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1. Police reform
After days of blistering criticism, President Trump finally caved on family separations at the US border with Mexico, but that may not help the families already pulled apart. The executive order Trump signed sets up families to be detained together at the border – and is expected to be challenged in court. But it says nothing about those already separated, so as of right now, the onus is on those parents to find their children, who are in Department of Health and Human Services custody and could be anywhere in the country.
Meanwhile, Washington will try for the umpteenth time to do something – anything – on immigration. A pair of GOP bills – one for moderates, the other appealing to conservatives – are due to be voted on today in the House. Prospects are brighter for the more moderate bill, which includes $25 billion for border security, including money for the wall and a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. But even if it passes, it looks like it’s doomed in the Senate.
MONDAY
Ireland holds a monumental referendum tomorrow. The Catholic-majority country will vote on whether to repeal its abortion laws, which are some of the most restrictive in Europe. Ireland’s abortion laws are drawn from the Eighth Amendment to the country’s constitution, which places the right to life of an unborn child on equal footing with the right to life of the mother. If a majority of people vote yes on the referendum, Ireland is expected to enact legislation that would allow abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Campaigning, as you might expect, has been intense, and controversial, as some Americans have traveled to the Emerald Isle to influence the vote.
3. Election 2020
Disney just ramped up its fight – big time – with Comcast for control of 21st Century Fox. It raised its offer for chunks of Fox – the movie studio, regional sports networks and cable channels, like FX – to $71.3 billion. That leapfrogs the $65 billion bid Comcast made a week ago. (Back in December, Disney’s bid for Fox was just $52.4 billion.) Wall Street observers think Disney’s cash-and-stock offer is more attractive than Comcast’s all-cash bid. It’s unclear when Fox will pick a winner; the company is reportedly still open to new bids. 21st Century Fox is the next big prize as the media industry consolidates following a judge’s approval of AT&T’s purchase of Time Warner.
THURSDAY
The ugliness of the events at the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, might be marked a year later with an event in front of the White House. Jason Kessler, the organizer of last year’s infamous “Unite the Right” rally, wants to hold a “white civil rights” rally at Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, in August. He’s filed an application that says the purpose of the event is to protest “civil rights abuse in Charlottesville,” and he expects 400 people to show up. The application has reportedly been approved, but no permit has yet been granted.
The Maldives is adjusting to a new political reality today after surprising results from a highly anticipated presidential election this weekend. The country’s president, Abdulla Yameen, appears to have been beaten out by his opposition, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This is critical to the Maldivan people because of Yameen’s controversial rule. Yameen came to power in 2013 in a disputed election that opponents say was rigged. Since then, he has been accused of eroding democracy, cracking down on dissent and jailing opposition leaders. Earlier this year, the country was plunged into a political crisis when Yameen defied a Supreme Court ruling to reinstall opposition members of parliament and release political prisoners.
5. Nigeria
How about some happy news? Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, gave birth today to a baby girl. The baby weighed about 7 pounds, Ardern’s official Instagram account said. The birth makes Ardern the first world leader to have a child while in office in almost 30 years (the only other one is the late ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose birthday, remarkably, is today). New Zealand’s deputy prime minister, Winston Peters, will fill in for Ardern during her six-week parental leave.
THIS JUST IN
US Ambassador to the UK Robert Wood Johnson, announcing that President Trump will meet Queen Elizabeth next month when he visits Britain
THIS JUST IN …
RIP, Roy
At the World Cup, superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is acting like, well, a superstar, pushing Portugal to a win and making history in the process
World Cup wow, part 2
We’re sorry, Senegal. We spent all this time getting hyped over Nigeria’s nifty jerseys and were blindsided by your brilliance on the pitch.
The best photos of the 2018 World Cup
The great debate
These kids love Blue Bell’s “The Great Divide” ice cream flavor. They just hate its divisive name. But they’ve got an idea to fix it.
The party’s over
Poor Eggo. Sales jumped when the latest season of “Stranger Things” came out on Netflix. Now that the binge-fest is over, so is the sales spike.
Movie rental
First there was MoviePass. Now, AMC Theatres has come up with its own monthly subscription plan for movies.
AND FINALLY
Nice to meet you
Cuteness alert! Baby goats meet giraffes at a zoo. What more do you need! (Click to view.)