The regional bureau of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Thursday, Jan. 20, 2018. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER?
Unbowed by swirling criticism of his summit encounter with Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump swiftly invited the Russian leader to the White House this fall for a second get-together; Moscow says it’s ‘open’ to the invite.
2. WHO WANTS TRUMP TRANSLATOR TO EMERGE FROM SHADOWS
Democrats want President Donald Trump’s interpreter to talk about what really went on in his private meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
3. 11 DEAD AFTER MISSOURI TOURIST BOAT ACCIDENT
At least 11 people, including children, died after a boat carrying tourists on a Missouri lake capsized and sank, the local sheriff says.
4. DEMOCRATS WRESTLE WITH ELECTION-YEAR MESSSAGE ON HEALTH CARE
Liberal House Democrats announce they were forming a caucus to push for “Medicare for All” — shorthand for government-financed health care.
5. US, ALLIES TO EVACUATE SYRIAN WHITE HELMETS FROM WAR-TORN AREA
U.S. officials say the United States is finalizing plans to evacuate several hundred Syrian civil defense workers and their families from southwest Syria as Russian-backed government forces close in on the area.
6. WHO IS SKEPTICAL ABOUT ISRAEL’S EAST JERUSALEM PLAN
A landmark half-billion-dollar Israeli plan to develop Palestinian areas of the disputed city and hoist residents out of poverty is getting a cool reception from Palestinians who see it as way to grab more control of the eastern sector.
7. ROSENSTEIN DEFENDS CHARGING RUSSIANS AS A DETERRENT
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the top law enforcement official overseeing the probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, is defending the prosecution of foreign agents who may never see the inside of a U.S. courtroom.
8. N. KOREA PUTS REUNION OF WAR SEPARATED FAMILIES IN DOUBT
North Korea says an August reunion of Korean families separated by war may not happen if South Korea doesn’t immediately return some of its citizens who arrived in the South in recent years.
9. SAILORS TELL THE U.S. NAVY, ‘WE WANT BEARDS’
Now that women in the Navy can wear ponytails, servicemen immediately chimed in on social media, asking the Navy if they could grow beards.
10. WHICH EDUCATIONAL TV SHOW IS ENTERING CLASSROOMS
Sesame Street is taking its beloved, critically acclaimed brand of educational television into the highly profitable world of classroom curriculum.
