conspiracy theorists By PBS News Hour The immediate response to the school shooting in Florida was a national wave of prayers, condolences and political outrage. Then came a different flood: allegations and conspiracy theories about the students now calling for gun reform. Right-wing outlets and online… Continue watching