*By Amanda Weston*
As the question of arming school teachers with guns persists, the president of the American Federation of Teachers thinks the plan is misguided ー and dangerous.
"There are so many different reasons why, pedagogically, it's horrible ー why logically it's insane," Randi Weingarten said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar. "Schools should be safe havens, not armed fortresses."
Last week, [the New York Times reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/22/us/politics/betsy-devos-guns.html) that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is looking into whether Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants, which don't explicitly include a ban on buying guns, can be used to fund arming teachers for their protection.
The $1 billion program is part of 2015's Every Student Succeeds Act. Weingarten said the act was designed to help students at the country's poorest schools by paying for support like guidance counselors or summer school classes.
"She wants to basically give federal money that goes for poor kids, for social, emotional well-being, and give it to the gun manufacturers," Weingarten said.
Almost 200 House Democrats [wrote a letter to DeVos on Tuesday](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2018/08/28/house-democrats-push-betsy-devos-to-reject-funding-for-guns-in-schools/?utm_term=.e60ad238e13e) urging her to abandon her study.
[The letter noted](http://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2018-08-28%20Letter%20to%20DeVos%20on%20Guns.pdf) when Congress authorized the STOP School Violence Act after February's deadly shooting in Parkland, Fla., it prohibited program funds being used for firearms or firearms training.
"Congressional opposition to the implementation of federal funds for guns in schools is not open to interpretation," Democrats wrote.
But Weingarten said the opposition won't likely shake DeVos.
"She's going to listen to Vice President Pence and to the NRA, not to any of us," she said.
The attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left a total of 17 dead initially seemed to drum up bipartisan support for action on gun control, though those efforts again seem to have cooled off. Weingarten is still shocked the latest measure is even up for discussion.
"I cannot believe I'm actually talking about this," she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/aft-president-using-federal-money-for-guns-in-schools-is-insane).
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
Real estate software company RealPage has agreed to stop sharing nonpublic information between landlords as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice.
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
