*By Kavitha Shastry*
President Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signed a joint statement Tuesday that calls for North Korea "to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. "
The two heads of state agreed to the statement after a meeting in Singapore, where Trump and Kim greeted each other with a handshake in front a wall of red, white, and blue flags representing both countries.
It was the first time a sitting U.S. president had met a North Korean leader. Their four-hour meeting included only translators to facilitate the conversation ー no advisors.
After the meeting, Trump told reporters that he was suspending U.S. military exercises with South Korea, and he was confident that Kim would live up to his commitment to dismantle North Korea's nuclear arsenal "very quickly."
Marc Lotter, a former aide to Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, called the apparent agreement a "remarkable transformation" of relations between the two countries.
"I'll tell you, a little over a year ago, I was on Air Force Two with the Vice President, heading to Asia, when North Korea launched and tested a ballistic missile," Lotter said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar's J.D. Durkin. "We were in the air at the time. And now to come a year later, 14 months, and see where we're standing, this is a remarkable transition, it's a remarkable transformation."
The joint statement, which Trump described as "very comprehensive," called for follow-up negotiations between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a North Korean official to begin "at the earliest possible date," but there was no specific timeline. The statement signed in Singapore sets the stage for what's expected to be a long negotiation.
Trump's comment to reporters after the summit meeting that the U.S. would [cease military drills](https://qz.com/1303123/trump-gave-north-korea-a-huge-concession-by-committing-to-cease-military-drills-with-south-korea/) with South Korea seemed to be a significant concession not specified in the joint statement.
“We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see that the future negotiation is not going along like it should,” Trump said. “But we’ll be saving a tremendous amount of money. Plus I think it’s very provocative.”
Trump also said that the process of denuclearization in North Korea would be a prolonged process. "Well, you know, scientifically, I've been watching and reading a lot about this, and it does take a long time, you know, to pull off complete denuclearization," he said.
Barbara Demick, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, said in an interview Monday with Cheddar, that the process could take 15 years.
"I don't think the U.S. trusts North Korea at this stage," she said. "I know North Korea does not trust the United States. So it will have to be part of a process."
Already, the process of engagement between the U.S. and North Korea has taken a sharp turn from a year ago, when a series of missile tests by North Korea threatened to escalate hostilities, and Trump issued ultimatums to Kim on Twitter, calling him "Little Rocket Man."
After Tuesday's summit, Trump described the meeting as "fantastic," and said that Kim has accepted an invitation to the White House, "at an appropriate time".
When asked how the U.S. could ensure that North Korea would dismantle its nuclear weapons, [he responded:](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/12/us-to-suspend-war-games-with-south-korea-donald-trump-kim-jong-un-north-summit) “Can you ensure anything? You can’t ensure anything. I just feel very strongly -- my instincts, my ability, my talent -- that they want to make a deal.”
Trump also [recounted an exchange](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/11/world/asia/trump-kim-live-updates.html) he had with Kim in which he used his real estate background to convince the North Korean leader of the benefits of normalized relations.
“As an example, they have great beaches," Trump said. "You see that whenever they’re exploding their cannons into the ocean. I said, ‘Boy look at that view. Wouldn’t that make a great condo?’”
“You could have the best hotels in the world right there,” Trump said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/fmr-special-assistant-to-president-trump-says-north-korea-summit-lays-the-blueprint-for-better-relations).
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin started their heavily scrutinized one-on-one meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday. "[Putin] has been in power for a very long time, almost 20 years now, he is a former KGB officer, and he's not interested in playing nice," says Natalia Antonova, former editor of The Moscow News. The meeting comes just days after the U.S. Justice Department indicted 12 Russian military officers for trying to influence the 2016 presidential election. Before the meeting, Trump described the federal investigation as a "Rigged Witch Hunt!"
While the Trump baby blimp flew over London, tempers flared on the streets. Many of the same passions that help fuel Donald Trump's popularity in the U.S. are very much alive and well in the UK.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's move Friday was the first time the probe has targeted the Russian government. The Russian-orchestrated conspiracy didn't, however, influence vote counts, says Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
The president denied that he criticized British Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit in an interview with The Sun newspaper, calling it "fake news." His comments come just a day after The Sun posted its recorded interview online. Trump and May held a joint press conference on Friday where they both confirmed that the UK and the U.S. would strike up a special trade deal after Brexit.
These are the headlines you Need2Know:
*President Trump is in England preparing for a joint news conference with Theresa May. While the duo dined last night, The Sun newspaper published a sit-down interview with the president where he criticized May’s handling of Brexit. Trump warned trade deals with England could be nixed if Brexit isn’t handled properly.
*FBI agent Peter Strzok was removed from working on the Hillary Clinton email probe and the Trump-Russia investigation after text messages were discovered in which he criticized the president.
*Stormy Daniels made an encore appearance at the same strip club she was arrested at the night prior.
*A Kansas City water park will not reopen after a 10-year-old boy died on a water slide.
*Serena Williams beat Julia Görges of Germany yesterday to reach her 10th Wimbledon final.
Cheddar Big News's Jill Wagner gives us the details.
President Trump, on his last day at the NATO summit in Brussels, declared that other members of the alliance had agreed to increase defense spending. Minutes later, however, French president Emmanuel Macron disputed those claims, saying that all members had committed to the previous spending target. Trump is now in London for his first visit to the British capital since winning the White House.
These are the headlines you Need2Know:
* Confusion at the NATO summit after President Trump said allies will add billions of dollars to defense spending. But French president Emmanuel Macron rebuffed those claims.
* Stormy Daniels was arrested after an alleged misdemeanor at a Columbus, Ohio, strip club. Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, has also been working to reunite families at the southern border.
* The U.S. Senate voted yesterday on a non-binding resolution giving it a say on what tariffs are levied and against whom.
* New evidence prompted the Department of Justice reopened the case of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy who was killed in 1955 in Money, Miss.
* John Schnatter, founder and former CEO of Papa John’s, has resigned his chairman role after a racially-charged comment on a conference call.
* Americans made it to both the men’s and women’s Wimbledon semifinals, the first time since 2009.
Cheddar Big News' Jill Wagner tells us the latest.
President Donald Trump's aggressive stance at the two-day NATO summit in Brussels, on top of his antagonizing trade policies, have "brought the transatlantic alliance to the lowest point,” says Joshua Meltzer, senior fellow of global economy and development at the Brookings Institute.
Stocks dipped today after the White House threatened to impose a new set of tariffs on China on $200 billion worth of goods. However, Kate Warne, investment strategist at Edward Jones, says this could be an opportunity for investors. "Put money to work today."
These are the headlines you Need2Know:
The NATO Summit got off to a heated start as President Trump already criticized member countries for not paying their fair share of defense spending.
The Trump administration also missed its promised deadline to reunite dozens of migrant families.
A natural gas leak in Sun Prairie, Wisc., turned deadly when an explosion erupted for several hours.
Brett Kavanaugh, the president's pick for the open Supreme Court seat, met on Capitol Hill with the vice president and senators yesterday.
The NFL Players Association is challenging the anti-kneeling policy, which requires players to remain in the locker room if they choose to protest the national anthem.
Hurricane Chris makes its way up the East Coast, but shouldn't make a major impact on land.
Cheddar Big News' Jill Wagner gives us the details.
