Together with Israeli officials, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, senior White house officials and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) took part Sunday in the opening of a tunnel that runs under the Palestinian village of Silwan in East Jerusalem to the Old City, very close to the Temple Mount.
Why it matters: This is an extraordinary event, as the digging of the tunnel was initiated by a Jewish settler group called Elad. For decades, U.S. government officials refrained from participating in Israeli government events in East Jerusalem — not to mention those led by settler groups.
A new report prepared for the Pentagon suggests that the U.S. is underestimating the scale of Russian President Vladimir Putin's "grand strategy" for dominance on the world stage, and that inaction in the face of Russia's malign influence activities poses a serious threat to U.S. national security.
"Contrary to conventional analysis, after two decades under Vladimir Putin, Russia represents an ideological challenge to the West, not just a political and military rivalry. Although NATO continues to possess impressive overmatch against Moscow, that edge is dwindling, and Western vulnerabilities in certain military areas are alarming. Moreover, the unwillingness of Western experts and governments to confront the ideological — as well as political and military — aspects of our rivalry with Putinism means that the threat of significant armed conflict is rising."
President Trump on Sunday became the first sitting U.S. president to step inside North Korea, where he shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He told reporters afterward that stalled nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang would resume.
President Trump on Sunday became the first U.S. president to cross the border at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas and enter North Korea, where he shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Details: Afterward, Kim walked with Trump over to the South Korean side of the border, where he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in for the first trilateral meeting between the leaders of the 3 countries. Here's how the historic event unfolded, in photos.
At the Group of 20 meeting in Osaka, Japan, President Trump "reserved most of the sought-after sit-down time slots for authoritarians or like-minded nationalists with similar views on immigration," the WashPost's Anne Gearan, David Nakamura and Seung Min Kim write.
Catch up quick: Trump has planned meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "who was positioned prominently in the front row next to Trump in the official group photo," per the Post.
