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– Andrew Gillum pulled off an upset victory in Florida on Tuesday to become the state's first black nominee for governor, the AP reports. The Bernie Sanders-backed liberal Democrat, currently the mayor of Tallahassee, will run against President Trump-endorsed Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis, Fox News reports, results that the AP says "immediately transformed the Florida race into one of the most closely watched gubernatorial campaigns in the country." The Huffington Post says the November election will be "a referendum" on the president. Trump congratulated DeSantis on Twitter after his win. More from the primaries in Florida and Arizona, both closely watched political battleground states, plus a runoff election in Oklahoma on Tuesday: Florida Senate race: Current Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is term-limited in that role, won the GOP nomination and will run against incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and is seen as vulnerable.

Andrew Gillum addresses his supporters after winning the Democrat primary for governor on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) (Associated Press)

 Andrew Gillum addresses his supporters after winning the Democrat primary for governor on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) (Associated Press)

 TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) — A liberal Florida Democrat pulled off an upset victory while President Donald Trump's favored candidate cruised to an easy win Tuesday, setting up a fierce showdown for the governor's mansion in the nation's largest political battleground.

 Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, an unabashed progressive, won the Democratic primary, moving him a step away from becoming the state's first black governor. He'll face off against Trump-backed Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis.

 DeSantis gave Trump credit for his victory, saying that with one supportive tweet, the president "kind of put me on the map." Gillum is his party's third black gubernatorial nominee this year, along with Stacey Abrams in Georgia and Ben Jealous in Maryland.

 The results immediately transformed the Florida race into one of the most closely watched gubernatorial campaigns in the country. Gillum's primary victory could help Democrats boost enthusiasm among minorities who often don't vote in large numbers in years when a presidential candidate isn't on the ballot. Meanwhile, DeSantis will test Trump's grip on a crucial state he won in 2016 and wants to keep in his column in 2020.

 DeSantis was one of several Republicans running in contests Tuesday in Florida and Arizona — another closely watched political battleground — who hoped that cozying up to the president would be rewarded by voters. Trump has thrust himself into the forefront of the midterm campaign in hopes of motivating his supporters and offsetting Democratic enthusiasm.

 In Arizona, primary contests were shadowed by the death of Sen. John McCain. Though McCain was a towering figure who was elected to the Senate by Arizonans six times, the three Republican candidates running to replace his retiring seat-mate, Sen. Jeff Flake — including establishment favorite Rep. Martha McSally — aligned themselves more with the president than the longtime senator.

 Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey planned to name a replacement to fill McCain's seat after his funeral.

 Polls closed in Arizona at the end of a day that began with delayed openings at dozens of polling locations in the state's largest county. Leaders in Maricopa County rejected calls to try to keep polls open later, saying it may confuse voters and delay returns. No problems were reported elsewhere in the state.

 Elsewhere Tuesday, GOP voters in reliably Republican Oklahoma backed mortgage company owner Kevin Stitt in a runoff for the gubernatorial nomination. Stitt won in part by criticizing his opponent as insufficiently supportive of Trump.

 Trump surprised Florida Republicans late last year with his endorsement of DeSantis, and frequently tweeted about the lawmaker, one of his staunchest supporters in Washington. His backing helped push DeSantis past Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who has held elected office in Florida since 1996, quickly built up establishment support and raised millions of dollars.

 Gillum came from behind in a crowded and diverse Democratic field. Former Rep. Gwen Graham, whose father, Bob Graham, served as governor, had hoped to position herself to become the state's first female governor.

 Gillum, a favorite of progressives, spent the least of the five major Democratic candidates and had the smallest television presence. He often said he was the only candidate in the race who wasn't a millionaire or billionaire, and won the endorsement of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

 At a victory party in Tallahassee, Gillum thanked supporters who "took hold of our vision and our mission and our plan for a state that makes room for all of us, not just the well-heeled and the well-connected, but all of us."

 The winner of the Florida governor's race will give his or her party an advantage in a key political battleground heading into the 2020 presidential campaign.

 Florida Gov. Rick Scott is vacating the governor's mansion to run for Senate. He easily won his primary, setting up a showdown with Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson that is expected to be one of the nation's most competitive races.

 Democrats also eyed pickup opportunities in Florida as they try to flip control of the U.S. House. One of their best chances is in South Florida, where Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is retiring in a district that should favor Democrats.

