Kremlin-Kim: Pact of Power

Plus, a perfect match.

June 20, 2024

The Flag

Good morning and Happy Thursday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:

  • US: Record-breaking heat wave sending temperatures soaring across the US (CNN)

  • World: EU criticizes France for excessive debt, putting pressure on Macron during election campaign (AP)

  • Business: A supermarket trip may soon look different, thanks to electronic shelf labels (NPR)

  • Technology: EV startup Fisker files for bankruptcy after suspending production (Axios)

  • Sports: Pistons fire coach Monty Williams after one season (ESPN)

And of course, some good news: His son was born with a rare condition, so this father donated a kidney. He "always knew it was going to be him."

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Right: Gavin Newsom Wants To Be an Emperor, Ellie Gardey Holmes, The American Spectator

Right: You Can't Explain Away Biden's Juneteenth Moment, Byron York, Washington Examiner

Right: Biden's Border Failure a Staggering Political Own Goal, Isaac Schorr, New York Post

Left: Biden's Big Immigration Gamble, Christian Paz, Vox

Left: GOP's Misinfo on Biden Videos Is 'Very Insulting', Karine Jean-Pierre, MSNBC

RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA

Kremlin-Kim: Pact of Power

Today’s Top Story in One Sentence: On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea and signed a strategic pact in a two-hour one-on-one meeting with the Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Reporting from the Right: Russia, North Korea Sign Historic Partnership Deal as Putin Meets with Kim Jong-un (National Review)

Reporting from the Left: Putin says Russia and North Korea will help each other if attacked, taking ties to a ‘new level’ (CNN)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Cause for Concern

The Top Argument From The Right: Putin’s concerning bromance with Kim Jong-un, Edward Howell, The Spectator: “ In an article published on North Korean state media only yesterday, Putin pledged that his visit to Pyongyang would place bilateral relations ‘on a higher level’. The Russian President’s spokesperson went one step further, saying that ‘a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty’ would be signed. And whilst both countries are renowned for their bluster, we should not dismiss such statements completely. … By reciprocating Kim’s visit to Russia under a year ago, the two leaders are sending a clear message to the West, namely that in their minds, any efforts to isolate Russia or North Korea will fail, and that an anti-Western alignment is no longer a figment of the West’s imagination, but an actuality. With the red carpet rolled, and the streets of Pyongyang festooned with Russian flags and portraits of Putin, it would be unwise to be distracted by the optics of the next two days. A banner on Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport reads that “the friendship between North Korea and Russia is eternal.” This is why we should be worried: even if Russia no longer needs North Korean artillery in a post-Ukraine world, something says that this alignment of rogue states will not go away in a flash.

Honorable Mention #1: Putin arrives in North Korea to continue strengthening partnership, Mike Brest, Washington Examiner.

Honorable Mention #2: Here’s what to expect from Putin's 'big agenda' trip to North Korea Rebekka Kofler, FOX News

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

An Odd (and Dangerous) Couple

The Top Argument From The Left: Putin and Kim are the odd couple with a dual mission – cementing a new world order, Simon Tisdall, The Guardian: “They make an odd couple. One is smiley-faced and chubby. The other is thin-lipped and scowls a lot. Both are dictators, sinister, brutal and unaccountable in their different ways. Both have made it their mission in life to overturn the post-1945 global order, defying the US, its chief patrolman. And both are sanctioned, ostracised and a little bit feared by the countries of the west. Those fears are likely to intensify after today’s Pyongyang summit, both symbolic and substantive, between this unofficial Laurel and Hardy tribute act. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un – the plump one – and Russia’s Vladimir Putin – the skinny one – have a shared aim: consolidating their place in a bullish anti-western, anti-democratic alliance, ostensibly representing a “new world order”, reaching from China to Iran. Like most world leaders, Putin, the dominant partner in an oddball relationship, paid scant attention to Kim prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. All that changed with the onset of war. It was a gift to Kim. His idea of international diplomacy is to issue threats to acquire leverage he otherwise lacks. His efforts mostly revolve around test-firing ever-longer-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting the US’s west coast (as well as South Korea and Japan), and developing and miniaturising North Korea’s nuclear bombs and warheads.”

Honorable Mention #1: Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un's worrying summit of pariahs, Editorial, Le Monde.

FLAG THIS

Details of the Agreement and Visit

Putin described the agreement with North Korea as "truly a breakthrough document," covering political, trade, investment, cultural, and security aspects. Kim Jong-un expressed full support for Russia’s efforts to maintain sovereignty, safety, and territorial stability. This meeting is Putin's first visit to North Korea since 2000, following Kim's visit to Moscow last year.

Although Russia previously backed UN sanctions on North Korea’s weapons program, North Korea has recently been supplying Russia with munitions for its conflict in Ukraine (CNN).

Do you believe a stronger relationship between North Korea and Russia is a cause for concern?

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WATERCOOLER

Jaws Emerges, Olympic City, Sugary Treats

On This Day in 1975, Jaws, a film directed by Steven Spielberg that made countless viewers afraid to go into the water, opened in theaters. The story of a great white shark that terrorizes a New England resort town became an instant blockbuster and the highest-grossing film in movie history until it was bested by 1977’s Star Wars.

Today I learned Cool Whip, Pop Rocks, and Tang were invented by the same person.

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Hands Down Some of the Best Credit Cards for Balance Transfers

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