Gabrielle Giffords

Report: Giffords To Be Released From Hospital On Friday

Jillian Rayfield | January 19, 2011, 1:05PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Less than two weeks after she was shot in the head in Tucson, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) will reportedly be released from the hospital.

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Giffords shooting

Poll: Six In Ten Voters Want Police Presence At Congressional Forums

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 11:22AM

Capitol police

Following the shooting earlier this month in Arizona that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital after being shot in the head, voters overwhelmingly want their elected representatives to keep holding town hall style meetings, but to do so with a beefed up security detail, according to a new poll commissioned by The Hill.

In the poll, 91% of respondents said it was either "very important" or "somewhat important" for lawmakers to continue meeting with their constituents. In addition, 60% said that police should be present at those gatherings, versus just 28% who said that police did not need to be there.

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Health Care

Dem Rep: Tucson Hero Wants Health Care Bill Kept In Place

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 19, 2011, 10:49AM

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

As Democrats ramp up their day-long press tour to criticize the House Republican plan to vote on a repeal of the landmark health care reform bill today, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is using this month's tragedy in Tucson to take on the GOP.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Wasserman Schultz -- who was joined by several other Democratic members of Congress as well as several Obama administration officials including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- said that one of the heroes of the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in the hospital is opposed to the House legislative action today.

"Normally I would step to a microphone like this and tell a story about the impact that decision might have on a constituent in my district," Wasserman Schultz said. "Instead what I'm going to do is share with you what Pat Maisch -- who was the hero who dropped the second magazine out of the gunman's hand during the tragedy in Tucson -- what she planned to say to Gabby Giffords when she was waiting on line to talk to her."

Wasserman Schultz said Maisch wanted the health care reforms signed into law by President Obama in March kept in place, and that the Arizona grandmother bemoaned the tone of the repeal debate led by the new Republican House majority.

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Sarah Palin

Gallup Poll: Palin's Unfavorability Rating Hits All-Time High

Jon Terbush | January 19, 2011, 9:16AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK)

Sarah Palin has yet to decide if she will run for President, but a USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday may give her some pause, as it finds that her popularity nationwide has sunk to a record low.

In the poll, 38% of respondents said they viewed Palin favorably, while 53% said they viewed her unfavorably. That represents the worst favorability rating Palin has posted in the Gallup poll since John McCain put her on the national stage in 2008 when he named her as his running mate.

In the last Gallup poll, from November 2010, Palin's unfavorability rate was 52%, compared to 40% favorable.

The 53% of respondents who now say they view her unfavorably is on par with the 54% of respondents who said they viewed former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi unfavorably. Pelosi just presided over the House Dems' loss of 63 seats.

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Giffords shooting

Poll: Americans High On Obama's Tucson Response -- And Low On Palin's

Jon Terbush | January 18, 2011, 11:10AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and President Barack Obama (D)

Sarah Palin may be reloading, but Americans are retreating from her--at least when it comes to how she responded to the shooting spree in Tucson that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition.

According to a new ABC-Washington Post poll, just 30% of Americans approve of Palin's response to the shooting, versus 46% who disapprove. That low approval is even more striking when compared to Americans' opinion of how Obama responded to the tragedy. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they approve of the President's response, while only 12% respondents said they disapprove.

Similarly, a PPP poll released this morning also found that a plurality of voters disapproved of Palin's response to the shooting. Forty percent of respondents to that poll said Palin's response was "inappropriate" compared to 27% who said it was appropriate.

And as Greg Sargent points out, not even a majority of Republicans think Palin handled her response well, according to the ABC-Washington Post poll. Forty-eight percent of Republicans said Palin handled the situation well, fewer than the 53% who said Palin's nemesis, the so-called "lame stream media," handled it well.

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Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Defends 'Blood Libel,' Says Loughner Was 'Perhaps Even Left-Leaning' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 18, 2011, 9:20AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday night provided the nation with her definition of "blood libel" and defended her initial response to criticism of her map that featured the district of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in crosshairs. The map was released almost a year before the shooting that nearly took Giffords's life earlier this month.

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Bill O'Reilly

O'Reilly: I Defended Palin -- So Why Won't She Come On My Show?

Eric Lach | January 14, 2011, 1:20PM

Last night on The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly displayed a sensitive side.

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2012

Palin Sitting Down With Hannity For First Interview Since Arizona Shooting

Jon Terbush | January 14, 2011, 8:49AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin will sit down Monday with fellow Fox pundit and notorious softball lobber Sean Hannity, according to the New York Times, for her first interview since wading into the debate over the Tucson shooting.

