Trump suggests ‘second thoughts’ about China tariff war, triggers confusion at G-7 summit
MERIDITH MCGRAWGood Morning America•Trump at odds with other country leaders on major issues at G-7 summit Trump suggests ‘second thoughts’ about China tariff war, triggers confusion at G-7 summit originally appeared on abcnews.go.comPresident Trump triggered a wave of confusion at the Group of 7 summit Sunday when he seemed to express second thoughts about increasing tariffs on China and setting off a tailspin in the global markets.”Yeah, sure,” Trump said when asked if he had second thoughts about his escalating trade war with China. „I have second thoughts about everything.”
PHOTO: President Donald Trump participates in a Working Session on the Global Economy, Foreign Policy, and Security Affairs at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS)The president’s comments, over breakfast with new United Kingdom prime minister Boris Johnson, appeared to be the first time there were any hints of regret over the trade war with China. Soon after, he added that he wasn’t planning on declaring a national emergency over China’s retaliatory tariffs.
G7 France@G7It’s time to take action! #G7Biarritz But then hours later, after news spread that Trump was backing off, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham released a statement saying his words had been „misinterpreted.””This morning in the bilat with the UK, the President was asked if he had “any second thought on escalating the trade war with China.’ His answer has been greatly misinterpreted,” Grisham said. „President Trump responded in the affirmative — because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher.”The moment of confusion came as allies have been warning the president about the global ramifications of his trade war with China.Earlier in the day, the president said he wasn’t facing any pressure from the other countries over its trade war with China.”I think they respect the trade war,” Trump said when asked if he was facing pressure from his allies to give up the trade war with China. „So the answer is nobody’s told me that. Nobody would tell me that.”Trump also held his first face to face meeting with Johnson at the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz, France.
PHOTO: Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Britain’s Boris Johnson, Germany’s Angela Merkel, European Council’s Donald Tusk, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giuseppe Conte, Japan’s Shinzo Abe and Donald Trump meet at the G-7 on Aug. 25, 2019 in Biarritz, France. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Pool via Getty Images)Over scrambled eggs and sausage, Johnson congratulated Trump on „everything the American economy is achieving,” but then cautioned Trump.”We think that on the whole, the U.K. has profited massively in the last 200 years from free trade and that’s what we want to see,” Johnson said.(MORE: President Trump offers rosy outlook for the G-7 summit: ‘Everybody’s getting along’)„We don’t like tariffs on the whole,” Johnson said, echoing the warnings allies have been sending as Trump escalates his tit-for-tat with China.The president also said he has the right to declare a national emergency in order to force U.S. businesses to leave China, but doesn’t have any plans at the moment. He then added that actually, the U.S. and China are getting along „very well” right now.”I have the right to. If I want, I could declare a national emergency,” Trump said. „I think when they steal and take out intellectual property theft — anywhere from $300 billion to $500 billion a year — and when we have a total loss of almost a trillion dollars a year, for many years this has been going on. And in many ways that’s an emergency. I have no plans right now.”Actually we’re getting along very well with China right now. We’re talking,” he added. „I think they want to make a deal much more than I do, so we’ll see what happens. We are talking to China very seriously.”
PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrive for a bilateral meeting during the G-7 summit on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 in Biarritz, France. (Dylan Martinez/Pool/Getty Images)He said he has no concerns about the market’s reactions to his tariffs on China, and that he’s been getting praise and compliments from other leaders about the American economy.”You people want a recession, because maybe that’s the way to get Trump out,” Trump said. „Maybe that’s the way we get him out.”Trump and Johnson had plenty to discuss Sunday morning: the global markets are reeling from the United States’ trade wars, the Amazon rain forest is on fire and North Korea is testing rocket launchers.As Johnson tries to navigate the U.K.’s divorce from the EU by Halloween, he’s also working on a potential trade deal with the U.S.(MORE: Ahead of G-7 Summit, Trump again backs Russia being allowed back into alliance)Trump said it’s a „very big trade deal, bigger than we’ve ever had with the U.K.,” noting the U.K. will no longer have the EU as an „anchor around their ankle.”The president, who criticized the former prime minister’s handling of Brexit, said that he had no advice for Johnson.”He’s the right man for the job,” he said. „I’ve been saying that for a long time.”Johnson said he’s „very excited” about their trade talks. Trump said he hopes they can make a trade deal „very quickly,” noting he was „stymied” by Johnson’s predecessor.The two leaders also talked about the potential for Trump to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to next year’s G-7 hosted by the United States.”It’s certainly possible,” Trump said. „We’ll see.”PHOTO:Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump shake hands during a news conference at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, Aug. 25, 2019. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
Meanwhile, in an unexpected announcement, Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said they have agreed in principle to a trade deal following months of negotiations.Trump said the United States and Japan planned to sign the agreement around the same time as the United Nations General Assembly in New York this September.The deal will focus on „agriculture, industrial tarries and digital trade,” per U.S. Trade Rep Lighthizer.“We’ve agreed to every point,” Trump said, adding that they’ll be preparing the deal to sign at a „formal ceremony.”Abe added through a translator that the countries „still have some remaining work that has to be done at the working level.”In addition to that surprise announcement, reports swirled around the summit that Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in France for an unplanned visit.Trump, however, would not confirm the reports.”No comment,” he told reported when asked.The White House would also not confirm reports that there were no plans form members from the U.S. delegation to meet with their Iranian counterparts while they are in town.”The president has said before that if Iran wants to sit down and negotiate with us without preconditions to those negotiations,” Treasury Sec. Mnuchin said during at gaggle with reporters after a Sunday show appearance in Saint Jean de Luz. „I’m not going to make any more comments about who’s here and who’s not here, and what conversations may or may not be made.”Zarif met with President Macron on Friday in Paris ahead of the summit.The deal between the U.S. and Japan would include large purchases of American agricultural products by Japan. It would allow the U.S. to compete with countries that were part of the Trans- Pacific Partnership, Lighthizer said.After the U.S. pulled out of the TPP, some countries have stepped in to increase trade with Japan. Lighthizer said this new deal would open up the markets to $7 billion in products.“It’s very good news for our farmers and ranchers,” he said.
EU leaders round on Trump over trade at G7
President Donald Trump got plenty of pushback from European leaders over his trade wars at the G7 summit
Biarritz (France) (AFP) – European leaders rounded on US President Donald Trump over his trade threats Saturday at a G7 summit in France marred by trans-Atlantic tension and worries about the global economy.
The heads of the visiting G7 countries — Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — were all smiles at a swanky welcome dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on a clifftop overlooking the surfing paradise of Biarritz.
Fine French wines and champagne were served along with a dinner including locally fished bluefin tuna.
But once the evening ended, the leaders faced two intensely tricky days of a summit overshadowed by Trump’s trade war talk even before it started.
After ramping up his high-risk game of tit-for-tat tariffs with China on Friday, Trump left for the meeting with his Western partners threatening to impose punishing taxes on French wine.
European Union Council President Donald Tusk warned Saturday that the bloc would „respond in kind,” although he added: the „last thing we need is confrontation with our best ally the United States.”
Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also sounded the alarm over Trump’s escalating struggle with China.
„I am very concerned. The UK is at risk of being implicated in this. This is not the way to proceed,” Johnson told reporters.
„I want to see a dialling down of tensions.”
G7 summits were once a meeting of like-minded allies — the richest democracies in the world. But they’ve become a diplomatic battlefield under Trump.
In an attempt to break the ice, Macron deployed the charms of French cuisine earlier Saturday, treating Trump to an unscheduled lunch as soon as he arrived on Air Force One.
Speaking to reporters in fluent English, Macron called Trump „a very special guest” and aides later said that the two men had found some common ground, notably on the Iran nuclear crisis.
– ‘So far so good’ –
Trump, sitting across the small table on a terrace of the ornate Hotel du Palais, appeared pleased.
„The weather is perfect. Everybody’s getting along. I think we will accomplish a lot this weekend,” Trump said, praising his „special relationship” with Macron.
G7 chiefs are also hoping to soothe tensions over Iran’s nuclear crisis and persuade Trump to ease his policy of „maximum pressure”, for example by lifting sanctions on Iranian oil sales to China and India.
