Morning! While you were sleeping (or staying up to binge-watch Friends for the tenth time, or pulling an all-nighter in the library), a few things went down that you’ll probably want to know about. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get scrolling.
Rumor Has It
Measure your life in love!
In celebration of World Pride NYC 2019, a group of talented Broadway stars teamed up to sing a special rendition of Seasons of Love from the hit musical Rent.
According to ABC News, Waitress’ Shoshana Bean and Be More Chill star George Salazar joined together as soloists for the special Pride performance.
Broadway stars perform a beautiful rendition of Rent’s “Seasons of Love.”
WATCH LIVE:
? https://t.co/awrxco46Zw
?@ABC News App: https://t.co/wgVk5VaBbS
? @ABC News on any streaming device
? @ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/jgPsNwVvvu— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 30, 2019
According to Playbill, the Pride performance also featured Broadway alums Ainsley Melham (Aladdin), Ryann Redmond (Frozen), Patrick Vaill (Oklahoma!), James Davis (Oklahoma!), Bonita Hamilton (The Lion King), Wilson Cruz (Rent), Callum Francis (Kinky Boots) and Christopher Rice (Pretty Woman) as singers in the ensemble. Also, Will Van Dyke (Pretty Woman, Kinky Boots), and Mason Ingram (The Prom) joined in on the performance, playing the keyboards and percussion, respectively.
The live performance, which was presented by The Broadway League in partnership with Disney Theatrical Productions, took place at Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre.
The performance aired on ABC News Live during the news network’s one-hour special, PRIDE on ABC News Live, hosted by ABC News correspondents Gio Benitez and Kimberly Brooks.
The one-hour special also included taped pieces and live segments with other guests, filmed from the Flatiron District.
Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the “Stonewall uprising” at New York’s Stonewall Inn that sparked a global LGBTQ movement.
News You Can Eat
We all love the ready-made and portioned cookies that we just take out of the package and place on a cookie sheet for easy, fresh-baked cookies when you’re craving something sweet at night. Now, if you’re like us, you’ve probably wished at some point that making brownies could be just as easy when you’re in the mood for something chocolate-y. Well, it turns out that all of our dreams have come true because Pillsbury has introduced “Place and Bake” brownies that’ll make your brownie baking just that much easier.
According to Candy Hunting, which posts about all of the latest food news, the new “Place and Bake” brownies will come in three varieties: Chocolate Fudge, Marshmallow, and Peanut Butter Cup.
The account does note that a muffin pan and muffin liners are required for baking the brownies.
Pillsbury has a huge line of Ready to Bake cookies, including Chocolate Chip, White Chunk Macadamia Nut and Reese’s Peanut Butter, but these new brownies are definitely filling the hole in the refrigerated dough section.
These new easy-bake brownies are available in select retailers and cost $3. The “Place and Bake” brownies will reportedly launch nationally at the end of July, Popsugar reports.
According to Bustle, Pillsbury also has a “Buy Now” button on their website that will link out to stores that have the items when they’re available.
We don’t know about you, but we’re definitely craving brownies now.
Then This Happened
President Donald Trump became the first U.S. president to step into North Korea Sunday, first reaching across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to shake hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then, at Kim’s request, stepping across the border into North Korea. Trump called the historic moment “a great honor.”
In what was supposed to be a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two leaders ended up agreeing to restart stalled nuclear talks, The Hill reports. They spoke privately for more than 50 minutes, and both agreed to “designate a team” and “work out some details” in the on-again, off-again effort to end Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
“Speed is not the object. We want to see if we can do a really comprehensive, good deal,” Trump told reporters. “This was a great day. This was a very legendary, very historic day.”
“It’ll be even more historic if something comes up, something very important,” the president added.
Pres. Trump became the first U.S. president to step into North Korea as he strode by himself across the demilitarized zone and shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. https://t.co/IwiGbk2gav pic.twitter.com/UeAZ3b8IJC
— ABC News (@ABC) June 30, 2019
The historic moment at 3:45 p.m. local time, when Trump and Kim shook hands at the line separating North and South Korea. At Kim’s invitation, Trump stepped over the line and entered North Korea, where the two leaders walked back to a plaza and posed for pictures, ABC News reports.
Through a translator, Kim called Trump’s decision to meet with him a “courageous and determined act.”
“I just want to thank you, it was very quick notice and I just want to thank you,” Trump told Kim.
“Good to see you again, I never expected to see you in this place,” Kim said as the two men initially shook hands.
Both leaders spoke, standing side by side, then headed into a meeting in a nearby building.
“Stepping across that line was a great honor,” Trump said, adding that he would invite Kim to visit the White House.
Leaving South Korea after a wonderful meeting with Chairman Kim Jong Un. Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 30, 2019
Afterward, Trump tweeted that his meeting with Kim was “wonderful,” adding that standing on North Korean soil was “an important statement for all.”
Happy Thoughts
Happy International Joke Day!