Palin's decision to do her first post-Tucson interview on Fox News isn't too surprising given that she's a paid Fox contributor who's often expressed disdain for the so-called 'lamestream media.' But Hannity's show in particular should provide her with a very friendly setting to speak her mind without getting grilled.

In the past, Hannity's show has given Republicans a safe venue to sit in the spotlight while avoiding tough questions others in the media were dying to ask. Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, and Christine O'Donnell took to his show after they face planted out of the starting gate in the midterm elections. And Palin herself has been down this road before, having gone on Hannity's program in 2008 after her much maligned performances in interviews with Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric.

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Arizona

After The Shooting: Tucson Seeks The New Normal

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 13, 2011, 2:20PM

TUCSON, AZ -- They cheered, they cried, they celebrated and they mourned. And for perhaps the first time since the deadly shootings on Jan. 8, Tucson did it as one when the city gathered for last night's memorial service on the campus of the University of Arizona.

In the days immediately following the massacre at a constituent event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Tucson struggled to find its footing. As I was told so many times by so many different people this week, Tucson is the "Berkeley of Arizona," a blue drop in a sea of red. So perhaps it was no surprise that the first reaction to the killings was fractured, rather than united with the state as a whole.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: 'We Will Heal': The Memorial In Tucson]

Just hours after suspected gunman Jared Lee Loughner's rampage outside a Safeway in one of the posher areas of the city I toured this week, Tucson Tea Party Patriots leader Allyson Miller struck a combative tone. She had already checked her group's Facebook page to make sure Loughner wasn't a tea partier.

"I think anytime you start suppressing freedom of speech, I think it's wrong," she told me. "I live here and I didn't hear anything [in the 2010 campaign] that concerned me in terms of inciting violence."

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Gabrielle Giffords

Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Wasserman Schultz Describe Giffords Opening Her Eyes

Megan Carpentier | January 13, 2011, 10:23AM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Last night, on the plane back to Washington with the President, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) described in more detail what they saw when, as President Obama said last night, "Gabby opened her eyes for the first time."

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Giffords shooting

Conservatives Criticize Free T-Shirts At Tucson Memorial Service

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 12, 2011, 8:25PM

TUCSON, AZ -- Some conservatives are upset over t-shirts bearing the logo "Together We Thrive: Tucson & America" that were handed out to attendees at tonight's memorial service in the McKale Center on the campus of the University Of Arizona here.

The shirts, which bear the same logo that adorns other items from the event -- including press passes, signage and volunteer t-shirts -- were placed on many of the seats in the lower sections of the arena when tonight's capacity crowd walked in.

The University Of Arizona did not immediately respond to requests for more information on the shirts, which are drawing fire in the conservative twitter- and blogosphere tonight. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A person familiar with the event confirmed the university put the event together, and was responsible for t-shirts, tickets, fliers, etc.

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Giffords shooting

Tucson Tea Party Leader Says Threats Are Keeping Him Away From Obama Rally

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 12, 2011, 1:36PM

Trent Humphries

TUCSON, AZ -- Trent Humphries, the leader of the largest tea party group in this mourning southern Arizona city, has nothing but praise for the way President Obama has led the nation through the aftermath of Saturday's mass shooting at a constituent event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). But Humphries won't be there tonight when Obama speaks at a memorial rally intended to unify Tucson after six people were killed in the tragedy.

Humphries says he's been getting threats at his home from people who seem to hold him and his organization partially responsible for the shootings Saturday.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: On The Job In Arizona]

Humphries told TPM he thinks Obama's visit will help put an an end to the political debates and let Tucson refocus on healing after the deaths of six of its citizens. Humphries told TPM he's called the Sheriff's department more than once in the past few days to make them aware of threatening phone calls.

"We got a not-so-veiled threat," Humprhies told me. "The Sheriff's deputies told me to stay away from public places."

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CBS

CBS Poll: Support For Stricter Gun Laws Spikes After Tucson Rampage

Jon Terbush | January 12, 2011, 10:31AM

Handguns on display

The number of Americans who favor stricter gun laws has spiked significantly in the wake of the weekend shooting spree that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition, reversing a long-running trend of declining support for more stringent gun control, according to a new CBS poll.

In the poll, 47% of respondents said gun laws should be made tougher, while 36% said they should remain unchanged, and just 12% said they should be relaxed. While that means a slim plurality (48%) are opposed to strengthening gun laws, that opposition has dropped 10 points since CBS last polled the question less than one year ago.