„Donald Trump confirmed that he does not see a conflict,” a French official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
„We have found major points of convergence,” the aide added, including on the issue of protecting the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Macron is pushing for action against fires in the Amazon rainforest, despite Brazilian right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s angry response to what he sees as outside interference.
– ‘People are mobilised’ –
Even largely peaceful protests were allowed only far from the summit site in Biarritz.
One anti-capitalism demonstration in the town of Bayonne turned ugly when the crowd of several hundred tried to get through police barricades and was repelled with water cannon and tear gas, AFP reporters said.
Earlier, organisers in the French border town of Hendaye said 15,000 people rallied for a march over the Bidassoa River toward the Spanish town of Irun.
„It’s important to show that people are mobilised and do not accept the world they’re offering us,” said Elise Dilet, 47, of a local anti-globalisation group, Bizi.
Police said 17 people were arrested on Friday night, but there has been no sign so far of violent anti-government „yellow vest” protests or anarchist violence, as feared.
– Escalating threats –
The turmoil that G7 governments fear most is in the world economy.
Wall Street stocks slumped heavily Friday after Trump escalated his trade war with China.
„We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far… better off without them,” Trump tweeted on Friday.
His outburst came after China imposed tariffs on US imports worth $75 billion in response to an earlier round of American measures.
Trump hit back immediately, with a sharp increase in his own tariffs on all Chinese imports.
A Chinese commerce ministry spokesman on Saturday denounced Washington’s „unilateral and bullying trade protectionism”, adding that „the US will surely eat its own bitter fruit.”
In a televised address ahead of the summit, Macron said his goal was „to convince all our partners that trade tensions are bad for everyone”.
The G7 meeting marks the full international debut of Johnson, who will hold talks with Trump for the first time as Britain’s leader on Sunday.
They are expected to discuss the UK’s impending exit from the European Union, which the US president has enthusiastically backed.
Johnson arrived saying that he was committed to yanking Britain from the EU with no deal on future relations if his conditions are not met.
But though Johnson needs Trump’s support for a free-trade deal, he is at odds with him on a range of issues including Iran nuclear tensions, climate change and global trade.
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Journalist killed in Mexico
Toluca (Mexico) (AFP) – The head of a Mexican news website was found stabbed to death in the center of the country, authorities said Saturday, the 10th such killing this year.
The body of Nevith Condes Jaramillo „was found Saturday morning… showing injuries from a sharp object,” the state prosecutor said in a statement.
An investigation has been opened to determine what happened.
Condes Jaramillo, 42, was the head of a local news site in Tejupilco and was also an announcer on a community radio station.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that, according to the journalist’s relatives, Condes Jaramillo had received threats in June and November of last year, and had sought federal protective measures as a result.
But relatives said he refused to follow through on the protection process due to the bureaucratic procedures involved, according to RSF.
The National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH) condemned the killing and called for an investigation to punish those responsible.
„Violence against journalists, in all its forms, is one of the main obstacles to our country becoming stronger as a democracy,” the CNDH said in a statement.
RSF, which regularly ranks Mexico alongside war-torn Syria and Afghanistan as the world’s most dangerous countries for news media, said nine journalists had previously been killed in Mexico this year.
Since 2000, around 100 reporters have been killed in Mexico. Violence linked to drug trafficking and political corruption is rampant, and many murders go unpunished.
The Fed is thinking globally despite Trump’s push for an ‘America First’ monetary policy
“The gains from policy coordination were thought to be modest at best, and the prescription was for countries to keep their houses in order,” Carney said at the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole conference in Wyoming. “This consensus is increasingly untenable.”Trade and financial linkages have become more globally tied over the decades, and central bankers are now imploring the Federal Reserve — the steward of the largest economy in the world — to think about the effects of its policies on other countries.Trump, meanwhile, wants the Fed to actually weaponize its monetary policy against other countries. Among his many criticisms of the Fed, Trump has called on the central bank to cut rates to match the low or negative interest rate policies in countries he considers competitors. Trump tweeted a day before the Jackson Hole conference began:
Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrump
Germany sells 30 year bonds offering negative yields. Germany competes with the USA. Our Federal Reserve does not allow us to do what we must do. They put us at a disadvantage against our competition. Strong Dollar, No Inflation! They move like quicksand. Fight or go home!
