Wolf calls anew to expand background checks to gun shows
By MARC LEVY, Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is renewing his call for lawmakers to pass legislation expanding background checks on firearms in Pennsylvania and end an exception for shotguns, sporting rifles and semi-automatic rifles that are sold at gun shows.
The Democratic governor’s statement Tuesday comes three months after a truck driver walked into a Pittsburgh synagogue and fatally shot 11 people. Six were wounded, including four police officers.
The Republican-controlled Legislature last year passed legislating forcing people in Pennsylvania with a domestic violence ruling against them to more quickly surrender their guns.
However, the Legislature has long resisted gun-control measures, such as expanding background checks. The House’s Republican majority leader, Bryan Cutler, says Pennsylvania already has fairly comprehensive background checks and says policymakers instead might find agreement on mental health interventions.

Directly contradicting President Donald Trump, U.S. intelligence agencies have told Congress that North Korea is unlikely to dismantle its nuclear arsenal, that the Islamic State group remains a threat and that the Iran nuclear deal is working. The chiefs made no mention of a crisis at the border for which Trump has considered declaring a national emergency. Their analysis stands in sharp contrast to Trump’s focus on security gaps at the border as the biggest threat facing the U.S.

Donald Trump’s longtime friend and confidant Roger Stone has made an uncharacteristically silent exit from his court hearing. Stone raised his hands to make victory signs but didn’t speak publicly Tuesday as he left the Washington federal courthouse, where he had pleaded not guilty plea to charges filed in the special counsel’s Russia probe. Stone was arrested last week in Florida and spent the weekend publicly blasting special counsel Robert Mueller’s case against him as politically motivated.

The FBI says investigators found no manifesto, video, suicide note or other communication from the gunman behind the 2017 mass shooting on the Las Vegas Strip. Findings from the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit released Tuesday show several potential factors that may have driven him to unleash a hail of gunfire on the crowd at a country music festival.

The U.S. State Department says American’s shouldn’t travel to Venezuela and it warns of unrest and the threat of being arbitrarily arrested. Tuesday’s announcement raises the travel advisory to its highest level.

A new report says Pennsylvania can adopt a number of improvements to make its elections more secure. The Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania’s Election Security says lawmakers should help pay for the older voting machines and urges enhanced security of voter lists and better planning for cyberattacks and other technological challenges. It is also endorsing mandatory post-election audits.

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