Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sticking Points Stall Gun Talks, Cast Doubt On Deal
The Washington Post: Gun Deal In Jeopardy After Senators Fail To Agree On Text
Senators left Washington on Thursday with key elements still in dispute on a delicate bipartisan deal that could significantly expand federal gun laws for the first time in three decades. The lack of firm agreement could foil leaders’ hopes of holding a Senate vote on a bill next week, and raised the prospect that a framework agreement released Sunday might not be able to be translated into a bill. (DeBonis and Caldwell, 6/16)
NBC News: Senate Gun Group Eyes Finish Line As 'Boyfriend Loophole' Remains A Big Hurdle
The four U.S. senators leading negotiations on a gun deal met for hours in a Senate basement Thursday in pursuit of a final agreement, but emerged with one major unresolved issue. The meeting among Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., did not yield a resolution on how to close the "boyfriend loophole" involving gun rights for abusive partners. (Kapur, Tsirkin and Thorp V, 6/16)
Politico: McConnell's Gun Safety Gamble
Mitch McConnell is breaking character yet again, and this time it’s on one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. Once known as the Senate’s “guardian of gridlock,” the GOP leader is publicly endorsing the chamber’s bipartisan framework on gun safety, wading into a topic so volatile with his base that it ended one Republican lawmaker’s career this month. While McConnell’s position didn’t surprise his GOP colleagues, it continues a pattern of cutting against his reputation and easing up, ever so slightly, in his push to stop the Democratic agenda. (Levine and Everett, 6/16)
In other news about the gun violence epidemic —
NBC News: 2 Dead, 1 Injured In Shooting At Alabama Church
Two people were killed and a third was injured when a gunman opened fire inside a church near Birmingham, Alabama, on Thursday, police said. A suspect in the evening shooting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills is in custody, police said. "From what we've gathered from the circumstances of this evening, a lone suspect entered a small group church meeting and began shooting," Vestavia Hills police Capt. Shane Ware said. The suspect's identity was not immediately released. The third person who was injured was being treated at a hospital, he said. A motive in the shooting was not disclosed. (Helsel, 6/16)
Des Moines Register: Iowa Church Shooter's Record Not Previously Shared Between Authorities
The man who authorities say shot and killed two Iowa State University students this month in the parking lot of an Ames church had a legal record spanning several years that included alleged violent behavior against women, but Story County's prosecutor said his office wasn't aware of it after Johnathan Lee Whitlatch was arrested two days before the shooting. Even if other law enforcement agencies had shared or could have shared the information about Whitlatch — including previous concerns about his mental health — Story County Attorney Tim Meals said it probably would not have changed how bond was set for him after his May 31 arrest or whether he would have been allowed pretrial release. (Sitter, 6/16)
The Texas Tribune: Layla Salazar’s Burial Ends Uvalde Funerals For Shooting Victims
From Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the path to eternal rest is a 1-mile drive down Fort Clark Road to Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery. On Thursday, Layla Salazar became the final victim of the Robb Elementary School massacre to make that trip. She was 11 years old. Since the May 24 school shooting, 20 families have taken turns burying their dead. An unremitting pattern of overlapping visitations and services has laid bare the currents of grief coursing through this small town. Nine of the dead children and two of their teachers passed through Sacred Heart on their way to the cemetery now dappled with fresh mounds of dirt. One last victim, Uziyah Garcia, remains to be buried in his hometown of San Angelo, where the 10-year-old spent his last spring break learning football pass patterns from his grandfather. (Ura, 6/16)
Houston Chronicle: Gun Violence Event At Rice University To Discuss Injuries, Deaths
Houston gun violence researchers and law enforcement officials will gather next Tuesday to discuss better ways to address firearm injuries and deaths at an event hosted by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The American Medical Association declared gun violence a public health crisis in 2016. Since then, firearms have surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of traumatic death among children, and the CDC released data showing a 35 percent increase in firearm homicides from 2019 to 2020. (Gill, 6/16)
