Trump trip to El Paso and Dayton, Cyntoia Brown freed, Purple Heart Day: 5 things to know Wednesday
Trump to visit El Paso and Dayton in wake of mass shootings
President Donald Trump will travel Wednesday to El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, to review recovery efforts from the mass shootings there, despite objections of some residents. Trump plans to visit with victims' families, survivors and law enforcement personnel, adviser Kellyanne Conway said. Some residents and lawmakers in El Paso have asked Trump to stay away, given his past attacks on some migrants and claims that they are "invading" the United States. In remarks Monday, Trump condemned white supremacy and vowed to respond with "urgent resolve" to the mass shootings, but Democrats criticized him for failing to offer specific proposals for gun control.
Cyntoia Brown released from prison
Cyntoia Brown was 16 in 2004 when she was sentenced to life in a Tennessee prison for first-degree murder. On Tuesday, she left prison a free woman. Prosecutors said Brown committed a cold-blooded killing when she shot 43-year-old Nashville real estate agent Johnny Allen, who had picked Brown up at a restaurant and driven her to his home. But in the years following her arrest, her complicated story became a rallying cray for judicial reformers and those working to expose child sex trafficking. In 2016, her story exploded on social media, with celebrities including Kim Kardashian West and LeBron James speaking out on her behalf. Then-Gov. Bill Haslam commuted her sentence earlier this year.
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Purple Heart Day commemorates American military heroes
American veterans who suffered wounds in battle will be recognized on Wednesday for Purple Heart Day. The Purple Heart medal is awarded to those killed or wounded while serving for the U.S. military. Originally started by George Washington in 1782 and called the Badge of Military Merit, the award was renamed the Purple Heart in the 1930s. In February, the Department of Veteran Affairs announced that veterans with the Purple Heart medal will be placed in the department’s top priority category for disability benefit claims, along with Medal of Honor recipients and those with severe, service-related disabilities.
Kim Jong Un says North Korean missile launches were a warning to US, South
North Korea said Wednesday that leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised a live-fire demonstration of newly developed, short-range ballistic missiles the previous day that were intended to send a warning to the United States and South Korea over their joint military exercises that began earlier this week. The North has carried out four rounds of weapons demonstrations in two weeks amid a stalemate in nuclear negotiations and after President Donald Trump repeatedly dismissed the significance of the tests, even though the weapons show North Korea’s ability to strike at U.S. allies South Korea and Japan and its military bases there. Kim expressed satisfaction and said the launches would send an appropriate level of warning to the military exercises between the United States and South Korea that began on Monday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported. The North’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday the drills “compelled (North Korea) to develop, test and deploy the powerful physical means essential for national defense.”
Get ready for latest high-priced smartphone
On Wednesday in New York, Samsung is set to reveal its latest high-cost smartphone, a new edition of the Galaxy Note, which currently sells for between $799 and $999. Preview images ahead of the unveiling of the Galaxy Note 10 indicate Samsung has finally given in to the headphone-jacks-are-out trend. If a photo of a USB-to-audio-port adapter said to go with the phone is any indication, Samsung has joined Apple, Google, Sony, Motorola and Huawei in embracing wireless earbuds. The Note 10 will be a relative bargain compared to Samsung's next big rollout, its introduction of the $2,000 Fold next month.
Contributing: The Associated Press