Jared Loughner

Gabrielle Giffords

Rep. Giffords Making 'Excellent' Progress, May Attend Husband's Shuttle Launch

Jon Terbush | March 11, 2011, 11:56AM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

Just two months after suffering a gunshot wound to the head that left her in critical condition, Rep. Gabriel Giffords (D-AZ) is making 'excellent' progress in her rehabilitation treatment and can already communicate in full sentences, according to her doctors who spoke at a news conference Friday morning.

While remaining cautious, Giffords' doctors said she has been making "leaps and bounds" in her treatment, remaining positive throughout and even surprising them at times with her steady improvement. And, as was reported Thursday, her doctors said there is a "good possibility" that she will be well enough to attend her husband's shuttle launch on April 19.

"She's making so much progress, and it's so exciting for everyone, including her," said Dr. Dong Kim. "She's getting better on a daily basis."

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.

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.

John Dingell

John Dingell Runs Through Litany Of Violent Rhetoric On House Floor (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | January 12, 2011, 4:37PM

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)

Members of Congress have, by and large, stayed out of the partisan fray over violent rhetoric in the wake of the Arizona shooting spree. But there have been some exceptions. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) took the opportunity to muse that the government may be withholding information about the crime because Jared Loughner is a flag-hating Marxist liberal who might embarrass President Obama.

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), by contrast, ran through a litany of now-infamous statements by high-profile politicians, leaving blank the names of people and issues under threat.

"Let me read some statements that I have seen to be pretty awful," he said on Wednesday.

Here they are in order:

Louie Gohmert

Gohmert: FBI Mum On Loughner's Politics To Avoid Embarrassing Obama's Constituents

Jillian Rayfield | January 12, 2011, 3:16PM

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) complained today that the FBI is not releasing details on suspected Tucson shooter Jared Loughner's politics, and suggested that it's because his politics may turn out to be liberal: "it may be embarrassing to some of the current administration's constituents, and, heaven help us, we wouldn't want to embarrass any of the president's constituents."

Jan Schakowsky

Schakowsky: Peculiar How Defensive People Get About Critiques Of Violent Rhetoric

Brian Beutler | January 12, 2011, 2:22PM

Jan Schakowsky

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) sees positive signs that the shooting spree in Arizona has eased tensions between the political parties. But she says it's mighty peculiar that some folks get so annoyed at the general suggestion that political rhetoric can beget violence.

"It's interesting to me how incredibly defensive that this discussion has become," she said outside of a caucus meeting Wednesday. "Does anybody really want to defend the use of a bullseye, or the image of a member of Congress, shooting at it?"

Mike Pence

Pence: Americans Have A Right To Carry Guns & Protest Loudly

Jillian Rayfield | January 12, 2011, 10:34AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence called it a "slippery slope" to connect guns at political rallies with the Tucson shootings over the weekend that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Pence referenced "the heat of the debate over the war in Iraq, when I saw people gathering on the national mall and waving placards that spoke strong opposition to the Bush administration."

"All of that is what freedom is all about," he said.

Gabrielle Giffords

Sharron Angle: It's 'Irresponsible' To Blame Me, Palin And Tea Party Movement

Jillian Rayfield | January 12, 2011, 8:58AM

Sharron Angle

Former Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle has spoken out against the shootings in Tucson this weekend that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords -- who remains in critical condition after being shot in the head -- saying that "expanding the context of the attack to blame and to infringe upon the people's Constitutional liberties is both dangerous and ignorant."

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin Accuses Journalists Of 'Blood Libel,' Calls Loughner 'Apolitical' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 12, 2011, 7:50AM

Four days after a gunman attempted to assassinate Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin responded to criticism over a map she posted before the election that featured gun sights over 20 targeted Democratic districts, including Giffords's.

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.

Virginia Foxx

GOP Rep: Loughner's Beliefs 'The Liberal Of Liberals'

Brian Beutler | January 11, 2011, 4:44PM

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) says political rhetoric doesn't really incite violent behavior at all -- but not before describing Arizona shooting suspect Jared Loughner as a "communist" and "the liberal of liberals."

"This guy appears to be a communist," Foxx told the Winston-Salem Journal. "His beliefs are the liberal of the liberals [sic]. There is no evidence whatsoever that this man was influenced by Sarah Palin or anybody in the Republican Party. This man is not a conservative; he's a fan of communism - that's the opposite of conservatism."

