Vox Sentences - Why Putin ❤️ Kim

Wednesday, September 13, 2023:

Hey readers,

How are you? It’s Izzie Ramirez (thanks, Rachel, for covering for me!), and here’s what we’re following today:

Up first: Russia and North Korea’s big meeting.

In other news: Abortion travel bans, 20,000 feared dead in Libyan floods, and Taylor Swift sweeps the VMAs.

Rachel will be back for Thursday and Friday. Until next time!

What Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un’s meeting might bring

Alexander Zemlianchenko/AFP via Getty Images

The tale of two world leaders. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of an economic summit in Russia this week.

The lowdown: Russia is hosting a multilateral gathering to strengthen economic ties among nations in its orbit.

• It’s a rare public show of diplomacy that could have consequences for both nations. The Soviet Union and, later, Russia have had a relationship with North Korea since its founding. In recent decades, however, the relationship has been much more about public niceties than substance.

• Russia’s war in Ukraine means it needs military hardware, but experts say economic deals and low-level military cooperation agreements are more likely than ammo purchases. What we might see coming out of the meeting are new trade agreements involving tech created for civilian use that could also have military capabilities.

• North Korea wants to be a military superpower, but it also needs food. Kim continues to obsessively see nuclear weapons as a way to deter Western interference, but that has led to severe sanctions. With his country in need of food and oil, Kim could use the meeting to arrange for more Russian support for essential goods.

The stakes: As Russia continues its war in Ukraine and North Korea develops its nuclear arsenal, the possibility of the two autocrats meeting — and what that could mean for their respective military projects — has raised consternation and concern among Western observers that might not be entirely warranted, writes foreign policy and weekend reporter Ellen Ioanes.

“A meeting between two men with world-destructive ambitions is hardly a good thing, but it may not be as catastrophic as it initially seems,” she writes. “There is likely to be little trustworthy information about the summit that is made publicly available, so the outcome of these meetings will take time to become visible — but the worst-case scenario is far from the only possibility here.”

Read Ellen’s full piece here »

The unconstitutional plan to stop people from traveling out of state for an abortion

Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Here’s what you need to know:

• People are "highly motivated" for abortions if the procedure is banned in their states. New Mexico and Illinois, for example, saw a jump in abortions over the past year — mainly due to being close to states with bans. [NPR]

• New Texas laws targeting counties with major highways to other states would make it illegal to transport any abortion seeker within city or county limits. The goal is to keep pregnant people within Texas. [Texas Tribune]

• But interstate travel bans are unconstitutional. That might not matter to the Supreme Court, though. [Vox]

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• 20,000 believed to be dead in Libyan floods. That’s just an estimate for now, but it is confirmed that 10,000 people are missing. Corpses fill the streets, and drinkable water is in short supply. [Guardian]
  
  

• Apple unveils new iPhone models. Like Superman taking off his glasses, the new iPhone is more about aesthetic changes than actual upgrades. The two main differences from the previous iteration are that the iPhone 15 has a USB-C port and a new feature called the “dynamic island.” [The Verge]
  
  

• Taylor Swift’s big night at MTV’s Video Music Awards. Swift ties the record for most VMA wins in one night. (Also, I highly recommend watching Shakira’s incredible performance.)  [Guardian]
  
  

• Two-week-long manhunt for an escaped convict finally ends. Murderer Danelo Cavalcante was captured by Pennsylvania state police earlier today. [NPR]

New Covid vaccines are coming out. The CDC wants you to get one.

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