Blinken and Xi meet to improve relationship: June 19 rundown

MAHMOUD BENNETT: COMING UP — TOP OFFICIALS IN THE U-S AND CHINA — MEETING THIS MORNING. LOOKING TO TURN THE TIDE IN WHAT HAS BEEN A ROCKY RELATIONSHIP AS OF LATE. AND — THE BIDEN RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN EFFORT IS RAMPING UP. WHERE THE PRESIDENT WILL BE LOOKING TO RAISE FUNDS THIS WEEK.

THE RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

BLINKEN MEETS WITH XI JINPING

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTHONY BLINKEN MET WITH CHINESE PRESIDENT XI JINPING — AS THE TWO ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE A DETERIORATING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS…THE MEETING WRAPPED UP A TWO-DAY VISIT FOR BLINKEN — WHICH INCLUDED A MEETING WITH CHINA’S TOP DIPLOMAT…BLINKEN IS THE HIGHEST-LEVEL U-S OFFICIAL TO VISIT CHINA SINCE PRESIDENT BIDEN TOOK OFFICE…THE MOST RECENT DOWNWARD SPIRAL BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES FIRST SPIKED LAST SUMMER WHEN THEN-HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI VISITED TAIWAN.

THINGS ESCALATED AGAIN IN FEBRUARY AFTER A CHINESE SPY BALLOON WAS SHOT  DOWN OVER AMERICAN AIRSPACE…LAST MONTH — A CHINESE WARSHIP NEARLY SLAMMED AN AMERICAN SHIP TRANSITING THE TAIWAN STRAIT.

AND A CHINESE FIGHTER JET IN THE SAME REGION FLEW SO CLOSE TO A U.S. MILITARY PLANE — IT CREATED TURBULENCE…THE GOAL OF BLINKEN’S TRIP WAS TO OPEN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS WITH CHINA TO AVOID A MILITARY CLASH.

BIDEN TO ANNOUNCE CLIMATE INVESTMENT AMID FUNDRAISING PUSH

PRESIDENT BIDEN IS ALSO ON THE MOVE TODAY. HE’S SET TO VISIT PALO ALTO — CALIFORNIA — WHERE THE PRESIDENT IS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE OVER 600 MILLION DOLLARS IN CLIMATE INVESTMENTS AIMED AT HELPING COASTAL COMMUNITIES.

MOST OF THE MONEY WILL GO TO A PROJECTS TO FIGHT RISING SEA LEVELS — STORM SURGE AND TIDAL HURRICANES.

THE PALO ALTO TRIP WILL ALSO KICK OFF A WEEK OF CAMPAIGNING IN THE GOLDEN STATE — AS BIDEN LOOKS TO RAISE FUNDS FROM DONORS IN THE TECH AND CLIMATE INDUSTRIES…THIS WEEK ALONE — BIDEN IS SET TO ATTEND FOUR FUNDRAISERS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA.

IN THE BACK HALF OF THIS MONTH — BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN WILL HAVE OVER 20 FUNDRAISERS INVOLVING THE PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS, FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN AND SECOND GENTLEMAN DOUG EMHOFF…THE RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN RAMP-UP COMES AFTER BIDEN HELD HIS FIRST CAMPAIGN RALLY IN FRONT OF A CROWD OF UNION WORKERS OVER THE WEEKEND.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: “There are a lot of politicians in this country who can’t say the word union. You know I’m not one of them. I’m proud to say the word. I’m proud to be the most pro-union president in American history.”

MASS SHOOTINGS TAINT JUNETEENTH WEEKEND CELEBRATIONS

23 PEOPLE WERE SHOT — ONE FATALLY — AT A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION SOUTHWEST OF CHICAGO. THE FATAL SHOOTING IS ONE OF SEVERAL THAT OCCURED OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.

CURRENTLY THERE ARE NO SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY IN THE SHOOTING THAT INJURED NEARLY 2 DOZEN PEOPLE IN WILLOWBROOK ILLINOIS. IT WAS JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT WHEN GUNSHOTS SCATTERED THE CROWD OF PEOPLE.

