BET Political Wire: The NRA Robocalls Newtown Residents
Plus, gun control fight, voting battles continues, and more.
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In Case You Missed It - The National Rifle Association seeks support from Newtown residents still healing from gun violence; Mayor Michael Bloomberg funds major gun control ad campaign; supporters of voting rights win one and lose one; and more. — Joyce Jones
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Cease and Desist - The National Rifle Association has reached a new low, said two Connecticut senators after learning that the powerful gun lobbying group has been making robocalls to residents of Newtown. In a letter demanding it stop, they wrote, "In a community that's still very much in crisis, to be making these calls opens a wound that these families are still trying hard to heal." (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)
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Target Practice - Backed by $12 million from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the lawmaker's super PAC Independence USA will launch an ad campaign that aims to encourage Democratic and Republican senators from key states to support gun control measures. NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre in response accused Bloomberg of trying to "buy America." (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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Win One - Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe rejected a voter ID bill on March 21. The Democrat said it would be too costly to implement and "unnecessarily restricts and impairs our citizens' right to vote." (Photo: REUTERS/Arkansas Governor's Office/Handout)
Photo By Photo: REUTERS/Arkansas Governor's Office/Handout
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Lose One - In 2014, voters in Virginia will be required to present a valid photo ID before casting their ballots. Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the voter ID bill into law on March 26 and an executive order for a public education program to inform votes about the requirement before the 2014 U.S. House and Senate elections. (Photo: REUTERS/Randall Hill)
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Bail Denied - Ex-Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick may want to settle down and start getting used to a life behind bars for the foreseeable future. A federal judge on March 27 denied his request to be released on bond while awaiting sentencing. Kilpatrick was convicted of 34 corruption charges earlier this month and faces up to 20 years in prison. (Photo: REUTERS/Jeff Kowalsky)
Photo By Photo: REUTERS/Jeff Kowalsky/ REUTERS/Jeff Kowalsky
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Time for Change - D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser is the first candidate to announce a bid to replace Washington's current Mayor Vincent Gray. The incumbent, whose tenure has been beset by a federal investigation into his 2010 campaign, hasn't yet said whether he'll seek re-election. But Bowser is calling for change and a mayor who's "not seduced by the perks of the office or the power that comes with it, but humbled by the opportunity to lead."(Photo: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Two-For - Obamacare is causing fury among Republicans for reasons that have nothing to do with health care. Like the Motor Voter Act, which enables people to register to vote while getting a driver's license, the Affordable Care Act allows people to register on forms used to apply for Obamacare subsidies. White House spokesman Jay Carney defended the provision, noting that Medicare applications include a similar option. "The linkage of, you know, checking off whether or not you want to register to vote goes back to a 1993 law regarding Medicaid," he said.(Photo: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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No Longer Open for Business - Florida Gov. Rick Scott has found an upside to former lieutenant governor Jennifer Carroll's resignation: a chance to save money. So for now, he's shutting down the office and laying off her staff. The governor said he'll think about a replacement when the legislative session ends in May. (Photos from left: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Ripped From the Headlines - Remember failed Senate candidate Todd Akin whose assertion that women who've been "legitimately" raped have an inner shutdown mechanism that prevents them from becoming impregnated by the attack derailed his candidacy? In an example of art imitating life, his controversial remarks were the inspiration for the March 27 episode of Law and Order: SVU. "Now this is surreal," tweeted Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who beat Akin in November. (Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, file)
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Shackled - As Detroit's new emergency manager, Kevin Orr offered a "sincere olive branch" to the city's mayor, council members, residents and local leaders protested outside that their voting rights have been violated. "Anybody who believes the right to vote is sacred, ought to stand with us," the Rev. Alexander Bullock said. "This is about a [governor's] administration trying to destroy democracy. While we fight for democracy on foreign soil we are being shackled at home." (Photo: AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
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Fighting Words - Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is still angered by successor Reince Priebus' suggestion that Steele left the RNC fiscally unsound. "I kept my mouth shut for two years because, hey, I’m a party guy," Steele said on WMAL's "Mornings on the Mall." "But you know what, at the end of the day, you say to yourself, they're dumping on you, they're crapping on your legacy, they're giving you crap for stuff that they didn't want to do in the first place — coalitions, expanding media, social media networks." (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Double Trouble - Steven Brooks made history this week when became the first lawmaker to be expelled from the Nevada Assembly, following an emotional and legal downward spiral he's been on all year. Making matters worse, the two-term Democrat was arrested hours later in California, after leading officers on a high speed chase.(Photo: AP Photo/Cathleen Allison)
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To the Hilltop - Former President Bill Clinton has been chosen to deliver Howard University's 2013 commencement address. The HBCU's president Sidney Ribeau said his example as a leader, humanitarian and advocate and his commitment to public service will inspire the class. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Making Gains - The Republican Party is still out of favor with a majority of Americans, but Latinos are seeing the GOP in a more positive light. An ABC News/Washington Post poll published March 27 found that 56 percent of Latinos view the party favorably, up 21 percent from November 2011, compared to 30 percent of Americans. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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