"Serious doubts" as to whether Senate gun deal will happen

For the first time since negotiations began last week in the wake of several horrific mass shootings, there are serious doubts that a deal can be reached by Sens. Chris Murphy (Conn.) and John Cornyn (Texas), the lead Democratic and GOP negotiators on the package…

Democrats privately aren’t convinced yet that Cornyn is willing to reach a final agreement. Democrats are eager to wrap up talks quickly – immediately – in order to get a bill moving toward the floor before the July 4 recess. If the negotiations drag on much beyond that, Democrats aren’t sure that it will ever happen. The urgency of now is very much on Democrats’ minds.

Republicans say the negotiations will continue, but caution that there’s no agreement yet. The GOP is not on the same timeline as Democrats. This is especially true for Cornyn. The internal Senate and Texas politics are complex for him, and Cornyn is a cautious guy anyway. He’s stepped out on a political ledge trying to cut this deal, and he won’t get rushed.

“We don’t have a deal about anything unless we have a deal about everything,” Cornyn told our friends Leigh Ann Caldwell at Washington Post and other reporters on Thursday afternoon.