 Donna Shalala, who served as President Bill Clinton's Health and Human Services secretary, claimed the Democratic nomination in Ros-Lehtinen's district.

 The contests in both Florida and Arizona were being closely watched for signs of how the political battlegrounds might tilt in the 2020 presidential election.

 McCain's death has highlighted anew the shift in the Republican Party since he captured the GOP nomination for president in 2008. With his consistently conservative voting record, Arizonans elected McCain to the Senate six times, including in 2016. But his more moderate stance on immigration and his deciding vote last year against Trump's efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law turned off many GOP voters.

 A CNN survey in June found that 67 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of McCain, while just 33 percent of Republicans did.

 Among those on the Arizona ballot was former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who tried unsuccessfully to unseat McCain in 2016. When McCain's family said last week that he was discontinuing medical treatment, Ward speculated in a later-deleted Facebook post that the announcement was intended to hurt her campaign for Flake's seat.

 Ward apologized Monday, saying she was bemoaning media coverage rather than the family's announcement.

 "I do understand how many could have misconstrued my comments as insensitive, and for this I apologize," Ward said.

 Also running for the Senate nomination was former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the controversial immigration hardliner. Trump spared Arpaio a possible jail sentence last year by pardoning his federal conviction stemming from immigration patrols.

 McSally, a fighter pilot turned congresswoman in the McCain mold, was hoping Ward and Arpaio split Arizona's anti-establishment vote.

 The winner of the GOP primary is likely to face Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who had only token primary opposition. Sinema announced that she was pausing her campaign Wednesday and Thursday, when McCain's body will lie in Arizona's Capitol.

 Sinema's and McSally's Senate runs also have created House openings in Arizona, a fast-growing and increasingly diverse state where Democrats are eager to gain a foothold. McSally's district in particular is expected to be one of the most competitive House races in November's general election.

 ___

 Pace reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Joe Reedy in Tallahassee, Florida, Nicholas Riccardi in Phoenix, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, AP polling editor Emily Swanson in Washington, Kelli Kennedy in Miami and Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report.

 ___

 On Twitter, follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC and Brendan Farrington at http://twitter.com/bsfarrington ||||| Tweet with a location

 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Andrew Gillum has become the first African-American nominee for Florida governor, pulling off an upset win over favorite Gwen Graham and two big-spending businessmen in a crowded Democratic primary field.

 The Tallahassee mayor will face Jacksonville congressman Ron DeSantis, who easily defeated state agriculture commissioner Adam Putnam thanks to the backing of President Donald Trump.

 “We’re going to bring this thing home,” Gillum told his election night gathering in Tallahassee. “As the mayor of Florida’s capital city, I humbly accept the Democratic nomination.”

 Gillum never led in any public polling, but was showing signs of gaining momentum in the final weeks. He benefited from being chosen by the progressive wing of the party’s most generous benefactors ― including billionaires Tom Steyer and George Soros ― as well as from a barrage of negative ads against Graham by billionaire Jeff Greene.

 Greene wound up finishing fourth in the five-way pack, but he spent $10 million on ads attacking Graham ― more than she spent on television on her own behalf. Liberal outside groups, meanwhile, coalesced around Gillum and served as his turnout operation, particularly in urban areas with large concentrations of younger and minority voters.

 Gillum, 39, had difficulty raising money for his campaign after the revelation that the FBI was investigating Tallahassee city government. He says he heard he is not a target of the probe, but one of his closest friends and a former political ally has been the subject of federal subpoenas examining a restaurant he developed in part using city money.

 Gillum wound up raising the least money of the five candidates ― $8.4 million between his campaign and a political committee under his control. In contrast, Greene raised $43 million, $40 million from himself. And Miami Beach Mayor Phil Levine, who started airing TV ads 10 months ago and led the race for several months, raised a total of $41 million, of which $29.5 million was his own cash.

 But throughout the race, Gillum’s embrace of progressive ideals such as Medicare for all and his engaging public speaking style made him a favorite of the party’s most liberal activists. In the final weeks, he was endorsed by Vermont senator and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who campaigned with Gillum in the closing days of the race.