Westboro Baptist Church

Arizona's Anti-Westboro Baptist Bill Modeled After Ohio Legislation

Evan McMorris-Santoro and Ryan J. Reilly | January 11, 2011, 3:20PM

TUCSON, AZ -- The Arizona state legislature's plan to limit the ability of members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church to protest the funerals of victims of the mass shooting over the weekend is gathering overwhelming bipartisan support.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Fox News

How Glenn Beck And Fox News Successfully Painted AZ Shooter As Hitler, Marx Devotee

Brian Beutler | January 11, 2011, 10:45AM

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck

Within hours of the shooting spree in Arizona, conservative blogs lit up with the news that the suspect, Jared Loughner, was an aficionado of Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifesto. A Hitler/Marx devotee, the logic went, is someone too idiosyncratic or crazy to be part of any mainstream political movement. Some went further, and cited the information as proof that Loughner was the sort of big-government liberal they had nightmares about.

As with so many of these fast-propagating conservative memes, this one got its start on Fox News.

Westboro Baptist Church

Arizona To Take On Westboro Baptist Church In Wake Of Shooting

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 10, 2011, 6:53PM

A member of the Westboro Baptist Church protests at a military funeral.

TUCSON, AZ -- The Arizona state legislature is planning to limit the ability of members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church to disrupt the funerals of victims of Saturday's deadly shooting, an area state Representative tells TPM.

In one of its first acts since a gunman attacked a constituent event hosted by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), a bipartisan group of state legislators is expected to push through a bill this week that would deny the Westboro Bapist Church -- the Kansas-based congregation led by Fred Phelps that's best known for protesting military funerals -- some of the media spotlight the group seems to crave.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Moment Of Silence: Nation Reflects On Tragic Arizona Shooting]

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."

Jared Loughner

Pima County Dem Chair: Time Will Prove Loughner To Be A Right-Winger

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 10, 2011, 5:51PM

Jared Loughner

TUCSON, AZ -- Conservatives gloating about the biography of the suspected shooter of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) will eat their words in the end, according to the chair of the Pima County Democratic Party.

"Here's what I think you're going to find," Jeff Rogers told me in an interview today. "I think you're going to find that he was [a conservative]."

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

I met with Rogers in his downtown Tucson office this afternoon to discuss the aftermath of the tragic shooting that left six dead on Saturday. Authorities charged Jared Loughner with the shootings. He's a 22-year-old local with a long history of disturbing and confusing behavior, and many have pointed to mental illness as the root cause of the incident. That set off an ongoing wave of recriminations from conservatives who claim the left has used the tragedy to go after the tea party and its stars.

Rogers, a defense attorney in town and a man with long connections to the city he calls "the Berkeley of Arizona," said that he's convinced people who immediately connected the shooting to the violent right-wing rhetoric of the past two years in Arizona have the right idea. He's convinced that once more is known about Loughner, a connection to the right will be found.

"I think we'll find a treasure trove of stuff from his computer," he told me. "How much of that we're going to get from law enforcement and know about and when? I don't know. But I'm betting you'll see a fair amount of that."

Tea Party Express

Tea Party Express Fundraises Off Giffords Shooting: 'Tea Party Won't Be Silenced'

Jillian Rayfield | January 10, 2011, 4:55PM

In an apparent effort to distance themselves from the mass shootings in Arizona over the weekend, the Tea Party Express sent out an email to supporters proclaiming that they "won't be silenced" -- and asking for contributions.

Gabrielle Giffords

Brady Defends Proposed Law Banning Bullseyes On Politicians

Brian Beutler | January 10, 2011, 3:59PM

Rep. Bob Brady (D-PA) doesn't just think things like putting bullseyes on your political opponents is in poor taste. He thinks it should be illegal. In the wake of the Arizona shooting spree, he's introducing legislation to extend protections given to the President of the United States to members of Congress and others.

Predictably, he's taking a lot of heat for it. Though practically everybody has come down hard on Sarah Palin for her now infamous target list -- Palin herself took it off her PAC's website after the shooting -- it appears the Giffords attack had nothing to do with Palin or any particular piece of rhetoric.

But Brady's not backing down. Monday afternoon, he entered the lion's den -- Fox News -- to defend himself.

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.

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."

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."

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."