In line with Trump’s rhetoric for “America First” policies, he recently endorsed Fox News contributor Mark Grant’s commentary that “The Fed is the Central Bank of the United States, not Central Bank of the World.”
But Fed officials are acknowledging the need for more globally minded policy, meaning the Fed is embracing monetary policy that more closely resembles the thinking of a central bank of the world.
“I think it’s very important that we talk to one another,” Kansas City Fed President Esther George told Yahoo Finance on the sidelines of the Jackson Hole conference. “Because at some level, we all have the same challenges and the same objectives.”
The “global” interest rate
As Carney noted, most central banks have domestically focused mandates. In the U.S., Congress gave the Fed a dual mandate of price stability (inflation) and maximum employment (low unemployment).
The Fed steers its monetary policy, primarily through interest rates, based on its proximity to those goals. Policymakers like to point to estimates for a “neutral rate” as the appropriate level of interest rates where a central bank is closest to achieving its targets on price stability and maximum employment.
In many corners of the world, estimates of a country’s “neutral rate” have come down precipitously. The European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan have dipped into the unprecedented territory of negative interest rates. And here in the U.S., the economy is cruising at interest rates at levels half of where they were before the financial crisis.
At a glance, that makes the Fed’s nine rate hikes between 2015 and 2018 a curious policy move. While the world showed signs of slowing, the Fed tightened policy as domestic inflation stayed low and labor markets tightened to record levels of low unemployment.
The four rate hikes under Fed Chairman Jerome Powell have notably drawn the ire of Trump, who appointed Powell for the role in February 2018. In tweets, Trump bashed the central bank for tightening policy while the world was easing.
Donald J. Trump
✔@realDonaldTrump
Because of the faulty thought process we have going for us at the Federal Reserve, we pay much higher interest rates than countries that are no match for us economically. In other words, our interest costs are much higher than other countries, when they should be lower. Correct!
Trump has instead suggested that the Fed cut by as much as 100 basis points and resume asset purchases to help the U.S. call “game over” on his trade war with China.
In Jackson, Powell said trade has contributed to a “complex, turbulent” picture but made no promises on future moves. An hour later, Trump expressed frustration that the Fed did “nothing” (despite the fact that Powell’s speech was not a policy-setting announcement). That afternoon, Trump announced a new round of tariffs on China.
Politics aside, economists say that interest rate discrepancies are the result of local, short-run shocks. But in the long-run, local economies tend to have neutral interest rates that tend to closely track global interest rates.
“We stress that a direct comparison of interest rates across countries is too coarse a measure of monetary policy divergence or lack of monetary policy coordination,” said research from San Francisco Fed’s Òscar Jordà and University of California Davis’s Alan Taylor.
Turning to the world
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell described lower global interest rates as the most important question for the Fed in the current era of monetary policy.
“The key question raised by this era, then, is how we can best support maximum employment and price stability in a world with a low neutral interest rate,” Powell said August 23.
Answering that question may involve addressing the U.S. dollar, which has strengthened against most currencies over the last year and a half.
Carney warned that a stronger dollar threatens emerging markets, where central banks have had to shift their monetary policy resources away from their domestic mandates and toward defending their capital from fleeing to U.S. assets. Why should the U.S. care? Because volatility in emerging markets could “spill back on their economy,” Carney said.
In Jackson, the discussion swirled around longer-term structural changes to the global economy that would reduce volatility, such as a financial system where more than one currency dominates the world.
But President Trump, who is focused on the short-run implications of Fed policy, has blamed Powell’s interest rate hikes for driving U.S. dollar strength. Economists would argue that the demand for U.S. assets is also driven by investor expectations for brighter growth stateside compared to other corners of the world.
“It’s not a direct recipe, that if the Fed were to do more by cutting rates, that would necessarily weaken the dollar,” International Monetary Fund Chief Economic Gita Gopinath told Yahoo Finance.
