*By Philly Bubaris*
The failure to enact gun-control legislation after yet another deadly school shooting may be frustrating, but Representative Joaquin Castro said Tuesday he was dumbfounded by alternative proposals to arm teachers to prevent mass shootings.
"I don't think that the answer is to put a gun in every classroom," the Texas Democrat said in an interview with Cheddar. Castro said he consulted his own father, a teacher for 31 years, on the issue. "Like so many other teachers, they didn't sign up to be soldiers or police officers," Castro said. "I just don't see that as a solution."
Castro is one of many members on Congress and the general public upset by the slow ー often non-existent ー pace of gun control legislation after another mass shooting. The latest, at Santa Fe High School southeast of Houston, saw 10 people killed when the suspected shooter, 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis, went on a rampage with his father's shotgun and .38-caliber pistol.
Pagourtzis is being held without bond, on suicide watch, in the Galveston County Jail. His father told the Wall Street Journal that his son was a "good boy," and the bullying his son received caused him lash out.
Castro said all levels of government and all members of the community must take some action to help prevent future mass shootings.
He said it was parents' responsibility to lock up their weapons, and he said schools deserve increased resources to provide mental-health services. Castro also called on local and state officials to take action to limit the threat of guns in some public places.
"The state legislature has passed open carry and campus carry, which promote the carrying of guns on college campuses," Castro said. "I'm hopeful that the conversation is finally changing in Texas. The people of Texas understand that there's a problem, and something needs to be done."
Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, will be hosting discussions with educators and local law enforcement officials in the coming weeks to figure out the best ways to make schools safer.
Representative Castro said it was encouraging that the governor is recognizing gun violence as a problem, but he was dismayed that more serious action had not been taken sooner. State and local officials need to do more, Castro said.
"You may never get the number of gun deaths to zero, but you can't use it as an excuse to be paralyzed and do nothing."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-joaquin-castro-hopeful-texas-stance-on-gun-control-is-changing).
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern, as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report.
The Supreme Court is allowing Lisa Cook to remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.
Rep. John Moolenaar has requested an urgent briefing from the White House after Trump supported a deal giving Americans a majority stake in TikTok.
A new report finds the Department of Government Efficiency’s remaking of the federal workforce has battered the Washington job market and put more households in the metropolitan area in financial distress.
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Shares of Tylenol maker Kenvue are bouncing back sharply before the opening bell a day after President Donald Trump promoted unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism. Trump told pregnant women not to use the painkiller around a dozen times during the White House news conference Monday. The drugmaker tumbled 7.5%. Shares have regained most of those losses early Tuesday in premarket trading.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled a cautious approach to future interest rate cuts, in sharp contrast with other Fed officials who have called for a more urgent approach. In remarks in Providence, Rhode Island, Powell noted that there are risks to both of the Fed’s goals of seeking maximum employment and stable prices. His approach is in sharp contrast to some members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who are pushing for faster cuts.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the American media landscape have led to the suspension of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
