内容摘要：And economists say average tariffs are now at about 18%, roughly six times higher than before Trump took office and the highest in about 90 years.

And economists say average tariffs are now at about 18%, roughly six times higher than before Trump took office and the highest in about 90 years.

“Teachers wanted it. Parents wanted it. Principals wanted it. School boards wanted it,” Armstrong said.Armstrong recently visited a grade school with such a ban in place. He said he saw kids engaging with each other and laughing at tables during lunch.

The “bell-to-bell” bans have been promoted in part by ExcelinEd, the education think tank founded by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The group’s political affiliate has been active in lobbying for bans.Nathan Hoffman, ExcelinEd’s senior director of state policy and advocacy, said barring phones throughout the day heads off problems outside of class, like when students set up or record fights in halls.“That’s often when you get some of your biggest behavioral issues, whether they go viral or not,” Hoffman said.

But other states, particularly where there are strong traditions of local school control, are mandating only that school districts adopt some kind of cellphone policy, believing districts will take the hint and sharply restrict phone access. In Maine, where some lawmakers originally proposed a school day ban, lawmakers are now considering a rewritten bill that would only require a policy.And there have been a few states where lawmakers failed to act at all. Maybe the most dramatic was in Wyoming, where senators voted down a bill in January, with some opponents saying teachers or parents should set the rules.

Where policymakers have moved ahead, there’s a growing consensus around exceptions. Most states are letting students use electronic devices to monitor medical needs and meet the terms of their special education plans. Some are allowing exceptions for translation devices if English isn’t a student’s first language or when a teacher wants students to use devices for classwork.

There are some unusual exceptions, too. South Carolina’s original policy allowed an exception for students who are volunteer firefighters. West Virginia’s new law allows smartwatches as long as they are not being used for communication.A person wearing graduate robes is detained by police across the street from the main gates of Columbia University, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The European Union’s top foreign policy official on Friday urged North Macedonia to take “era-defining” decisions to advance its bid for EU membership.Speaking in the capital Skopje alongside Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reaffirmed the bloc’s support but stressed that progress depends on multiple domestic reforms.

“The road to membership is not easy, so my message today is to stay on the course and to take next steps necessary towards the opening of the negotiations,” Kallas said. “North Macedonia faces era-defining choices for its citizens and its future.”Key among those steps is a constitutional amendment to formally recognize a Bulgarian minority — a condition set by EU neighbor Bulgaria to lift its veto of North Macedonian membership. The issue has become a political flashpoint in North Macedonia, where the conservative government insists that EU accession should not be affected by bilateral disputes.