 Gillum cut his teeth on political activism as a student government leader at Florida A&M University just a few blocks from Florida’s Capitol, where he led protests against Gov. Jeb Bush’s plan to revamp the state’s affirmative action programs. He went to work for People for the American Way before running for a seat on the Tallahassee City Commission in 2003. He became the city’s mayor in 2014.

 Christopher Aluka Berry/Reuters Andrew Gillum addresses the audience at the Netroots Nation annual conference for political progressives in Atlanta on Aug. 10, 2017.

 The Florida gubernatorial race will now become a referendum on Trump’s presidency, with Gillum painting DeSantis as a Trump clone and DeSantis hoping to bring out as many Trump voters as he can in November.

 Trump has spent winter weekends and holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach for years and considers himself a part-time resident of the state. It is unclear how frequently, if at all, he will campaign for DeSantis in the two months leading up to the Nov. 6 general election. Whether Republicans retain control of Congress could determine the survival of the Trump presidency, and his political advisers may choose to focus his time on House and Senate seats.

 Trump campaigned with DeSantis only once during the primary, at a rally in Tampa in July, and sent out a handful of supportive statements on Twitter, including the message “VOTE FOR RON” in all capitals late Monday. But in a GOP primary electorate bearing little resemblance to the one that supported former Gov. Jeb Bush and former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack, Trump’s seal of approval allowed DeSantis to overcome enormous disadvantages in cash and traditional support.

 The state Republican establishment was solidly behind Putnam even before he announced his candidacy. From a cattle ranching and citrus family in the heart of the state, Putnam had been grooming himself for this run from the time he graduated college. He won a state legislative seat at age 22, then moved to Congress four years later, returning to Florida in 2010 to run for state agriculture commissioner.

 He served two terms, coinciding with Rick Scott’s years as governor, and had appeared the heir apparent to the job as Scott leaves because of term limits.

 DeSantis, in contrast, entered politics just six years ago, when he ran for Congress from the wealthy suburbs of Jacksonville, his hometown, after serving as a Navy prosecutor. His deployment to Iraq during President George W. Bush’s “troop surge” there was a highlight of his biography on the campaign trail. Despite the populist, pro-Trump rhetoric he has delivered for years from the Fox TV studio near the U.S. Capitol, DeSantis graduated from Yale and received a law degree from Harvard.

 Carlos Barria/Reuters President Donald Trump talks with Ron DeSantis during a Make America Great Again Rally at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 2018.

 And while Putnam also praised Trump repeatedly on the campaign trail, his standing with Trump likely was irreparably damaged in October 2016 after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape that featured Trump bragging that his celebrity enabled him to grab women by the genitals. Putnam criticized Trump for the remarks, while DeSantis did not.

 DeSantis leaned on Trump’s approval heavily, mentioning it often in stump speeches and in TV ads. He even produced an ad using his young children as props, dressing up his infant in a “Make America Great Again” onesie.

 Yet while DeSantis’ love for and from Trump clearly helped him against Putnam in the Republican primary, it may wind up hurting him in the November election against Gillum. Trump is not popular with many independents and even some moderate Republicans. Democrat Margaret Good defeated the son of sitting Republican congressman Vern Buchanan in a special election for a state House seat in Sarasota earlier this year, even though the district leans solidly Republican.

 Florida Democrats have not won a governor’s race since 1994, when Lawton Chiles won a second term by defeating Republican Jeb Bush. The party has come within a single percentage point in both 2010 and 2014, losing both times to Scott. ||||| President Trump’s favored candidate, GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis, defeated state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary on Tuesday after riding the wave of the president's enthusiastic endorsement to victory.

 Meanwhile, the Bernie Sanders-backed Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum pulled off a major upset in defeating a half a dozen rivals, including former Rep. Gwen Graham, in the Democratic primary.

 DeSantis and Gillum will face each other in November's general election. If he triumphs, Gillum would be the state's first black governor.

 During a celebration event in Orlando, DeSantis thanked the president for "viewing me as somebody who could be a great leader for Florida."

 "Our victory is a good victory, anyways," DeSantis said, complimenting Putnam on a hard-fought race. "But man, to beat someone of his caliber is a big, big deal."

 The president repeatedly had implored voters to support DeSantis over Putnam. Trump offered his congratulations on Twitter.

