Trump responds to mass shootings, and the China trade war escalates
| EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello readers,
It was a bleak weekend in America. More than 30 people are dead after mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. The country is once again embroiled in what seems like an unending debate over what to do about gun violence.
The news prompted more calls for an assault-weapon ban, while President Trump and others pointed to mental health issues. "Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun," Trump said Monday morning, while suggesting that violent video games also encourage shooters. Hours earlier he tweeted: "Fake news has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years."
The president also floated some ideas for addressing the violence, drawing critics from both sides of the ideological aisle. In a tweet Monday morning, he suggested tying stronger background checks to immigration reform. Then, in his speech later, the president didn't mention background checks and instead offered support for "red flag" laws that allow guns to be removed from individuals deemed as high risk.
While he responded to the mass shootings, Trump continued targeting China over its economic policies. Last week, he threatened to slap 10% tariffs on an additional $300 billion in Chinese goods. Monday morning, he slammed China for "currency manipulation" as the yuan fell to its lowest level in more than 10 years.
China, for its part, denied devaluing its currency as retaliation for Trump's latest tariff threats. But that's not how the market saw it. U.S. stock indexes were down across the board amid all the increasingly heated economic rhetoric between China and the United States. One Wall Street analyst described China's latest move this way: "on a scale of 1-10, it's an 11."
Thanks for reading.
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