As concerns built over trade and global growth, the Fed ended its hiking cycle and cut rates for the first time in over 10 years in July. Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said Powell now a tough task: prioritizing domestic conditions but paying mind to impacts on the world, all while dodging criticism from the president.
“The president is so busy politicizing his talks about Chair Powell, about what the Fed is doing, casting it as though its an international race when its still mostly domestically driven, casting it as though its zero-sum when it’s actually a common problem facing the rich economies.”
The Fed’s next policy-setting announcement will take place September 18.
Brian Cheung is a reporter covering the banking industry and the intersection of finance and policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter @bcheungz.
Britain will withhold $37 billion from EU in no-deal Brexit: Mail on Sunday
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to tell European Union leaders he will withhold 30 billion pounds ($37 billion) from the Brexit divorce bill unless they agree to changes to the deal, the Mail on Sunday reported.
If Britain leaves the bloc without a trade deal, lawyers have concluded the government’s will only have to pay the EU 9 billion pounds, rather than 39 billion pounds, the newspaper reported. This is because there will not be any of the costs associated with any transition period, the newspaper said.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting By Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Exclusive: Iran says it will not negotiate missile work, wants to export more oil
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran wants to export a minimum of 700,000 barrels per day of its oil and ideally up to 1.5 million bpd if the West wants to negotiate with Tehran to save a 2015 nuclear deal, two Iranian officials and one diplomat told Reuters on Sunday.
„As a goodwill gesture and a step toward creating space for negotiations, we have responded to France’s proposal. We want to export 700,000 bpd of oil and get paid in cash … and that is just for a start. It should reach to 1.5 million bpd,” said a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named.
A second official said „Iran’s ballistic missile program cannot and will not be negotiated. We have underlined it clearly and openly.”
The officials did not elaborate on the reference to a French proposal. French officials were not immediately available for comment.
An Iranian diplomat said Iran had also ruled out any negotiations of its „right to enrich uranium, its home-made nuclear fuel cycle … and in return we will be fully committed to the 2015 nuclear pact.”
Industry sources told Reuters that Iranian oil exports dropped in July to as low as 100,000 bpd due to sanctions imposed on the country by the United States since President Donald Trump exited the 2015 pact last year.
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi, Editing by William Maclean)
Tourist Infected With Measles Visited Disneyland, Other California Attractions
The girl was visiting from New Zealand from August 11 to August 15, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. The department, in an alert on Friday, said it is attempting to locate anyone who may have been exposed to the virus or anyone showing symptoms.
“For those who are not protected, measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that initially causes fever, cough, red, watery eyes and, finally, a rash,” Los Angeles County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said in a release. “Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know have it.”
Locations visited by the teen include the Los Angeles International Airport, the Desert Palms Hotel, Disney California Adventure Park, Universal Studios, the TCL Chinese Theatre, Madame Tussauds and the Santa Monica Pier and Beach.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world. About 90% of people who have not been immunized against it will become ill within seven to 21 days after exposure. The virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed, according to health officials.
The teen’s visit comes amid the largest measles outbreak in the country in 27 years. As of August 15, there have been 1,203 individual cases confirmed in 30 states. Of those individuals, 124 were hospitalized and 64 others reported complications related to the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Robert R. Redfield
✔@CDCDirector
As of Aug 15, CDC reports 1,203 #measles cases in 30 states—an increase of 21 cases from last week. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html …
The virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 but a rise in unvaccinated communities, as well as travelers contracting the measles abroad and bringing it to the U.S., has led to a resurgence in outbreaks, primarily in New York, according to the CDC.
“Measles is more likely to spread and cause outbreaks in U.S. communities where groups of people are unvaccinated,” the CDC’s website states.
The Latest: Hong Kong protest winds down after clashes
APTOPIX Hong Kong Protests
HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong protests (all times local):
7:45 p.m.
A large group of protesters has largely dispersed in Hong Kong after engaging in clashes with police for the first time in nearly two weeks.
Riot officers used tear gas and nonlethal rounds Saturday after protesters took over a road in the city’s Kowloon Bay area.
The protesters regrouped several times to challenge police again before calling it a day as night fell.
