So, that happened. President Barack Obama has kicked off 2016 by issuing a new set of executive actions intended to address gun violence. But it's an open question as to how effective and lasting any of these orders will be.
As our own Jonathan Cohn notes, Obama's moves may not be felt in the present moment at all. Rather, they'd set the stage for future policies.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who's forcefully declared congressional inaction on guns to be a clear and present danger, says Obama's actions offer him some hope -- especially those designed to get more sellers participating in background checks. "Because there's been a culture ... of non-enforcement ... there are lots and lots of sellers that aren't doing background checks that probably should," he says.
With Obama's order bringing new "legal exposure," Murphy thinks that "tens if not hundreds of thousands of guns" will now be subject to the background checks. "When you get into that kind of scope," he says, "that saves lives."
Meanwhile, out on the 2016 campaign trail, Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton has launched some hot broadsides against rival Bernie Sanders' Wall Street policies.
Which is actually pretty strange, considering it's not a vulnerable issue for Sanders. In fact, it's Clinton who suffers by comparison. But for some reason she wants that fight, despite her significant lead on Sanders in most of the recent polls. Why make these attacks at all? We'll try to figure it out.
Finally, 2016 could be a troublesome year for food stamp beneficiaries, as lawmakers' desire to kick people out of the program continues to run a few miles ahead of the economic recovery. Hundreds of thousands of Americans now face a new year of unexpected and unnecessary food insecurity. We'll talk with one person affected by the coming changes.
"So, That Happened" is hosted by Jason Linkins, Zach Carter and Arthur Delaney. Joining them this week is Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Wisconsin resident Becky Murphy.
This podcast was produced, edited and engineered by Adriana Usero, with assistance from Peter James Callahan and Christine Conetta.
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