In April 2010, CBS pegged total opposition to stricter gun laws at 58%, with 42% saying gun control was fine as is, and 16% saying that laws should be scaled back. And 40% supported tougher gun laws -- a number that's now risen to 47%.

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Giffords shooting

Clyburn: Palin Intellectually Unable To 'Understand What's Going On' (AUDIO)

Eric Lach | January 12, 2011, 9:16AM

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC)

In her response to the tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others in Arizona, Sarah Palin criticized journalists for manufacturing a "blood libel" against her. On a radio program this morning, Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (D-SC) said that the former Alaska Governor "just can't seem to get it."

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Barack Obama

Rasmussen Poll: 45% Concerned Obama's Opponents Would Resort To Violence

Jon Terbush | January 12, 2011, 8:44AM

President Barack Obama

The shooting spree in Tucson, Arizona that killed six people and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in critical condition has heightened public awareness of how vulnerable elected officials are, and spurred a discussion of what further measures should be taken to protect them. Yet compared to one year ago, fewer Americans now believe it is at least somewhat likely that people opposed to President Obama could resort to violence against him, according to a Rasmussen poll taken in the days following the Tucson tragedy.

In the poll, a 45% plurality said they were to some degree concerned that Obama's opponents would resort to violence against him, versus 52% who said it was not a major concern of theirs. Last March, 53% of Americans thought Obama's opponents could take violent action against the President. That poll was conducted shortly after the passage of the much demonized Democratic health care reform bill, which sparked large public protests rife with the sort of violent political rhetoric some have said may have contributed to the events in Tucson.

Democrats were most likely to fear violent retribution against the President, with 67% saying that was at least somewhat likely, compared to just 30% of Republicans and 40% of Independents who thought the same.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Arizona Bill Aimed At Westboro Signed Into Law

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 11, 2011, 9:51PM

TUCSON, AZ -- Gov. Jan Brewer (R) tonight signed a hastily written and passed law aimed squarely at Westboro Baptist Church. The law, which will take effect immediately, aims to deny Westboro -- the notorious Kansas church group led by anti-gay preacher Fred Phelps -- the chance to disrupt the funeral of a 9-year-old girl killed in the mass shooting in Tucson Saturday morning.

From the Arizona Republic:

Senate Bill 1101 creates a "funeral protection zone" that bans protesters within 300 feet of a funeral service. The ban applies to one hour before, during or after a funeral service. A violation is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

The bill was passed in the legislature earlier today by unanimous votes in the state House and Senate. As TPM reported earlier today, the bill was modeled on similar legislation aimed at curbing Phelps and his church in Ohio. That law has been upheld by a federal district court.

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Stephen Colbert

Colbert On AZ Shooting: 'Did We Pick Someone To Blame Yet?' (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 11, 2011, 12:30PM

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert last night started out on a serious note, offering condolences to the families and friends of the victims of Saturday's mass shooting that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hospitalized in critical condition.

"We, of course, send our thoughts and prayers," Colbert said. He then added that now is not the time to "lay blame or politicize" the tragedy, only to follow by showing a handful of highly politicized pundits reacting to the shooting.

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Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords Doctors: 'She's Breathing On Her Own'

Jillian Rayfield | January 11, 2011, 12:27PM

Doctors at the University of Arizona Medical Center just gave a press conference on the condition of the mass shooting victims in Tucson, and said that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is "breathing on her own" after being shot in the head.

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Arizona

Arizona's Fixation On Immigration And Guns: A Recent History

Jillian Rayfield | January 11, 2011, 12:19PM

TPM illustration: Chris Broughton, Jared Lee Loughner, Sheriff Joe Arpaio

The mass shootings in Arizona over the weekend that killed six and left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) in critical condition after being shot in the head hardly marks the first time the state has been under scrutiny for its tense political atmosphere and somewhat off-the-rails policies. In April, TPM took a microscope to the state in the wake of its incredibly controversial immigration policy.

So it's time to ask again, what's the matter with Arizona?

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2012 elections

Pawlenty: Palin's Gun Sights Map Not 'My Style' (VIDEO)

Jon Terbush | January 11, 2011, 12:01PM

In an appearance on Good Morning America today, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) pushed back against assertions that violent political rhetoric was to blame for the weekend shooting rampage in Arizona, which left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D) hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head. But Pawlenty said politicians must still be mindful that their words can potentially be misconstrued as incitement.

