TGIF! NATO summit wraps: Biden’s crucial press conference and more commitments to support Ukraine as it battles Russia.

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Good morning,

If you want to try something new this weekend, a viral pickle bun sandwich is taking over TikTok. And if you’re in the New York area, a Long Island sandwich shop may be behind the trend.

• Seven Brothers Gourmet started offering the pickle sandwich in January, using a hollowed-out pickle instead of bread. Months later, an employee’s sister made a TikTok about it and now the business is flooded.

  • 🥒 The company used to order one pail of pickles per week. But, last week it went through 70 pails. That’s about 500 pickle sandwiches.

• What you need: To make this at home, scrape the seeds out of a BIG pickle, then add honey turkey, bacon, and dressing on the side. Warning: It’s juicy.

It’s really jarring 🫙 us 😉!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!

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📌 BIDEN VOWS TO ‘FINISH THE JOB’ AT HIGH STAKES NEWS CONFERENCE

President Biden faced his latest critical test Thursday– this time in the form of a solo, unscripted, live press conference at the end of the NATO summit. The president took questions from reporters for just over an hour. While he showed a deep understanding of critical foreign policy issues, he also committed several verbal gaffes going viral on social media.

• The most notable flub occurred in the opening minutes when the president mistakenly referred to Vice President Harris as “Vice President Trump.” Before the address, he made another major blunder by introducing Ukraine’s President Zelensky as Russia’s President Putin, alongside several dozen world leaders.

Donald Trump jumped on the gaffe (though he misquoted Biden). Here’s how President Biden responded:

PUNDITS WEIGH IN
The question is whether his performance was enough to convince voters he’s up to the job, and Democratic lawmakers that he can beat Trump? Some political pundits from the left and the right think it’s enough…. for now. Whether that it is a good thing or bad thing for Democrats is another question.

MORE CALLS TO STEP ASIDE
CNN reported last night that former President Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have spoken privately, expressing worry over Biden and his 2024 campaign, with neither “quite sure what to do.”

It comes as there are reports that Biden officials believe Obama is peronally orchestrating the effort to push him to withdraw from the race. And, beyond that, that Obama approved George Clooney’s op-ed piece calling for Biden to go.

• A new ABC/Wash Post poll reveals a majority of Democrats want Biden to step aside. At the start of the week, polls had a majority of Democrats saying Biden should remain in the race.

Back on Capitol Hill, members are on pins and needles every time Biden does a public event. Yesterday, a handful of additional Congressional Democrats called for Biden to step aside. Several made their call for the president to go within minutes of the press conference ending. That number is now at about twenty of the about 250 Democratic lawmakers.

But the slow trickle continues, as Biden’s fate is still ultimately up to him. This is starting to feel like Groundhog Day?

📲 MO NEWS ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE MAN RUNNING THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

The NATO summit wrapped up in DC yesterday, and supporting Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion remained a top priority. The US announced $225 million in new military aid for Ukraine, while President Zelensky urged allies to lift restrictions on Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.

• Mo News was on the ground in DC as NATO countries reinforced their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia—including with the delivery of F-16 fighter jets. The alliance is also reiterated that they hope to let Ukraine into NATO as soon as the war ends.

To get an inside look at the current geopolitical landscape — from combating Russia to how the US views China— Mo News traveled to the Pentagon to sit down with Derek Chollet. He is a longtime foreign policy adviser who was recently appointed Chief of Staff to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin—now overseeing nearly 3 million civilian and military personnel.

🎧 For the full interview check out our ‘Mo News The Interview’ podcast on Apple | Spotify 🎧

Ukraine: When the war began in 2022, Chollet was at the State Department, where there were fears Ukraine would not last days against Russian forces. He says the Ukrainian people’s strength and perseverance (with the support of the US and NATO) are keeping Russia from taking over the country.

That said, we asked him how the US is trying to bring the war to an end after tens of billions of dollars in aid, and 2.5 years of war.

• “No one wants the war to end sooner than the Ukrainian people, because they're the ones suffering every day and sacrificing every day. So there's no question what we want. The question is on what terms,” he told us, noting that it is up to Zelensky to decide what concessions to make in furure peace talks.

• On questions about continued aid: “If Ukraine were to lose its democracy and come under the thumb of Vladimir Putin in Russia, it would be a direct danger to US security.”

China: Chollet says the threat China poses is at the top of the list of concerns for the US and European allies.

• “Their goal is to pursue their interests, as they see it, and increasingly those interests are not consistent with our interests…they would like to see the US with less influence,” he said. Though, he added that the US is still seeking a “stable” relationship with China. Chollet acknowledged that the set of issues the two countries can agree on is “narrowing.”

Middle East: Five Americans are still being held alive by Hamas in Gaza. Chollet says getting them released is “of the highest priority for the US government.”

• A deal: He says the US is working to broker a new hostage release deal, and what Hamas recently rejected “was pretty much the identical deal to one that it had already accepted several weeks ago.”

  • Bottom line: He says it’s a “reminder for people, unfortunately, of the brutality of Hamas” and that while the US is working to get the hostages free, a military rescue operation is not simple.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Heatwave maps show deadly temps spreading across the US (AXIOS)

📌 Arkansas secretary of state rejects abortion-rights ballot initiative (NBC NEWS)

📌 Florida grandmother arrested in Turks and Caicos over ammo in bag fined $1,500 and given suspended sentence (CBS NEWS)

📌 IRS collects milestone $1 billion in back taxes from high-wealth taxpayers (ABC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 US-built $230 million pier in Gaza is shutting down after two months of troubles (USA TODAY)

📌 US and Germany foiled Russian plot to assassinate CEO of arms manufacturer sending weapons to Ukraine (CNN)

📌 Hungary's Orban ditches NATO summit to meet with Donald Trump (FOX NEWS)

📌 Kenya’s President Ruto fires almost entire cabinet after weeks of deadly protests (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 US inflation cools again, potentially paving way for Fed to cut interest rates soon (AP)

📌 A 3D reconstruction of the woolly mammoth genome might help revive the extinct species (NPR)

📌 Delta shares fall as a glut of flights drives down fares despite high demand (CNBC)

📌 Ammo vending machines offer "24/7" access to bullets at some U.S. grocery stores (CBS NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Travis Kelce reveals eye-popping price of Taylor Swift Super Bowl suite (E!)

📌 Andy Samberg reveals reason for his 'SNL' exit: 'I was falling apart in my life' (USA TODAY)

📌 JFK grandson named Vogue political correspondent (NEWS NATION) Check out his very silly TikTok

📌 'Inside Out 2' becomes Pixar's highest-grossing film of all time in worldwide box office (ABC NEWS)

🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN WEEKEND

• WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: Mosheh: Rewatching Season 2 The West Wing; Jill: Presumed Innocent ~ Apple TV.

• WHAT WE’RE READING: Mosheh: Democracy in Retrograde ~ Sami Sage, Emily Amick; Jill: Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale ~ Mo Willems.

• WHAT WE’RE EATING: Mosheh: Watermelon juice: Blend watermelon, mint, and water; Jill: Mister Softee ice cream to celebrate her son’s birthday 🍦