President Donald Trump made history on Sunday, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit North Korea. Yet his brief handshake with North Korean leader Chairman Kim Jong-un just across the 38th parallel has been criticized as a media stunt and has drawn the ire of political opponents.
“It’s just an honor to be with you, and it was an honor that you asked me to step over that line. And I was proud to step over the line,” Trump told Kim.
Trump’s impromptu visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone followed the G-20 Summit in Japan, and was first floated publicly last week with Trump saying on Twitter he was open to coming to “say Hello(?)!” The meeting was Trump’s third with the North Korean dictator and came just over a year since the two men met in Singapore, which was the first ever meeting between leaders of the two countries.
In a rare public statement, Kim said through a translator that the visit is “an expression of [Trump’s] willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past” and look to the future.
Trump has been widely criticized for giving Kim an elevated platform on the world stage without firm concessions on nuclear proliferation and an easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula.
“It is a big moment for diplomacy ... but what did the president really get,” John T. Bennett, Roll Call’s White House correspondent, told Cheddar. “This is reality television 101, this is Donald Trump 101.”
Kim sees nuclear weapons as “key to his survival as the supreme leader and giving that up will be a big lose internally,” Bennett added.
The New York Times reported Sunday that the White House was pursuing a new round of negotiations and was open to a nuclear freeze, which would be a far cry from Trump’s stated goal of the complete denuclearization of North Korea. National Security Advisor John Bolton denied the Times report on Monday, saying on Twitter that it was a “reprehensible attempt by someone to box in the President.”
Several Democrats and 2020 presidential candidates spoke out against the meeting and criticized Trump’s affinity for the world’s strongmen. The meeting with Kim also followed a publically jovial chat with Russian President Putin just days prior in Japan.
In a statement to CBS News, a spokesman for former Vice President Joe Biden said Trump’s “coddling of dictators at the expense of American national security and interests is one of the most dangerous ways he's diminishing us on the world stage and subverting our values as a nation.”
California Sen. Kamala Harris also slammed the meeting, tweeting that Trump “should take the North Korean nuclear threat and its crimes against humanity seriously. This is not a photo-op. Our security and our values are at stake.”
Meanwhile, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said the U.S. president “shouldn’t be squandering American influence on photo ops and exchanging love letters with a ruthless dictator.”
Trump ended the meeting with Kim on Sunday with an invitation to the White House. North Korean state media reported that the two leaders privately agreed to stay in touch and continue a dialogue.
Earlier this month, New York City experienced one of the deadliest fires it has seen in decades. 17 people lost their lives in the Fordham section of the Bronx. This was due to a faulty space heater which reportedly began on the lower floor of the 120 unit building. Thanks to the F. D. N. Y. And heroic neighbors, many were able to get out in time. Unfortunately, the toxic smoke surged upwards through a safety door. Now, many advocates say negligence by policymakers and landlords has led to the deaths in black and brown communities from fires that honestly could have been preventable. Legislative Director of Citizen Action of New York, Rebecca Garrard, and the Chair of Journalism and New Media Studies at St. Joseph's College Theodore Hamm, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Supreme Court has declined to order the Texas Abortion case back to the original trial judge for further proceedings. Essentially if Texas abortion providers were able to get their case back to the lower court., It would have greatly helped the group move against the law. However, this decision is likely to prolong the case legal battle. Professor and Author of "The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having — Or Being Denied — An Abortion", Diane Foster, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Supreme Court rejected yet another bid by abortion providers to block Texas's law - which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This is the fourth time that advocates have tried and failed to block the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. Leah Litman, assistant professor of law at The University of Michigan and co-host of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As the standoff between the U.S. and its allies continues with Russia over its possible designs to invade Ukraine, President Biden held a video conference call with European leadership and had 8,500 American troops put on high alert. Jamil Jaffer, a former associate White House counsel for the Bush Administration, joined Cheddar to discuss his views on the escalating crisis in Eastern Europe.
As controversy dogs the run-up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China is hiring TikTokers and other social media influencers to promote the nation's history, culture, diplomatic efforts, and current trends.
The Supreme Court has rejected another request to block Texas' strict abortion law. This marks the third time the high court has declined to intervene in challenges to the law that bans abortions after six weeks, well before many women even know they're pregnant. Aziza Ahmed, professor of law at the University of California, Irvine, joined Cheddar News to discuss the impact of the law so far on women seeking abortion services in Texas.
Mayors in cities like Miami and New York City are considering introducing cryptocurrencies as a way to reduce economic inequality. Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez has even pushed for distributing Bitcoin dividends to the city's inhabitants.
The U.S. will be implementing a vaccine mandate for all people entering through its land borders, removing exemptions for "essential" travelers such as truckers, students, and business people. While the Canadian Trucking Alliance argues that the new, stricter rule might exacerbate ongoing auto supply chain issues, some health experts see the potential for helping curb the ongoing pandemic. Anthony Santella, a professor of health administration at the University of New Haven, joined Cheddar to give his take on the updated border crossing restriction. "We can't just focus on one type of travel. We need to ensure that it's clear and consistent across all types of travel," Santella said.
