BY MARK BERMAN
AND JOHN WAGNERPresident Trump on Monday
denounced “racism, bigotry and
white supremacy” after a pair of
mass shootings and focused on
combating mental illness over ef-
forts to push gun control.
Trump’s nationally televised
comments followed a shooting
rampage on Saturday in El Paso,
and another, hours later, in Day-
ton, Ohio, both with assault-style
rifles and loads of ammunition.
Thus far, 31 people have died as a
result of the two attacks, with two
more people who were shot in El
Paso succumbing to their wounds
on Monday. Scores of others were
wounded.
“In one voice, our nation must
condemn racism, bigotry and
white supremacy,” Trump said in
remarks delivered at the White
House. “Hatred warps the mind,
ravages the heart and devours the
soul.”
Trump condemned the “two
evil attacks” and vowed to act
“with urgent resolve,” outlining
several possible steps, including
the use of “red-flag laws” that fo-
cus on better identifying mentally
ill people — and others who pre-
sent as threats for violence — who
should not be allowed to purchase
firearms.
“Mental illness and hatred pull
the trigger. Not the gun,” said
Trump, who was accompanied by
Vice President Pence and did not
SEE SHOOTINGS ON AABCDE
Prices may vary in areas outside metropolitan Washington. M2 V1 V2 V3 V
T-storm 90/74 • Tomorrow: Heavy t-storm 91/72 B8 Democracy Dies in Darkness TUESDAY, AUGUST 6 , 2019. $‘Not your grandfather’s summer’ Around the
globe, the hottest month in recorded history
left its mark on people and ecosystems. A
Sentence in bomb mailings Cesar Sayoc, a
fanatical Trump supporter who targeted
Democrats and reporters, gets 20 years. A
HEALTH & SCIENCE
‘Adaptive design’
People with disabilities
now have more options
for stylish clothing that
meets their needs. ESTYLE
Your pool isn’t cool
Stop pretending chlorine-
based parties are fun. CIn the news
THE NATION
The Trump administra-
tion has temporarily fro-
zen several key foreign
aid funds that Congress
has approved and or-
dered a review. A
Teachers nationwide
voiced frustration with
their jobs and showed
broad support for
strikes, a poll found. A
The Fed plans to devel-
op a service to end the
delay between when you
deposit a check and
when it’s recognized in
your account. ATHE WORLD
Colombia granted citi-
zenship to over 24,children born to Ven-
ezuelan migrants since
2015 in an effort to ad-
dress a growing problem
in one of the world’s larg-
est refugee crises: undoc-
umented babies. A
Venezuela will soon be
under a full U.S. eco-
nomic embargo, Presi-
dent Trump announced
late Monday. A
Defense firms from
North Korea, Russia,
China, India and other
nations supplied arms
to Myanmar’s military
that were used in a
crackdown against
Rohingya Muslims,
a U.N. report said. A
In Cairo, a car packedwith explosives killed at
least 20 and injured 47
as the city suffered its
highest terrorism-relat-
ed death toll in more
than two years. A
A Hong Kong strike
shut down businesses
and crippled transporta-
tion systems as leader
Carrie Lam refused to
back down. ATHE ECONOMY
The flying cars of
“Back to the Future”
might be one tiny step
closer after a Japanese
prototype’s debut. ATHE REGION
Victims of domestic
violence, stalking and
similar crimes will soon
be able to shield theirhome addresses in the
District. B
Prosecutors an-
nounced the arrest of
two Maryland men ac-
cused of being part of a
scheme to scam the fed-
eral government out of
$8 million in disaster-
relief funds. B
A program in Prince
George’s pairs students
with county workers,
who teach their appren-
tices the art of their
trades. B
Maryland is seeking a
deal with CSX and oth-
ers to expand the How-
ard Street Tunnel and
allow much more cargo
through after a federal
grant fell about $
million short of what
the state asked for. BInside
BONNIE JO MOUNT/THE WASHINGTON POSTBUSINESS NEWS........................A
COMICS........................................C
OPINION PAGES ......................... A
LOTTERIES ................................... B
OBITUARIES ................................. B
TELEVISION..................................C
WORLD NEWS.............................ADAILY CODE, DETAILS, B
9871CONTENT © 2019
The Washington Post / Year 142, No. 244BY DAVID J. LYNCH,
GERRY SHIH,
JEFF STEIN
AND DAMIAN PALETTAThe United States and China
traded blows in an unrestrained
economic conflict Monday that
sent stock markets plunging and
threatened to inflict significant
damage on a weakening global
economy.
Late in the day, Treasury Secre-
tary Steven Mnuchin formally
labeled China a “currency manip-
ulator,” a largely symbolic slap at
Beijing that is likely to deepen the
growing animosity between the
two trading partners.
The move, which President
Trump had promised to take on
his first day in office, requires
Treasury only to initiate consulta-
tions with China. Beijing has long
denied U.S. accusations that it
keeps its currency undervalued to
make its products more competi-
tive on world markets.
Treasury’s announcement,
SEE CHINA ON A
BY JONATHAN O’CONNELL
AND RACHEL SIEGELAmerica’s two largest news-
paper publishers will merge in an
effort to combat declining circu-
lation and plunging advertising
revenue, but will still face pres-
sure to cut costs at hundreds of
already cash-strapped publica-
tions around the country.
The $1.4 billion purchase of
McLean, Va.-based Gannett by
GateHouse Media, based in Pitts-
ford, N.Y., will create a conglom-
erate that will own more than 250
daily newspapers and hundreds
of weekly and community pa-
pers. The new company will re-
tain the Gannett name and will
have publications in 47 states,
reaching more than 145 million
unique online visitors each
month.
