Trending
PANMUNJOM, Korea -- With wide grins and a historic handshake, President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un met at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone on Sunday and agreed to revive talks on the pariah nation's nuclear program. Trump, pressing his bid for a legacy-defining deal, became the first sitting American leader to step into North Korea. What was intended to be an impromptu exchange of pleasantries turned into a 50-minute meeting, another historic first in the yearlong rapprochement between the two technically warring nations. It marked a return to face-to-face contact between the leaders after talks broke down during a summit in Vietnam in February. Significant doubts remain, though, about the future of the negotiations and the North's willingness to give up its stockpile of nuclear weapons. The border encounter was a made-for television moment. The men strode toward one another from opposite sides of the Joint Security Area and shook hands over the raised patch of concrete at the Military Demarcation Line as cameras clicked and photographers jostled to capture the scene. After asking if Kim wanted him to cross, Trump took 10 steps into the North with Kim at his side, then escorted Kim back to the South for talks at Freedom House, where they agreed to revive the stalled negotiations. The spectacle marked the latest milestone in two years of roller-coaster diplomacy between the two nations. Personal taunts of "Little Rocket Man" (by Trump) and "mentally deranged U.S. dotard" (by Kim) and threats to destroy one other have given way to on-again, off-again talks, professions of love and flowery letters. "I was proud to step over the line," Trump told Kim as they met in on the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom. "It is a great day for the world." Kim hailed the moment, saying of Trump, "I believe this is an expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future." Kim added that he was "surprised" when Trump issued an unorthodox meeting invitation by tweet on Saturday.
Melted sea ice alarms Alaska
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Sea ice along northern Alaska disappeared far earlier than normal this spring, alarming coastal residents who rely on wildlife and fish. Ice melted as a result of exceptionally warm ocean temperatures, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The early melting has been "crazy," said Janet Mitchell of Kivalina. Hunters from her family in early June traveled more than 50 miles by boat to find bearded seals on sea ice. Bearded seals in the past could be hunted just outside the village but sea ice had receded far to the north. "We didn't know if we'd have our winter food," she said. "That was scary." The hunters ran out of gas after harvesting eight seals and a walrus. They were able to call other residents to deliver fuel, Mitchell said. Sea surface temperatures last week were as high as 9 degrees (5 Celsius) above the 1981-2010 average, reaching into the lower 60s, he said, with effects on the climate system, food web, communities and commerce. Kotzebue and Norton sounds were warmest but the heat extended far out into the ocean.
Trouble for shellfish population
PORTLAND, Maine -- Baby lobsters are continuing to appear in high numbers off some parts of Canada while tailing off in New England, raising questions about what the valuable shellfish's population will look like in several years. University of Maine scientist Rick Wahle has documented trends in baby lobster density for years, and released new data for 2018 this month. The new data reinforce recent trends about lobsters that show upticks off sites in Atlantic Canada, such as some areas in Nova Scotia, Wahle said. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Maine reported below average numbers from Bar Harbor to Cape Cod, he said. Young lobsters settle into the ocean bottom, where they take shelter as they grow. Wahle tracks where lobsters are settling in 23 areas from Rhode Island to Prince Edward Island, Canada. This year's data showed high totals in Canadian locations such as St. Mary's Bay, Nova Scotia, and the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, but low numbers in Maine fishing areas such as the Midcoast region and Casco Bay. American fishermen compete with Canada for the same species of lobster, which anchors one of the most lucrative fisheries in either country. Some scientists have said the shellfish appear to be moving north as waters warm. New England's commercial harvest of lobster has been strong in recent years, but it's dependent on young lobsters growing to maturity. Some New England sites, such as those off Rhode Island, show few baby lobsters at all.
E. coli linked to San Diego fair
SAN DIEGO -- Authorities say E. coli bacteria encountered at the San Diego County Fair has killed one child and sickened three others. The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced four confirmed cases linked to animal contact. While three cases didn't result in hospitalization, Jedidiah King Cabezuela, 2, visited the Del Mar Fairgrounds on June 15, became ill on June 19, and died on June 24. Dr. Erin McDonald said Jedidiah suffered from a dangerous complication that occurs when the infection causes damage and inflammation in the kidneys, causing clots to form that can lead to organ failure. The children between the ages of 2 and 13 visited the fair from June 8 to 15 and had symptoms from June 10 to June 16. The exact source of the bacteria is still under investigation, but all four reported having contact with animals at the fair. Fair officials have now closed public access to all animal areas, including the petting zoo, but plan to keep the fair open.
