| The Senate takes up the gun violence debate again; the US and Europe look to take action on China. Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg. | | | | | | | Debate on gun violence is renewed after a mass shooting in Boulder | | | | | Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images | | - After a mass shooting Monday in Boulder, Colorado, killed 10 people, Congress is once again debating how to curb the gun violence epidemic that affects the United States far more than other developed countries. [USA Today / Matthew Brown and Savannah Behrmann]
- The House, in which Democrats have a narrow majority, passed two gun reform bills earlier this month before the mass shootings in Atlanta last week and Boulder this week. Eight Republicans joined all but one Democrat in voting for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. [ABC News / Michelle Stoddart]
- The bill would expand background checks for all firearm sales and transfers. A second bill, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, passed more strictly along party lines. This bill would prohibit gun sales from being processed before a background check is complete. [CNN / Daniella Diaz and Jessica Dean]
- Both bills are unlikely to pass the Senate, despite Democrats holding the slimmest of majorities in the upper chamber. With the filibuster still in place as a tool for the minority party, the Democrats would need Republican support to pass sweeping reform. [Vox / Sean Collins]
- No developed country has anywhere near as big a problem with mass shootings and gun violence. The US has nearly four times as many homicides by firearm per million people as any other advanced country, according to 2012 numbers from the Human Development Index. [Vox / German Lopez]
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused his Democratic colleagues of "ridiculous theater" for proposing more widespread reforms like universal background checks, saying such measures would take guns from "law-abiding citizens." [Business Insider / Sarah Al-Arshani]
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, vowed that "this Senate will be different" and will address gun violence. But a key Democratic vote, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. [AP / Mary Clare Jalonick]
- In 2013, when the Democrats held a slightly larger majority, the Senate still could not pass background check legislation after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Four Republicans supported that legislation, but four Democrats opposed it. [The Hill / Jordain Carney]
- Some Republicans, including Cruz and Iowa's Chuck Grassley, continued to push widely debunked arguments against stricter gun laws, including that Black Lives Matter and the movement to defund police are to blame for high rates of gun violence. [Mother Jones / Matt Cohen]
| | | The US and Europe mount a joint effort to combat China's aggressive policy | | - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Wednesday address that China is a threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, particularly in the realm of cybersecurity. Blinken specifically referred to China's military efforts in the South China Sea and human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslims. [CNBC / Amanda Macias]
- Blinken's comments were made at NATO headquarters in Brussels in front of NATO foreign ministers, shortly after the US and European allies enacted sanctions against Chinese officials in the far Western region of Xinjiang, home to the Uyghurs. [AP / Lorne Cook]
- Despite Blinken's urging, the US will not force NATO members to pick sides between Washington and Beijing. France and Germany, two of the European Union's most powerful members, are looking to become less dependent on the US for protection. [Reuters / Robin Emmott]
- The US's relationship with NATO allies was harmed under the Trump administration, and Biden is working quickly to help repair it. Blinken's remarks were a clear attempt to refocus NATO's efforts on combating China's rise to world power status as an authoritarian state. [Washington Post / Sara Bjerg Moller]
| | | | | | | Israel's fourth election in two years has not yet produced a clear victor. Right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party received the most votes, but he still lacks a clear path to a majority. | | | [Washington Post / Steve Hendrix and Erin Cunningham] - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are debating legislation over voting rights reform. The For the People Act, which would set federal standards for early and mail-in voting, recently passed the House. [USA Today / Savannah Behrmann]
- The city of Oakland, California, will make monthly $500 payments to low-income families of color for the next 18 months. Recipients may spend the money in any way they choose. [CNN / Maria Morava and Scottie Andrew]
- A new Covid-19 variant has been found in India, which is experiencing a recent spike in confirmed cases (though it hasn't been determined whether the variant is driving the increase in cases). The variant is being described as a "double mutant," similar to the variants found in the United Kingdom and South Africa. [NPR / Sushmita Pathak]
- Traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal was snarled Tuesday by a giant cargo ship that had been turned sideways, blocking nearly the entire passageway. The ship is nearly a quarter-mile long and weighs roughly 220,000 tons. [CNBC / Michael Sheetz]
| | | | | Support our journalism | | Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. | | | | | | | | | | "We are Senate leaders. What are we doing? What are we doing other than reflecting and praying? We're not going to agree on every proposal, but if we share a commitment to reduce gun deaths, some proposal will work." | | | | | | | | | | |
When scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly impossible conclusion. [Spotify / Noam Hassenfeld] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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