Death, Lies, and Video Games: Two more victims of the El Paso gun massacre died, bring the death toll there to 22.

  In a brief speech yesterday President Trump condemned hatred and white supremacy following the two weekend mass shootings that left 31 dead in Texas and Ohio. He did not call for tighter restrictions on the kind of assault weapons used in both massacres. 

 Trump called for mental health checks on gun buyers and the death penalty for those who commit mass murder. “Mental illness and hate pull the trigger, not the gun,” Trump said, echoing a line from the National Rifle Association playbook. He also blamed violent video games, although there’s no proven link between the games and mass murder.

  Trump delivered his speech in passionless words obviously written for him. As a theater critic once said, “Everything was wooden but the set.” In his closing as he called for prayers for the victims, Trump mentioned the wrong city. He said Toledo rather than Dayton where nine people were killed.

  NY Times columnist Michelle Goldberg writes that, “If history is any guide, it won’t be long before the president returns to tweeting racist invective and encouraging jingoist hatreds at his rallies.”

By the Numbers:  The US has had 248 mass shootings so far this year. A mass shooting is usually defined as the shooting of three or more people. Just this year, 246 people have been killed and 979 wounded in mass shootings.

  In Dayton, Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine was interrupted by protesters chanting “Do something!, Do Something!”

Trade War:The Dow Jones took a nearly 800-point dive yesterday after China weakened its currency in retaliation for President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods.

  Weakening the Yuan makes US exports to China more expensive, a way to discouraging business and punish America farmers and companies for the actions of the President. Trump in turn labelled China a “currency manipulator.” 

Black and White and Dead All Over:Two of the country’s largest newspaper companies have agreed to merge in hopes of beating the decline of the industry by getting bigger.

  The combined company would be the largest US newspaper company with more than 260 daily over 300 weeklies.

  GateHouse Media, a fast-growing chain, is buying Gannett, owner of USA Today, for about $1.4 billion. They promise to speed a transformation to online readership. The companies say they are committed to “journalistic excellence” — while also cutting $300 million in costs every year.

  This is an old story. Fewer reporters and less news coverage. Gannett started cutting back on pens and notebooks in the supply closet back in 1978.

  Overall, the news for newspapers is not good. The US has lost almost 1,800 local newspapers since 2004. One of the latest to go is the Warroad Pioneer, published near the Minnesota border with Canada. It had published for 121 years.  

The News Roundup:Cesar A. Sayoc Jr., the fervent Trump supporter who  sent homemade pipe bombs to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other prominent Democrats, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison. — North Korea has fired two more unidentified missiles, the country’s fourth launch in less than two weeks. — July was the hottest month on record around the world, scientists say, a sign that Earth is heating up.

Flameout:In the quest to cut carbon emissions and slow global warming, the new target of environmentalists is natural gas, NPRreports.

  Natural gas has become very popular for generating electricity, but home heating and cooking uses almost a third of the natural gas used in the US.

  In July, Berkeley, Calif., became the first city in the country to ban natural gas in new buildings, starting next year. City officials say new efficient electric appliances produce less carbon than gas-powered furnaces and water heaters. In its effort to become carbon-neutral by 2045, California will be urging, if not forcing, its citizens to go all-electric.

Out of Fashion: Beaten up by online retailing,  the once-fashionable Barneys New York is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The expensive-clothing retailer is closing in Chicago, Las Vegas and Seattle, but staying open on Madison Avenue in New York, in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, and Boston.

  The price of a Thom Browne tie is still going to be $220.

-30-