 "Such a fantastic win for Ron DeSantis and the people of the Great State of Florida," Trump tweeted. "Ron will be a fantastic Governor. On to November!"

 Appearing on the "Ingraham Angle" later, DeSantis downplayed the notion that his win was due to the president's backing, and touted his record on combatting environmental problems, illegal immigration, and education reform.

 "We've been talking about these key issues time and time again and we're going to continue to do that and spread the message far and wide," he said.

 Gillum, Tallahassee’s progressive mayor backed by the Democratic-socialist Sanders, shocked observers with his win, as Graham, the daughter of former Florida Governor and Sen. Bob Graham, led in pre-election polls.

 "I'm truly honored to represent people across the state as the Democratic nominee -- and I promise to stand up for everyday Floridians and the issues that matter most," Gillum tweeted after his win.

 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic socialist star running for New York's 14th district, praised Gillum for staking out liberal positions by supporting Medicare for all, legalizing marijuana and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

 “The progressive movement is transforming the country - and he proved that again tonight,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

 In the state's closely-watched Senate contest, Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday easily won the GOP nomination. He faced a challenge from perennial candidate Roque De La Fuente.

 "Congratulations to Governor Rick Scott of Florida on his conclusive Republican Primary Win," Trump, who encouraged Scott to run, tweeted. "He will be a great Senator!"

 Scott, who is term-limited as governor, is set to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in what surely will be one of the most closely watched Senate races in November. Nelson ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

 But much of the attention in the run-up to Tuesday's vote had been on the contentious Republican gubernatorial primary between DeSantis and Putnam.

 During a Fox News-sponsored debate in June, DeSantis played up Trump’s backing of his campaign, expressing doubt that Putnam adequately supported Trump. “I am proud to have the endorsement of President Trump in this race,” DeSantis said.

 DeSantis, 39, is an Iraq War veteran and decorated military lawyer who has served in the U.S. House since 2013. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School.

 Putnam, 44, also played up his support for Trump, but emphasized, “I am focused on Florida.”

 As for the Senate race, Republicans are hoping Scott could flip the seat in a battle with Nelson, one of the Democratic Party’s most vulnerable incumbents.

 Trump narrowly defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Florida in the 2016 presidential race by less than 2 percentage points.

 It was a good night for incumbents in House races in Florida, as Republican Carlos Curbelo and Democrat Stephanie Murphy were among those who beat back primary challengers.

 National Democrats have eyed Curbelo's 26th congressional district as a potential pickup target, in large part because it voted heavily for Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. But with almost all precincts reporting, approximately 2,500 more people had turned out to vote in the GOP primary than in the Democratic primary.

 Curbelo garnered 84 percent of the vote against primary opponent Souraya Faas, who described Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as "heroes" and claimed chemical attacks in Syria's civil war were "staged."

 In November, Curbelo will face Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former associate dean at the Florida International University Medical School and Democratic candidate for state Senate.

 Murphy, who unseated GOP incumbent John Mica in 2016, easily defeated a primary challenge in the 7th District from Chardo Richardson, who was backed by Ocasio-Cortez. She will face Florida state Rep. Mike Miller in November's general election.

 Fox News’ Samuel Chamberlain, Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Mike Arroyo and The Associated Press contributed to this report. |||||


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Police have released new surveillance video showing what may have been Karina Vetrano's final moments on Aug. 2 before she was found killed near her home in Queens. (Published Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017)

 Police Release New Video of Karina Vetrano on Day She Went Missing

 What to Know New surveillance video shows Karina Vetrano jogging in her possible last moments alive

 She was later found sexually assaulted and killed on Aug. 2 near her Howard Beach home

 Police say it remains "one of the unsolved, very high-profile murders"

 Police have released new surveillance video showing what may have been Karina Vetrano's final moments on Aug. 2 before she was found killed near her home in Queens.

 The video shows Vetrano jogging near her Howard Beach home. She was later found sexually assaulted and strangled in a marshy area just off the trail at Gateway National Recreation Area.

 NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said Monday the release of the new video is an effort to keep the case fresh in the public's mind.

 "It remains one of the unsolved, very high-profile murders," he said.

 A reward of nearly $300,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

 Late last month, police released a sketch of a man in a woven wool cap they want to talk to in connection with Vetrano's death. The man was seen in the area around the time Vetrano went missing.

