Here are some of the stories making headlines today.
Trump slams Putin and Assad after suspected chemical attack
Dozens of Syrians were killed and hundreds of others were affected by the attack on Douma, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, rescue workers and an aid group said Sunday. Anti-government activists claimed Syrian military helicopters dropped barrel bombs filled with chemicals on the town on Saturday night, suffocating some residents and sending others into violent convulsions.
Secret, direct talks underway between US and North Korea
The United States and North Korea have been holding secret, direct talks to prepare for a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, a sign that planning for the highly anticipated meeting is progressing, several administration officials familiar with the discussions tell CNN.
WaPo: John Kelly’s influence diminishing in White House
White House chief of staff John Kelly grew so frustrated on the day Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was fired that both Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Defense Secretary James Mattis attempted to calm him down, The Washington Post reported Saturday, in a story based on interviews with more than a dozen administration officials and confidants and advisers to the President.
Fire at Trump Tower leaves man dead and 6 firefighters injured
Police identified the man killed as Todd Brassner, 67, a resident of the building’s 50th floor. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition but later died, said spokeswoman Angelica Conroy of the Fire Department. Brassner was unconscious and unresponsive when firefighters pulled him out, the New York Police Department said.
Brazil’s ex-president defies order to surrender to federal police
Lula da Silva will remain at the headquarters of the country’s metalworkers union building Saturday, where he’s been holed up, said Lindbergh Farias, a senator for Workers’ Party. Farias said Lula will stay in the building and celebrate mass Saturday in memory of his deceased wife, Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, on what would have been her 68th birthday.
FBI solves ancient Egyptian mummy mystery
Since 1915, when the severed head of a mummy was discovered in the corner of a looted tomb in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Bersha, archaeologists have puzzled over its identity. Despite deciphering that the tomb belonged to a governor named Djehutynakht and his wife, they have long deliberated over whose head it was.
‘Fittest woman on earth’ wins gold medal after family tragedy
On a night of mixed emotions, Australia’s Tia-Clair Toomey dedicated her weightlifting medal to her cousin Jade Dixson who died only two weeks ago. Remembered by Toomey as a “kind and genuine” person, Dixson would have been at the Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre to watch her older cousin win her first major weightlifting title had the car she was a passenger in not crashed into a tree and killed her.
‘Black Panther’ To Overtake ‘Titanic’ In All-Time Domestic Box Office Gross
This weekend, Marvel’s “Black Panther” passes director James Cameron’s “Titanic” to become America’s third highest-grossing film of all time. On Friday, “Black Panther” hit $659.2 million, just shy of “Titanic,” which grossed $659.4 million back in 1997. “Black Panther” would have to disappear from theaters to not overtake it Saturday.
Vatican Arrests Its Own Diplomat After Child Pornography Probe
Vatican police have arrested a priest on suspicions of possessing child pornography, according to Catholic church officials. The priest had worked as a diplomat in the United States before being recalled last year by the Holy See.
Report: Trump Sons’ Private Trip To Dubai Cost $73,000 Or More Of Taxpayer Money
A private trip to Dubai by President Donald Trump’s sons has so far cost U.S. taxpayers at least $73,000, CBS News reports. The money covered expenses incurred by members of a Secret Service detail for hotel rooms and car service during the trip from March 26 to April 8, according to purchase orders viewed by CBS.
An Ever-Growing List Of Every White House Scandal Since Trump Became President
President Trump is leading “the most unethical presidency in history” according to one watchdog organization.
Democrats’ Chances Of Taking Over The House Just Got Better, Per New Forecast
Democrats’ shot at taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives just got slightly better, according to a new analysis of polling data conducted by The Cook Political Report. Cook announced Friday that it had changed its ratings in 13 congressional districts.
Canada mourns ice hockey crash dead
There has been an outpouring of grief across Canada after 15 people died in a collision involving a bus carrying a junior ice hockey team on Friday. At least nine players on the Humboldt Broncos team, aged between 16 and 21, died when their team bus collided with a semi-trailer in Saskatchewan.
Man ‘kept son in cage for over 20 years’
Japanese police have arrested a 73-year-old man suspected of keeping his son in a wooden cage for over 20 years. Yoshitane Yamasaki said he locked up his son, now 42, because he suffered mental problems and was sometimes violent, according to officials quoted by public broadcaster NHK.
Police ‘foil Berlin half-marathon attack’
Berlin Christmas market attack 2016 German police have foiled an alleged plot to attack spectators and participants at Sunday’s half-marathon in Berlin, reports say. The Die Welt newspaper says four men were detained, one of whom allegedly planned to mount a deadly knife attack. A number of apartments in the city’s west have been searched.
NASA’s TESS is going to be your new favorite space mission
On April 16, NASA’s latest and greatest mission is set to launch to space. The new space telescope is named TESS – short for the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite – and it has a pretty awesome job. TESS is going on a hunt for alien planets.
New ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ TV ad spends a lot of time in Wakanda
There’s not one Starbucks to be found in Wakanda, apparently. The new “Chant” TV spot for Avengers: Infinity War highlights how the Earth’s mightiest heroes assemble to face off against the forces of Thanos on Black Panther’s home turf. There’s plenty of new footage to feast your eyes on, and that’s about the extent of it.
‘Black Panther’ sinks ‘Titanic’ in the most obvious box office headline ever
Mark your calendars, box office nerds: Saturday, April 7 is the day Black Panther became the third-biggest movie in U.S. box office history. It’s not exactly a surprise. Marvel’s latest toppled Jurassic World earlier in the week to claim the #4 position on the all-time domestic box office charts.
