SmartHER News

SmartHER Summary

We often perceive absolutes as facts.

But the truth often exists in shades of gray, rather than black or white.

This week's news on the historic Singapore summitbetween America & North Korea serves as a prime example. In the aftermath, the debate over what the summit means or what it doesn't vacillates between an epic moment in time OR a just a drop in the bucket.

All or nearly nothing.

We humbly suggest the summit can, in fact, be both. And THAT'S why it's powerful and notable.

Interestingly, you can both work as an expert of North Korea AND never step foot in the country. And that's a fact about almost every single person you've heard this week espouse about North Korea – except for Michael Malice who has done BOTH, visited North Korea AND researched and written extensively about the hermit kingdom. Michael joins us on the SmartHER News podcast.

The Singapore summit remains bothan important story and a major distraction from other news overseas: Islamic terrorists kill an American soldierin Africa. China strategically parks dangerous weaponson highly contested islands. In Russia, the World Cup brings "spoons of victory"and an Iranian team *suddenly* finds itself without its shoe sponsor.

Stateside: An important memorial at Pearl Harbor remains closed indefinitely. Plague resurfaces. And a proposal to split California into 3 separate statesmakes it on the ballot. An inspector general at the FBI bothshuts the door on a chapter in American historywhile leaving an opening for more questions about political bias.

The Supreme Court rules you can be removed from voting rollsif you BOTHdon't vote and don't respond to mail. A teenager bothsuffers from the darkness of depression, and sheds light on a potential solution.

Father's Day, a holiday, inspired by a man with a background as BOTHa Civil war veteran and single dad. Juxtapositions make stories dynamic. And leaving room for "both" makes us Smart (HER).

Instead of uncertainty, considering bothreflects another fact: endless possibilities.

Happy Father's Day,

Jenna and The SmartHER Squad. P.S. A very special Father's Day message on our podcast.

The onslaught of news can feel like the daily grind of life – the core often gets ignored.

After taking in the peripheral facts, this week's news stories have an interwoven theme at their center: How can we help each other?

How can we help teach our children? A new studysays Catholic school students outperform public and private school students when it comes to self-discipline. One of the reasons why? God.

How can we help abolish poverty in America? Stockton, California will hand out $500 dollars to some residents to try to answer this question, testing an economic theory called "universal basic income." The results will hopefully offer insight on what may work (or what doesn't).

How can we helpachieve world peace? A Nobel Peace Prize winner volunteers to pay for North Korea's trip to Singapore so the summit next Tuesday June 12th can continue smoothly.

How can we help each other? Whimsical fashion designer Kate Spadetakes her own life followed by storyteller Anthony Bourdain. In between, the CDC reports dramatically rising suicide rates (except in the state of Nevada) and shares tips on how to help.

How can we help secure our borders? Illegal border crossings have soared 160%since last year at the same time. The most shocking number? The number of family crossings and unaccompanied children jumped more than 400% and 300% respectively. The Dept of Homeland security blames loopholes in current immigration policy for putting both Americans AND illegal immigrants at risk.

How can we help keep each other healthy? New research proves chemo may not be necessaryfor breast cancer patients, opening a doorway to more personalized, less ravaging, cancer treatments. (Also, check out a SmartHER explanation on a new lawthat aims to help terminally ill Americans access experimental medications).

How can we helpkeep each other informed? Pew Research releases new data showing 7-out-of-10 Americans feel exhausted by the news.

We.Do.Too.

Here's where SmartHER Newssteps in.

We don't want you exhausted. We want you empowered. Not by inspirational stories. By information. We believe by taking a breathe and getting to the core of the story - we can HELP by reminding each other about why news really matters. .

You help us tremendously – and we can only hope we return the favor.

With gratitude,

Jenna & The SmartHER Squad

Just like cleaning out a refrigerator, this week's news cycle raises the question: how do you know when something has truly passed its prime? Sometimes it's by date; other times it's simply by feel.

Let's start with the American economy. Mining and manufacturing, two industries thought "past their prime" had job gains in the latest unemployment report, defying a belief by some that the "new normal" of the American economy didn't include these sectors. The unemployment rate continues to fall to an 18-year-low.

In Europe, Italy tackles whether it's outgrown the European Union, while EU regulators ultimately decide its internet privacy standards have long passed their expiration and force an update. Stateside, a shocking headline about the U.S. government LOSING children after they arrived illegally at the border, proves sour and stale, showing yet again, context matters.

Other stories have lasting power.

The Ford Mustang survives massive vehicle cuts by the automaker because of the "emotional connection" of American consumers.

Disney World continues to challenge AND captivate as we learned in our new SmartHer Travel feature.

And Mr. Rogers still makes us feel nostalgic 5 decades later. Fred Rogers spoke directly to generations of children about once taboo topics like death, race and divorce, launching in a year burning with discord. In 1968, when 'Mr. Rogers' debuted, America roiled with debate over Vietnam, experienced the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy and anxiously awaited headlines from North Korea after the capture of The Pueblo (an American spy ship). NoKo interrogated and tortured dozens of American crew members - a reminder of our long simmering tension. Fast forward to present day, and it's nearing "primetime" for the White House and North Korea to either engage or walkaway from the long-awaited summit on June 12 (as of this writing, the White House suggests it's a "go"). Is the opportunity for historic change missed, delayed, or prime for the taking? (BTW, we looked at meals served during important meetings, inspired by the working dinner this week between North Korea & U.S.).

While we sift through timelines, deadlines, and expiration dates - Here's to enjoying the prime of our lives!

Jenna