TRUMP EAGER FOR BIG MEETING WITH PUTIN
washington» President Donald Trump is eager to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin with full diplomatic bells and whistles when the two are in Germany for a multinational summit next month. But the idea is exposing deep divisions within the administration on the best way to approach Moscow in the midst of an ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.
Many administration officials believe the U.S. needs to maintain its distance from Russia at such a sensitive time — and interact only with great caution.
But Trump and some others within his administration have been pressing for a full bilateral meeting. He’s calling for media access and all the typical protocol associated with such sessions, even as officials within the State Department and National Security Council urge more restraint, according to a current and a former administration official.
Some advisers have recommended that the president instead do either a quick, informal “pull-aside” on the sidelines of the summit, or that the U.S. and Russian delegations hold “strategic stability talks,” which typically don’t involve the presidents. The officials spoke anonymously to discuss private policy discussions.
Canada nurse gets life for killing 8 people ● A former
woodstock, ontario» nurse convicted of killing eight elderly people in her care was sentenced Monday to life imprisonment without possibility of parole for 25 years.
Elizabeth Wettlaufer pleaded guilty last month to eight counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault in the notorious serial killings. The 50-year-old told the court on Monday that she is truly sorry and hopes her victims’ families can find peace and healing.
Authorities have said the 14 assaults on patients took place over the last decade in three Ontario long-term care facilities where Wettlaufer worked as a registered nurse, and at a private home. Wettlaufer admitted to using insulin in all of the cases from 2007-16.
Pharmacy boss blamed for meningitis outbreak gets 9 years ● The
boston» co-owner of a pharmacy deemed responsible for the deaths of 76 people in a national meningitis outbreak tearfully apologized to the victims on Monday and was sentenced to nine years in prison, far less than the victims had wanted.
“I’m sorry for your extraordinary losses,” Barry Cadden said, wiping his eyes.
A dozen victims who were sickened or lost loved ones asked the judge to give Cadden the harshest penalty allowed under the law for the deadly 2012 nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak, which sickened hundreds of people.
Cadden was acquitted of second-degree murder charges under federal racketeering law but was convicted on conspiracy and fraud charges. The outbreak was traced to contaminated injections of medical steroids. Prosecutors say Cadden, 50, ran the center in a dangerous way by skirting industry regulations on sterility to push production and make more money.
Detroit studio gets historic marker after facing demolition ● A legendary
detroit» recording studio in Detroit that once welcomed artists such as Aretha Franklin and Miles Davis has received a historic marker just four years after being targeted for demolition.
United Sound Systems installed the approximately $5,000 sign last week after the Detroit Sound Conservancy helped it acquire a historic designation, MLive reported.
The studio was founded by Italian violinist and recording engineer James “Jimmie” Siracuse and holds bragging rights over the first single for Tamla Records — the label that would later become Barry Gordy’s Motown Records. But it shuttered its doors in the mid-2000s, and the building was targeted for demolition in 2013 under a plan to widen Interstate 94.
Arkansas inmate on lam for 32 years visiting mom when caught ●
little rock, ark.» The mother of an Arkansas prison escapee who had been on the run for more than three decades said she has been in contact with her son since soon after his escape and that he was visiting her when he was arrested.
Steven Dishman, 60, was arrested Sunday at a home in Springdale in northwest Arkansas by local law enforcement and state troopers, according to the state Department of Correction.
Dishman was serving a seven-year sentence for theft of property and burglary when he escaped on May 28, 1985. Shirley Jones said her son has been living in southern Arkansas, but would not say exactly where Dishman had been been living or for how long.
Jones said she came into contact with her son about six months after he escaped from prison. Dishman is not married and has no children, according to Jones.
Jones said her son has not been in trouble since his escape and that “he’s a good person,” and “very creative.”