Evening Report

Biden hosts historic Camp David summit

by Amee LaTour 08/18/23 04:49 PM ET

FILE - President Joe Biden, center, meets with South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, during the NATO summit in Madrid, Wednesday, June 29, 2022. Biden aims to further tighten security and economic ties between Japan and South Korea, two nations that have struggled to stay on speaking terms, as he welcomes their leaders to the rustic Camp David presidential retreat Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

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Evening Report

Friday, August 18

Biden secures pledges at Japan-South Korea summit

President Biden on Friday announced security and economic commitments following the first formal summit between the U.S., Japan and South Korea.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida joined Biden at Camp David for the one-day summit.

Among the commitments leaders made while at the presidential retreat in Maryland was establishing a hotline where the countries will “share information and coordinate our responses whenever there is a crisis in the region or affecting any one of our countries,” Biden said.

From The Hill’s Laura Kelly: “The three democratic countries share grave, mutual concerns about China’s pursuit of domination in the military, technology, economic and diplomatic arenas, and equally acute threats from North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.”

Ahead of the summit, an administration official said the hotline commitment “is not a formal alliance commitment. It is not a collective defense commitment that is lifted from an early Cold War Security Treaty.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin had earlier criticized what he called attempts “to form various exclusive groups and cliques and to bring bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region.”

The U.S., Japan and South Korea will also launch a “supply chain early warning system” pilot that will “alert our nations to disruptions of certain products and materials,” Biden said, “like critical minerals or batteries.”

Biden announced a “trilateral expert exchange” supporting the U.S. Cancer Moonshot initiative as well.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

CATCH UP QUICK

A federal judge denied former President Trump’s request to delay a January civil trial amid his appeal of a ruling against tossing writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit against him.
Southern California has its first-ever tropical storm watch as Hurricane Hilary turns north.
The Hill’s Brooke Migdon reports on the growing number of “safe haven” cities for gender-affirming health care in the Midwest as local governments enact their own policies that differ from states.

NEW THIS AFTERNOON

Trump reportedly plans to skip debate, sit for Carlson interview

The New York Times reported former President Trump is planning to skip the first GOP primary debate on Wednesday and instead sit for an interview with Tucker Carlson, who was ousted in April from Fox News — the network hosting the debate.

A Trump aide told The Hill the campaign “hadn’t confirmed anything on our end” about the reported Carlson-Trump agreement and cautioned against “getting too far ahead” concerning Trump’s plans.

At a conference in Atlanta earlier Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued that candidates “owe it to the people to put out your vision” and participate in the debate, while former Vice President Mike Pence said he wants a chance to debate Trump on their “real differences.”

ADMINISTRATION

Temporary legal status extended for Ukrainians

The Biden administration is extending temporary legal status for Ukrainians who are in the U.S. by 18 months and expanding eligibility to an estimated 166,700 additional individuals.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement: “Russia’s ongoing military invasion of Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis requires that the United States continue to offer safety and protection to Ukrainians who may not be able to return to their country.”

IN OTHER NEWS

Ding dong, the bell is dead

Fox News is retiring the doorbell sound previously used to signal when a candidate’s speaking time was up, news that comes days ahead of the first Republican presidential primary debate. (According to Politico, the network’s updated chime sound is “dog-safe.”)

Deadline approaching to file claim in Facebook class action suit

There’s one week left for current and former Facebook users to file a claim in the lawsuit Meta agreed to settle for $725 million. The suit involves claims that the company allowed users’ personal data to be shared with third parties such as Cambridge Analytica. Learn about eligibility and how to file a claim

About those 30 co-conspirators

The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld breaks down what we know about the 30 unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators listed in former President Trump‘s most recent indictment. The 30 individuals allegedly assisted in efforts to overturn 2020 election results in Georgia.

“Based on media reports, court documents and the House Jan. 6 committee’s investigation, the descriptions make some of their identities clear,” Schonfeld noted.

PUNDIT CORNER

“The US is facing a labor shortage — immigration is the solution” — Johannes Lang, a researcher at Schmidt Futures and a John F. Kennedy Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Zuzana Cepla, a manager at Labor Mobility Partnerships. (Read here)

“Joe Biden’s odd but revealing claim about inflation” — Liz Peek, a former partner of major bracket Wall Street firm Wertheim & Company. (Read here)

⏲️ COUNTDOWN

5 days until the first GOP presidential primary debate.

445 days until the presidential election.

🗓 COMING UP

President Biden heads to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where he’ll remain until next Thursday.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) will speak Saturday at The Gathering, a conference in Atlanta featuring several GOP presidential hopefuls.

The Iowa State Fair wraps up Monday.

UNDER THE RADAR

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@digital-stage.thehill.com

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Evening Report

Biden secures pledges at Japan-South Korea summit

CATCH UP QUICK

Trump reportedly plans to skip debate, sit for Carlson interview

Temporary legal status extended for Ukrainians

IN OTHER NEWS

Ding dong, the bell is dead

Deadline approaching to file claim in Facebook class action suit

About those 30 co-conspirators

⏲️ COUNTDOWN

🗓 COMING UP

Stay Engaged

Evening Report