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Jen Brockman

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Segment Producer for The Ed Show on MSNBC

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Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks during the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 3, 2013 in Houston, Texas. More than 70,000 people are expected to attend the NRA's 3-day annual meeting that features nearly 550 exhibitors, gun trade show and a political rally. The Show runs from May 3-5. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The NRA convention isn’t really about guns

6:15 PM on 5/4/2013

The Republican clown car stopped outside the NRA Convention in Houston this weekend and a group of people Bill Maher calls the "Axis of A**holes" jumped out to perform. Read More

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2013, following a Republican strategy session, and the release of President Barack Obama's proposed fiscal 2014 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Cutting the deficit and reforming Social Security, that’s what the last election was all about, right? (Hint: no)

11:39 AM on 4/12/2013

Why does the president seem to be giving up so much ground after winning re-election on refusing to sacrifice Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to the Tea Party deficit hawks? Read More

Joe Burchill of the Fargo Fire Department instructs eighth-grade students from Discovery Middle School how to use a tie gun to seal sandbags as Fargo kicked off its annual rite of spring at Sandbag Central Wednesday, April 3, 2013 in Fargo, N.D. But the start of the new flood season also brings a quiet confidence in the city’s ability to hold back high waters, thanks to miles of new levees, vacant yards and fortified floodwalls.

Ed’s comment on flood prep draws fire

10:28 AM on 4/12/2013

Ed said something that's drawing fire from local leaders in his home state, but by the end of this blog, we think you'll take Ed's side on this one. Read More

Flood waters cover downtown Grand Forks, N.D., Monday, April 21, 1997 from continued flooding of the Red River which is 25 feet over flood level. Over 60,000 residents have been evacuated in Grand Forks and neighboring East Grand Forks, Minn.

Sitting on a surplus, North Dakota wants federal funds to pay for floods

3:56 PM on 4/8/2013

The state spends billions of dollars to clean up after a flood every few years, instead of spending LESS money to build a flood prevention project to protect people for years to come. Read More

Demonstrators hold signs and chant slogans outside of a Wendy's fast food restaurant, Thursday, April 4, 2013 in New York.

Surprising facts behind fast food strike

2:00 PM on 4/5/2013

The average fast food worker isn't who you think it is. Read More

prouty

Releasing the tape: Not the first time Prouty was ‘incredibly brave or incredibly stupid’

9:20 PM on 3/13/2013

Prouty was prepared to face the fallout from the tape because he'd taken a huge risk once before--and was proud of it. Read More

Grand Rapids Community College student Josh Eberly demonstrates how he would carry his "concealed" weapon on campus. Eberly was appalled when he first heard about a group advocating to allow licensed gun owners to carry their weapons in college campuses.

New gun laws in Kentucky surprise just about everyone

3:16 PM on 2/28/2013

Liberal concealed-carry laws have become reality in Kentucky, where a set of new laws has public officials scrambling to determine what spaces are appropriate to carry guns. Read More

National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and CEO Wayne LaPierre speaks in Washington.

Yo! Brooklynites demand apology from NRA big mouth (huh? fuhgetaboutit!)

3:17 PM on 2/19/2013

Wayne LaPierre might have messed with the wrong borough this time. Brooklynites are demanding an apology after he dissed their 'hood in the wake of super storm Sandy. Read More

markobit

Reflecting on the murder of Mark Hummels

10:14 PM on 2/5/2013

After the shooting death of a beloved father and husband, his circle of childhood friends is coming together to cope with the loss and to figure out how best to serve his memory. Read More

Mark Hummels, 43, is remembered by his beloved family and friends. (photo/AP)

Friends and family shot: What’s your number?

9:03 AM on 2/5/2013

How many people do you know who've been touched by gun violence and does your "number" matter? Read More

ihaveagun

The real fear that fuels the gun-rights movement

10:54 AM on 2/1/2013

Wayne LaPierre doesn't need a gun. He and his followers need to know that they can rely on a community to help and protect them. Read More

Rep. Paul Ryan held up this chart to explain his budget plan during Meet The Press on 1/27/13

Spending is not the problem

3:14 PM on 1/30/2013

Did anything bother you about Rep. Paul Ryan's appearance on Meet The Press this past Sunday? Read More

Mick Roelandts, firearms reform project manager for the New South Wales Police, looks at a pile of about 4,500 prohibited firearms in Sydney that have been handed in over the past month under the Australian government's buy-back scheme July 28. A total of 470,000 guns have been collected nationally, with owners receiving A$243 million (US$180 million) in compensation. The scheme was set up due to tighter gun laws brought in after the April 1996 Port Arthur massacre in which 35 people died when a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage.

We are the 92%: Americans overwhelmingly support background checks for gun sales

4:18 PM on 1/18/2013

Congress appears to be completely out of touch on one of the most popular pieces of gun legislation they could pass. Read More

Newtown Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson, in the background, was among officials at a press conference at Treadwell Park in Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012, in the wake of a shooting at Sandy Hook School that claimed the life of 26, including 20 children. Credit Gary Jeanfaivre

Newtown superintendent: Arming teachers is ‘not even logical’

5:48 PM on 1/17/2013

Newtown's Superintendent answers, in detail, the question of whether a "good guy with a gun" would have stopped Adam Lanza. Read More

Lance Armstrong courtesy: sport.co.uk

Even Lance Armstrong’s money can’t help the Postal Service

10:11 PM on 1/16/2013

$30 Million dollars of Lance Armstrong's money can't save the U.S. Postal service. Read More

Carolyn Cain teaches special education kids in kindergarten to the 6th grade in Utah County, Utah.

Guns, teachers and respect

9:21 PM on 1/9/2013

A teacher told me she feels insulted when people say they don't think she should carry a gun in school. Is she right? Read More

August 2005

Why do we have guns in space?

2:19 PM on 1/8/2013

Here's a thought experiment: Should anyone have access to a gun if you're trapped in space with a lunatic? Read More

Mick Roelandts, firearms reform project manager for the New South Wales Police, looks at a pile of about 4,500 prohibited firearms in Sydney that have been handed in over the past month under the Australian government's buy-back scheme July 28. A total of 470,000 guns have been collected nationally, with owners receiving A$243 million (US$180 million) in compensation. The scheme was set up due to tighter gun laws brought in after the April 1996 Port Arthur massacre in which 35 people died when a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage.

It’s possible to have gun control that works–if we want to

12:59 PM on 12/24/2012

Other countries have managed to pass effective reform in the wake of terrible gun tragedies. Why are we unwilling to learn from them? Read More

Debbie Nault of the Michigan Nurses Association stands with fellow members of the association on the Capitol steps in Lansing, Mich. (Photo by Carlos Osorio / AP)

Republican power grab is really a ‘race to the bottom’

4:51 PM on 12/13/2012

Well-funded Republican backers seem to be killing the competition before the next campaign even gets started. Read More

President Barack Obama waves as he arrives to speak at the 2012 Tribal Nations Conference, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, at the Interior Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

What you didn’t see at the White House Tribal Nations Summit

2:59 PM on 12/6/2012

A tribal leader jokingly calls Obama the "first American Indian president." But there's serious tension between the president's administration and the Native American community. Read More