Good Monday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

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• Democratic candidates for president on Sunday reacted strongly to two mass shootings that killed at least 29 people, calling on Congress to act decisively on gun control while denouncing a culture of hatred and white nationalism that some said emanated from the Trump White House.

• The gun lobby has structural advantages and a Senate aligned with its stance. But activists have increased financing and grass-roots energy as they pursue their cause. This is how gun control groups are catching up on the N.R.A.

• From Opinion: James Comey, the former F.B.I. director, wrote that President Trump “must stop trying to unleash and exploit the radioactive energy of racism.”