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The world says goodbye to Anthony Bourdain; Afghanistan’s president asks the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire.
Anthony Bourdain was so much more than a chef
- Celebrity chef, writer, and award-winning CNN television host Anthony Bourdain is dead at age 61. [CNN / Brian Stelter]
- The cause of Bourdain’s death was suicide, according to police. Bourdain was public about his past struggles with addiction (and subsequent recovery) and depression. [Vox / Constance Grady and Aja Romano]
- (Note: If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help. You can find more resources here.) [National Suicide Prevention Hotline]
- Bourdain started his career as a line cook in New York City’s restaurant business, working up to being a successful celebrity chef, but he’s being mourned by many more people outside of the food community. [Eater / Monica Burton and Erin DeJesus]
- He was very well-known for his writing about the somewhat seedier side of the restaurant industry, both in a breakthrough 1999 essay for the New Yorker and in a book. [New Yorker / Anthony Bourdain]
- Rather than opening up a chain of his own restaurants, Bourdain became a connoisseur of cultures and experiences around the world. [NYT / Kim Severson, Matthew Haag, and Alissa J. Rubin]
- Friends and former colleagues described him as being as much a journalist as a chef. Bourdain talked about his belief in food being a common theme that brought people from all different countries and backgrounds together. [New Yorker / Helen Rosner]
- Bourdain was also known for being a strong voice for women in the #MeToo movement, including his girlfriend Asia Argento, one of Harvey Weinstein’s most public accusers. He questioned his own behavior and spoke up about other famous male chefs accused of sexual misconduct. [Vox / Laura McGann]
A tentative ceasefire
- Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has announced a ceasefire with the Taliban across the country as war continues in 34 provinces. The president has made it clear that the ceasefire does not extend to the terror groups al-Qaeda or ISIS. [NYT / Mujib Mashal]
- The ceasefire will start on June 12 and continue until June 21, the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. [CNN / Ehsan Popalzai and Judith Vonberg]
- The Taliban has yet to confirm its participation. The terrorist organization has continually refused Ghani’s peace offerings, including a recent proposal to establish a “formal political party” for the group and release their prisoners, which was on the table as long as they were involved in negotiations. [NPR / Colin Dwyer]
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that “the Taliban will not win on the battlefield,” adding that the proposed ceasefire is the only sensible option. [Reuters]
Miscellaneous
- Monkeys in China are the test subjects in a wave of new genetic engineering to research autism. [Atlantic / Sarah Zhang]
- Reese Witherspoon will star in Legally Blonde 3, which she announced is in the opening stages of production. [Slate / Marissa Martinelli]
- The Washington Capitals are bringing home the Stanley Cup with a Game 5 win over the Las Vegas Golden Knights. DC sports fans, long starved of championship wins, are ecstatic. [SB Nation / Alex Kirshner]
- Facebook has ads out seeking contractors to serve as “news credibility specialists” to weed out dubious news sources. Why it’s not just calling them “editors” is beyond us. [Business Insider / Troy Wolverton]
Verbatim
“Good food, good eating, is all about blood and organs, cruelty and decay. ... It’s about danger — risking the dark, bacterial forces of beef, chicken, cheese, and shellfish.” [Anthony Bourdain in his famous essay “Don’t Eat Before Reading This” / New Yorker]
Watch this: Trump invented a fake spy scandal. People will still believe it.
It’s a tactic the president has used before, and it works. [YouTube / Madeline Marshall and Mallory Brangan]
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