What to Know
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27, the South announced
- Scientists say they may have come across an unknown organ in the human body that could advance understanding of cancer and other diseases
- A judge heard a DMX rap song before adding his own lyrics to a court proceeding, ordering the rapper imprisoned for a year in tax fraud case
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Rival Korean Leaders to Meet April 27 in Historic Summit
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in at a border village on April 27, the South announced after the nations agreed on a rare summit that could prove significant in global efforts to resolve a decades-long standoff over the North's nuclear program. The announcement was made after officials met at the border village of Panmunjom. The Koreas plan to hold another preparatory meeting on April 4 to discuss protocol, security and media coverage issues, according to a joint statement released by the countries. The leaders of the two Koreas have held talks only twice since the 1950-53 Korean War, in 2000 and 2007, under previous liberal governments in Seoul. The Korean Peninsula was divided in 1945 into a U.S.-dominated south and Soviet-backed north. Seoul's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, one of the three South Korean participants in the talks, told reporters beforehand that setting up discussions between the leaders on ways to rid the North of its nuclear weapons would be a critical point.
Trump Ousts Shulkin From Veterans' Affairs, Replaces Him With White House Doctor
President Trump fired Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and nominated White House doctor Ronny Jackson to replace him in the wake of a bruising ethics scandal and a mounting rebellion within the agency. A Navy rear admiral, Jackson is a surprise choice to succeed Shulkin, a former Obama administration official and the first non-veteran ever to head the VA. Trump had been considering replacements for Shulkin for weeks, but had not been known to be considering Jackson for the role. In a statement, Trump praised Jackson as "highly trained and qualified." It was a decision that signaled Trump chose to go with someone he knows and trusts, rather than the candidate with the longest resume, to run a massive agency facing huge bureaucratic challenges. Jackson has served since 2013 as the physician to the president, one of the people in closest proximity to Trump day in and day out.
68 Dead After Riot, Fire at Police Station, Venezuela AG Says
Local
Venezuela's chief prosecutor reported 68 people died in a fire that swept through the cell area inside a police station, which townspeople said followed a disturbance by detainees being held there. Attorney General Tarek William Saab said on his official Twitter account that nearly all the dead were prisoners. He said two women who were staying overnight at the station were also killed, but didn't provide any further details. Saab said four prosecutors had been named to determine what happened at the state police headquarters in Valencia, a town in Carabobo state about 100 miles west of Caracas. It was one of the worst jail disasters in a country where human rights groups complain about bad prison conditions. A fire at a prison in the western state of Zulia killed more than 100 inmates in 1994.
Scientists Say They've Discovered a New Human Organ
In a study published this week, scientists said they may have come across an unknown organ in the human body that could advance the understanding of cancer and other diseases, NBC News reported. The research suggests the network of connective tissues called the interstitium is a complete organ, according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The report additionally suggests that the interstitium is one of the biggest organs in the human body, NBC News reported.
DMX Faces the Music, Gets 1 Year in Prison for Tax Fraud
A judge heard a DMX rap song before adding his own lyrics to a court proceeding, ordering the rapper imprisoned for a year in a tax fraud case. Federal Judge Jed Rakoff took requests, accommodating DMX's desire to hear his hit "Slippin'" before DMX faced the music over his admission of guilt. The judge called DMX's fraud a "brazen and blatant" crime that could not go unpunished. The 47-year-old rapper, known to law enforcement and the courts as Earl Simmons, has been incarcerated since his bail was revoked in January. He sobbed during the proceeding as his lawyer, Murray Richman, recalled his nightmarish childhood. Richman said DMX has been a model prisoner. Still, prosecutors sought five years in prison for him, citing a lengthy rap sheet and drugs. Richman wanted him free to support his 15 children and pay back more than $2 million in taxes. Given a chance to speak, DMX said he knows taxes need to be paid and what he did was wrong.
Donald Glover Shares Script for Scrapped Animated “Deadpool” Series
The plot thickens. Just days after FX revealed Donald Glover would no longer be involved with the previously announced animated "Deadpool" series, Glover took to social media refuting those who speculated he may have been removed from the project because he was too busy with his Emmy award-winning series "Atlanta," blossoming film career with roles in the upcoming "Solo: A Star Wars Story," as well as an upcoming tour under his rap persona Childish Gambino. Glover revealed several pages from a script for "Deadpool: The Animated Series" which included a number of timely references... not the least being a nod to who bit Beyonce. The animated project was announced last May with a 10-episode order for the FXX channel before the network revealed it was pulling the plug.
