Last night, U2 played a concert at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins. During the show, iconic lead singer Bono -- known for his progressive politics, abiding love of America, and open-minded ideological alliances -- expressed solidarity with House Republican Whip Steve Scalise and the other victims of last week's shooting at the hands of a left-wing extremist. He said he was "so grateful" that all of the victims had survived the atrocity, drawing cheers from the crowd. The relevant bit starts around the one minute mark:
Scalise's Twitter account posted the video with a message of appreciation:
Thanks Bono & @U2. - #TeamScalise pic.twitter.com/7Eaaa0aeis
— Rep. Steve Scalise (@SteveScalise) June 21, 2017
During a Maryland stop on U2's The Joshua Tree Tour on Tuesday, frontman Bono gave a shout out to Scalise and four others injured in the shooting. "You've been through some troubling days here with the shooting in Alexandria," Bono said. "We are so glad that Congressman Scalise and his comrades made it through. So grateful...We hold them up as love holds us all up," he added. Last week and just days after the shooting, Bono dedicated the song "One Tree Hill" to Scalise and former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords who survived a 2011 assassination attempt.
The band's famous front man also went out of his way to welcome music lovers of all political stripes to the event:
At this concert. Was surprised and gratified to hear this. Also said everyone was welcome "no matter who you voted for" https://t.co/i6EVnldVHm
— Inez Stepman (@InezFeltscher) June 21, 2017
Several concert-goers reported that U2 played one song to a photo montage honoring feminist "herstory" -- starring Hillary Clinton, Lena Dunham and other liberal women (plus non-ideological figures). This could have potentially alienated a large segment of the audience, but the slideshow also featured Condoleezza Rice and Margaret Thatcher, a simple but appreciated gesture recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of right-leaning female leaders. Other celebrities might want to take note of U2's kind, uplifting, inclusive approach. In other happy news related to the Alexandria attack, doctors have again upgraded Rep. Scalise's condition, this time to "fair" -- reporting that he is on the mend and making progress toward rehabilitation. Less happily, the FBI has released new evidence that strongly suggests the attack was calculated and premeditated (even if the Bureau refuses to acknowledge it), including these chilling details:
On April 12, NYT reported GOP practiced baseball at an Alexandria park. On April 15, Hodgkinson took a bunch of pictures at the park. pic.twitter.com/JTxdkWGCtw
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) June 21, 2017
FBI: Hodgkinson "performed Internet searches" that included “2017 Republican Convention” the night before shooting https://t.co/gdKgezeWMW
— Sarah Westwood (@sarahcwestwood) June 21, 2017
Finally, because some people are stuck on the 'gun control' angle after any shooting, there's this:
FBI: Hodginskon bought both of his guns legally from FFLs, which are required by federal law to run BG checks. https://t.co/H7bmTo2G4g
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) June 21, 2017
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