NPR NEWSLETTER: Trump Meets Putin; Too Hot To Think; Mini-Math Memoir 16JUL18

Monday, July 16, 2018

FIRST UP: What you need to know now Opinion on U.S. immigration policy shaped by where you watch TV news The way your local news covers the controversial topic can be a better predictor of your opinion of immigration than your political affiliation, according to a new NPR-Ipsos poll. Pollsters asked more than 1,000 people about the differences in where they lived, whether they knew anyone born outside the U.S., or whether they were an immigrant themselves. Read more. Heat can make your body and brain slow way down New research suggests that summer’s hot-and-hazy weather can make thinking clearly difficult. Researchers at Harvard studied college students living in dorms during a summer heat wave in Boston. “Indoor temperature can have a dramatic impact on our ability to be productive and learn,” noted Joe Allen, co-director of Harvard’s Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment. Read more. War of words between Elon Musk and British rescue diver after Thai cave rescue Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk took aim at Vern Unsworth, the British diver who helped save 12 Thai soccer players and their soccer coach, calling Unsworth a “pedo guy” on Twitter. The Tesla CEO’s tweet came after Unsworth called Musk’s offer to use a submarine to free the trapped team a “PR stunt.” Unsworth says he is considering a libel suit against Musk. Read more.

IN THE NEWS: Digging deeper Trump meets Putin in historic Helsinki summit Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images With only their interpreters present, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Monday for a stand-alone summit. The two-hour meeting was followed by a working lunch, which Trump called a “very, very good start for everybody.” Prior to their meeting, Trump said the two leaders would discuss “everything from trade to military to missiles to nuclear to China.” Trump tweeted that the relationship between the U.S. and Russia has never been worse, blaming “many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity” for the issue. He also called the ongoing investigation into charges of Moscow’s 2016 election interference a “rigged witch hunt.” The joint post-meeting press conference yielded more details about Trump and Putin’s closed-door discussions. Trump reversed course by saying both countries were to blame for the political tension. He also noted the two leaders discussed the issue of Russian interference in U.S. elections, adding that Putin was “extremely strong and powerful” in his denial. The highly anticipated gathering took place days after the U.S. Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers on charges related to the hacking of email servers used by the Democratic National Committee. Today’s meeting brings to a close Trump’s week-long trip to Europe, where he caused a diplomatic uproar at the NATO summit in London. NPR’s Scott Horsley is covering the summit in Helsinki and will continue to update his story with news. BEFORE YOU GO Sonya Sones/HBO The lovely HBO documentary on Robin Williams explores the mind of a creative genius. Oui, oui! France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final on Saturday. Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Showtime show, Who is America?, makes a splashy debut. Writing a mini-math memoir could relieve math anxiety. Think twice before calling the po-po: 911 isn’t a personal customer service line. Today's newsletter was written by Jill Hudson and Gabriela Saldivia.

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