Nancy Pelosi

Sounding The Alarm: Dems Warned Political Climate Could Incite Lone Wolves

Brian Beutler | January 10, 2011, 12:07PM

Nancy Pelosi

In March 2010, as he was preparing to vote for the health care law, conservative advocates published photos of then-Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH) with his family -- and posted his address, and directions to his house -- on the internet.

Then-House Minority Leader John Boehner, who represents a district adjacent to the one Driehaus served, told a conservative magazine that Driehaus would be a "dead man" in Cincinnati if he voted for the legislation. After the vote, Driehaus vented.

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."

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.

Jared Loughner

Two Other Giffords Staffers Seriously Wounded In Shooting

Brian Beutler | January 10, 2011, 9:39AM

Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Ron Barber (left) and Pam Simon (right)

Jared Loughner has been charged with the attempted murder of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and with the killing of her aide, Gabe Zimmerman. But he's also been charged with the attempted murders of two of her staffers, both of whom are expected to survive.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Topics: Arizona, Gabrielle Giffords, Giffords shooting, Jared Loughner, Robert Mueller

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.

Gabrielle Giffords

Doctors Say Gabby Giffords 'Able To Communicate'

Ryan J. Reilly | January 9, 2011, 12:10PM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

A doctor said Sunday that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was "able to communicate with us this morning" by following simple commands.

Doctors issued an update on the condition of Giffords on Sunday morning at the hospital in Arizona where Giffords is being held following the shooting incident at a town hall meeting Giffords was holding yesterday.

Emanuel Cleaver

Emanuel Cleaver On Giffords Shooting: 'We've Got To Watch What We Say' (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | January 9, 2011, 11:55AM

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that politicians need to think about their rhetoric in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others (including a federal judge) in Arizona, "or this darkness will never ever be overcome with light."

"The hostility is here -- people may want to deny it -- it's real, and if we don't stop it soon, I think this nation is going to be bitterly divided to the point where I fear for the future of our children," Cleaver said.

Cleaver was on a panel on the program along with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID).

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Across the Nation, Vigils Held for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords]

"We've got to watch what we say," Cleaver said. "Congress meets a lot, but it rarely comes together," Cleaver said.

"They say I'm right, and you're evil, and that is what's damaging this country," Cleaver said.

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

"We're all in this for the same reasons, to make America a better place," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said. Wasserman Schultz suggested that Democrats and Republicans should have an event or retreat to come together.

Meet the Press also aired comments that former President Bill Clinton made on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing about the use of political rhetoric.

"What we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or that we should hold less passion for the positions we hold, but that our words really do matter. There is this vast echo chamber, and the words fall on the serious and delirious alike," Clinton warned. "Have at it. Go fight. Do whatever you want. You don't have to be nice. But be careful with what you say and do not advocate violence."

Watch the video below:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Topics: Arizona, Emanuel Cleaver, Gabrielle Giffords, Giffords shooting, Jared Loughner

Gabrielle Giffords

Giffords' Friend: Dem Rep Is In An 'Induced Coma'

Jillian Rayfield | January 9, 2011, 11:30AM

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ)

A family friend of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords told ABC's This Week that the congresswoman is in an "induced coma" after being shot in the head in yesterday's mass shooting in Arizona.

Sarah Palin

Palin Aide: Crosshairs On Target List Not Actually Gun Sights

Brian Beutler | January 9, 2011, 10:52AM

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

An aide to Sarah Palin claims the crosshairs depicted in her now-infamous target list of Democrats were not actually gun-sights, and that it's "obscene" and "appalling" to blame Palin for the shooting.

"We never ever, ever intended it to be gun sights. It was simply cross-hairs like you'd see on maps," said Rebecca Mansour on the Tammy Bruce radio show. Moreover, there was "nothing irresponsible" about the image, and to draw a line connecting Palin and Saturday's shooting is "obscene" and "appalling."

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Across the Nation, Vigils Held for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords]

You can see the original image below. Mansour called the crosshairs "surveyor marks." Palin has removed the list from her PAC website, but not from her Facebook page.

Gabrielle Giffords

Intern Who May Have Saved Giffords' Life Describes The Shooting

Jillian Rayfield | January 9, 2011, 10:50AM

Investigators at the crime scene of the shooting involving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, AZ. At least 19 other people were also shot.

Daniel Hernandez, the 20-year-old intern who attended to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the immediate aftermath of the shooting in Arizona yesterday, told ABC News that "the congresswoman was alert" after she had been shot in the head.

TPMDC Jared Loughner

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