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First Read's Morning Clips

A roundup of the most important political stories of the day

OBAMA AGENDA: Another shooting

Breaking overnight: "LAFAYETTE, La. — A man sitting in a packed movie theater stood up and began firing into the crowd, killing two and injuring at least seven others Thursday night before fatally shooting himself, authorities said."

In an interview with the BBC before the shooting, Obama said that gun control is the area where he's been "most frustrated and most stymied."

From the AP: "Ignoring calls from some African leaders to leave some of his opinions at home, President Barack Obama spoke favorably of gay rights as he prepared to visit Kenya and Ethiopia."

The Miami Herald reports that conditions like the arrests of dissidents and access to the internet will be taken into account as the administration considers a possible presidential visit to Cuba.

A new New York Times/CBS News poll shows that nearly six in 10 Americans think race relations are generally bad.

CONGRESS: She Sells Sanctuary

"Two months after the high-speed derailment of an Amtrak train killed eight people and injured hundreds more in Philadelphia, a Senate transportation bill headed for debate this week calls for a three-year delay of the deadline for installing a rail safety system that experts say would have almost certainly prevented the Pennsylvania accident," the New York Times writes.

"The House voted Thursday to punish local jurisdictions — known as “sanctuary cities” — that defy federal immigration authorities in order to protect immigrants living illegally in the United States," writes the Washington Post. "The 241-to-179 vote, which was backed by Republican leaders and fell largely along party lines, is the most dramatic action taken by Congress after a spate of new attention on illegal immigration sparked by the July 1 killing of a 32-year-old California woman."

OFF TO THE RACES: Jeb on “Black Lives Matter” vs. “All Lives Matter”

BUSH: Asked about whether or not Martin O'Malley should have apologized for saying "all lives matter," he said: "We're so uptight and so politically correct now that you apologize for saying lives matter? Life is precious. It's a gift from God. I frankly think that it's one of the most important values that we have. I know in the political context, it's a slogan, I guess."

He played defense in New Hampshire after his comments about Medicare. POLITICO: "Jeb Bush defended comments he made Wednesday night in which he seemed to advocate the “phasing out” of Medicare, after he was confronted during a town hall here Thursday afternoon by an elderly woman who said she was worried about losing benefits."

A new Florida poll shows him with a big lead over Marco Rubio.

CLINTON: From the New York Times: "Two inspectors general have asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into whether sensitive government information was mishandled in connection with the personal email account Hillary Rodham Clinton used as secretary of state, senior government officials said Thursday." MORE: "The Justice Department has not decided if it will open an investigation… At issue are thousands of pages of State Department emails from Mrs. Clinton’s private account. Mrs. Clinton has said she used the account because it was more convenient, but it also shielded her correspondence from congressional and Freedom of Information Act requests."

Msnbc.com's Alex Seitz-Wald reports: "Hillary Clinton strongly defended Planned Parenthood Thursday as the women’s health organization reels from the fallout over a sting video released by anti-abortion activists earlier this month."

KASICH: He says he's not worried about being able to stand out in the crowded field, NH1.com reports.

RUBIO: He and Rand Paul have set up their presidential campaign offices on the same block, the Washington Post reports.

TRUMP: The Washington Post writes that "Trump has become increasingly reliant on a different business model — one in which he makes money by harnessing his celebrity brand rather than risking capital in real estate investments."

The New York Times looks at how the rest of the 2016 field is plodding along amid the Trump show.

PROGRAMMING NOTES.

*** Friday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: Tamron Hall speaks with NBC News Correspondent Craig Melvin about the shooting at a theater in Lafayette LA, Sister of Sandra Bland Sharon Cooper and Attorney Cannon Lambert discuss the death of Sandra Bland in a Texas prison, NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Chris Jansing about President Obama's trip to Kenya, and The Daily Beast Columnist Michael Tomasky regarding the latest on Donald Trump.

*** Friday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Peter Alexander will interview Louisiana Theater shooting eyewitness Keifer Sanders, Fmr. ATF Special Agent in Charge Jim Cavanaugh, Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Joaquin Castro and NBC’s Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, Craig Melvin, Sarah Dallof and Chris Jansing.