Executives from both compa-
nies in a news release extolled the
deal as an opportunity to slash up
to $300 million in annual over-
head costs within 24 months
while “continuing to invest in
newsrooms” — creating journal-
ism they hope can attract more
digital subscribers and advertis-
ers at a time when the United
SEE GANNETT ON A
Markets
dive as
trade war
ramps up
2 largest U.S.
newspaper
chains set
to combine
BY DREW HARWELLThe battle over extremist and
white-supremacist content
surged into the tangled pipe-
lines of the Web on Monday, as
rival tech firms jockeyed for pri-
macy and knocked the 8chan
message board and other hate
sites offline.
It was unclear how long those
sites would remain unavailable
to their followers. Several play-
ers in the little-seen world of
Internet service firms were dig-
ging in to prevent the sites’ reap-
pearance, revealing how the
keepers of the hidden machin-
ery running the Internet can
martial their power to combat
hate online.
In the end, it was a largely
unknown British-based provid-
er of server hardware that put an
end, if only temporarily, to
8chan. The anonymous messageboard had become notorious for
promoting the kind of vile ex-
tremism echoed in a racist
screed posted on the site min-
utes before an attack in El Paso
that left 22 people dead. Officials
suspect the alleged gunman
posted the manifesto, though
they are still investigating its
source.
The British firm’s action also
knocked offline the neo-Nazi
site Daily Stormer, which had
defied takedown efforts since
the Charlottesville white-su-
premacist demonstration in
2017.
“We took a clear pledge in
making the Internet a safer
place for all, and we would con-
tinue to cut entire infrastruc-
ture for any party we identify as
facilitating mass shootings and
extreme hate speech with intol-
erable consequences,” said Ma-
SEE INTERNET ON ABY JENNA JOHNSONel paso — A day and a half
after a gunman opened fire in
his hometown and killed 22
people, Beto O’Rourke was pre-
paring to leave a vigil when he
was stopped by yet another
reporter asking yet another
question about President
Trump — this time wanting to
know what Trump could “do
now to make this any better.”
“What do you think?” the
Democratic presidential candi-
date replied, shaking his head
in exhausted exasperation.
“You know the s--- that he’s
been saying. He’s been calling
Mexican immigrants rapists
and criminals. I don’t know,
like, members of the press:
What the f---?”
O’Rourke threw his hands
up: “It’s these questions that
you know the answers to. Imean, connect the dots about
what he’s been doing in this
country. He’s not tolerating rac-
ism; he’s promoting racism.”
This is Beto O’Rourke since
the shooting: raw, emotional,
mirroring the pain and frustra-
tion of those around him.
It’s a contrast to how
most presidential candidates
respond to tragedy, maintain-
ing a veneer of composure as
they present themselves as
clear-eyed, strong leaders in
moments of pain. And it’s un-
like Trump, who rarely, if ever,
is publicly overcome by emo-
tion and has been accused of
failing to show empathy in
moments of crisis.
The former congressman
does not have a formal title in
El Paso these days — at the vigil
Sunday he was introduced sim-
ply as “Beto O’Rourke” — but he
SEE O'ROURKE ON AOnline war over hate speech rages
as defiant 8chan is knocked o±ine
In his hometown, O’Rourke mirrors
grief, frustration surrounding him
BY GREG MILLERThe United States continues to
employ a staggering arsenal of
armed forces, unmanned drones,
intelligence agencies and sweep-
ing domestic authorities to con-
tain a threat — Islamist terrorism
— that has claimed about 100 lives
on American soil since the nation
mobilized after the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks.
No remotely comparable array
of national power has been direct-
ed against the threat now emerg-
ing from the far right, a loose but
lethal collection of ideologies
whose adherents have killed
roughly the same number of peo-
ple in the United States, post-9/11,
as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State
combined.
The disparity is a source of
growing alarm for officials and
experts, some of whom now say
the United States is overdue for a
realignment of national security
priorities as violence on the far
right escalates.
In the aftermath of a pair of
attacks that left dozens dead or
SEE THREAT ON AAmid threat
from far right,
a call to shift
security focus
SPEECH ALSO BLAMES
MENTAL ILLNESSDeath toll in El Paso,
Dayton rises to 31
Yuan falls against dollar;
U.S. formally calls China
a ‘currency manipulator’Gannett, GateHouse deal
expected to bring savings
amid industry decline
Trump condemns bigotry, not guns
MICHAEL ROBINSON CHAVEZ/THE WASHINGTON POST
Mourners attend a memorial service for 15-year-old Javier Amir Rodriguez, a victim of the El Paso shooting. People from at least three
countries were among the 22 victims, including eight from Mexico. The ages of those who died ranged from 15 to 90.JABIN BOTSFORD/THE WASHINGTON POST
President Trump, with Vice President Pence, heads into the
White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room to give his speech.JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST
Chalk-written sentiments and flowers mark the scene of the
mass shooting where nine people were killed in Dayton, Ohio.Menacing voices in his head
An ex-girlfriend says the Dayton
gunman feared his psychosis. AThose lost in El Paso, Dayton
Among 31 dead: mother shielding
infant; intern on a night out. AThe two sides of Trump
Teleprompter meets Twitter in
president’s response. AAn array of gun-control ideas
Trump’s proposals generate
momentum, draw backlash. AThe president’s remarks
Self-reflection appeared to be
absent, Dan Balz writes. A