1. Background checks for gun purchases will be “front and center” in a coming Senate debate, Senator Mitch McConnell said after two weekend massacres.

In a radio interview, the Senate majority leader said a background checks bill would most likely be considered in September along with legislation creating incentives for states to adopt so-called red flag laws, which authorize courts to take guns from people who pose a threat to themselves or others. Above, students protested at the Capitol in March.

Mr. McConnell, who has refused to take up a background checks bill passed by the House, said he had spoken with President Trump, describing him as “very much open to this discussion.”