IN BRIEF
Trump says he’s ‘in no rush’ after North Korea talks postponed
President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. is “in no rush” after talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a senior North Korean envoy were postponed.
Trump said the meeting, which had been due to take place Thursday in New York, would be rescheduled, and that he still expected to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un early next year.
Neither side has explained why the planned talks were postponed.
Jurors picked for US trial of Mexican drug lord El Chapo
Jury selection at the U.S. trial for Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was completed Wednesday.
A jury of seven women and five men is to hear opening statements Tuesday in the drug-conspiracy case against Guzman in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Guzman has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of overseeing a drug cartel known for violence and for breaking him out of Mexican jails.
Power fully restored to Floridians hit by Hurricane Michael
Utilities are reporting that all power has been restored in the Florida counties devastated by Hurricane Michael.
Michael slammed into Florida’s Panhandle with 155 mph winds on Oct. 10 and also blew through Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. More than 380,000 homes and businesses lost power in Florida after the storm.
Ex-Texas Rep. Steve Stockman gets 10 years for conspiracy
Disgraced former Texas Rep. Steve Stockman will serve 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to bilk at least $775,000 from conservative foundations that intended the donations for charities and voter education.
The former Republican congressman was also ordered to pay $1 million in restitution during his sentencing hearing Wednesday in Houston.
Stockman, 61, was convicted in April of mail and wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
Vietnam, US complete cleanup of toxic chemical from airport
Vietnam and the United States said Wednesday they have finished the cleanup of dioxin contamination at Danang Airport caused by the transport and storage of the herbicide Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
The 74 acres of land cleansed of the toxic chemical were handed over to Vietnam at a ceremony. Vice Defense Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh praised the U.S. government’s involvement.
Large amounts of Agent Orange, which contains dioxin, were stored at Danang Airport during the war and sprayed by U.S. forces to deny communist fighters jungle cover.