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U.S. NEWS Thursday 14 december 2023

U.S. lawmakers gather at the White House on easing gun violence.

‘You’re not in it alone,’ Harris says

By COLLEEN LONG The issue figures heavily into
Associated Press the Biden-Harris 2024 re-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The election campaign, which
White House on Wednes- hopes to reach younger
day hosted nearly 100 voters who are deeply
lawmakers from around concerned about gun vio-
the country to discuss how lence.
their states can try to bet- The president has also
ter reduce gun violence. pushed for a ban on so-
“You’re not in it alone,” called assault weapons.
Vice President Kamala Har- “I do believe that when
ris told them. that generation starts vot-
The event was run by the ing in their numbers, we’re
Office of Gun Violence Pre- going to see an abrupt
vention, a new undertaking change,” Harris said.
from President Joe Biden She said there were real
in September that has de- challenges in address-
veloped guidelines to help ing gun violence but that
states take action. “we’re up against some
“We’ve been meeting with who would suggest a false
the state legislators ever choice.
since the start of our office, That is that you are either fa-
and one thing we hear all voring the Second Amend-
the time is they want to do Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, ment or you want to take
more to reduce gun vio- in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. everyone’s guns away.”
lence,” said Stefanie Feld- Associated Press “I’ll speak for myself: I am
man, director of the Office Nevada, Las Vegas. That there are best practices to members in their daily lives. absolutely in favor of the
of Gun Violence Preven- shooter had a list of targets be fair, including not only The Democrat’s adminis- Second Amendment. And
tion. at the school and more what people write in terms tration says it believes the I’m also in favor of an as-
“The question is, what than 150 rounds of ammu- of proposing legislation, response to gun violence sault weapons ban.”
should they do and how?” nition, police said. but how you think about should better resemble Before the meeting, the
The gathering attracted Harris, tasked by Biden with work and how you will think how the government acts Justice Department came
lawmakers from 39 states, running the office, told the about messaging, how you after natural disasters. The up with model legislation
including Nevada, where lawmakers it was “our re- will think about empower- new White House office is on safe storage of weap-
a gunman last week killed sponsibility, our chosen re- ing and uplifting.” an effort to create a cen- ons and on reporting lost
three faculty members sponsibility, dare I say our Biden has called gun vio- tralized response from the and stolen firearms, and
and wounded a fourth in duty, to do the work of lay- lence “the ultimate super- federal government and state lawmakers can take
a roughly 10-minute ram- ing the path to get where storm,” affecting not just be a place where commu- that back to their legisla-
page at the University of tures. q
we need to go. ... And victims but also community nities can turn for resources.

Appeals court denies Trump’s ‘presidential immunity’ argument in

defamation lawsuit

By PHILIP MARCELO NEW YORK (AP) — A fed- ruled that former President flawed” and that the for- sexually abused her in the
Associated Press eral appeals court has Donald Trump gave up his mer president’s legal team dressing room of a Manhat-
right to argue that presi- would be immediately ap- tan luxury department store
dential immunity protects pealing to the U.S. Supreme in 1996.
him from being held liable Court. Trump has adamantly de-
for statements he made in Roberta “Robbie” Kaplan, nied ever encountering
2019 when he denied that a lawyer for Carroll, said Carroll in the store or even
he raped advice columnist the ruling allows the case knowing her.
E. Jean Carroll. to move forward with a trial Trump, who is again running
A three-judge panel of the next month. for president next year, is
2nd U.S. Circuit Court of “We are pleased that the also attempting to use the
Appeals in Manhattan on Second Circuit affirmed presidential immunity argu-
Wednesday upheld a low- Judge Kaplan’s rulings and ment as he faces charges
er court’s ruling that Trump that we can now move for- he plotted to overturn the
had effectively waived the ward with trial next month 2020 election, which he lost
immunity defense by not on January 16,” she said in to Joe Biden.
raising it when Carroll first an emailed statement. In Carroll’s lawsuit, his law-
filed a defamation lawsuit Carroll’s lawsuit seeks over yers argued that the low-
against him four years ago. $10 million in damages er-court judge was wrong
Former President Donald Trump, center, sits at the defense Alina Habba, a lawyer for from Trump for comments to reject the immunity de-
table with his attorney’s Christopher Kise, left, and Alina
Habba, at New York Supreme Court, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Trump, said in an emailed he made in 2019 the year fense when it was raised
New York. statement that the rul- Carroll said in a memoir three years after Carroll
Associated Press ing was “fundamentally that the Republican had sued Trump.q