What to Know
- Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, which is part of a 10-day Asia trip
- A growing dependence on opioids has mushroomed into a health crisis, ripping apart communities and straining police and health departments
- Actor Gary Sinise is being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his Emmy Award-winning television career
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Pence Visits Demilitarized Zone Between North and South Korea
Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, part of a 10-day Asia trip, NBC News reported. Pence's trip comes amid turmoil over North Korea's threats to advance its nuclear and defense capabilities, including a failed missile launch. Pence, who is in South Korea to kick off a 10-day trip to Asia, said earlier during an Easter dinner at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan that the North's latest failed missile launch was "provocation" and that he had spoken to President Donald Trump twice. Pence, whose father was a decorated solider in the Korean War, said "all options are on the table." But despite the North's provocations, U.S. officials have said the United States doesn't intend to use military force.
Supreme Court, With Gorsuch, Set to Hear Church-State Case
Justice Neil Gorsuch's first week on the Supreme Court bench features an important case about the separation of church and state that has its roots on a Midwestern church playground. The outcome could make it easier to use state money to pay for private, religious schooling in many states. The justices will hear a Missouri church's challenge to its exclusion from a state program that provides money to use ground-up tires to cushion playgrounds. Missouri is among roughly three dozen states with constitutions that explicitly prohibit using public money to aid a religious institution, an even higher wall separating government and religion than the U.S. Constitution erects. Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, says its exclusion is discrimination that violates its religious freedoms under the U.S. Constitution.
Man Wanted After Posting Killing to Facebook, Police Say
Local
Police in Cleveland are searching for a man they said broadcast a killing on Facebook and who claims to have killed other people, authorities said. Police have issued an aggravated murder warrant for Steve Stephens, identified by officials as the suspect. Stephens is considered armed and dangerous, according to a Cleveland Police Department statement. He was last seen wearing a dark, striped polo shirt. The suspect has been described as a black male with medium complexion, 6"1' in height, 240 pounds and he is currently bald with a beard. Stephens is believed to be driving a recently purchased white Ford Fusion with Ohio temporary tag E363630, which may have been switched out, Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams said at a news conference. A video was posted to a Facebook account apparently belonging to Stephens — the user's name is listed as Stevie Steve, and a city representative confirmed it belongs to him. In the video, the man filming walks up to an older man and, after asking him a question, shoots him. The video, which was posted about 2 p.m. and was later taken down, was captioned, in part, "Easter day slaughter."
White House Expecting More Than 21,000 at Trump's 1st Easter Egg Roll
Thousands of children are heading to the White House for its biggest social event of the year: the annual Easter Egg Roll. There had been some hand-wringing over whether President Trump and his wife, Melania, would be able to pull off a successful "egg-stravaganza." Both the president and first lady have been slow to fill White House staff jobs. But a downsized version of the 139-year-old event is kicking off on the South Lawn. The White House is expecting more than 21,000 children and adults to attend the festivities. That's down from the 35,000 people who attended last year. The Martin Family Circus, a six-person family band from Nashville, is set to perform at the event, according to Politico. The first lady tweeted over the weekend that she's looking forward to hosting the Easter Egg Roll. The event was first held in 1878.
Overcoming Opioids: The Quest for Less Addictive Drugs
Vicodin, OxyContin and similar drugs are widely used for bad backs, severe arthritis, damaged nerves and other woes. They work powerfully in brain areas that control pleasure and pain, but the body adapts to them quickly, so people need higher and higher doses to get relief. This growing dependence on opioids has mushroomed into a national health crisis, ripping apart communities and straining police and health departments. Every day, an overdose of prescription opioids or heroin kills 91 people, and legions more are brought back from the brink of death. With some 2 million Americans hooked on these pills, evidence is growing that they're not as good a choice for treating chronic pain as once thought. Drug companies are working on alternatives, but have had little success.
Prince Harry Opens Up About Mental Health After Diana's Died
Prince Harry spoke out about how he dealt with the death of his mother, Princess Diana, NBC News reported. "I buried my head in the sand for many, many years," he said, nearly 20 years after the death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash. In the interview with the Daily Telegraph, the 32-year-old royal added that he came "very close to a complete breakdown on multiple occasions" because he was unable to deal with his grief. Prince Harry, who was only 12 at the time of his mom's death, only sought counseling in the past few years after his family's encouragement to do so. Prince Harry was promoting his mental health charity Heads Together, which he set up with his brother, Prince William, and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Gary Sinise Receiving Hollywood Star for Acclaimed TV Career
Actor Gary Sinise is being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his Emmy Award-winning television career. The ceremony, which will be held in front of The Supply Sergeant store on Hollywood Boulevard, will be livestreamed on walkoffame.com. It will feature Walk of Fame honorees Patricia Heaton and Joe Mantegna as emcees, as well as U.S. Air Force Gen. Robin Rand in honor of Sinise's support of the U.S. military. Sinise's star will be the 2,606th on the Walk of Fame. The acclaimed actor is being honored in the television category. His best-known television role was starring as New York Police Department Detective Mac Taylor in the 2004-13 CBS police procedural "CSI: NY." He played that same character in the original series, "CSI:Crime Scene Investigation," as well as the "CSI: Miami" off-shoot. Sinise now stars in another crime drama, "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders."