The clashes were not as prolonged or violent as some others earlier this summer, but they were the first after a lull last weekend.
Another march is planned for Sunday.
___
6:40 p.m.
A large group of protesters is facing off with police in Hong Kong in a resumption of clashes after a lull the previous weekend.
Police used tear gas intermittently Saturday as they gradually drove back hundreds of protesters along a main road in the city’s Kowloon Bay area.
Each tear gas volley sent the black-clad protesters scampering in retreat before they took position again farther down the road.
The front-line protesters wore bright yellow helmets and gas masks with pink filters and tried to douse the fallen tear gas canisters with water.
After weeks of escalating violence, the protests were relatively peaceful last weekend.
___
5:35 p.m.
Hong Kong police have used tear gas to disperse protesters who were massing near a police station.
Public broadcaster RTHK says riot officers moved in with batons on Saturday to drive away protesters who threw bricks and what appeared to be a gasoline bomb at them.
The clash followed a protest march earlier in the afternoon to Kowloon Bay, an area across the harbor from Hong Kong Island.
The pro-democracy demonstrators were targeting „smart lampposts” that had been erected in the neighborhood. They fear they would lead to increased surveillance, though the government has denied that.
One group of protesters built barriers across a street near the police station. They retreated after the police charge, but it wasn’t clear if they were regrouping to challenge the police again.
___
4:35 p.m.
The British government has confirmed that an employee of the British Consulate in Hong Kong has been released after being detained in mainland China.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement Saturday that „We welcome the release of Simon Cheng and are delighted that he can be reunited with his family.”
The government added that Cheng and his family „have requested privacy and we would be grateful if this is respected.”
Earlier, authorities in Shenzhen, a mainland city neighboring Hong Kong, said that Cheng had been released after 15 days of administrative detention.
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4:30 p.m.
Hong Kong protesters have cut down a „smart lamppost” that they feared would facilitate Chinese surveillance, in the city’s latest anti-government protest.
A group of protesters on Saturday used an electric saw to slice through the bottom of the lamppost, while others pulled ropes tied around it. They cheered as it toppled over.
The protesters were part of a larger group marching to demand the removal of smart lampposts installed in a Kowloon district over fears they could contain high-tech cameras and facial recognition software used for surveillance by Chinese authorities.
The government in Hong Kong, which has been convulsed by two months of protests, said smart lampposts only collect data on traffic, weather and air quality.
___
11:10 a.m.
Chinese police say an employee at the British Consulate in Hong Kong who was detained on the mainland has been released.
Authorities in Shenzhen say Simon Cheng Man-kit was released as scheduled on Saturday after 15 days of administrative detention.
Shenzhen is the mainland city neighboring Hong Kong.
‘Words and pictures matter’: Two Alaska 13-year-olds arrested for middle school shooting plans, police say
Alaska authorities arrested two 13-year-old students for planning to bring a gun to their school and shoot people, the Juneau Police Department said in a release.
Officers took the juveniles into custody Thursday morning at Floyd Dryden Middle School after receiving a report the previous night, police said. It’s among the latest in a string of arrests for mass violence threats since the back-to-back shootings earlier this month that killed 31 people in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio.
A classmate overheard the male students discuss the shooting plans, Juneau School District Superintendent Bridget Weiss told The Juneau Empire. The student’s parents reported the threat to police.
Police questioned the juveniles before school began Thursday and arrested them for making terroristic threats, a felony offense in Alaska, according to the police department. Classes continued as usual, Weiss said, and the district emailed parents to tell them what happened.
‘People are on edge’: Mass violence threats – at least 30 in 18 states – have surged since El Paso, Dayton
“We really want students to know there are significant consequences now to making threats like this,” Weiss told the Empire. “Words and pictures matter. They do indicate threat.”
To respond to similar threats, the district has increased security measures and trained staff for active shooter situations, the district’s chief of staff, Kristin Bartlett, told local station KTOO.
“Every year, we get a little bit better about putting all of these aspects in place, so that we’re teaching in an environment where people feel secure,” Bartlett told KTOO. “We have preventative measures in place. They’re prepared, and it takes everybody in the school to work together.”