THAT SHOOTING OCCURRED JUST HOURS AFTER A FATHER’S DAY CELEBRATION TURNED DEADLY ON CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE…AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED — THREE OTHERS INJURED AFTER WITNESSES SAY SOMEONE DROVE BY A PARK AND STARTED SHOOTING.

IN ST LOUIS – 10 TEENAGERS WERE SHOT AT A PARTY ACCORDING TO LOCAL POLICE. ONE OF THE TEENS DIED FROM THEIR INJURIES. MEANWHILE OFFICIALS IN WASHINGTON STATE SAY A FATAL SHOOTING TOOK PLACE THERE AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL 

LAST WEEK, THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL RELEASED A STUDY SHOWING THAT “HOMICIDE AND SUICIDES” HAVE SPIKED TO A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR YOUNG AMERICANS BETWEEN 10 AND 24 YEARS OLD. 

UPS WORKERS SET STAGE FOR LARGEST STRIKE SINCE 1959

UPS WORKERS HAVE VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY TO STRIKE **IF NO CONTRACT AGREEMENT IS REACHED BETWEEN THE PACKAGE DELIVERY COMPANY AND THEIR WORKERS UNION.

IF THE STRIKE DOES OCCUR – IT COULD BE THE BIGGEST LABOR WALKOUT IN THE U.S. SINCE THE 1950’S….ON FRIDAY — THE UNION VOTED TO AUTHORIZE A STRIKE BY THE TIME THE CURRENT CONTRACT EXPIRES ON JULY 31ST.

THE UNION IS SEEKING HIGHER PAY – THE ELIMINATION OF SO-CALLED TWO-TIER WAGES — WHERE NEWER WORKERS ARE PAID LESS THAN OLDER EMPLOYEES FOR THE SAME JOB – THE REMOVAL OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS FROM DELIVERY TRUCKS – AND MORE FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITIES. 

THE UNION REPRESENTS ABOUT 340 THOUSAND EMPLOYEES.

NEARLY 100 DEAD AFTER HEATWAVE HITS INDIA

A HEAT-WAVE IN THE WORLD’S MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY HAS KILLED NEARLY 100 PEOPLE IN JUST TWO REGIONS OF INDIA ALONE. THE TEMPERATURES ARE REACHING ABOVE 110 DEGREES.

NEARLY HALF OF INDIA’S WORKFORCE IS OUTDOORS – AND THE STRENUOUS LABOR IN EXTREME HEAT IS PROVING TO BE DEADLY. LOCAL HOSPITALS ARE OVERWHELMED WITH HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HEAT EXHAUSTION AND STROKE.

ASIA — MORE BROADLY — JUST EXPERIENCED THE HOTTEST APRIL ON RECORD —

AS THE REGION CONTINUES TO SEE EXCESSIVE HEAT EARLY ON IN THE SUMMER.

CORPORATIONS PLEDGE TO HIRE 13,000+ REFUGEES

AHEAD OF WORLD REFUGEE DAY TOMORROW — SOME OF THE LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE WORLD HAVE PLEDGED TO HIRE MORE THAN 13-THOUSAND REFUGEES OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

MORE THAN 40 CORPORATIONS INCLUDING AMAZON — MARRIOT AND AND HILTON — ARE PROMISING TO EITHER HIRE — TRAIN — OR CONNECT 250-THOUSAND REFUGEES TO WORK. AMONG THESE REFUGEES ARE UKRAINIAN WOMEN WHO FLED IN THE WAKE OF RUSSIA’S INVASION.

BY THE END OF LAST YEAR — NEARLY 12 MILLION UKRAINIANS REMAINED DISPLACED AFTER EUROPE’S LARGEST MOVEMENT OF REFUGEES SINCE WORLD WAR TWO.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES. THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR THE RUNDOWN.

WE’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING BACK TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM BY SERVING ONLY YOU — NOT AN AGENDA. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MORE OF OUR WORK AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM. AND YOU CAN ALSO FIND THE LATEST RUNDOWN EPISODES AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PLATFORMS.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK! UNTIL THEN I’M MAHMOUD BENNETT.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!