The World Cup's final boss
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
World Cup planners have long expected President Donald Trump will come to one or more matches. Now we know, thanks to FIFA head Gianni Infantino, that Trump will be at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey to hand out the gold trophy after the final match concludes. The July 19 event will be one more test of the region’s security and transportation apparatus, one that is in the middle of a long summer, including Trump’s early trip to New York earlier that month for a parade of warships. From a logistical perspective, said Alex Lasry of the bistate New York/New Jersey host committee, the final is “its own animal," with its own set of transportation and security worries. At least one part of the animal will be familiar to local organizers: Trump's presence. The president regularly returns to his native New York City and his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. He was at MetLife last year to hand out the Club World Cup trophy alongside Infantino.