Who Said That
Barry Black, the U.S. Senate chaplain, regarding the deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tenn., this week. Black implored lawmakers to take action as he opened the legislative session on Tuesday, but some lawmakers are opposed to legislation that would restrict gun control. The shooting in Nashville was the 130th mass shooting incident so far this year. (NPR — March 28, 2023)
Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus Chair London Lamar, regarding the shooting deaths of three children and three employees at a church-run school in Nashville on Monday. Republican lawmakers just last week voted down a bill, proposed by Lamar, that would have enacted more gun control in the state. (Chattanooga Times Free Press — March 28, 2023)
Jeff Bernauer, a resident of Huntsville, Ala., on why he does not support reparation movements across the U.S. Bernauer is among a large swath of Americans, about three-quarters or more of white adults and a majority of Latinos and Asian Americans, who oppose reparations. Overall, two-thirds of Americans are against cash payments to the descendants of slaves. Bernauer believes racism is a sin and says of course slavery was wrong. (NPR — March 27, 2023)
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, accepting the resignation of Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom after a $3.5 billion error in the year-end financial report he oversaw. Eckstrom has held the position for 20 years; his resignation will be effective April 30. (NPR — March 23, 2023)
North Dakota state Rep. SuAnn Olson, regarding a bill that would prohibit public schools and state agencies across the state from referring to students and employees by any pronouns that don’t reflect their sex assigned at birth. The House approved the bill 60-32 with both Democrats and Republicans voting against the bill. (Associated Press — March 23, 2023)
New York Attorney General Letitia James, regarding reports of car wash businesses, largely in predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods, raising prices by as much as 50 percent for Jewish customers ahead of Passover. As part of the holiday, Jews traditionally avoid eating foods made from leavened grain and many partake in cleaning their homes, cars and other spaces of all “chametz.” (NPR — March 22, 2023)
Missouri state Sen. Mike Moon, regarding efforts to block gender-affirming care for minors throughout the state. Republican lawmakers have struggled to get proposed legislation passed and the GOP-led Senate ultimately failed to get anything passed before the Legislature left for their annual spring break. However, on Monday, March 20, Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that he will sidestep the legislative struggles and file an emergency rule to limit access to the care. (Associated Press — March 20, 2023)
President and CEO of 7‑Eleven, Joe DePinto, regarding the convenience chain’s decision to create its own electric vehicle charging stations, called 7Charge. The chargers will support both CCS and CHAdeMO plug types, but the expected power levels of the chargers is not yet known. (Ars Technica — March 20, 2023)
Teresa Calderez, just one of the many Americans who have felt the negative effects of the end of pandemic assistance programs, like boosted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP benefits. The supplemented benefits ended this month, cutting payments by about $90 a month for individuals and $250 or more for some families. According to the Department of Agriculture, SNAP cost $119 billion last year with the additional pandemic-related payments, which equates to about 2 percent of the national budget for 2023. (NPR — March 17, 2023)
Tony Caligiuri, president of the preservation group Colorado Open Lands, regarding how a heavy-precipitation year can reduce the feelings of urgency to address longer-term issues of water storage and conservation. Though much of the West has had record-breaking levels of rain and snow this year, it’s unlikely that it will create enough wiggle room to wind back the clock on water use limitation proposals and other water-saving measures and offset drought conditions. (Associated Press — March 16, 2023)
Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh, regarding her three-week filibuster in opposition to a bill that would outlaw gender-affirming therapies for those 18 and younger. When the bill advanced out of committee, Cavanaugh promised to filibuster every bill that comes before the Legislature this year — even the ones she supports. March 15 is the halfway point of this year’s 90-day session and not a single bill has passed due to Cavanaugh’s filibustering; since she began her blockade, only three bills have advanced from the first of three rounds of debate required to pass a bill in Nebraska. (Associated Press — March 14, 2023)
The office of Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, regarding controversial comments from McNally’s Instagram account with a young man who was posting nearly naked pictures on the social media platform. In one instance, McNally’s account commented on a revealing picture of the 20-year-old with heart and fire emojis; in another, the young man appears to not be wearing underwear, and McNally's account posted a comment saying, “great picture! Best wishes for continued health and happiness.” McNally has issued an apology, stating that he did not intend to embarrass his friends, family or members of the Legislature. (The Hill — March 14, 2023)
Ten-year-old Fabian Aguirre, a student at V.H. Lassen Academy of Science and Nutrition, regarding the challenge that it can be to learn while hungry. All students at Fabian’s Phoenix-area school are eligible to receive free meals. More than 34 million people, including 9 million children, across the country are food insecure. (Associated Press — March 11, 2023)
Gerald Harmon, president of the American Medical Association, regarding the fact that gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. The pandemic increased the rate of gun deaths in kids overall but also exacerbated the racial disparities among gun violence: Black children were 100 times more likely to be shot than white children between 2020 and the end of 2021; Hispanic and Asian children were 26 times and four times more likely to be shot than white children, respectively. (Ars Technica — March 9, 2023)
