| JUST NOW – FBI DIRECTOR SPEAKS ON ORLANDO: FBI Director James Comey just gave a press conference to update on the massacre in Orlando. Here’s what he said:
TIME’s Zeke Miller: Comey: “there are strong indications of radicalization of this killerhttps://bit.ly/1UOcW4Z
Bloomberg’s Kendall Breitman: James Comey says he will not use the killer’s name – says it plays into “twisted minds” who want to carry out attacks for fame https://bit.ly/1PXN9LM
NewsChannel 8’s Bruce DePuyt: FBI Director James Comey: “We see no indication that this attack was directed from outside the U.S.” https://bit.ly/1ULRC2I
CNN’s Deirdre Walsh: FBI Director Comey reports that Mateen called 911 three times during the Orlando attack, pledged loyalty to ISIS leader https://bit.ly/24M9Y6M
Politico’s John Bresnahan: LBGT & Muslim congressional staff associations will hold joint vigil for victims of Orlando shooting on East Side of Capitol today https://bit.ly/1S2BntH
Politico’s Seung Min Kim: The suspect, per Comey, had claimed previous connections to Al Qaeda and Hezbollah (Comey notes Hezbollah is enemy to ISIS) https://bit.ly/1U4eMz7
NPR’s Domenico Montanaro: Comey painting picture of Orlando killer who wasn’t really aware in a sophisticated way of the terror groups he was bragging to a part of https://bit.ly/1Ynz9wF
ALSO BREAKING – OBAMA NEWS CONFERENCE: After meeting with law enforcement and national security advisers, President Obama said there is currently no evidence to suggest the shooter in Orlando was directed by an international terror group. Obama said it appears to be a case of “homegrown extremism” and called it a “devastating attack on all Americans.” https://bit.ly/1Oluklg
NEW REPORTING: Tweet from National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar: MSNBC reporting that law enforcement believes the Orlando gunman may have scouted out Disneyworld as possible venue for attack.https://bit.ly/1tsmeOH
It’s a heartbreaking Monday after the horror in Orlando. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of what you missed this morning — and what’s on tap for the rest of the day. Send comments, story ideas and upcoming events to cmartel@thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.
TRUMP IS THROWING OUT SOME SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS: On “Fox and Friends” this morning, Donald Trump cast doubt on President Obama‘s commitment to fighting “radical Islamic terrorism,” saying “there’s something going on.”
Full quote: “We’re led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he’s got something else in mind. And the something else in mind, you know, people can’t believe it, people cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can’t even mention the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ There’s something going on. It’s inconceivable. There’s something going on,” he said. https://bit.ly/1U958k9
CNBC’s John Harwood
ex-Bush natl sec aide Dan Senor, after Trump suggested Obama complicity: “should be serious concern” over giving Trump classified briefings https://bit.ly/25TdGBi
WHAT WE KNOW:
- Shooter: 29-year-old Omar Mateen was identified as the gunman who carried out the attack.
- Victims: At least 50 people were killed, including Mateen; 53 were wounded or injured.
- Red flags? The FBI said it had conducted three interviews, in 2013 and 2014, with Mateen, who was born in New York to Afghan parents, but did not determine he represented a threat. https://bit.ly/1rlvK4a
- Video from suspect’s father: Mateen’s father posted a video on Facebook saying he doesn’t know what motivated his son. He also said, “God will punish those involved in homosexuality,” according to CBS, adding that it’s “not an issue that humans should deal with.” https://bit.ly/1tlZ2AU
UPDATE: The gunman’s father appeared on CNN late this morning saying he would have called the FBI himself if he knew what Omar was planning. “It is very sad news today for all Americans, and I am very, very mad,” he said. https://bit.ly/1ULEKtr
- Statement from shooter’s ex-wife: Via The New York Times’s Jack Healy, Mateen’s ex-wife Sitora Yusufiy described an abusive relationship — she said he beat her, confiscated her paychecks and isolated her in their home. She fled with the help of her parents in 2009. https://nyti.ms/1ZKNcL9 The Washington Post has a brief video interview with her. Watch: https://wapo.st/1trVwpi
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW:
- ISIS ties: Did Mateen have direct ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria? ISIS has claimed responsibility for the event, but Reuters is reporting there is no immediate evidence linking the suspect. https://reut.rs/1Xj7rkX
- Victims’ names: All of the victims have been identified and families are being contacted, but all names haven’t been released. Here are the names of victims that have been released: https://bit.ly/1sBVPNC The city of Orlando will continue to update this page.
