Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Kim ‘demanded all sanctions lifted’ before denuclearisation
The much-heralded second summit between Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, ended early and abruptly after an apparent disagreement over sanctions. At a press conference in Hanoi on Thursday, Trump told reporters the North Korean delegation had demanded the lifting of international sanctions “in their entirety” in return for a partial dismantling of the country’s nuclear infrastructure. “They were willing to denuke a large portion of the areas we wanted but we couldn’t give up all the sanctions for that,” Trump said. As yet, there are no plans for a third summit.
Theatrical reboot. Expectations for the talks were always low, with few expecting a final deal on denuclearisation. There had been some hope, however, that the meeting in Vietnam might lead to a declaration that the Korean war is finally over.
‘Great leader’. Trump continued to praise Kim in Hanoi, describing the brutal authoritarian as a “great leader” and “quite a character”.
Cohen allegations portend legal and political peril for Trump
During more than seven hours of explosive testimony before the House oversight committee on Wednesday, the lawyer, fixer and convicted felon Michael Cohen dropped a series of bombshells with the potential to sink the Trump presidency. Describing his former client as a “racist,” a “conman,” and a “cheat”, Cohen accused the president of knowing in advance about key events under investigation in the Russia inquiry – including the infamous “Trump Tower meeting” – and of committing criminal conspiracy in the alleged cover up of his affair with an adult film star. Both claims could leave Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr, in legal jeopardy.
Damning portrait. In a story that reflects the extent of Trump’s vanity, Cohen claimed his former boss used a straw bidder and $60,000 from the Trump Foundation to purchase a portrait of himself at an art auction in 2013, ensuring the painting fetched the highest price at the event.
Key takeaways. Ed Pilkington breaks down the significant moments from Cohen’s testimony, which included the revelation that the southern district of New York is still pursuing further, as-yet-undisclosed lines of inquiry into Trump’s affairs.
NRA faces ‘growing storm’ as House passes gun legislation
The House of Representatives has passed its first major piece of gun legislation for almost a quarter of a century, approving by 240 votes to 190 a measure requiring federal background checks for all firearms sales. While the bill is unlikely to be taken up by a Republican-controlled Senate, it is a symbolic victory for gun control campaigners – and another blow for the National Rifle Association, which is facing a series of regulatory and financial problems as well as political opposition.
Campaign spending. Despite Trump’s full support for the NRA, which spent record amounts supporting his election in 2016, the organisation’s revenue has fallen in the last two years. Its spending on the 2018 midterms was $9.4m, roughly a third of the $27m it spent during the 2014 cycle.
Crib sheet
A Gallup poll measuring global opinion has found the US almost neck and neck with Russia for the first time in terms of confidence in their international leadership, with both countries lagging behind China.
Justin Trudeau has dismissed calls for him to resign after his former attorney general accused the Canadian prime minister’s officials of a sustained effort to dissuade her from prosecuting a major engineering company accused of bribery.
Pakistan has agreed to release the captured Indian fighter pilot as a “peace gesture” after he was seized when his plane was shot down amid rising hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over the disputed Kashmir region.
The EU has accused Facebook of repeatedly withholding data detailing its supposed efforts to combat online disinformation ahead of this year’s European elections.
Must-reads
How to live with the other 5,000 species in your home
The biologist Rob Dunn is the David Attenborough of the domestic sphere, an expert on the thousands of tiny species with which we unwittingly share our homes. Lars Eriksen invited Dunn to his house in Copenhagen to show him what Dunn calls “the jungle of everyday life”.
How American violence brought about the border wall
Anti-migrant violence on the US-Mexico border has been rife since at least the 1970s, from the brutality of the KKK’s informal “border watch” to the often sadistic tactics of the official border patrol. Trump’s rhetoric has thrown fuel on the fire, writes Greg Grandin.
An unlikely champion offers hope for the Everglades
The Florida Everglades are facing devastation thanks to a combination of climate change and human development. But now conservationists have an unlikely ally: the state’s new Republican governor, Ron DeSantis. Oliver Milman reports from Islamorada.
China: the world’s concrete superpower
China pours more concrete in two years than the US did in the whole 20th century. The Three Gorges dam and Beijing Daxing airport are just two reasons why China is today’s concrete superpower. Amy Hawkins reports from Beijing for the Guardian’s Concrete Week series.
Opinion
Republicans obviously think they’re helping the president by publicly trashing his former lawyer. But Michael Cohen’s loyalty to Trump eventually cost him everything, says Richard Wolffe – and it will cost his congressional defenders dearly, too.
Trump’s loyalists in the House seemed to think that was the end of the story. Who could believe a proven liar like Michael Cohen? The only snag is that he was lying on behalf of his client, one Donald Trump. So the more they talked about his lies, the more he talked about his lying client.
Sport
Liverpool restaked their increasingly tenuous claim to the Premier League title on Wednesday night, with an emphatic 5-0 win over Watford, while Spurs stumbled to a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.
The USA are tied with New Zealand at the top of the world rugby sevens rankings as they go into their home event in Las Vegas this weekend. Their English coach, Mike Friday, tells Martin Pengelly the team’s strength comes from “diversity” and “a lot of hard work”.
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