 Biden in Vietnam: During his trip to Vietnam, President Biden has met with the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong. The two leaders hailed a historic new phase of bilateral cooperation and friendship for the U.S. and Vietnam. They underscored the need to continue deepening political and diplomatic relations. They said they will promote regular exchanges of delegations and engagements at all levels to strengthen mutual understanding and build and enhance political trust.
Trump’s challenge: Donald Trump has challenged Rupert Murdoch, who heads Fox News, the New York Post, Wall Street Journal and other media outlets, the Wall Street Journal’s editors, and President Biden to mental acuity tests. Trump says that while president he aced a mental acuity test he was given. Actually, he appears to be lying since there is no public record of him undergoing a mental acuity test. Trump previously had claimed he underwent a test in which his memory was tested when he was told five words and then a few minutes later was asked what the words were. Trump had said the words were: person; woman; man; camera; TV.
Morocco earthquake: The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces said this morning that 2,497 people have been confirmed to have been killed in the earthquake that struck on Friday night, and another 2,476 people are known to have been injured. International aid and rescue crews are pouring into Morocco, where entire villages appear to have been wiped out.
Kim Jong Un: The Kremlin announced today that North Korean President Kim Jong Un will visit Russia for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said the visit would take place in the coming days. Putin is in the city Vladivostok in Eastern Russia to attend the Eastern Economic Forum. Putin and Kim held a meeting in Vladivostok in 2019. Kim is said to already be en route to Russia on an armored train he uses. He doesn’t like flying.
X lawsuit: Elon Musk’s company X, formerly known as Twitter, has sued California’s attorney general to block a new law that requires social media companies to explain in the terms of service they post precisely what they do to keep hate speech, disinformation and similar content off their sites or what they do to plainly identify it if they allow such material to be published. Musk’s lawsuit alleges the law interferes with a company’s free speech rights by forcing it to say things it might not want to say.
Twinkies sale: J. M. Smucker, the jelly and peanut butter manufacturer, said today it will buy Hostess Brands, which makes Twinkies and DingDongs among other packaged items, for $5.6 billion. The purchase price includes the assumption of $900 million in debt. Smucker said that the acquisition will enhance its sales growth, profits and portfolio of brands.