"There's no reason to believe, at this point, that there's any motivating factor tied to a particular politician or a particular show or a particular act. It appears to be the rage of a mentally unstable person, and sometimes they do irrational and senseless things," Pawlenty said. "Let's make sure before we make judgments or sweeping condemnations that we have all the facts up."

When asked specifically about Sarah Palin--who has been widely criticized for her PAC's map that used gun sights to target the districts of Democratic congressmen, including Giffords, who she hoped to oust in 2010--Pawlenty said there was no reason to believe that the map inspired the Tucson shootings, but that he would have been more tactful when launching a similar campaign.

"It wouldn't have been my style to put the crosshairs on there," Pawlenty said. "But again there's no evidence to suggest that that had anything to do with this mentally unstable person's rage and senseless acts."

Pawlenty had previously made similar comments to the New York Times.

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Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart: I Hate Our Toxic 'Political Environment' -- But Who Knows If It Caused AZ Shooting? (VIDEO)

David Taintor | January 11, 2011, 11:53AM

Jon Stewart

In the wake of the mass shooting in Arizona over the weekend that left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hospitalized in critical condition, Jon Stewart last night traded quick quips for a warning: "I would love to say that we've got a great show for you tonight; not sure that's the case."

"How do you make sense of these types of senseless situations?" Stewart asked. Both sides of the political aisle are trying to exonerate themselves from blame, or implicate the other side, he said.

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Gun Control

Dems And GOP Agree: Gun Control Is A Non-Starter In AZ Following Shooting

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 11, 2011, 11:32AM

Arizona State Representative Daniel Patterson (D-Tucson)

TUCSON, AZ -- Arizona's answer to the deadly shooting at a constituent event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) Saturday will likely be more guns at political rallies, not less. That's the word from Democrats and Republicans in this mourning desert city still reeling from this weekend's mass shooting that left six dead and 14 injured, including Giffords, who remains in critical condition after being shot in the head.

Simply put, local politicians say, Arizona loves guns. And that means that there's little or no chance that curbing their purchase or availability will be one the political agenda for the foreseeable future.

Despite a renewed national call for new firearms regulation following the shooting, the best gun control-supporting Arizonans can hope for is a slower pace in Arizona's continuing march toward looser gun control laws.

"That's not going to happen in Arizona," state Rep. Daniel Patterson (D-Tucson) told me in an interview last night when I asked about gun control. "The more likely response is we're going to have to think about having more armed guards at [political] events."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: On The Ground In Arizona: TPM Retraces Shooting Suspect's Steps ]

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Giffords shooting

Giffords Doctor: 'Prognosis For Survival Is 100 Percent' (VIDEO)

Eric Lach | January 11, 2011, 10:22AM

One of the surgeons treating Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) for the gunshot wound to the head she sustained Saturday says her chances for survival are "100 percent," and that he's optimistic "she's not going to be in a vegetative type of state."

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CBS

CBS Poll: Nearly Six In Ten Say Heated Rhetoric Unrelated To AZ Shooting

Jon Terbush | January 11, 2011, 10:18AM

US Senate candidate Joe Miller's (R-AK) supporters in a parade with guns in hand.

In a CBS poll released this morning, almost 60% of Americans said they don't think strong political rhetoric is to blame for Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona that left six dead and wounded over a dozen others, including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

In the poll, 57% of respondents said that intense political discourse had nothing to do with the attack, versus 32% who said that it was a contributing factor to the shooting. By political demographics, Republicans were less inclined to see a connection. Sixty-nine percent of Republicans said there was no connection, while 19% said it was in some way related. Among Democrats, 42% saw a connection between violent rhetoric and the weekend's events, compared to 49% who said the two were unrelated.

The results show that the general public largely disagrees with one of the early story lines to emerge from the tragedy--that a recent spike in violent political speech may have created an environment in which someone actually took violent action.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Pima County GOP Chair Opposes Anti-Westboro Law

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 10, 2011, 10:49PM

TUCSON, AZ -- The leader of the county Republican party here says he's inclined to oppose the state legislature's efforts to prevent the Westboro Baptist Church from capitalizing on Saturday's shootings at a constituent event for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) by staging protests outside the funeral of the shootings youngest victim, 9-year-old Christina Green. But that doesn't mean he's prepared to let the protests go unhindered.

Brian Miller, chair of the Pima County GOP, says the nascent effort to pass a law that keeps Westboro from harassing mourners sounds to him like a dangerous step toward limiting First Amendment rights.

