Hello! Here’s what’s happening on Wednesday.
1. US President Donald Trump said he misspoke at his press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump’s refusal to condemn Putin and Russia over the US intelligence community’s findings of election meddling garnered harsh blowback.
2. UK Prime Minister Theresa May narrowly avoided a major Brexit defeat on a vote to stay in a customs union. Defeat could have triggered a full-scale leadership crisis for May.
3. Members of the Thai soccer team rescued from a cave will make their first TV appearance on Wednesday night. The Thai government has allocated 45 minutes of airtime and questions have been carefully vetted in advance.
4. The European Union and Japan just signed a new trade deal. The move shows how governments around the world are responding to Trump's recent trade protectionism.
5. Former US President Barack Obama offered a sharp rebuke of Trump's worldview in a rare public speech. Obama slammed "strongman politics" and the rejection of intellectualism in political culture.
6. A Chinese woman who poured ink over a poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping is missing. China has been trying to cement Xi's position as the most powerful person in the country and regularly cracks down on dissent.
7. The owner of Las Vegas hotel Mandalay Bay sued Las Vegas mass-shooting victims. The company said it cannot be held liable for deaths, injuries, or other damages that occurred in the October shooting that left 58 people dead.
8. Google has removed the CEO of its Nest unit. The Nest team will now be folded into Google's home devices division.
9. Walmart is working on its own streaming service to challenge Netflix and Amazon. The $8-a-month subscription plan would be lower than the current price of Netflix and Amazon.
10. Australian divers who helped rescue the Thai soccer team from a flooded cave will receive civilian honors. Calls have been made for one of the divers, Richard Harris, to be named Australian of the Year.
And finally…