- What went down: The order of events between the first reported shots, at 2 a.m., and 5 a.m., when the ordeal ended. Here’s what we do know from BBC: https://bbc.in/1U3UZA5
POLITICAL REACTION: The massacre in Orlando has inflamed the presidential race. Here’s the latest: https://bit.ly/234NWwG
- Obama: In a brief, somber statement, President Obama called the mass shooting “an act of terror and hate.” https://bit.ly/1XRV14q
- Ryan: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) refrained from criticism of Obama in his statement and said the U.S. was at war with Islamic terrorism. https://bit.ly/234J7U7
- Trump: Donald Trump called for “looking at the mosques,” called for Obama to step down for refusing to attribute the shooting to radical Islam and blasted Hillary Clinton for also not using the words “radical Islam.”
UPDATE: Clinton’s response: I’m happy to say “radical Islam,” but that’s not the point: https://bit.ly/1sC1OSu
Donald Trump is now taking credit for Hillary Clinton‘s use of the term “radical Islamism” to describe the terror threat. https://bit.ly/28xnnnG
UPDATE: Trump ally Roger Stone accused Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin of potentially being a “terrorist agent.” https://bit.ly/1tmsSFi
THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS — HOW ORLANDO COULD AFFECT SPENDING BILLS: Via The Hill’s Cristina Marcos and Jordain Carney, the House is expected to consider the annual spending bill for the Defense Department, but the events in Orlando yesterday will significantly change how these go down. How so: The defense bill was held up last month after Democrats repeatedly forced votes on a 2014 executive order prohibiting contractors from discriminating on sexual orientation. GOP leaders then cherry-picked amendments, and the bill was held up. Update this week: Dems are sure to file that LGBT amendment again, and the optics of the timing couldn’t be worse. Here’s what else is going on (and more context) in Congress this week: https://bit.ly/1sBYKWy
ISIS: Lawmakers of both parties will likely also try to submit amendments requiring Congress to enact a formal war authorization against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria instead of relying on a statute passed for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq more than a decade ago.
More spending bills: Next up in the Senate is the $56.3 billion Commerce, Justice and Science spending bill. Important to note: Similar to other appropriations bills, the legislation includes restrictions on President Obama’s ability to house Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States.
Defense authorization: The Senate is poised to pass a wide-ranging defense policy bill, despite opposition from the White House and conservative groups.
IRS: The House is expected to consider legislation authored by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) to prohibit the IRS from requiring tax-exempt organizations to include the identifying information of contributors in annual tax returns.
BREAKING IN NON-ORLANDO NEWS — SCOTUS PUERTO RICO RULING: Via The Hill’s Lydia Wheeler, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that Puerto Rico can’t restructure its public utilities’ debts to avoid a financial crisis. Details: In the 5-2 ruling, the justices said that although the government and people of Puerto Rico should not have to wait for possible congressional action to avert a financial crisis, the Constitution does not allow them to re-write a statute that Congress enacted in 1984. https://bit.ly/1sC7Pi7
ANNOUNCED TODAY — MICROSOFT IS BUYING LINKEDIN: Via Reuters, “Microsoft Corp agreed to buy LinkedIn Corp for $26.2 billion in its biggest-ever deal, combining the software giant’s fast-growing cloud services business with an online network of 433 million professionals.” https://reut.rs/1rlGkYW |
