Brad's Newsletter
The swirl of emotions after the murderous attack on the Highland Park Independence Day Parade is something unlike anything I've ever experienced. All the senses are distorted. Things don't sound quite right. The world doesn't look quite right. Time stops. Grief wells up from a deep, dark reservoir, only to be supplanted by waves of white-hot anger.
Con el horrible ataque en el desfile del Día de la Independencia de Highland Park todavía fresco en nuestra memoria, y la zona del tiroteo siendo una escena del crimen activa, nuestras almas se compadecen de las familias de los asesinados y de todos los afectados por los acontecimientos del día.
With the horrific attack on the Highland Park Independence Day Parade still fresh in our memory, and the area of the shooting still an active crime scene, our souls ache for the families of those murdered and all those impacted by the events of the day.
I am writing to you from the plane home from D.C., still reeling from the Supreme Court's devastating decision today to overturn Roe v. Wade, upending nearly 50 years of established law protecting women's reproductive rights.
I wanted to start today's newsletter with a quote I think many of us can relate to:
Another week, more mass shootings. More than 250 already this year. More than 30 just since Uvalde. As so many others have said, other countries have mental health problems, but only the United States has daily mass shootings. More on that below.
I am saddened to once again start my weekly letter with reflections on the gun violence afflicting our nation. Last week we were consumed with the murder of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Ulvade, Texas. I am still trying to get my head around the horrifying details of that day. And yet the pace of shootings continues unabated in our country.
May is certainly off to a wild start, perhaps with the only constant being that it's still raining. It's been great to be home this week after a busy week in Washington last week. But before I talk about what I've been doing of late, I want to begin with a brief reflection on the pending Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade.
Last week the House was in session all five days, with a busy schedule of hearings, briefings and meetings, plus some legislating. Of particular note was the passage of a bill to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month. It was also the first week since March 2020 that the Capitol Campus was open again to visitors.
Vladimir Putin's horrific war against Ukraine continues.