Shipped weapons to Australia
MILWAUKEE -- A Wisconsin man has pleaded guilty to illegally shipping guns to an Australian weapons dealer using a crate with a secret compartment to fool customs officials. Andy Huebschmann, of New Holstein, admitted in federal court to sending the Australian dealer pistols, rifles and rifle parts to convert semi-automatic guns into fully automatic weapons. Huebschmann owns Germantown-based Thureon Defense LLC and is licensed to manufacture and deal guns. He allegedly met Paul Munro of Australia at a Las Vegas gun trade show about seven years ago, and Munro persuaded him to ship him Thureon guns. Huebschmann didn't have export licenses for the shipments. Huebschmann faces up to 20 years in prison. Munro was sentenced in Australia to 10 years in prison.
'Toy Story 4' repeats at No. 1
LOS ANGELES -- "Toy Story 4" hung onto the top spot in its second week in theaters and the horror sequel "Annabelle Comes Home" opened in line with expectations, but the Cinderella story of the weekend was actually the third place movie: "Yesterday." The Danny Boyle-directed musical romantic comedy featuring the music of the Beatles debuted well over industry expectations, earning an estimated $17 million from North American theaters. In a summer where most films have debuted either under or at industry tracking, which are often lowball projections, and original comedies have struggled to find audiences, "Yesterday" proved to be the exception. Starring relative newcomer Himesh Patel, "Yesterday" imagines a world where only one man remembers the music of the Beatles and decides to present their catalog of hits as his own. Although critics were mixed, audiences, who were mostly female (56 and over the age of 25 (75%) have embraced the film with an A- CinemaScore and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The No. 1 film was once again "Toy Story 4," which added $57.9 million from domestic theaters, down 52% from its debut last weekend. Globally the film has already netted $496.5 million. Of the top grossing films of 2019, Disney now occupies the top four spots with "Avengers: Endgame," ''Captain Marvel," ''Aladdin" and "Toy Story 4." In second place was the third Annabelle film, "Annabelle Comes Home," which debuted on over 3,500 screens Wednesday. The Warner Bros. horror earned $20.4 million over the weekend and $31.2 million in its first five days.
Captain has donors, defenders
BERLIN-- High-level support and almost three-quarters of a million dollars in donations poured in Sunday for the German captain of a migrant rescue ship who was arrested after she defied repeated orders to stay out of Italy and struck a police boat while bringing 40 people to port. Carola Rackete remained under house arrest a day after her ship, the Sea-Watch 3, rammed the Italian border police motorboat that was blocking the entry to the port at Italy's Lampedusa island. Rackete, 31, "had no intention of hurting anyone" and only wanted to get her passengers to land, Italian lawyer Salvatore Tesoriero said. The Sea-Watch 3 picked up the migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya on June 12 and had been in a standoff with Italian authorities for weeks before the captain decided to force the issue, reportedly saying she feared some of her passengers might harm themselves. "Whoever saves lives isn't a criminal," two German TV personalities wrote in an appeal for contributions to help support Rackete and Sea-Watch, the German nonprofit group that owns the rescue ship. More than 24,000 donors responded, giving 655,000 euros ($745,390).
At least 7 dead in Sudan protests
KHARTOUM, Sudan-- Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Sudan's capital and elsewhere in the country Sunday calling for civilian rule nearly three months after the army forced out long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir. A government official said at least seven people had been killed and nearly 200 injured during the demonstrations. The protests came amid a weekslong standoff between the ruling military council and protest leaders. Talks between the two sides over a power-sharing agreement collapsed earlier this month when security forces violently broke up a protest camp in Khartoum. The ensuing clampdown resulted in at least 128 people killed across Sudan, according to protest organizers. Authorities put the death toll at 61, including three security forces. Soliman Abdel-Gabar, acting undersecretary of health, reported Sunday night that at least seven people died during the day's disturbances. He said 181 people were injured, including 27 with bullet wounds.
