Thursday, June 18th Edition |
Valet. will be honoring Juneteenth tomorrow and will be on summer break over the next week. I’ll meet you back here on Monday, June 29th.
Let’s dive in today …
Today’s Big Story
Obama’s Library Opens
The long-awaited presidential center and museum will open to the public on Juneteenth

For the first time, the public is getting a look inside the long-awaited Obama Presidential Center ahead of its Juneteenth opening in Chicago. And like the man himself, it seems like people either love it or hate it.
The center is also poised to redefine the scale of the modern presidential project, setting new marks for construction time, cost and admission price. A general museum ticket will cost $30, making it the most expensive presidential museum or library to visit. Not that people seem to mind, tickets are already sold out until November.
Unlike the libraries of other modern presidents, the Obama center will not be operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Instead, it will be privately run by the Obama Foundation. The distinction gives the center more freedom in how it presents stories and less red tape around funding. The center is also intended to serve as an economic and community building engine for the surrounding area, from hiring local contractors to build the campus to drawing new investment to Chicago’s South Side and West Side neighborhoods.
The sprawling, 19.3-acre, $850 million campus blends museum exhibits chronicling former President Barack Obama’s political rise and presidency with contemporary art, public gathering spaces, the Home Court NBA regulation-sized basketball court and athletic facility and a branch of the Chicago Public Library. There are also outdoor attractions around the campus, including the John Lewis Plaza, the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden, a playground and a great lawn, all open to the public.
The grounds look and feel like a modern park and the centerpiece is the brutalist “Obamalisk” that Curbed argues “practically trembles with symbolism.” Inside, there will be no official papers on display. Instead, visitors will experience high-tech and hands-on exhibits spanning the campaigns, key moments of Obama’s presidency and life at the White House. Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s dresses are there and so is a reproduction Oval Office as it looked during his administration (which was donated by Shonda Rhimes and was the Oval Office set from the hit show Scandal).
FYI:
Former Presidents Biden, Clinton and Bush are set to attend the opening tonight, which will feature performances from Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, John Legend and Jennifer Hudson.
U.S. and Iran Officially Sign a Peace Deal
The interim agreement declares an intent to bring about an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations”
President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian just digitally signed a “memorandum of understanding” laying out terms for ending the war. Some critics said it falls short of his promises. Even Trump and his team acknowledged a final deal may never happen. But he claimed Wednesday that “if it doesn’t get done in 60 days, we go back to bombing.” He later said the deadline could shift.
Trump also followed up with a freewheeling defense of the ceasefire at the close of the G-7 summit, veering from warnings about the economic costs of war to criticism of Israel’s campaign in Lebanon and comments suggesting a break with decades of U.S. opposition to Iran’s ballistic missile program. “I didn’t want to see economic catastrophe,” Trump told reporters in France. “All I know is every time we talked about the possibility of peace, the stock market shot up like a rocket ship.”
While Trump previously expressed interest in facilitating regime change in Iran, the current agreement—which is in effect for 60 days, but can be extended—says that won’t happen. The two sides will now agree to “respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs,” according to the document. “If the Iranians behave,” the official said, other countries seeking to do business with Iran will be permitted to do so.
All that Glitters:
Trump planned to leave the G7 Summit early, until Emmanuel Macron invited him to Versailles.
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What’s Going Down at the World Cup
Colombia returns against debutant Uzbekistan; Ghana beats Panama on late goal, England downs Croatia
Some exciting games going down at the World Cup. Uzbekistan and Colombia were both playing fiercely in the final minutes of their first match up. But just as Uzbekistan was starting to make things uncomfortable, an unmarked Campaz pounced on a cross from the right in the ninth minute of added time and slammed it home to seal the deal for Colombia, 3-1. Still, it was a historic game for Uzbekistan in its World Cup debut. It came out fighting and proved it is not going down easy.
England defeated Croatia 4-2 thanks to two goals from Harry Kane, one from Jude Bellingham and one from Marcus Rashford. The win gives England an early leg up in Group L. While Croatia is still favored to advance, its path becomes slightly harder after the two-goal loss.
And it was a The hydration breaks were booed in rainy conditions in Toronto, as some supporters and photographers wore ponchos to try to stay dry.. Panama clinched a corner kick in the 97th minute and aimed a header toward the net, but it was successfully saved by Ghana’s goalkeeper. The hydration breaks were actually booed by fans in rainy conditions in Toronto, as some supporters and photographers wore ponchos to try to stay dry.
Meanwhile:
No other fans are as wholesome as the Japanese fans. They’re out here, hyping up Texas BBQ and cleaning up stadiums.
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