May 24, 2018

Trump Cancels North Korea Summit in Open Letter

He also appeared to revive his threats of nuclear war.

Yang Chenglin/ZUMA

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President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that the highly anticipated summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will no longer take place. 

In an open letter, Trump described it as “inappropriate” to proceed with the meeting in light of recent provocations by the North Korean leader. “Sadly, based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” he wrote.

Continuing his past statements touting the US’s nuclear capabilities, the president also appeared to threaten North Korea once again with the prospect of nuclear war.

“You talk about your nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.”

The planned meeting had been set for June 12 in Singapore.

This is a breaking news post. We will update as more information becomes available.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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