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🥞 Happy Sunday — savor the last day of June.
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President Trump today became the first U.S. commander-in-chief to step onto the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone — the heavily guarded neutral strip dividing the Korean Peninsula between freedom and totalitarianism.
Why it matters: The West for decades has seen the North Korean side of the DMZ, a vestige of the Cold War, as enemy territory. The encounter reflects Trump's instinct for stagecraft and spontaneous diplomacy.
Speaking to U.S. reporters after saying goodbye to Kim, Trump trumpeted progress they have made over the past two and a half years: "You don’t report it accurately, but that’s OK. Someday history will record it accurately."
Trump said to Kim: "I just want to say that this is my honor. I didn't really expect it — we were in Japan for the G20. We came over and I said, 'Hey, I'm over here. I want to call Chairman Kim.' And we got to meet, and stepping across that line was a great honor."
"Tremendous positivity — really great things are happening.," Trump added. "We met, and we liked each other, from Day 1. And that was very important."
The choreography: ... In a made-for television moment, the two leaders strode toward one another from opposite sides of the Joint Security Area, AP reported:
Above is an aerial view of the U.S. Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, where attorneys say detained migrant children are held in disturbing conditions.
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke will cross the U.S.-Mexico border today:
What's new: New Jersey took in more sports bets than Nevada last month, per AP:
Why it matters: New Jersey won a Supreme Court case last year that cleared the way for all 50 states to offer legal sports betting.
What's new: U.S. suicide rates are at the highest level since World War II, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, per Bloomberg's Cynthia Koons.
Why it matters: "While material well-being has improved, America’s emotional distress has climbed to crisis levels."
The first Major League Baseball game in Europe was played in London yesterday, and featured racing mascots of King Henry VIII, the Loch Ness Monster, Winston Churchill, and Freddie Mercury of the rock band Queen. (N.Y. Times)
How The Guardian covered the game:
The two-foot long, £24 “Boomstick” hot dog. The mascot race won by a giant-headed Freddie Mercury. ... America’s pastime has arrived in the UK, as the New York Yankees beat their old rivals the Boston Red Sox 17-13 at the London Stadium ...
Aside from the vast amount of foul territory (the area behind the baselines in which batters can be caught but cannot score runs) it seemed to fit the purpose nicely ...
For a sport that has historically been insular, the goal is now long-term global expansion. They say this jaunt to London is just the start, with another planned for next year (the Chicago Cubs v the St Louis Cardinals) and then India, China and who knows where else.
But it is hardly global expansion if the bulk of the crowd is just here on holiday from New York and Boston.
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