Used sun-warmed rocks for heat
LOS ANGELES -- A hiker who went missing in the mountains north of Los Angeles survived by wrapping himself with a jacket and towel and staying by sun-warmed rocks for heat. Janet Henderson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue told KCBS-TV that Eugene Jo, 73, stayed alive for a week by getting close at night to rocks that warmed by the daytime sun and drinking water from a creek. "He got in close next to the hot rocks because it is very hot up there and those rocks do heat up and that's how he kept himself warm at night," Henderson said. Jo heard rescuers' voices on Saturday and yelled for help, she said. He was taken to the hospital and later released. o went hiking with a group to the 8,000-foot summit of Mount Waterman on June 22 when he became separated from them. More than 70 people were searching for him in the mountains Saturday, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Taylor. Jo's daughter Grace said her father was home and resting and grew emotional when he learned how many people were out looking for him. "We're still barely comprehending the extent of this miracle," she said.
Nebraska may vote on casinos
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska voters may decide next year whether to legalize casino gambling in a ballot measure that could tip the number of states that allow commercial gambling into the majority. Supporters of legalized casinos have launched a petition drive to place the issue on the 2020 ballot with financial backing from the economic development corporation owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Twenty-five states -- including neighboring Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota -- allow commercial casino gambling with games such as slot machines, craps and roulette wheels, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Iowa casinos near Omaha, in particular, cater to Nebraska residents looking to gamble. "Hundreds of millions of dollars go across the border every year," said Lance Morgan, the CEO of Ho-Chunk Inc., the corporation pushing the measure on the tribe's behalf. "For a Nebraskan to do gaming, you have to go half a mile. It's the height of paternalism to try to try to restrict it." Only two states, Hawaii and Utah, have a complete ban on gambling. Nebraska is among states that allow Native American tribal casinos that are limited to bingo and card games where the house has no stake in the outcome, such as poker. Nebraska also offers keno, horse racing and a lottery. Commercial casinos, by contrast, have slot machines, craps, roulette wheels and card games such as blackjack.
Taylor Swift pens scathing post
LOS ANGELES -- Taylor Swift is not staying silent over the sale of her masters to Scooter Braun. In a scathing Tumblr post Sunday, the pop superstar writes she is sad and grossed out that her music catalog now belongs to Braun whom she accuses of subjecting her to years of incessant and manipulative bullying, referencing clashes with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. "This is my worst case scenario," Swift writes. Braun's Ithaca Holdings announced Sunday that it is acquiring Big Machine Label Group which released all of Swift's studio albums and owns her masters. Swift says she learned of the sale Sunday. Swift left Big Machine and signed with Universal Music Group in November because she says she knew that re-signing with the group that had managed her since she was 15 would only result in her not owning her future work. "When I left my masters in (Big Machine Label Group founder Scott Borchetta's) hands, I made peace with the fact that eventually he would sell them," she writes. "Never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the buyer would be Scooter." Braun, she alleges, got two clients, including Justin Bieber, to bully her online about a leaked and illegally recorded snippet of a phone call she had with Kardashian. She also re She writes that now Braun has "stripped her" of her life's work that she "wasn't given an opportunity to buy."
Heat wave stifles Germany
BERLIN -- Germany has recorded a new high temperature for June just days after an early summer heat wave toppled a 72-year-old record. The central town of Bad Kreuznach reached at least 38.9 degrees Celsius (102 F) on Sunday. A later reading showed the mercury climbing to 39.3 degrees Celsius (102.7 F) but the DWD service says it hasn't been confirmed. The high of 38.6 Celsius registered on Wednesday beat a June record in Germany that had stood since 1947. An early summer heat wave has baked parts of Europe since Tuesday.
Controversial Jerusalem dig opens
JERUSALEM -- American officials looked on Sunday as Israel opened a newfound Roman-era street at a divisive archaeological site in east Jerusalem, a move that deepened Palestinian animosity toward the White House's mediation efforts. U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman attended the event along with three other visiting American ambassadors as well as President Donald Trump's Mideast negotiator, Jason Greenblatt, and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. The City of David Foundation unveiled what it called "the pilgrimage road," a 2,000-year-old main thoroughfare from Roman-era Jerusalem that it says served visitors to the ancient Jewish Temple. The multi-year project to excavate beneath the mostly Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan cost over $100 million, with donors including Russian billionaire Roman Abramovitch, Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson and Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Adelson attended the event, as did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara. Visitors will be able to "touch history" by walking in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims through a 350-meter (yard) stretch of tunnel along the ancient street that ran uphill to the Jewish temple, the City of David Foundation said.
