Top Stories Today – April 18, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 18, 2019
N Korea tests tactical weapon
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected and directed a “new tactical guided weapons firing test” Wednesday, according to a report from the country’s state media. The report, published Thursday morning local time (Wednesday evening ET) by news agency KCNA, did not state exactly what kind of weapon was tested, nor its potential range.
However, the description provided by KCNA suggests that it does not represent a return to missile testing for the regime — a tactical weapon is designed to be used on the battlefield, and is typically not a long-range armament. No missile launch was detected by US Northern Command and Strategic Command, according to US Department of Defense officials. Kim praised the weapon’s capabilities, the state-run agency reported. CNN
N Korea does not welcome Pompeo
North Korea is demanding that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo no longer take part in any further talks involving its nuclear weapons program. Kwon Jong Gun, a senior official in the North’s foreign ministry, says Pyongyang wants someone who is “more careful and mature in communicating,” according to a report by the official KCNA news agency.
Kwon Jong Gun’s comments were released hours after the regime announced that the North had tested a new “tactical guided weapon,” the latest display of Pyongyang’s military capabilities. The Voice of America
Mueller report details obstruction issue
The version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s 400-page report that will be released Thursday offers a detailed look at the investigation into whether President Trump obstructed justice, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. The report is lightly redacted, the Post reports, with a “blow-by-blow” of ways Trump was suspected of having obstructed justice.
Mueller was unable to make a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice because “it was difficult to determine Trump’s intent and some of his actions could be interpreted innocently,” the Post says. Trump refused to answer Mueller’s questions on obstruction. Attorney General William Barr will hold a news conference on Thursday morning, hours before the report’s release, providing an overview of the document. The Washington Post via The Week
Woman who threatened Columbine High found dead
The 18-year-old woman who traveled to Colorado from Florida and made a “credible threat” against at least 20 schools, including Columbine High School, has been found dead, authorities said. The woman, identified by law enforcement as Sol Pais, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. It is unclear how long she had been dead when she was found.
Pais traveled to Colorado this week from her home in Florida. Upon her arrival, she legally purchased a pump-action shotgun at a gun shop near Columbine High School and then, seemingly, disappeared. The Washington Post
Christina Koch will break a record longest spaceflight
NASA and its International Space Station partners have set a new schedule and new crew assignments that will include the first flight of NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, an extended stay for NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, and a record-setting flight for NASA astronaut Christina Koch.
Koch, who arrived at the space station March 14, and now is scheduled to remain in orbit until February 2020, will set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, eclipsing the record of 288 days set by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2016-17. She will be part of three expeditions – 59, 60 and 61 – during her current first spaceflight. Her mission is planned to be just shy of the longest single spaceflight by a NASA astronaut – 340 days, set by former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly during his one-year mission in 2015-16. NASA