Everyone has a friend, or maybe a colleague, who repeats stories to the same audience, over and over. For the leaders of Group of Seven nations, that's President Trump, BuzzFeed news reports.
At the last two summit G-7 summit meetings, Trump reportedly told the same exact story — with the same exact punchline — about his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In brief, Trump recounted how Kim was offended specifically by Trump calling him "little," back in the day when the two leaders would spout insults at each other from afar. Trump apparently still gets a kick out of the fact that Kim, who is reportedly 5 feet 7 inches tall, was offended not by being called Rocket Man, but by the modifier.
Trump reportedly then went on a strange, non sequitur tangent about Kim during the summit that was seemingly less innocuous. He reportedly described Kim as simultaneously "brutal" and a "great guy," while pointing out he had risen to power by the age of 25 in a difficult environment. Those remarks aren't dissimilar from things Trump has said about the North Korean leader publicly, but BuzzFeed notes it's representative of how Trump's Twitter persona might not be so different from how he handles business behind closed doors. It's also seemingly an example of what impresses Trump in his fellow leaders.
"He is so fascinated with him," one source with direct knowledge of the G-7 discussions said, referring to Trump's interest in Kim. "He has a childish fascination with brutality." British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the new guy in the group, reportedly tried to engage with Trump's commentary briefly, but the other leaders reportedly just sat back in their chairs at a loss for words, a source said. Read more at BuzzFeed News. Tim O'Donnell
History has its eyes on Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) — in more ways than one.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, announced Harris as his pick to hold the position he once held under former president Barack Obama on Tuesday.
The former California attorney general is rightly being recognized as the first Black woman to sit on a major political party's national ticket, but the historic nature of Harris' position contains multitudes.
To start, Harris is the first person with Indian heritage to run on a national presidential ticket. Her late mother was born in India, and Harris has credited her maternal grandfather, a former Indian diplomat, with helping her to appreciate the "importance of democracy and a government that represents the people — all the people,” Politico reports.
Harris's nomination also marks the first time a major nominee has graduated from an HBCU, a.k.a Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Harris graduated from Howard University in 1986, receiving her B.A. after studying political science and economics.
Howard University president Wayne A.I. Frederick released a statement saying the senator's nomination "represents a milestone opportunity for our democracy to acknowledge the leadership Black women have always exhibited, but has too often been ignored.”
Harris went on to attend the University of California, Hastings where she received her J.D., making her the first person to sit on the Democratic ticket in over 35 years who did not attend an Ivy League school.
If Harris and Biden succeed in ousting President Trump from office, Harris will also hold the honor of being the first female and the first Asian American to be elected to national office, but we'll save that conversation for another day. Marianne Dodson
Joe Biden just announced his running mate choice: Sen. Kamala Harris of California. That means Harris, if she can govern well, could be the leader of both the Democratic Party and the country through 2030. If she can't, she might well be the last democratically-elected vice president in American history.
Biden is the heavy favorite against Trump this year. Given his age and his track record of working closely with President Obama when he was vice president, Harris will presumably play a significant role in major governing decisions. It's unpopular for the media to talk about, but there's a decent chance she would need to step in before Biden's term is up. What's more, there is a reasonable chance that Biden would choose not to run for re-election in 2024. If so, Harris would be the overwhelming favorite to run in his place.
The stakes could hardly be higher. Donald Trump is blatantly trying to steal the 2020 election, and the next Republican candidate will very likely try the same trick. A Biden administration would have four years, and perhaps another four or eight under a Harris administration, to address the pandemic, rebuild the shattered economy and federal government, root out Trump's gangrenous corruption, and fortify America's democratic institutions. If Biden and Harris instead muddle through letting everything fester, as happened under the Obama administration, the next would-be authoritarian probably won't be as incompetent as Trump. Let's hope they seize the moment. Ryan Cooper