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Searching For a Motive: Associated Press: “The soldier who killed three people at Fort Hood may have argued with another service member prior to the attack, and investigators believe his unstable mental health contributed to the rampage, authorities said Thursday. The base’s senior officer, Lt. Gen. Mark Milley, said there is a ‘strong possibility’ that Spc. Ivan Lopez had a ‘verbal altercation’ with another soldier or soldiers immediately before Wednesday’s shooting, which unfolded on the same Army post that was the scene of an infamous 2009 mass shooting. However, there’s no indication that he targeted specific soldiers, Milley said.”
Guns Galore: NBC News: “The Fort Hood shooter bought his gun at the same Texas gun shop where the 2009 gunman purchased his, law enforcement sources told NBC News. Guns Galore in Killeen turned over information to the feds, presumably over the .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol used in Wednesday’s shooting. … A military official told reporters late Wednesday that Lopez bought the gun locally, and it wasn’t registered with authorities on the base. Since Lopez lived off the post, officials couldn’t compel him to register the firearm. The convicted 2009 shooter, Nidal Hasan, purchased an FN 5-7 tactical pistol legally from Guns Galore.”
Security, or Lack Thereof: New York Times: “The troubled Iraq war veteran … would have undergone no security screening and passed through no metal detectors to enter the base, people familiar with entry procedures at the post said Thursday, an indication that nearly five years after the deadly shooting rampage at the base, it remained easy for a soldier and even a visitor to bring in a firearm. Fort Hood’s weapons rules for those soldiers who are not police officers rely in large part on the honor system. The base’s rules prohibit soldiers from storing weapons in their vehicles, require firearms to be kept in certain storage areas and mandate that all personnel who bring a privately owned firearm onto the base in a vehicle declare that they are doing so and state the reason. The carrying of privately-owned weapons on Army installations is prohibited unless authorized by the senior commander. Violators face judicial or administrative penalties.”
The Victims: Dallas Morning News: “Three people remain in critical condition Thursday morning with spine, neck and abdominal injuries resulting from a shooting rampage at Fort Hood. The three critical patients remain on ventilators, but ‘we do not expect any more fatalities at this point,’ said Dr. Matthew Davis, trauma director at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, where the patients are being treated. The gunman, Spc. Ivan Lopez, 34, an army truck driver, opened fire Wednesday afternoon at Fort Hood killing three people. Lopez fatally shot himself when confronted by on-base police. Nine total military patients, eight men and one woman, remain at Scott & White Hospital. Their names have not been released.”
It’s Thursday, April 3rd, welcome to the Slatest PM. Follow your afternoon host on Twitter at @k_tunney and the whole team at @Slatest.
CIA Terror Report to be Released: Associated Press: “The Senate intelligence committee has voted to release parts of a classified report that harshly criticizes CIA terror interrogations after 9/11. The vote to declassify the 6,300-page review’s summary was 11-3. The ‘torture report’ argues CIA methods were often cruel and ineffective. The agency disputes the findings. Senators accuse the agency of spying on their investigation and deleting files. The CIA says Senate staffers illegally accessed information. The Justice Department is reviewing competing criminal referrals.’”
The World: Only Built 4 Cuban Tweets
Ukraine Update: Reuters: “Ukraine’s prime minister on Thursday blamed ousted President Viktor Yanukovich for the deaths of dozens of anti-government protesters shot by police snipers and urged Russia to hand him over to face charges. Arseny Yatseniuk made his comments to Reuters after Ukraine’s security service (SBU) blamed the killing of more than 100 protesters in mid-February on the Berkut riot police but said Yanukovich had been involved in planning the operation. The SBU also said representatives of Russia’s FSB security force had been at the SBU headquarters in Kiev - under the previous government - during three months of protests, and that Russia had flown explosives into Ukraine as they worsened. The hints of Russian involvement could further strain ties with Ukraine’s former Soviet master, which annexed the Crimea region after Yanukovich’s removal from power in what has become the worst East-West standoff since the Cold War.”
XX Factor: Mississippi Sex Ed Class Compares Women to Dirty Pieces of Chocolate
Mozilla CEO Steps Down: The Wire: “Brendan Eich has stepped down as CEO of Mozilla, after a debate over the executive’s donation to an anti-gay marriage initiative threatened to overtake the company’s inclusive reputation. In a blog post, Mozilla confirmed the resignation, adding that the company “prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn’t live up to it,” adding, “we know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves.” His resignation is a reversal from Eich’s tone in interviews all week, which seemed to suggest that the CEO wasn’t going anywhere over the issue. As Re/Code notes, Eich will also leave his post as the head of Mozilla’s related nonprofit foundation. Mozilla characterized Eich’s departure as voluntary.”
Moneybox: The Ortiz-Obama Selfie Might Have Been a Samsung Advertising Ploy
Letterman to Retire: USA Today: “David Letterman announced plans to retire next year on Thursday’s Late Show. The host, who has been on CBS since 1993, made the announcement to his studio audience at an afternoon taping. ‘The man who (runs) this network, Leslie Moonves, he and I have had a relationship for years and years and years, and we have had this conversation in the past, and we agreed that we would work together on this circumstance and the timing of this circumstance,’ Letterman said. ‘And I phoned him just before the program, and I said ‘Leslie, it’s been great, you’ve been great, and the network has been great, but I’m retiring.”
Future Tense: Investing More Money in Tornado Research Would Be a Disaster
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