Small plane crash starts fire
DALLAS -- A small, twin-engine airplane was destroyed in a fiery crash at a Dallas-area airport Sunday morning. The Beechcraft BE-350 King Air struck an unoccupied hangar at the Addison Municipal Airport soon after 9 a.m. The blaze destroyed the plane but the fate of those on board is unclear. The plane crashed during takeoff and the resulting fire was quickly extinguished.
Lawsuit targets power company
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances filed a lawsuit on Sunday to recover what it called massive fraudulent payments made by the island's power company to fuel suppliers for more than a decade. The lawsuit was filed against fuel companies Trafigura and Vitol for allegedly supplying low-grade oil as well as three laboratories accused of receiving money for falsifying tests on oil bought by Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority. The board said billions of dollars of alleged overpayments from 2002 to 2015 led in part to the power company's insolvency and caused it to slide deeper into debt, noting that fuel oil purchases are its single largest expense. The power company is required by contract and environmental regulation to only buy high-grade fuel oil, the board said.
Trial exposes SEAL divide
SAN DIEGO-- It was called the "The Sewing Circle," an unlikely name for a secret subsect of Navy SEALs. Its purpose was even more improbable: A chat forum to discuss alleged war crimes they said their chief, a decorated sniper and medic, committed on a recent tour of duty in Iraq. The WhatsApp group would eventually lead to formal allegations that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded Islamic State captive in his care and shot civilians in Iraq in 2017. Gallagher, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A jury of mostly combat Marines will ultimately decide the fate of the 19-year-veteran and Bronze Star recipient charged with murder, attempted murder and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline for posing with the corpse for photographs. No matter the outcome, the court-martial at Naval Base San Diego has provided a rare view into the insular Navy SEAL community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the military's most secretive and revered forces. It has pitted veterans against each other both inside the courtroom and out in a fierce debate over brotherhood, morality and loyalty.
LGBTQ pride showcased
NEW YORK-- Crowds gathered outside New York's historic Stonewall Inn on Sunday to celebrate five decades of LGBTQ pride, marking the 50th anniversary of the police raid that sparked the modern-day gay rights movement. Other cities throughout the country held parades. More than 2,000 people gathered outside the bar where patrons resisted the famous June 28, 1969, police raid. Thousands also turned out for a larger parade that packed Fifth Avenue, where rainbows were on display across everything from flags to T-shirts. Eraina Clay, 63, of suburban New Rochelle, came to celebrate the anniversary. "I think that we should be able to say we've been here for so long, and so many people are gay that everybody should be able to have the chance to enjoy their lives and be who they are," Clay said. "I have a family. I raised kids. I'm just like everybody else." Alyssa Christianson, 29, of New York City, was topless, wearing just sparkly pasties and boy shorts underwear. A Pride flag was tied around her neck like a cape.
Migrants return for burial
LA HACHADURA, El Salvador-- The bodies of the father and daughter who drowned together last week while trying to cross the Rio Grande to the U.S. returned to El Salvador on Sunday for burial. Photographs of Valeria, face down with her little arm wrapped around the neck of her father, Oscar Alberto MartÌnez, broke hearts around the world and underscored the dangers that migrants undertake in trying to reach the U.S. The father and daughter were swept away by the current in the river between Matamoros, Mexico, and Brownsville, Texas. Their remains entered the Central American country by land and were expected to be buried in a private ceremony in the capital Monday. MartÌnez, 25, and his wife, Tania Vanessa valos, 21, had been living with his mother and apparently felt that their salaries working at a pizza parlor and as a restaurant cashier would never be enough to purchase a modest home in their suburb of San Salvador.
Schumer urges Dominican probe
NEW YORK-- The Senate's top Democrat said Sunday that the U.S. government should step up efforts to investigate the deaths of at least eight Americans in the Dominican Republic this year. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives should lend support to the FBI and local law enforcement, said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., noting the agency has offices in the Caribbean and the technical and forensic expertise that could aid the investigation. "Given that we still have a whole lot of questions and very few answers into just what, if anything, is cause for the recent spate of sicknesses and several deaths of Americans in the Dominican Republic, the feds should double their efforts on helping get to the bottom of things," Schumer said in a statement. Family members of the tourists who died have called on authorities to investigate any possible connections. Relatives have raised the possibility that the deaths may have been caused by adulterated alcohol or misused pesticides. ATF spokeswoman April Langwell said the Treasury Department primarily handles investigations involving potentially tainted alcohol. But she said ATF has offered its assistance and would work with other law enforcement agencies to keep Americans safe.