Top Stories Today – April 17, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 17, 2019
Kim and Putin to meet in Russia
A month and a half after President Donald Trump ended his summit with Kim Jong Un without a deal, the young North Korean leader is preparing to step out again on the world stage. This time, it will be for his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speculation is widespread that Kim is trying to find a way out of US sanctions through Russia and China after he warned South Korea and US last week that they must change their approach. The Kremlin confirmed Monday that a meeting was being planned but declined to provide any details. It’s unclear in what city the two will meet, but the most likely option is the far eastern port city Vladivostok, where Kim Jong Il, visited in 2011. WBAL news
Indonesians vote amid tight security
Indonesians voted in national and regional elections Wednesday with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo widely expected to win a second term. However, late reports suggest his winning margin could be much smaller than anticipated.
Security was tight but friendly around Tamon Suropati, a leafy park in the plush suburb of Menteng, home to former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, as voting began under clear blue skies. The Voice of America
AG Barr withhold bail from asylum seekers
Migrants who come to the United States seeking asylum may instead wind up jailed indefinitely while they wait for their claims to be processed, the Trump administration ruled Tuesday in its latest crackdown at the border. Attorney General William P. Barr’s written decision, a policy reversal, applies to migrants who have already established “a credible fear of persecution or torture” in their home country.
Barr ordered immigration judges to stop allowing some asylum seekers to post bail while they wait the months or years for their cases to be heard — a system that President Trump has derided as “catch and release.” But advocates criticized the policy change and said it would lock up people who are simply looking for safety. The Washington Post
Donors contribute millions to rebuild Notre Dame
After a fire tore through Notre Dame in Paris on Monday, with the spire and rooftop of the 850-year-old Gothic cathedral going up in flames, officials in France and individuals around the world began to sketch out a plan to restore the edifice. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he wants Notre Dame rebuilt within five years, though a restoration expert said the work could take 10-15 years.
The iconic rose windows and two main towers survived, and donors — including French billionaires, major businesses, and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana — have already pledged more than $700 million to reconstruct the destroyed portions of the cathedral. Police believe the fire was started by accident, perhaps related to ongoing renovation work. CNN, The Washington Post via The Week
FBI hunts for a woman who threatened Columbine high school
Officials secured schools across the Denver area Tuesday as the FBI and local police hunted for a woman “infatuated with (the) Columbine school shooting” who had traveled to Colorado the night before, made threats and was considered armed and “extremely dangerous.”
Authorities identified the suspect as Sol Pais, and described her as being “infatuated” with the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine, which left 13 people dead and 24 wounded. Saturday is the 20th anniversary of the massacre, and Jefferson County Public Schools has reported a surge in threatening email and telephone messages. There will be extra security on the affected campuses. The Denver Post
Trump vetoes on Yemen civil war
President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a bipartisan measure to cut off US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war, calling it “an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities.” Tuesday’s veto was the second of Trump’s presidency, coming a month after he vetoed a resolution to reverse his national emergency declaration aimed at securing funding for a border wall.
All Democrats and several Republicans — including Trump allies — in both chambers backed the War Powers resolution amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have sought to overthrow the country’s government. Others voted for the bill as a way to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Politico