 Police officials stressed at the time that the man wasn't a suspect or a person of interest in the case. The man was seen in the area around the path where Vetrano was last seen that day and was spotted by a utility worker. Police said that the man could have seen Vetrano or her assailant.

 Authorities have culled DNA from three different investigative points -- Vetrano's neck, her phone and her fingernails. Police say the fingernail DNA is the strongest, and all the samples point to the same person, though the state and local databases have yet to yield a possible match.

 Anyone with information on the Vetrano case should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. ||||| NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — New video has surfaced of a Queens jogger minutes before her murder.

 Karina Vetrano, 30, was murdered while running through Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach on Aug. 2. Police said she was strangled and possibly sexually assaulted. Her father along with authorities found her body hours after she didn’t return home from her jog.

 New video airing on Crime Watch Daily, a nationally syndicated show, shows Vetrano jogging carefree down a street bordering the park, with her long hair held back in a pony tail and wearing ear buds.

 The video is the freshest clue for the public to see in the now six week old murder mystery.

 “You never know in the sense of somebody in Arkansas, some place that may hear something about it and come forward with a piece of information,” Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said.

 The video was released with the approval of Vetrano’s family.

 New video shows slain jogger Karina Vetrano moments before her death. https://t.co/osv72euWpt via @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/FzbdjqTYmo — Crime Watch Daily (@CrimeWatchDaily) September 12, 2016

 “It was provided as part of the continuing effort, along with the rewards, to try and find out what happened on that day,” Bratton said. “I think we have done all that we can to try and keep that story alive in the public mind and consciousness because it spread such fear through the city.”

 As CBS2’s Jessica Layton reported, Vetrano’s family hopes the video will inspire someone to come forward.

 “Think that it could be your child,” Phil Vetrano said.

 The video is one of the last images Vetrano has of his daughter.

 “Very disturbing to watch that, to see her like that,” he said.

 It’s what the video doesn’t show that has the NYPD and the Vetranos so puzzled.

 “It doesn’t show anybody following her. It doesn’t show anybody in a car behind her,” Phil said.

 Detectives have a DNA profile of Vetrano’s killer, but so far have no matches.

 “If we encounter a new entry into whether it’s our own system, state system or elsewhere in the country that might be the case breaker for us,” Bratton said.

 Standing on his front porch with a police patrol car still parked outside the family home, Vetrano said he’s hoping the video makes someone who knows something sympathetic enough to come forward.

 He believes the person in a sketch who is wanted for questioning could provide the best clue as to who killed Karina.

 “He’s not worth protecting,” Phil said.

 In the meantime, the family has struggled to heal.

 “Once this scum is caught, maybe we can begin to heal. But I doubt it,” Phil said.

 The reward for information leading to Vetrano’s killer has grown to more than $300,000. A GoFundMe account set up by Vetrano’s family has raised more than $270,000, while a $35,000 reward for information is being offered by the NYPD.

 On Sunday, Phil Vetrano said he’s considering hiring private investigators to aid in the search for his daughter’s killer.

 Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. ||||| Police released a sketch of a man they'd like to talk to in connection with the death of a missing runner who was found strangled in an overgrown section of a Queens park earlier this month. Marc Santia reports. (Published Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016)

 What to Know The sketch depicts a person the NYPD wants to talk to about the case

 Vetrano was sexually assaulted and killed earlier this month

 Her family is offering a reward of more than $250,000 for her killer

 Police released a sketch of a man they'd like to talk to in connection with the death of a missing runner who was found strangled in an overgrown section of a Queens park earlier this month.

 NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce held up a photo Wednesday of a man wearing a woven wool cap and asked anyone who recognized him to call police. The man was seen in the area around the time Karina Vetrano went missing at the Gateway National Recreation Area in Howard Beach on Aug. 2.

 Her body was found in a marshy area of off a trail several hours later.

 Boyce stressed that the man wasn't a suspect or a person of interest in the case. The man was seen in the area around the path where Vetrano was last seen that day and was spotted by a utility worker. Boyce said that the man could have seen Vetrano or her assailant.

 "We have to speak to this person," Boyce said. "That's the only reason we're putting this out."

 The man is described as being between 35 and 45 years old, standing 5 feet, 10 inches tall and has a medium build. Boyce said his wool cap stuck out on the hot summer day.

