These are the stories making headlines today.
Mike Pompeo secretly met with Kim Jong Un
One source said Pompeo took only intelligence officials with him on the trip, no White House or State Department officials. The meeting between Pompeo and Kim comes ahead of a planned historic summit between the North Korean leader and US President Donald Trump, currently planned for sometime in late May or early June.
Trump says 5 locations are being considered for Kim Jong Un meeting
Speaking amid talks with his skeptical Japanese counterpart, Trump said that “very high levels” of discussion between Washington and Pyongyang are already underway. “We have had direct talks,” Trump said alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “I really believe there’s a lot of goodwill. We’ll see what happens, as I always say.
Kim Jong Un’s wife afforded new level of respect in North Korean media
Referred to in a KCNA report as the “respected First Lady,” paired with an honorific reserved for respected members of society, the title is a step up from the usual “comrade” that she had previously been afforded.
Southwest passenger died after shattered window nearly sucked her out
The plane was flying at 32,500 feet Tuesday morning as passengers settled in for the three-hour flight. Suddenly, the alarms blared in the cockpit as what sounded like explosions boomed from the left side of the plane. Oxygen masks swiftly dangled from the ceiling.
Mugabe is gone and people can now say anything about him
A satirical play, “Operation Restore Regasi,” based on the military takeover and impending impeachment that ended the 37-year rule of the dictator, packed out theaters in the capital city, Harare. “The response was overwhelming. I thought with the hard economic hardships Zimbabweans are facing it would not attract many people,” said Charles Munganasa, the Comedy Director.
Barbara Bush, former first lady, dies at 92
Only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and a son elected President (Abigail Adams was the first), Bush was seen as a plainspoken public figure who was instantly recognizable with her signature white hair and pearl necklaces and earrings. She became a major political figure as her husband, George H.W.
Starbucks will close 8,000 US stores May 29 for racial-bias training
The announcement follows an uproar over the arrest of two black men who were waiting for a friend at a Philadelphia Starbucks last week. CNNMoney (New York) First published April 17, 2018: 1:59 PM ET
Stormy Daniels releases sketch of man who allegedly threatened her over Trump affair
The disclosure of the drawing and the announcement of the monetary reward on ABC’s “The View” mark yet another theatrical twist in the dramatic public feud between the porn star and President Donald Trump.
Man’s second face transplant is a world first
Jérôme Hamon, 43, underwent his first face transplantation procedure in 2010 to treat neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of tumors along nerves in the skin, brain and other parts of the body. Yet Hamon’s body rejected the original transplant.
US jet makes emergency landing
A US passenger jet has made an emergency landing in Philadelphia after part of the covering on its left engine got ripped off. A window and part of the fuselage were also damaged, officials say. The Southwest Airlines plane was flying from New York’s La Guardia airport to Dallas, Texas, with 143 passengers and five crew aboard.
Facebook seeks to face scan Europeans
Facebook has started asking European and Canadian users to let it use facial recognition technology to identify them in photos and videos. Facebook originally began face-matching users outside Canada in 2011, but stopped doing so for EU citizens the following year after protests from regulators and privacy campaigners.
Trump’s UN envoy hits back at White House
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has fired back after a White House aide accused her of “momentary confusion” over new sanctions against Russia. “With all due respect, I don’t get confused,” Ms Haley told Fox News television. She was responding to comments by White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
Minister says India invented internet
A minister who has claimed that the internet was invented hundreds of thousands of years ago by ancient Indians is being met with ridicule. Biplab Deb, who is the chief minister of the north-eastern state of Tripura had made the comments at a public function on Tuesday evening.
Space diamonds ‘came from lost planet’
A diamond-bearing space rock that exploded in Earth’s atmosphere in 2008 was part of a lost planet from the early Solar System, a study suggests. The parent “proto-planet” existed billions of years ago before breaking up in a collision and would have been about as large as Mercury or Mars.
The mystery of the homesick mechanic who stole a plane
In 1969, at the height of the Cold War, a mechanic in the US Air Force stole a Hercules plane from his base in East Anglia and set off for the States. Just under two hours later, he disappeared suddenly over the English Channel. Did he simply crash or was he shot down?
Passengers Praise Southwest Airlines Pilot Who Landed Safely After Engine Explosion
(Reuters) – The pilot who safely landed a stricken Southwest Airlines flight on Tuesday got her first flying experience in the U.S. Navy, touching down F-18 fighter jets at 150 miles per hour on aircraft carriers.
Plastic Surgeons Reveal The Serious Repercussions Of Plumping Your Lips
Full, ultra-plumped lips are one beauty trend that just won’t quit. Influencers like Kylie Jenner and the rest of her famous family have helped to make the use of facial fillers increasingly common. The more we’re bombarded with photos of perfectly plumped pouts on social media, the more we wonder: Is there such a thing as too much?
Steven Spielberg Joins DC Universe For ‘Blackhawk’ Film
Steven Spielberg is directing his attention toward the DC Universe. The “Ready Player One” director has agreed to produce and possibly direct a movie based on the World War II-era character “Blackhawk” for Warner Brothers. The series debuted in 1941, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but isn’t well known to today’s audiences.
Of Course Jesus Is Black: ‘That S**t Doesn’t Happen To White People’
A British comedy series took on both race and religion in a sketch about a white churchgoer who seeks help and encounters Jesus. But the savior wasn’t what he expected. “Have you heard my story?” Jesus asked. “I was arrested by a mob of angry government officials and beaten for a crime I didn’t commit.
Exxon sued for stoking drought, floods, and wildfires
Coastal cities like New York and San Francisco have already started legal battles with oil giants for knowingly fueling climate change. Now, landlocked communities in Colorado have filed their own suit against the oil companies Exxon Mobil and Suncor, both of which extract large amounts of oil and gas from the Colorado ground.
Facebook’s facial recognition features could cost it billions of dollars
If you thought Facebook was already having a bad couple weeks, a federal judge just reminded us that things could get a whole lot worse for the company. A judge in San Francisco ruled Monday that Facebook users in Illinois can proceed with a class action suit against the company over its use of facial recognition software.
Why Iron Man needs to die in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
Let’s get the bad news out of the way: your boy Iron Man is probably gonna die in Avengers: Infinity War. But the good news is, he probably should die. Why am I ruining everything you once loved and held dear? I’m not. Marvel is doing that, so please direct your Twitter @s their way.
Evan Rachel Wood shares she’s finally getting equal pay to male ‘Westworld’ co-stars — in Season 3
Westworld’s Evan Rachel Wood will be getting the same pay as some of her male co-stars starting in Season 3, the actor told The Wrap Tuesday. Finally. Wood’s character Dolores is basically the face of HBO’s Westworld, and thanks to the Time’s Up movement, Reese Witherspoon, and HBO’s newfound commitment to fixing pay disparities between men and women, Woods will now be getting the equal pay that she deserves.
