A ballgame of unity, spirit, friendly rivalry, won by Dems

The U.S. Capitol Police said Hodgkinson used a 9 mm handgun and a 7.62-caliber rifle in the shooting, and traces run by investigators showed he evidently acquired the weapons legally.

Hodgkinson, a Belleville, Illinois, home inspector who had been living out of his van near the park, had a social media page filled with criticism of Republicans and the Trump administration. Quick and heroic actions by a Capitol Police security detail and Alexandria Police thankfully averted others from being shot or killed. The FBI continues to process evidence in an effort to assess the potential motivations of the shooter, the agency said in a statement Friday. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and did so only on condition of anonymity.

For now, Scalise remains in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit.

"We will miss Steve on the field", Richmond said just before the game and after visiting Scalise in the hospital.

"I think these events humanize the other side, whatever the other side means to you", she said.

While the congressional baseball game is always played with a bipartisan spirit, this year, both Republicans and Democrats made sure that everyone knew they were on the same team - Team Scalise - on this particular night.

Before the game, the House minority whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., wore a shirt that read "Team Scalise". The bullet traveled across his pelvis, fracturing bones, injuring internal organs, and causing severe bleeding.

"We've got to look at the rules", House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters, noting that he and others have been working through questions about whether it's appropriate to have members use their taxpayer funded "MRA" which stands for "Member's Representational Allowance" for security costs. "He's going to be OK".

But Wednesday's shooting of Republican congressman Steve Scalise and four others turned a spotlight on deep political divisions that legislators on Capitol Hill feared could now be intensifying to a deadly degree.

Bailey, who injured his ankle during the shooting while returning fire on shooter James Hodgkinson, received huge applause as he walked towards the pitcher's mound.

"The congressman's status remains critical".

Wednesday's shooting left five people wounded, including Scalise; Griner; Tyson Foods director of government relations Matt Mika; Zack Barth, a staffer for Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas; and Special Agent David Bailey. Democrats have won seven of the last eight games, bringing the overall series to an even 39-39-1 (the teams played multiple times in some years).

Following a day that saw most congressional business canceled, the House approved legislation offering health insurance tax credits to some veterans while committees pondered federal land management, cybersecurity and more.

But while lawmakers grappling with the attack say it is too early to debate gun policy, several agree on another much-needed step: toning down the overheated political rhetoric in America.

Many lawmakers in both parties, as well as the president, called for unity after the shooting. "But you have long since earned my respect, and you deserve to be heard, and you are an honorable individual".

"He's in some trouble", President Trump said during a jobs event at the White House Thursday, calling Scalise a "great fighter".

Shortly after the shooting, Bernie Sanders, the former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, said on the Senate floor that the shooter apparently was a volunteer for his campaign past year.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said in a brief interview that Democrats would be reminded of "positions they've taken in the past that are not consistent with their voice for bipartisanship today".