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Trump and Kim Jong Un will finally meet in Singapore; Italy’s populist government turns away a boat carrying hundreds of migrants.
The Trump-Kim summit kicks off in three ... two ...
- Somewhere in Singapore, President Donald Trump is preparing for his historic summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. [Vox / Jenn Williams]
- The two men are scheduled to meet at 9 am Tuesday Singapore time (in Eastern time, Monday at 9 pm). It’s going to be a packed day of meetings between the two leaders to talk about potential nuclear disarmament and the US and other countries lifting sanctions on North Korea. [NYT]
- This is a historic moment, the first time a US president has met face to face with a leader of the North Korean regime, and it’s extremely high-stakes, given the heated rhetoric between the two leaders. [BBC]
- Details on the ground are scarce, but we do know Trump has already cut the summit to just one day. [WBUR / Anthony Kuhn]
- The biggest US ask will be for Kim to get rid of his nuclear weapons, which will be incredibly difficult. Kim has been receptive to talking about disarmament, which is big news all in itself. But the fact is North Korea believes its nuclear weapons are its only lifeline, and just halting tests doesn’t come close to actual denuclearization. [CNBC / Nyshka Chandran]
- Trump prides himself on being a master dealmaker, but he doesn’t have a lot to show for it so far. As much as he likes to perpetuate the image of being an absolute winner who constantly gets the upper hand, a negotiation with North Korea will be just that: a negotiation. Trump will have to give North Korea something in order to get what he wants. [NPR / Scott Horsley]
- Plus, Trump has already shown a clear dislike for nuclear agreements that lift economic sanctions in exchange for limiting a country’s nuclear capabilities (like the Iran deal), so he’s not giving us a lot of reason to think he’s going to make some incredible deal with North Korea. [Politico / Nahal Toosi]
- Whatever happens, we’ll likely know more tomorrow.
Spain comes to the rescue after Italy turns away a literal boatload of migrants
- Italy denied a ship carrying 629 migrants access to one of its ports on Sunday. The ship had been at sea since Saturday “under a sweltering sun” and had just a single day’s food supply remaining. [NYT / Gaia Pianigiani and Jason Horowitz]
- Spain’s new prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, broke the two-day standoff and allowed the Aquarius to dock in Valencia. The rescue vessel’s passengers from 26 African countries included 123 unaccompanied minors, seven pregnant women, and multiple sick passengers.
- [AP / Nicole Winfield and Aritz Parra]
- Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s decision falls in line with a campaign promise to “take a tough stance against migration.” Salvini and his anti-immigration party, the League, aim to deport half a million undocumented migrants currently seeking refuge for various reasons in Italy. [BBC]
- The European migrant crisis reached its peak in 2016, when an estimated 363,504 migrants arrived at the Mediterranean borders of Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Spain. [International Organization for Migration]
- While some seek new jobs and opportunities in Europe, the majority of migrants are fleeing conflict in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. [Eurostat]
- Though many countries, most prominently Italy, are working to implement hardline policies against immigration, the IOM has reported that migrant arrivals have dropped significantly, the lowest in four years for both Greece and Italy. [UN Dispatch / Joanne Lu]
Miscellaneous
- In a move that may save millennials a world of embarrassment, Snapchat now allows users to delete sent, unopened messages. [The Verge / Dani Deahl]
- We have a situation: The Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino will receive a prison sentence in September after pleading guilty to tax evasion earlier this year. [Page Six / Francesca Bacardi]
- A new law in Colorado allows school nurses “to administer medical marijuana to students.” The law may sound perplexing, but worry not — students won’t be sparking up in class. Nurses can only dole out “non-smokable marijuana” like CBD oil, and students need permission from a parent, as well as a medical marijuana card. [Vice / River Donaghey]
- Disney announced that it will phase out Pixar co-founder John Lasseter after he was accused of sexual harassment — or, how Lasseter sees it, a series of “missteps.” Cue eye-roll. [Jezebel / Hazel Cills]
Verbatim
“Toymakers are saying, well, we can sell each family one toy, or if we make separate versions according to gender, we can sell more toys and make families buy multiples for each gender.” [Sociologist Elizabeth Sweet on the “rigid” gender norms for children in consumer culture / Atlantic]
Watch this: Why chronic floods are coming to New Jersey
Railroads aren’t great if they’re underwater. [YouTube / Carlos Waters]
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