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News Wrap: Senate Democrats launch gun control filibuster

In our news wrap Wednesday, Democrats mounted a filibuster on the Senate floor, demanding tougher gun controls in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting, including a ban on selling weapons to people on the terror watchlist. Also, another tragedy played out in the Orlando area as authorities found the body of a two-year-old boy who was killed by an alligator at the Seven Seas Lagoon in Disney World.

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  • GWEN IFILL:

    Good evening. I'm Gwen Ifill.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    And I'm Judy Woodruff.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    On the "NewsHour" tonight: As details of the Orlando massacre become clear, focus shifts away from the killer and toward his wife.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    Also ahead this Wednesday: a look at the Donald Trump effect. The presumptive nominee isn't backing down, even when his party disagrees — what this means for his campaign and the GOP.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    Plus, a "NewsHour" exclusive: After a two-year study, Stanford researchers find shocking racial injustices by the Oakland Police Department.

  • REBECCA HETEY, Stanford University:

    Even when we took out stops that resulted in arrests, we found that one in four black men, for example, were handcuffed, compared to one in 15 white men.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour."

    (BREAK)

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    Investigators in Orlando worked today to reconstruct the movements of the gunman who killed 49 people over the weekend. Omar Mateen died in a gun battle with police, after the massacre at a gay nightclub.

    Authorities working the crime scene today said they need to know what Mateen did before the attack. They wouldn't confirm that his wife knew of the plot and might be charged.

  • LEE BENTLEY, U.S. Attorney:

    I am not going to speculate today as to any charges that may be brought or indeed about whether any charges will be brought in this case. It is premature to do so.

    It would interfere and hamper the investigation to put out premature information about where the investigation is headed.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    Orlando's mayor said today that investigators do know that Mateen visited several locations Saturday night. He didn't elaborate.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    Senate Democrats launched a filibuster today, demanding tougher gun controls in the aftermath of Orlando. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and several others spent much of the day calling for a vote on barring gun sales to people on the terrorist watch-list.

    SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D), Connecticut: In the face of mass slaughter after mass slaughter, this body has taken absolutely no action.

    And I know that times are tough here. I know that we're often at each others' throats, but that, in and of itself, is unacceptable. Let's find some limited common ground on issues that the broad American electorate support, and let's move forward on it.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told a rally in Atlanta, carnage could have been avoided if some of the Orlando victims had themselves been carrying guns.

    DONALD TRUMP (R), Presumptive Presidential Nominee: If the bullets were going in the other direction, aimed at this guy who was just open target practice, you would've had a situation, folks, which would've been always horrible, but nothing like the carnage that we all, as a people, suffered this weekend.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    Trump said he will meet with the National Rifle Association to discuss tying gun sales to the terror watch and no-fly lists. In response, the NRA says it supports delaying gun sales to terror suspects for 72 hours, but it wants a way to take people off the watch list, if they're wrongly accused.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    Another tragedy played out in the Orlando area today, after an alligator snatched and killed a 2-year-old boy at Walt Disney World. It happened Tuesday evening at the Seven Seas Lagoon, as the boy was wading near shore. Police reported that search teams found the body today and that it was intact. The resort closed all its beaches.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    The wreckage of a missing EgyptAir plane has been spotted deep in the Mediterranean Sea. Egyptian officials say they have identified several main locations on the ocean floor. The flight disappeared on May 19, killing all 66 people on board. The cause of the crash remains unclear.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    The Federal Reserve left a key short-term interest rate unchanged today, in light of an uncertain jobs picture. In a statement, the central bank said — quote — "The labor market has slowed, while growth in economic activity appears to have picked up."

    Fed Chair Janet Yellen elaborated:

  • JANET YELLEN, Chair, Federal Reserve:

    Although recent labor market data have, on balance, been disappointing, it's important not to overreact to one or two monthly readings. The committee continues to expect that the labor market will strengthen further over the next few years. That said, we will be watching the job market carefully.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    Yellen said Fed policy-makers are also watching for any economic fallout from Britain's vote next week on whether to stay in the European Union.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    The Fed's news failed to reassure Wall Street, as stocks fell for a fifth day. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 34 points to close at 17640. The Nasdaq gave up eight points, and the S&P 500 dropped nearly four.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    President Obama met with the Dalai Lama today, despite China's warnings that it would damage U.S.-Chinese ties. Beijing accuses the spiritual leader of Tibet's Buddhists of campaigning to split the region from China. The White House released a photo of the meeting, but allowed no other coverage.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    Medical news on two fronts today.

    The World Health Organization now says there's no conclusive evidence that drinking coffee causes cancer. That reverses a 25-year-old warning. Instead, the WHO says the real issue is temperature. If you routinely drink anything that's very hot, about 150 degrees or more, there's limited evidence it could lead to cancer of the esophagus.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    A major city in southern India is on high alert for polio after an active strain was found in sewage water. The alert in Hyderabad means about 350,000 children will be vaccinated next week. India was declared free of polio in 2014.

  • GWEN IFILL:

    And astronomers have picked up new echoes of two black holes crashing into each other deep in space. The collision generated a gravitational wave that gave off a high-pitched chirp. It's only the second time that Earth-based instruments have detected a gravitational wave, and it helps prove the first time wasn't a fluke.

  • JUDY WOODRUFF:

    Still to come on the "NewsHour": Donald Trump takes an unexpected stance on gun control; a new report detailing racial bias by the Oakland California police; how the Muslim community is responding to the attack in Orlando; and much more.

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