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U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., tried to amend a gun control bill from U.S. House Democrats to ensure law enforcement is notified when a potential gunbuyer–including illegal immigrants– fails a federal background check. Looking to amend the Democrats’ “Bipartisan Background Checks Act,” from his perch on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Steube used language from U.S. Rep. David Cicilline’s, D-RI, “Unlawful Gun Buyer Alert Act” which has the support of U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-NY, the chairman of the committee. But both Cicilline and Nadler voted against his amendment. “Clearly, the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee don’t care about...

Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline (D) sharply criticized tech giant Facebook on Twitter on Wednesday evening, arguing that the social media company can't be trusted any longer to regulate itself. In a series of tweets, the lawmaker ripped into Facebook executives over a New York Times report detailing how the company used a Republican opposition research firm to link public detractors of the company to billionaire Democratic donor George Soros amid criticism of Facebook for its use by Russian operatives to influence Americans during the 2016 election. The report was based mainly on anonymous, insider accounts. "We’ve known for some...

More than 60 Democratic representatives are demanding an ethics investigation into President Trump's ties to China, following the president's recent push to rescue Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) posted a letter to David Apol, acting head of the federal government's ethics office, to Twitter on Sunday, stating that the request was prompted by Trump "advocating" for ZTE just days after the Chinese government gave one of the president's business endeavors a $500 million loan. In the letter, lawmakers say the business dealing between the Trump Organization and China may have violated U.S. laws forbidding public officials from...

WASHINGTON—The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) have launched a national advocacy campaign encouraging U.S. Senators to block a planned sale of U.S. F-35 stealth fighters to Turkey’s increasingly erratic and anti-American Erdogan regime. The ANCA and Hellenic American Leadership Council have joined forces to launch a grassroots campaign to block the impending F-35 sale to Turkey (Graphic: ANCA) This joint Hellenic-Armenian American initiative – the most recent in a series of ANCA-HALC advocacy campaigns – warns Senators against the dangers of providing Erdogan with advanced weapons that he may turn against our...

Calling for more gun control in the wake of mass shootings has become the norm for the president, politicians, and pundits alike—and Orlando has been no different. This time, however, a more surprising face has joined the bandwagon: Fox News’ Gretchen Carlson. “Yes, the Orlando massacre was terror,” she said, “But there’s no doubt that Omar Mateen was able to kill so many people because he was firing an AR-15, a military style assault weapon, a weapon easier to buy in the state of Florida than buying a handgun.” Let’s break for a moment here to point out that right...

Rainbow flag signs with "#ShootBack" written on them were found plastered across West Hollywood on Thursday morning, causing a stir among residents and condemnation from city leaders, less than a week after the shooting rampage at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The flags, blending a snake symbol used by the Tea Party with the symbol for gay pride, were found all over the Southern California city Thursday morning, including in front of City Hall and one of the city's most popular gay bars, the Abbey. Crews worked all afternoon to remove the signs. City leaders say even though they're still...

In a private meeting of Democrats on Wednesday, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) begged his colleagues to push a measure that might have actually prevented Sunday morning’s carnage in Orlando: an assault weapons ban. Cicilline was answering the call of President Barack Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, to keep “weapons of war” off the streets. But Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi nixed it. Better, she said, to focus on barring terror suspects from buying guns. That measure’s a no-brainer for Democrats, she reasoned, and easier to explain to the public. "It’s not that we’re not strong enough to make the...

During a private meeting on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi rejected the “assault weapons” ban being pushed my Democrat colleagues and Fox News’ Gretchen Carlson. Pelosi said Democrats should focus on fights that are actually winnable, and she does not see an AR-15 ban as one of those fights. According to Politico, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) put forward the “assault weapons” ban, and Pelosi shut it down. She said, “It’s not that we’re not strong enough to make the fight. It’s just that we want to win the fight.” Breitbart News reported that Gretchen Carlson took time on air...

Greg Nash Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) has proposed a bill to automatically register Americans to vote, fresh off of similar calls by Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton. “Today, too many politicians are trying to make it harder than ever for citizens to make their voices heard at the ballot box,” Cicilline said in a statement on Wednesday. “The Automatic Voter Registration Act will protect the right to vote and expand access for eligible voters across the United States. I thank my colleagues who have co-sponsored this important legislation that helps to expand one of our most essential rights as...

MSNBC’s Alex Witt is clearly one of those journalists who wishes Bill Clinton’s Monica Lewinsky sex scandal would completely fade from memory so as not to obstruct Hillary Clinton’s potential bid for the White House in 2016. On Sunday’s edition of Weekends with Alex Witt, the host went so far as to apologize after her guest mentioned Lewinsky’s name. [Video below. MP3 audio here.] Witt was talking to Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) about Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) attempts to link Mrs. Clinton to her husband’s sexual misdeeds in the 1990s. Cicilline, a loyal Democrat, stuck up for Hillary and downplayed...

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) announced Sunday that she has spearheaded a bipartisan letter calling on the French government to cancel plans to release a convicted terrorist who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of an American and an Israeli diplomat. The letter, which was sent to France’s Ambassador to the United States, urges French officials to stop the release of George Ibrahim Abdallah, the former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Brigade who was convicted in 1987 of killing an Israeli diplomat and a U.S. military attaché. The U.S. State Department has also expressed its opposition...