The regional bureau of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Friday, March 9, 2018. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. ROAD TO TRUMP-KIM SUMMIT FAR FROM SPRINGTIME STROLL
Exaggerated expectations, a lack of preliminary lower-level talks and uncertainty over the aftermath are among the risks of a top-level meeting between the U.S. and North Korea.
2. PRESIDENT KEEPS CAMPAIGN PROMISE BUT RISKS COMMERCE WAR
A pledge to help reopen shuttered factories has led Trump to introduce tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but the move could lead to chaos in global trade.
3. SCHOOLS BIG RECIPIENTS OF GUN LOBBY GRANTS
The NRA has given some $7.3 million to schools in recent years but few are showing signs that they will follow businesses and cut ties with the group, an AP Analysis finds.
4. WHERE IS THERE A CALL FOR LOOSENING RELIGIOUS RULES
Pakistan is under new international pressure to curb Islamic extremism, and activists say one place to start is by changing its blasphemy law.
5. HUMANS HELP NATURE HEAL AFTER CARIBBEAN HURRICANE
Environmentalists are gathering native seeds to replant forests across Puerto Rico and grafting broken coral back onto shattered reefs to help repair damage caused by September’s massive storm.
6. CRITICAL AID REACHES BESIEGED SYRIAN REGION
The Red Cross says it’s taking aid to residents in the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta, including food parcels for 12,000 people, after deliveries were cut short because of deteriorating security.
7. WHO IS PLAYING IT CLOSE TO THE VEST ON GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION
Florida Gov. Rick Scott has a gun-control bill on his desk that challenges the NRA but has not said whether he’ll sign it.
8. IS WALL STREET GIANT ON THE OUTS WITH WHITE HOUSE
Gary Cohn’s exit suggests Goldman Sachs’ influence has been overwhelmed by the more nationalistic voices in the West Wing.
9. LAWS ACCEPTING THAT IN HARD TIMES, FRIENDS CAN BE LIKE CLOSE RELATIVES
More and more states and cities are adopting legislation that allows workers to use sick days to care for anyone who’s like family to them.
10. BASKETBALLER SINGLE-HANDEDLY DEFIES EXPECTATIONS
Born without a right hand, Northern Arizona guard Omar Ndiaye has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to become a Division I player.