"I don't know what's in the law, but I do think it's indicative of always looking to the law to solve problems," Miller told me in an interview tonight. He said the county GOP is against those kinds of solutions.

"We will not sign on or advocate any policy that limits free speech," he said.

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Chris Matthews

Chris Matthews Grills Tea Party Leader: Why Would Someone Bring A Gun To A Political Rally?

Jillian Rayfield | January 10, 2011, 6:43PM

Chris Matthews & Judson Phillips

Chris Matthews talked to Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips today, and grilled him on second amendment issues and the "history of violence" in America. Referencing the fondness of tea partiers for bringing guns to political rallies, Matthews asked: "Why are guns talked about so much, especially on the right?"

Phillips replied that "guns are talked about on both sides of the political spectrum," and "liberals talk about it all the time. Usually in terms of taking the right to bear arms away from us."

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Arizona

Gov. Brewer: Arizona 'Will Never Be Brought Down' (VIDEO)

Jon Terbush | January 10, 2011, 5:07PM

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who was scheduled to deliver her state of the state address today, instead used the occasion to mourn the past weekend's shooting in Tucson, and to call on the nation to persevere.

"I had intended to deliver a state of the state address today, remarks that outline an exciting and solid plan for job creation, education and tax reform," Brewer said. "And I will deliver that plan to you, but not now, not today."

"Tragedy and terror sometimes comes from the shadows to steal our joy and take away our peace," Brewer went on. "That happened on Saturday, when a gunman took away people we love, innocent people."

Brewer then called for a moment of silence to honor the victims of the tragedy and their families, naming each of the six people killed including 9-year-old Christina Green and Arizona's Chief Federal Judge John M. Roll. President Obama had led the nation in a moment of silence earlier today.

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Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords Sent Email On Eve Of Shooting Calling For Toned Down Rhetoric

Eric Lach | January 10, 2011, 1:33PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R)

The night before she and 19 others were shot at an event in Tucson, Arizona, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) wrote a warm email to Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, where she told the Republican "we need to figure out how to tone our rhetoric and partisanship down."

Giffords remains in the hospital in critical condition after being shot in the head Saturday.

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Fox News

Media Matters Calls On Murdoch To Rein In Beck, Palin

Brian Beutler | January 10, 2011, 1:00PM

Fox News host Glenn Beck

In a letter delivered to News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch Monday afternoon, and obtained by TPM, Media Matters founder David Brock says the time has come for Fox News to take responsibility for its programming. Specifically, Brock is calling on Murdoch to make Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck tone down their rhetoric on threat of termination -- or to be complicit in acts of political violence.

"Beck and Palin are two of Fox's most recognizable figures," Brock writes. "Before this heartbreaking tragedy in Arizona, you were either unwilling or unable to rein in their violent rhetoric."

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Sal Russo

Tea Party Express Leader: Left Is 'Revolting And Disgusting' For Blaming The Tea Party

Jillian Rayfield | January 10, 2011, 12:39PM

Another Tea Party leader is accusing the left of unfairly blaming the Tea Party for the mass shootings in Arizona, describing how "revolting and disgusting the left is for trying to associate the tea party with violence like this."

Sal Russo, the leader of the Tea Party Express, said on Fox News today that shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner "was obviously a leftist. He admired Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto. Those are not volumes that are popular with the Tea Party so he was obviously a left-wing anarchist, he was probably Anti-Semitic."

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Gabrielle Giffords

Clinton At Abu Dhabi Town Hall: Loughner An 'Extremist'

David Taintor | January 10, 2011, 12:24PM

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

During a town hall segment for a talk show in Abu Dhabi today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton labeled alleged Arizona shoot Jared Lee Loughner an "extremist," National Journal reports.

"Look, we have extremists in my country," Clinton said. "A wonderful, incredibly brave young woman Congress member, Congresswoman Giffords was just shot in our country. We have the same kinds of problems. So rather than standing off from each other, we should work to try to prevent the extremists anywhere from being able to commit violence."

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Mark Meckler

Tea Party Leader: Left's Reaction To Shooting 'Sinks To The Level Of Evil'

Eric Lach | January 10, 2011, 12:13PM

Tea Party Patriot's Mark Meckler

A top Tea Party leader is accusing the left of using the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others in Arizona this weekend for political advantage, and said he thinks it's "genuinely revolting."

