USA DAWN: NEWS AND UPDATES

In the wake of the deplorable mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub on Saturday - and the deranged shooter’s tenuous connection to Isis – “national security” is about to take on a renewed focus in the presidential race. But the existential threat to Americans is not some fanatical and nihilistic death cult halfway around the world: it’s the fact that unstable individuals of all stripes continue to have easy access to assault weapons right here in the US. While no one is doubting the Orlando mass murderer called 911 and pledged allegiance to Isis before continuing his senseless killing spree, the facts are much more complicated than that. Even US officials admitted: “there was no indication that [Isis] had trained or instructed him, or had any direct connection with him”. As one senior US official put it to the Wall Street Journal said on Sunday: “He seems to be looking for any opportunity to associate with the terrorist group du jour.” Isis quickly took a...