Juneau police previously arrested a student for making terroristic threats in January. A 16-year-old brought a BB gun to Juneau-Douglas High School, putting the campus on lockdown, a press release said. No one was injured, but police noted mass shootings across the country put people on high alert.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alaska school shooting threat: Juneau police arrest 2 teens for plans
Should phones be banned from schools?
“The 360” shows you diverse perspectives on the day’s top stories.
What’s happening:
Starting this year, students at San Mateo High School south of San Francisco will be part of a pilot program looking to find an answer to a question that has vexed educators for years: Does it make sense to ban cellphone use at school?
With 1,700 students, San Mateo High is reportedly the largest public school in America to go phone free. Schools, districts and governments across the country and around the world have considered or enacted their own phone bans recently.
A phone ban in Ontario, Canada, is set to go into effect next month. And in June, legislators in California passed a law allowing the state’s school districts to implement their own phone prohibitions.
Why there’s debate:
Smartphones are considered by many educators to be a major impediment to learning and a scourge on the classroom environment. Many argue that they are constant distraction and a barrier to in-person communication, putting teachers in the position of having to interrupt instruction to get students back on task.
There is also some scientific research suggesting smartphones may fundamentally undermine a child’s ability to learn or focus on one subject for an extended period of time.
Others say the bans are a mistake. Since phones are everywhere, goes the logic, schools would be better off teaching kids to utilize the technology as a learning tool. There is also evidence that bans are difficult if not impossible to enforce.
There are also safety concerns, like children not having access to phones during an emergency. Japan’s education ministry said it is reconsidering its nationwide ban on phones in junior high and elementary schools in response to a strong earthquake that struck Osaka last year.
What’s next:
Smartphones are still a relatively new technology, so the pros and cons of having them in schools are still being evaluated. The broad bans taking place in France, Australia and other countries should provide more evidence of whether keeping phones out of schools is a good strategy.
Perspectives
Phones are a major impediment to learning.
“Taking cellphones out of the classroom is a no-brainer. …The ability to be free of distraction and concentrate on things is increasingly valuable, so it’s a good general function of our schools to be a place where our students get trained to [keep] their concentration on one thing at a time,” — Georgetown University professor Calvin Newport, to NBC News
Phones are too distracting to be allowed in schools.
“It doesn’t take a scientist to tell you that cell phones can be distracting, but if you want confirmation from a scientist, it’s not hard to find. Study after study shows that the powerful computers we keep in our pockets can be distracting for even the most disciplined of adults — not to mention students.” — Abigail Hess, CNBC
There’s no way to effectively enforce phone bans.
“Whenever adults ban something, kids find a way around the rule.” — Katrina Schwartz, KQED
Schools should teach children to use their phones responsibly.
“The reality is that in university, and more importantly, the workplace, your professors and bosses don’t tell you to put your phone away. They just expect you to meet your deadlines — and if you’re distracted by dog videos on your phone, that’s your problem.” — Sherina Harris, Vice
Kids need to learn how to get things done without easy access to technology.
“Learning to get along without digital media, to depend directly on themselves and each other without electronic distraction several uninterrupted hours a day, could be the most important training we can give our young people before sending them into an uncharted and potentially uncontrollable technological future.” — Steve Koppman, Mercury News
Phone bans discriminate against kids with nontraditional learning styles.
“What I’m particularly opposed to are blanket device bans that fail to recognize that different humans learn in different ways at different times.” — Education and technology expert Jesse Stommel
The bans represent a failure by schools to adapt to modern student needs.
“Schools that take the draconian decision to ban mobile phones are really admitting failure. A failure of management, a failure of understanding contemporary communication and a failure to recognise the significant benefits of mobile phones in class.” — Christopher Bantick, Sydney Morning Herald
A student argues in favor of teaching teenagers to properly manage their screen time.
„Banning technology from students will also seriously limit our ability to learn digital self-control. Every minute of our school day is already dictated to us by adults, making time management a difficult skill to learn. If phones are not only banned in class but also in our recess and lunch times, we are not learning how to use our phones in moderation, and will find it even harder to learn to do so once we graduate and are given free rein.” — Hannah Bachelard, The Age
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