The license plate of Peter Starostecki, who is vegan, which was rejected in Maine’s effort to crack down on lewd and vulgar plates. The state determined that Starostecki’s tag could have been a reference to sex, while the motorist insists that there is no mistaking his intent. He has several tofu-related stickers on the back of his vehicle. Starostecki said the plate was his protest against eating meat and animal products. (Associated Press — March 9, 2023)
Jill Schlesinger, CBS news business analyst and author of The Great Money Reset, regarding the great swing in finances for many Americans over the last several years. The pandemic-induced federal aid resulted in the highest personal savings rate on record which was quickly followed by high inflation that has caused a nearly 30 percent increase in debt for millennials since before the pandemic to about $3.8 trillion. (NPR — March 8, 2023)
Mississippi state Sen. Joey Fillingane, regarding a bill that would restrict electric car manufacturers from opening new brick-and-mortar dealerships in the state unless they follow the same rules as traditional carmakers. Fillingane has criticized the bill for potentially causing the state to fall behind others in the race to attract EV companies’ investments. The bill was passed by the Legislature and will head to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk. (Associated Press — March 3, 2023)
Justin Tupper, the president of the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, regarding the federal decision to release new requirements regarding when meat, poultry or eggs can be labeled “Product of USA.” Currently, policy allows voluntary use of such labels on products from animals that have been imported from a foreign country and slaughtered in the U.S., but also includes meat that’s been imported and repackaged or further processed. (Associated Press — March 6, 2023)
Former College Park, Md., Councilwoman Denise Mitchell, regarding the arrest of Mayor Patrick Wojahn on 16 counts of distributing child pornography and 40 counts of possessing it. Wojahn resigned on Thursday, March 2, and Mitchell has stepped in to serve as mayor pro tempore until a special election is held. (NPR — March 3, 2023)
Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, a professor of culture and gender studies at the University of Michigan, regarding states’ efforts to ban drag shows for allegedly contributing to the sexualization or grooming of children. Tennessee passed legislation on Thursday that Gov. Bill Lee has promised to sign, which changes the definition of adult cabaret in the state’s law to mean “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors” and bans adult cabaret from taking place on public property or any place where minors might be present. The bill also reclassifies “male or female impersonators” as adult cabaret. (Associated Press — March 2, 2023)
Elizabeth Sepper, professor of law at University of Texas at Austin, regarding the fear many Texas doctors have surrounding abortion, even simply just saying the word in the exam room. (NPR — March 1, 2023)
Fin Smith, an organizer of the LGBTQ gun club Rainbow Reload, which aims to give the gun-curious a chance to practice firearm skills in a supportive environment while also preparing them to protect themselves from a rising chorus of threats against LGBTQ+ people. (NHPR — Feb. 23, 2023)
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, making an abrupt about-face and suddenly offering support for a full year of Medicaid coverage to women after they give birth. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the nation and approximately 60 percent of births in the state are to women covered by Medicaid; usually the state allows just two months of postpartum Medicaid coverage. (Associated Press — Feb. 26, 2023)
Trevor Lauer, president of DTE Electric, regarding the winter storms that passed over much of the nation this week while hitting Michigan especially hard, putting more than 820,000 customers in the dark at one point. Approximately 3,000 power lines were toppled after they were coated with ice as thick as three-quarters of an inch. (Associated Press — Feb. 24, 2023)
The Leadership Conference Education Fund and the Project on Government Oversight, in a report that urges the Department of Justice to gain a better understanding of the number and causes of in-custody deaths. Using data from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the report says that the federal government likely undercounted deaths in custody in 2021 alone by nearly 1,000, as compared to other data sources. (NPR — Feb. 23, 2023)
U.S. Senator Jon Tester, announcing his campaign for re-election in 2024, a boon for Democrats. Tester has represented the state since 2007. (Reuters — Feb. 22, 2023)
Virginia state Senator Jennifer McClellan, regarding the likeliness that she will become the state’s first Black congresswoman. The Feb. 21 special election is to fill a vacancy created by the November death of Rep. Don McEachin. (Reuters — Feb. 21, 2023)
Lincoln County, W.Va., school district, on its Facebook page and website shortly before midnight on Thursday, Feb. 16, as floodwaters in the area forced some students to sleep at the school overnight. Community members, stores and churches donated cots, blankets, pillows and other supplies to Lincoln County High School for the students to use for the night. (Associated Press — Feb. 16, 2023)
Eric Mitchell, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, regarding the end of federal government policies that were adopted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will reduce Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by about $82 a month. (Reuters — Feb. 16, 2023)
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, in her announcement on Tuesday, Feb. 14, that she will not seek re-election in 2024. Feinstein was the first woman to chair the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the first woman to serve as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the first woman president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco and the first woman elected senator of California. (NPR — Feb. 14, 2023)
