What We’re Following
Communication Breakdown: The White House and the State Department initially gave contradictory answers about whether the U.S. would consider allowing Russia to question a group of American officials. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the offer had been discussed at his one-on-one meeting with President Trump in Helsinki. Even Trump’s team had little information on the meeting, which is one reason why the White House appears to have lost control of the controversy. Yet that might not matter to Press Secretary Sarah Sanders—her only priority, Megan Garber argues, is allegiance to Trump.
U.S. vs. the World: For all the backlash provoked by his deference to Putin at the Helsinki summit, the U.S. president’s biggest favor to Moscow may be his skepticism of NATO. Trump’s belief that America shouldn’t be obliged to defend NATO members like Montenegro from attack, which he expressed in an interview with the Fox News host Tucker Carlson, strikes at the foundations of the treaty and of America’s international role. And this “America First” worldview, Peter Beinart writes, is far from patriotic.
Health, Food: Scientists who looked at the diets of people being treated for psychiatric disorders found that the nitrates found in beef jerky and other cured meats could be involved in sparking manic episodes—and their research on how rats respond to the chemicals backs up that idea. Another new study finds no link between levels of dairy fats in the blood and rates of mortality, indicating—as many prior studies have—that the health risks of eating whole milk, cheese, and butter are lower than they’re often perceived to be.
