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The Senate appeared on the cusp of failure Tuesday as Republicans and Democrats struggled to find consensus on how to address a national crisis over race and policing and answer the public demand to overhaul law enforcement tactics. Democrats criticized a Senate Republican plan as inadequate, arguing that it falls far short of a substantive transformation of controversial policing practices, and they laid the groundwork to stall the measure. Republicans countered that their proposal was a viable starting point for legislation and said Democratic resistance was a sign that the party was interested only in scoring political points months ahead of the elections. (Min Kim and Bailey, 6/23)

The standoff threatens to turn the nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others into another moment that galvanizes the nation but leaves lawmakers unable to act. Common ground is not out of reach. A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows almost all Americans support some degree of criminal justice changes. (Mascaro, 6/23)

One week ago, with his party's leadership behind him, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the chamber's lone Black Republican, unveiled the bill with hopes of voting on the measure ahead of the Fourth of July recess. Republicans said the plan addresses a national outcry for reform of the country's law enforcement departments and agencies. But by Tuesday, Democrats were demanding bipartisan talks before green-lighting floor debate. The move rankled Republicans, who say they already addressed Democrats' demands to quickly move a bill addressing police brutality. (Grisales and Snell, 6/24)

Senate Democrats are preparing to torpedo Republicans’ police reform proposal. And vice-presidential frontrunner Kamala Harris is leading the way. It’s a critical moment for Harris, who has faced scrutiny over her record as a former state attorney general. But as she finds herself in the middle of a messy congressional debate over how to stop police killings of Black people, she has a national platform that others in contention for vice president simply can't match. (Everett and Cadelago, 6/23)

Sen. Ed Markey and Congressman Joe Kennedy have had fiery disagreements on debate stages as the Democratic Senate primary draws nearer. But when it comes to addressing systemic racism in policing, there is more that unites them than divides. In separate interviews with WBUR, they cite similar concerns and proposed solutions: they want fewer police responding to non-criminal calls and more resources devoted to treatment, training and community outreach. And they say issues of over-policing and racism aren't just happening in big cities, but in the suburban and rural communities they represent. (Atkins, 6/23)