The Latest: Warren says Washington beholden to NRA
By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Mar 24, 2019 1:39 PM CDT
In this Monday, March 18, 2019, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., speaks at a campaign meet-and-greet in Clawson, Mich. Gillibrand is preparing to speak Sunday at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in New York. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)   (Associated Press)

The Latest on the 2020 campaign season (all times Eastern):

2:30 p.m.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says the National Rifle Association is holding "Congress hostage" when it comes to stemming gun violence.

The Massachusetts senator and Democratic presidential candidate tells a campaign rally that if seven children were dying from a mysterious virus, "we'd pull out all the stops till we figured out what was wrong." But in terms of gun violence, she says the NRA "keeps calling the shots in Washington."

Warren finished a two-day campaign trip to New Hampshire with an event at middle school in Conway Sunday afternoon.

Warren focused much of her speech on her approach to economics, but paid special attention to unions Sunday. She says more power needs to be put back in the hands of workers.

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1:50 p.m.

California Sen. Kamala Harris may be dropping a hint on what she thinks about former Vice President Joe Biden, who is considering a third bid for the White House.

At an Atlanta church service Sunday, Harris compared leadership to a relay race in which each generation must ask themselves "what do we do during that period of time when we carry that baton."

Then she added with a smile that for "the older leaders, it also becomes a question of let's also know when to pass the baton."

Harris is 54 years old. Biden is 76, and some of his supporters have said he's aware that his age could be a political liability in the Democratic primary. He wouldn't be the oldest contender, though. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is 77.

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1:40 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand is assailing President Donald Trump as a coward who is "tearing apart the moral fabric of the vulnerable."

The senator is speaking in New York, feet away from one of Trump's signature properties, the Trump International Hotel and Tower.

She says that instead of building walls as Trump wants to do along the U.S.-Mexico border, Americans build bridges, community and hope.

Gillibrand also called for full release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report in the Russia investigation. Attorney General William Barr was expected to release a summary of principal conclusions, but Democrats want to see the full details.

Gillibrand is trying to position herself in the crowded field of Democrats seeking the party's nomination. While some hopefuls have shied away from mentioning Trump, Gillibrand has not hesitated to do so.

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1:25 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke is telling voters in Las Vegas that President Donald Trump bears blame for the separation of families at the U.S.-Mexico border but responsibility lies with everyone in the country to fix the situation.

O'Rourke spoke Sunday to more than 200 people packed into and snaking around a taco shop on the city's north end. He says immigrant families are leaving their home countries and journeying on foot because they have no other choice.

The former Texas congressman says desperate families were broken up in the U.S. when they were at their most vulnerable and desperate moments, and what happened to them "is on every single one of us."

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9 a.m.

As New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand officially kicks off her Democratic presidential campaign in New York City, her rivals are courting voters in early primary states.

Several Democratic White House hopefuls are campaigning Sunday, the day the Justice Department is expected to release key findings from special counsel Robert Mueller's confidential report on the Russia investigation.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders continues his California swing with a trip to San Francisco.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper are wrapping up campaign trips to New Hampshire.

California Sen. Kamala Harris is attending a church service before speaking at a rally in Atlanta at Morehouse College.

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