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Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told CNN Friday that he believed President Trump’s “rhetoric” may have played a part in the horrific shootings at two mosques in New Zealand that left 49 dead. "Words have consequences like saying we have an invasion on our border and talking about people as though they were different in some fatal way," Blumenthal said. "I think that the public discourse from the president on down is a factor in some of these actions.” "We know that at the very pinnacle of power in our own country, people are talking about 'good people on both sides,'"...

Several Democratic donors were among those charged Tuesday in a federal crackdown on a nationwide fraudulent college admissions conspiracy. Most of the press reaction Tuesday centered on Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, two prominent Hollywood stars charged in the sting. Huffman, when not acting, is a generous donor to Democratic candidates. Huffman has donated thousands of dollars since 2016 to Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), according to the Federal Election Commission's site. Prior to that, she donated frequently to President Barack Obama's election efforts. She is far from the only Democratic donor on the list, some of whom have also...

The slew of criminal charges in the sweeping college cheating scam originated from an unrelated federal case in the Boston area — and a financial executive desperate for mercy, according to a new report. The feds were tipped off to what would be the biggest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted thanks to the businessman, who was under investigation in a securities fraud case, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. In a bid for leniency, he told investigators that Rudolph “Rudy” Meredith, the head women’s soccer coach at Yale, solicited bribes from him in exchange for recommending his daughter for admission...

HARTFORD, Conn. — Gun maker Remington can be sued over how it marketed the Bushmaster rifle used to kill 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, a divided Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Justices issued a 4-3 decision that reinstated a wrongful death lawsuit and overturned a lower court ruling that the lawsuit was prohibited by a 2005 federal law that shields gun manufacturers from liability in most cases when their products are used in crimes. The plaintiffs include a survivor and relatives of nine people killed in the massacre. They argue the AR-15-style rifle...

The Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday said a lawsuit challenging how Remington marketed the rifle used in the December 2012 Newtown school shooting can proceed, overturning a lower court’s outright dismissal of the case. In a 4-3 opinion, the court narrowly ruled that families of victims of the Newtown school shooting can challenge whether Remington violated trade practices in how it marketed the AR-15-style rifle used in the shooting. “The regulation of advertising that threatens the public’s health, safety, and morals has long been considered a core exercise of the states’ police powers,” Justice Richard Palmer wrote for the majority....

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle differ on the approaches to ban plastic bags. Lawmakers met in Hartford on Monday morning to discuss how to go about banning plastic bags in the state of Connecticut. About a dozen cities and towns have banned bags or are considering a ban. Channel 3 met with dozens of people who agree that plastic bags are bad for the environment, but many can't seem to agree on the best way to ban them. A public hearing on a proposed tax on plastic bags heard two bills. One bill would require stores to charge...

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Advocates for gun rights and gun control are expected to pack a Connecticut legislative hearing on several firearms bills, including measures that would tighten safe storage laws and require people openly carrying guns to produce their permits if police ask.

In a meeting with Democratic colleagues, Pelosi was reportedly confronted by a number of members of Congress for not reaching out to the party in regards to Omar’s comments on Israel. In the meeting, Pelosi was challenged for getting her talking points from MSNBC by freshman Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes, according to Politico. “Well if you’re not going to listen to me, I’m done talking,” Pelosi reportedly said, before putting down her microphone and walking out of the room. After the meeting Pelosi reportedly told a Politico reporter that she did not believe Omar’s comments were “intentionally anti Semitic”...

Good Morning And WELCOME To Sound Off Connecticut With Pastor Will Marrotti!

Republicans won two of the five state legislative seats at stake in special elections Tuesday, flipping House and Senate districts by carrying blue-collar communities that have grown difficult for Democrats. All five vacancies were the result of Gov. Lamont hiring Democratic legislators in January. Even with the losses, Democrats retained solid majorities of 91-60 in the House and 22-14 in the Senate. But Republicans got a morale boost after losing ground in the General Assembly last fall for the first time in 10 years. In the night’s biggest upset, Republican Gennaro Bizzarro of New Britain won the the 6th Senate...

Several transgender students have dominated high school track and field competitions in Connecticut for the last few years. And, once again, transgender teen runner Andraya Yearwood has topped most of the field in the state championships. Yearwood has been running for Cromwell High School in Cromwell, CT, for the past few seasons, the Washington Times reported. But this year, Yearwood was not alone in topping the field. Indeed, two transgender students took the top spots in The Nutmeg State. Yearwood came in second place this year as transgender student Terry Miller of Bloomfield High beat Yearwood and the rest of...

Colorado is the latest state to pass a bill which would change the way presidential candidates win office. The state joins 11 others after passing a bill to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under the compact, the candidate who receives the most popular votes nationwide would be be awarded the electoral college votes from participating states, even if the candidate lost in that state. In order for the bills in states which have passed laws recognizing the agreement, a total of 270 electoral votes from participating states is needed. Colorado has joined California, Connecticut, D.C., Hawaii, Maine, Maryland,...

A “thin blue line” flag meant to honor law enforcement was removed from the Connecticut State Capitol this week after Democrats complained it might offend Black Lives Matter supporters. The handmade wooden plaque depicting a “thin blue line” flag — an altered American flag with a horizontal blue stripe through the center — was recently donated to the Capitol building by a member of the State Capitol Police. Until this week, it hung in the Police Memorial Hall connecting the Legislative Office Building to the Capitol building, a local NBC affiliate reported. The Office of Legislative Management, which originally approved...

The Hartford Yard Goats are rewriting the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” after announcing earlier this month its Dunkin’ Donuts Park will be peanut-free. The Yard Goats, Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, are believed to be the first team to ban peanuts for an entire season. Peanuts are prevalent at baseball stadiums, making it difficult for children with peanut allergies to attend games. The Yard Goats held two peanut-free games last year where the park banned the item and did a deep clean of the stadium.

For each active worker, four pensioners. For 169 governmental bodies, the numbers are lopsided. In some cases hundreds — and in Chicago’s case, thousands — more retirees are drawing from a fund than active workers are paying into it. Even in a small suburban district such as the Arlington Heights Park District, 432 retirees are pulling from that district’s pension fund with only 103 active employees paying into it. In the city of Chicago, according to the treasurer’s numbers, the gap is smaller in percentage terms, but in terms of the gap, more dramatic. Including Chicago Board of Education administrative...

A former Chicago police officer convicted of second-degree murder in the killing of an African-American teenager he shot 16 times received a dose of prison justice just days after Illinois prosecutors moved to seek a harsher sentence for him, his wife said Thursday. Jason Van Dyke was allegedly beaten by inmates at a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, where he was secretly moved to last week, his wife and his attorneys said during a news conference in Chicago.

A man has confessed to killing a Westchester County woman found dead inside a suitcase along the side of a road in Connecticut, sources told CBS2 on Tuesday. The body of Valerie Reyes, 24, of New Rochelle, was discovered last week on the shoulder of Glenville Road in Greenwich. Police said it was bound at the hands and feet. Sources have identified the suspect as Javier da Silva, of Flushing, Queens, who previously had a relationship with Reyes. Sources said he is originally from Venezuela and has been in the country illegally since overstaying his visa.

A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and dumping her body in a suitcase in Connecticut is a citizen of Portugal who has been in the U.S. illegally for more than a year, federal authorities said Wednesday as the victim’s loved ones gathered for her funeral. Javier Da Silva Rojas, who had been living in New York City, was taken into custody Monday and charged with kidnapping resulting in death in the killing of 24-year-old Valerie Reyes, of New Rochelle, New York. The charge carries the possibility of the death penalty. Da Silva, also 24, entered the U.S. on May...