Start your Monday smart: What’s happening this week
President Trump and his predecessor, Barack Obama, are both overseas this week, where they will make headlines for very different reasons.
Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)
MONDAY
— It’s been building like the run-up to a royal wedding. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin finally will have their first standalone summit meeting in Helsinki, Finland. Trump, who has lambasted NATO allies and lobbed a Brexit bomb on his working tour of Europe, has predicted the Putin encounter will be “the easiest of them all.” Top issues to be discussed likely include nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula and the conflict in Syria. Pressure surrounding the meeting has intensified since the US Justice Department announced indictments against 12 Russian intelligence officers on Friday.
— It’s like Black Friday for summer: Amazon’s Prime Day begins at 3 p.m. ET and runs through midnight Tuesday — a carnival of American consumerism that promises more than a million deals around the world. Prime has more than 100 million members and costs $119 a year.
TUESDAY
— Barack Obama, who many Americans think was the best president of their lifetime, delivers a high-profile address in South Africa to mark the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, which is the following day. The big question: Will Obama directly — or not so directly — talk about Trump?
— Speaking of politics, voters in two Southern states head to the polls to choose candidates to go head-to-head for their parties in November’s midterms. Sparks could fly in Alabama, where GOP US Rep. Martha Roby, who was forced into a runoff after disavowing Trump, now enjoys the President’s endorsement. Elections also will be held in North Carolina.
— But for a change, all the big battles in DC aren’t about politics. The MLB All-Star Game takes over Washington’s Nationals Park, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
WEDNESDAY
— ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards will honor Aaron Feis, Scott Beigel and Chris Hixon, the Parkland, Florida, coaches who died in February protecting their students from gunfire. Danica Patrick hosts. The show airs at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on ABC.
THURSDAY
— It’s time to pick up your Klingon suit from the dry cleaners. Comic-Con International, the annual four-day celebration of comics/fantasy/sci-fi culture, opens Thursday in San Diego. Over-the-top costumes always steal the show.
— The British Open golf tournament tees off from Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, Scotland, where golf dates back to the 16th century. Here are some fast facts to get you ready.
FRIDAY
— The 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, organized by World Rugby, starts Friday at AT&T Park in San Francisco. Twenty-four men’s teams and 16 women’s teams are competing.
— It’s Sequel Day at the movies, as “The Equalizer 2” and “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” hit theaters. Denzel Washington’s back, but Meryl Streep is barely in this one.
SATURDAY
— Thousands of young people will gather in Washington, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Seattle and other cities to call for climate and environmental justice. The founder of the Zero Hour movement said in a CNN op-ed that the activists’ message to lawmakers is this: “Now is the time to act on climate change. … If you won’t pay attention to Mother Nature’s cries for help, maybe you’ll pay attention to the cries of your children.”
