Tuesday, June 12
The Trump-Kim Summit: I’m glad they met, and for today at least, Kim and Trump can walk away feeling like winners.
It was 24 hours of classic Trump: Hype, anticipation, photos, and grand announcements. Before heading to the airport, Trump began an hour-long news conference by saying: “It’s my honor today to address the people of the world … I stand before you as an emissary of the American people to deliver a message of hope and vision, and a message of peace.”
What can North Korea look forward to? Trump said at the news conference: “As an example, they have great beaches. You see that whenever they’re exploding their cannons into the ocean, right? Wouldn’t that make a great condo? … You could have the best hotels in the world right there. Think of it from a real estate perspective. You have South Korea. You have China. And they own the land in the middle. How bad is that? Right? It’s great.”
It reminded me of a Miss Universe debut, or an Atlantic City casino opening.
The big question: Is this the diplomacy needed to achieve peace? Or does it all end in a pile of debt?
Trump Gave Kim a Summit But Left With Little to Show For It (Bloomberg)
Trump and Kim Can Learn A Thing or Two From Singapore (Bloomberg Opinion – Tyler Cowen)
After Trump-Kim Summit, China Says Sanctions Against North Korea Could Be Eased (South China Morning Post)
Trade Today: The $1.4 Trillion U.S. Surplus that Trump’s Not Talking About (Bloomberg)
AT&T-Time Warner Ruling Today: In a court ruling today at 4pm New York time, AT&T learns whether its long-delayed $85 billion deal to buy Time Warner Inc. can happen. What to Watch in the AT&T – Time Warner Ruling (Bloomberg)
Most Shared on the Bloomberg Terminal (Last 24 Hours):
Billionaires At the Gate: Ultra-Rich Muscle In On Private Equity (Bloomberg)
Climate Watch: Germany Launches Coal Commission in Bid to Protect Climate and Jobs (Euractiv)
Bloomberg London Today: Addressing Wikipedia’s “Gender Page Gap”
In today’s Telegraph, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan writes about closing Wikipedia’s “gender pay gap” in which only 17 percent of Wikipedia biographies are about women and an even smaller percentage of Wikipedia editors are women. Mayor Khan writes: “Working with the Wikipedia Foundation and Bloomberg, today is the first in a series of Edit-a-thons taking place across London to help improve its gender equality ratio. Following today’s event I am asking the tech community to follow Bloomberg’s example, and join me in kickstarting a wave of Edit-a-thons across schools in London.”
Best of late night.
From The New York Times:
“The United States is on the precipice of unthinkable international conflict — and that’s with Canada. Our relations have not been this bad with Canada since they stole the word ‘bacon.’ Canadian bacon is just round ham, you monsters!”
— Stephen Colbert
On the U.S. – North Korea summit:
“As we speak, President Trump is meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, a scenario that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable — because it includes the phrase ‘President Trump.’”
— Stephen Colbert
“Honestly, it might work. After three minutes of being touched and felt by Trump, Kim Jong-un is just going to go, ‘Fine, fine, take the nukes! Just stop touching me!’”
— James Corden
And finally, George H.W. Bush turns 94 today, and Sir Paul says it’s someone else’s birthday too.
