Cramm for 4/20/18
THE HIGHLIGHTS
North Korea is switching things up.
TELL ME MORE.
Last year, North Korea said ‘one doomsday, coming right up’ and test-fired over a dozen missiles over the course of a few months. Then traded friendly insults with Prez Trump...via Twitter. Mature. This is all part of a half-a-century long war between North Korea and their neighbor in the South - backed by the US. But yesterday, North Korea apparently came one step closer to finally getting along.
WHAT HAPPENED?
A telephone hotline between the two Koreas. It was allegedly just set up so Kim Jong Un - North Korea’s dictator - and Moon Jae-in - South Korea’s prez - could chat remotely. This is the first telephone hotline between the two countries...ever. And comes juuuust before Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in are expected to meet at a historic summit. Hint: denuclearization will be a talking point.
GIVE ME THE DEETS.
Weeks ago, Kim Jong Un announced he’s open to trashing North Korea’s nuclear program. Prez Trump and Moon Jae-in were here for this. They both agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un to discuss it. But recently, Kim Jong Un ch-ch-changed one of his requirements for potential denuclearization. As in he reportedly won’t make US soldiers ditch South Korea as part of the deal. Bomb, dropped.
SO…?
This could mark a turning point when it comes to relations between North Korea and the rest of the world. TBD on what goes on during that upcoming summit.
THE ACTION
TRUMP: Yesterday, Republicans said ‘no secrets’ and forced James Comey to release his memos on Prez Trump. Reminder: last year, Trump said ‘you’re fired’ to Comey. It came out of nowhere. Since then, Congress hired Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate any potential collusion or obstruction of justice in the Trump team. Aka Comey’s firing. So Republicans took a peek at Comey’s memos and immediately publicized them. Spoiler: people are calling them “stunning.” But it’s still unclear whether the memos actually prove anything. The plot thickens.
USA: Recently, an engineering fraternity at Syracuse University was suspended for posting videos on a private Facebook group using racial slurs and anti-Semitic, homophobic, and sexist language. Cue the protests. The fraternity has since apologized and says the video was made as a “satirical sketch.” Now, Syracuse is reportedly reviewing all Greek life on its campus. Speaking of which, LA Fitness - as in the fitness chain - just said ‘so sorry’ after allegedly racially profiling two African American patrons. Stay tuned.
PROTESTS: Young people are still thinking about gun control. Today, over 2,500 schools are expected to participate in a national school walkout - 19 years after the Columbine shooting that caused 13 deaths. The walkout starts at 10am in every time zone. This comes just two months after the Parkland school shooting, where a gunman killed 17 people. Since then, young people across the country have spoken out against current gun laws. Here’s how to get involved.
POLITICS: Yesterday, Trump’s nominee to lead NASA - Jim Bridenstine - was approved. Eight months after being nominated. Reminder: Bridenstine is the guy who doesn’t have a background in science or believe in things like climate change. Not good qualities to lead an organization about everything air and space. So many lawmakers - on both sides of the aisle - weren’t willing to vote him in. But yesterday, Sen Jeff Flake (R-AZ) cast the deciding vote in favor of Bridenstine - reportedly in exchange for a meeting with Mike Pompeo. Smooth.
WHAT TO KNOW
“Kingdom of eSwatini:” Swaziland’s new name. The country’s king just renamed it so that it wouldn’t be confused with Switzerland. Yodelayheehoo.
SAY WHAT?
“The solution for ‘I do not understand’” - Developers for AI (like Siri and Alexa) just made some helpful changes. Aka human-like conversation. One small step for AI, one giant leap for mankind.
STAY CONNECTED
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