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Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords Doctors: 'We're Not Out Of the Woods Yet'

Jillian Rayfield | January 10, 2011, 11:43AM

Doctors from the University of Arizona Medical Center just gave a press conference with an update on the victims of the mass shootings Saturday that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and they said that though with Giffords "we're not out of the woods yet," so far there's been no change, and "at this phase in the game, no change is good."

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Gabrielle Giffords

Police Release 911 Calls From Giffords Shootings (AUDIO)

Jillian Rayfield | January 10, 2011, 11:20AM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Police have released the audio of the 911 calls made in the immediate aftermath of the mass shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords among its victims. Giffords remains in the hospital after being shot in the head.

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Gabrielle Giffords

Kristol: Palin Critics Practicing McCarthyism

Brian Beutler | January 10, 2011, 9:41AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Conservatives are circling their wagons around Sarah Palin and other incendiary figures on the right in the wake of Saturday's shooting spree in Arizona. The latest is Weekly Standard editor, and Palinisto Bill Kristol, who said that Palin's critics are practicing "McCarthyism."

On C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" Monday morning, Kristol claimed there's no evidence to suggest that shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner is an acolyte of Palin's. "The attempt to exploit this tragedy is distasteful," Kristol said.

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Jared Loughner

2 Reps. Say They'll Now Carry Guns In Their Home Districts

Eric Lach | January 10, 2011, 9:32AM

Reps. Heath Shuler (D-NC) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)

In the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others in Arizona this weekend, Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Heath Shuler (D-NC) say that they will carry firearms when in their home districts.

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Arizona

Divisions Persist In Tucson In Wake Of Giffords Shooting

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 10, 2011, 8:45AM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

TUCSON, AZ -- Late on Sunday afternoon, the site of the mass shooting in Tucson that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) in critical condition in a local hospital remains sealed by Sheriff's deputies. Past the stretched yellow caution tape and the flashing lights of the deputies' cruisers, folding tables covered with red cloth appear to still be where they were during the Giffords constituent event that ended in a hail of gunfire Saturday morning.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Dem Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona]

The imagery from the tragedy of Saturday is still that fresh. And the emotional response to the shooting from both sides of the political spectrum remains raw. Tucson local Alex Winant came to the corner of Ina and Oracle Sunday to lay flowers near the spot where Giffords was shot.

Winant, a transplant from California, said he supported the reaction to the shooting from Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who Winant said was right on the money when it comes to the problems in Arizona Dupnik has said were exposed by the shooting.

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Gabrielle Giffords

House To Hold Bipartisan Caucus Meeting For Post-Shooting Safety Info

Brian Beutler | January 9, 2011, 4:00PM

John Boehner (R-OH) with Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

In the aftermath of the Arizona shooting spree, House Republican leaders have cleared the legislative calendar for next week, which means that for the most part U.S. politics will slow to a crawl. Instead, members -- Democrats and Republicans -- will participate in a joint caucus meeting Wednesday, to be briefed on security precautions in the wake of the shooting.

Because of the preponderance of freshman and other junior members, who were not on the Hill during the 9/11 and anthrax attacks, many haven't been briefed on how to prepare for and handle emergencies. They will try to rectify this Wednesday, according to Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson.

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Robert Mueller

Mueller: Loughner To Be Charged Today

Brian Beutler | January 9, 2011, 1:13PM

At a press conference in Tucson this morning, FBI Director Robert Mueller announced that the government will file formal charges against Jared Loughner Sunday afternoon. The preliminary complaint will include the murder of Judge John Roll, and the shootings of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and several of her staffers.

"Formal charges are expected this afternoon," Mueller told reporters, though he said it's still unclear when Loughner will first appear in court.

Mueller said he was not going to preclude charges under domestic terrorism statutes as the investigation continues, and that investigation will focus in part on Loughner's possible connections to white supremacist groups. Loughner had attended a similar event with Giffords in 2007, and had corresponded with her staff.

Joining Mueller at the podium, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik downplayed the speculation that a second person of interest had anything to do with the crime. "It would appear to us that the person may not have been involved at all," he said.

Dupnik described the crime in vivid detail, including the fact that an unnamed, wounded woman attempted to wrestle a magazine full of bullets away from the shooter. Loughner ultimately inserted the clip, but the gun didn't fire, and two men managed to knock the weapon away from him.

Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords' YouTube Account Is Subscribed To Suspect's

Jillian Rayfield | January 9, 2011, 12:36PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' official YouTube account is subscribed to her suspected shooter's, though it's unclear when this occurred, who did the subscribing, or why.

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