The dramatic Singapore summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un has been followed by five weeks of occasional talk and no action. That could change next week.
The latest: In talks at the DMZ, North Korea agreed to return the remains of 50-55 troops killed during the Korean War, a U.S. official tells Stars and Stripes. The U.S. is reportedly scheduled to receive the remains on July 27, the 65th anniversary of the end of the war, but further delays are possible.
Just days after the one-on-one meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump when they reportedly discussed the intention to avoid a nuclear arms race, Russia broadcast videos Thursday that display its latest batch of nuclear and conventional weapons, Reuters reports.
The details: The Russian Defense Ministry aired "Hollywood-style footage of many of the new weapons Putin unveiled in March being tested or in action," per Reuters. "It showed a Russian MiG-31 fighter jet taking off from an airfield carrying the new Kinjal hypersonic missile and then launching it while airborne. MiG-31 jets which patrol the Caspian Sea have been armed with the Kinjal since April."
President Trump again claimed in an interview with CNBC that getting along with Russia would be great for the United States, but that if their relationship doesn't work out, he will be "the worst enemy" Vladimir Putin has ever had.
Why it matters: Trump has long insisted that no president has been as tough on Russia as he has, taking time during the interview to slam former President Obama as a "total patsy" for Russia, even as Trump faces his own criticism for being soft on Putin during their summit in Helsinki.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday said the White House has extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Washington this fall, and discussions are currently underway.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a non-binding resolution against making current and former diplomats available to the Russian government for questioning in exchange for cooperation with the Mueller probe.
Why it matters: This is a blowing rebuke against President Trump who was initially considering the request from Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it an "incredible offer." Trump's willingness to consider handing U.S. citizens, including former U.S. ambassador Michael McFaul, for interrogation triggered widespread outrage. The White House ruled out the request just hours before the Senate vote.
Why it matters: That means that one in ten North Koreans are imprisoned by forced labor or marriage, and a majority of those are enslaved by the state, according to the report. Andrew Forrest, founder of the Walk Free Foundation, told Axios that he hopes President Trump will challenge Kim Jong-un on the issue. Forrest said that "nobody is better qualified that Donald Trump to persuade and inform the North Korean president to the reality" of modern day slavery.
The White House has belatedly rejected Vladimir Putin's proposal that Russia be allowed to question several U.S. citizens, including former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, in exchange for cooperation with the Mueller probe.
The latest: Three days after the press conference in which President Trump praised Putin's "incredible offer," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders today released a statement saying that while Putin's offer was "made in sincerity," Trump "disagrees with it." Sanders had generated significant backlash just yesterday, including from McFaul and other former U.S. officials, when she said Trump would meet with advisers to discuss the idea. The Senate was planning to vote on a resolution opposing Putin's proposal.
House Democrats forced a vote on election security funding this week — and lost again today.
The big picture: This shows that the recent outburst in criticism against President Trump's back-and-forth on whether he believes the intelligence community's assessment that Russia meddled in U.S. elections may not be enough to translate into votes. According to an exclusive Axios/SurveyMonkey poll, Republicans overwhelmingly (79%) approve of the way Trump handled his press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal throws a new degree of uncertainty into global oil markets and poses a stark dilemma for U.S. foreign policy.
The big picture: The Trump administration's efforts to drastically reduce Iran’s oil exports might risk a massive blow to U.S. consumers and allies. If Trump's “maximum pressure” campaign succeeds, the volatile and rising gasoline prices that result could finally dent his approval ratings, even among hardline supporters, and spark a global recession.
Israel's parliament passed a controversial bill Thursday recognizing the country as the national and historical home of the Jewish people, granting Jews the "unique" right to "exercise national self-determination," reports The Times of Israel.
Why it matters: Israel's status as a Jewish state had not previously been enshrined in law. Among other things, the largely symbolic legislation reiterates that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and officially names Hebrew as the "state's language." The proposal generated passionate opposition in a country where 20.9% of the population identifies as Arab.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that his meeting with President Trump in Helsinki put U.S.-Russia relations on "the path to positive change" despite currently being "in some ways worse than during the Cold War," per the AP.
Why it matters: This is a talking point that Trump has touted frequently, saying relations between the two countries have never been worse. Putin also expressed his concerns about "forces" in the U.S. who are trying to hamper efforts to improve relations.
President Trump suggested that the news media is pushing for a confrontation with Russia in a Thursday tweet, saying reporters "hate the fact that I’ll probably have a good relationship with Putin."
"The Fake News Media wants so badly to see a major confrontation with Russia, even a confrontation that could lead to war. They are pushing so recklessly hard and hate the fact that I’ll probably have a good relationship with Putin. We are doing MUCH better than any other country!"
The backdrop: It's Trump's latest in a multi-dayseries of tweets defending his Helsinki performance — and it comes on the heels of a new Axios/SurveyMonkey poll which shows that Americans are sharply divided over Trump's press conference with Putin, with 7% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans saying they approved of his comments.
