What to Know
- The FAA said it will issue a directive to require inspections of certain CFM56-7B engines, the same type of engine that suffered a failure
- Trump said he's looking ahead to a historic summit meeting with Jong Un he could still pull out if he feels it's "not going to be fruitful"
- Prosecutors in the Minnesota where Prince died said they're ready to make an announcement in their two-year investigation into his death
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Inspections Ordered on Fan Blades Similar to One on Southwest Plane
A preliminary examination of the blown jet engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that set off a terrifying chain of events and left a businesswoman hanging half outside a shattered window showed evidence of "metal fatigue," according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Passengers scrambled to save the woman from getting sucked out the window that had been smashed by debris. She later died, and seven others were injured. The pilots of the twin-engine Boeing 737 bound from New York to Dallas with 149 people aboard took it into a rapid descent Tuesday and made an emergency landing in Philadelphia. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and passengers said their prayers and braced for impact. The dead woman was identified as Jennifer Riordan, a Wells Fargo bank executive and mother of two from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The seven other victims suffered minor injuries. Federal airline regulators said they will order inspections on engine fan blades like the one involved. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will issue a directive in the next two weeks to require inspections of certain CFM56-7B engines. That's the type of engine that suffered a failure on a Southwest Airlines plane.
Trump Leaves Open Possibility of Bailing on Meeting With Kim
President Trump said although he's looking ahead optimistically to a historic summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un he could still pull out if he feels it's "not going to be fruitful." Trump said CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Kim "got along really well" in their recent secret meeting, and he declared, "We've never been in a position like this" to address worldwide concerns over North Korea's nuclear weapons. But speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after the allies met at Trump's Florida resort, he made clear that he'd still be ready to pull the plug on what is being billed as an extraordinary meeting between the leaders of longtime adversaries. Abe echoed the sentiment. Trump has said his summit with Kim, with whom he traded bitter insults and threats last year as North Korea conducted nuclear and missile tests, could take place by early June.
Ex-Playboy Model Settles Lawsuit Over Alleged Trump Affair
Local
A former Playboy model who said she had a 10-month affair with President Trump settled her lawsuit with a supermarket tabloid over an agreement that prohibited her from discussing the relationship publicly. Karen McDougal's settlement with the company that owns the National Enquirer "restores to me the rights to my life story and frees me from this contract that I was misled into signing nearly two years ago," she said in a statement. In August 2016, the tabloid's parent company, American Media Inc., paid McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story about the alleged relationship, but the story never ran. Last month, McDougal filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles asking to invalidate the contract. The suit alleged Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen, was secretly involved in her discussions with AMI executives. Federal agents raided Cohen's office and residence last week seeking any information on payments made in 2016 to McDougal and porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Obamas, Clintons, Melania Trump to Attend Barbara Bush's Funeral
A private funeral for Barbara Bush will be held Saturday at the Houston, Texas, church she and former President George H.W. Bush regularly attended. Bush, the wife of the 41st president, George H.W. Bush, and mother of the 43rd, George W. Bush, died at the age of 92. According to a post on the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation website, Barbara Bush will lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church for members of the public wishing to pay respects. Visitors must first go the Second Baptist Church campus to park and go through security. Shuttle services will be provided to and from St. Martin's Church. The funeral services Saturday at 11 a.m. is by invitation only. After the funeral, Bush will be buried on the ground of the Bush library at Texas A&M University in College Station, about 100 miles northwest of Houston. The couple's daughter, Robin, who died of leukemia at the age of 3 in 1953, also is buried at the site. Among the dignitaries planning to attend Saturday's funeral in Houston are former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama will accompany their husbands.
Prosecutors to Announce Update on Investigation Into Prince's Death
Prosecutors in the Minnesota county where Prince died said they're ready to make an announcement in their two-year investigation into the musician's death from an accidental fentanyl overdose. Carver County Attorney Mark Metz was scheduled to announce at 11:30 a.m. Thursday whether anyone would be charged. Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate in suburban Chanhassen on April 21, 2016. An autopsy found he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin. A confidential toxicology report obtained by The Associated Press in March showed high concentrations of fentanyl in the singer's blood, liver and stomach. The concentration of fentanyl in Prince's blood was 67.8 micrograms per liter, which outside experts called "exceedingly high." The report noted that fatalities have been documented in people with blood levels ranging from 3 to 58 micrograms per liter.