 "It's a little unusual he was walking around in August with a cap on," Boyce said.

 Earlier this week, Vetrano's father said he was seeking a runner who frequented the area before her death but hadn't been seen since. Police later said the man was not a suspect and had in fact been resting an injured knee.

 Authorities culled DNA from three different investigative points -- Vetrano's neck, her phone and her fingernails. Police say the fingernail DNA is the strongest, and all the samples point to the same person, though the state and local databases have yet to yield a possible match.

 Vetrano's family has raised more than $250,000 for a reward in the 30-year-old's death.

 Eighty-five tips have poured in to police about the case, Boyce said; nine remain to be investigated. Anyone with information on the Vetrano case should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. ||||| "Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen" has exclusive new video of Karina Vetrano captured moments before she was attacked at a Howard Beach, New York park.

 The 30-year-old woman vanished about 5 p.m. Aug. 2 while on a solo jog through a marshy area of Howard Beach called Spring Creek Park.

 Vetrano was beaten "quite severely," suggesting she put up a "ferocious fight," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said in an Aug. 4 news conference. The medical examiner determined strangulation to be the cause of death, and officials have said she was sexually assaulted, WPIX reports.

 Investigators said without witnesses their best chance of finding Vetrano's killer was to create a DNA profile using a sneaker, ear buds and a used condom found at the scene, as well as DNA discovered on Vetrano's body.

 That DNA profile has been created, but has yet to yield a match in the nationwide database, officials said.

 Vetrano's father typically accompanied his daughter during an afternoon run, but due to back pains had to skip the day she was ultimately killed. He, along with a search party, found her body about 15 feet off the jogging path hours after she went missing.

 There's no evidence she knew her attacker, officials said.

 If you have any information you can submit a tip anonymously at CrimeWatchDaily.com, or call NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. |||||

– A new possible clue in the "extraordinary case of murder" of Queens jogger Karina Vetrano, CBS New York reports. A surveillance video showing the 30-year-old on her run shortly before she was killed last month. The video is being shown with her family's permission on Crime Watch Daily, although dad Phil Vetrano tells CBS it's "very disturbing" to watch his daughter's final moments. The video, which shows Vetrano casually jogging down a street at 5:46pm on Aug. 2 near Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach, doesn't appear to offer any explicit clues as to what happened afterward—"It doesn't show anybody following her," Phil Vetrano says—but police are hoping it opens doors in the case. "Somebody in Arkansas, someplace … may hear something about it and come forward with a piece of information," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton says. Last month, cops released a sketch of a man they want for questioning, per NBC News. A reward worth almost $300,000 is being offered for info leading to an arrest.


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– President Trump says California won't get its border wall until the entirety of the wall is approved for construction. California is almost certainly OK with that. “I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved,” Reuters quotes Trump as tweeting on Wednesday. But it's unclear exactly why Trump thinks California wants a border wall, as the state sued the federal government to stop construction of said wall. In fact, in the very same tweet Trump referred to the lawsuit after a federal judge ruled against the state of California and environmental groups. “Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed," he tweeted. "OUR COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!” California and environmental groups argued John Kelly, then secretary of Homeland Security, overstepped his powers when he waived environmental reviews for the border wall, which experts say could harm threatened and endangered species, NBC News reports. US District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel ruled they weren't able to prove that. If the name sounds familiar, it's because Curiel is the same "Mexican" judge Trump claimed couldn't be objective because of his heritage, according to Politico. Trump also called Curiel, who was born in Indiana, a "hater" and "very hostile." Curiel ruled a decision on the wall should be left up to politicians, not the courts. "It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices,” he wrote in his decision.

"Now this important project can go forward!” President Donald Trump wrote online. | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Trump welcomes border ruling from judge he attacked

 President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated a “big legal win” delivered by a federal judge against whom he once leveled racial criticism.

 Earlier Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel rejected lawsuits brought by environmentalists and the state of California related to the Trump administration’s efforts to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

 Story Continued Below

 “Big legal win today. U.S. judge sided with the Trump Administration and rejected the attempt to stop the government from building a great Border Wall on the Southern Border. Now this important project can go forward!” the president wrote online.

 Trump made no mention in his Tuesday tweet of his previous feud with Curiel, which dates back to the summer of 2016, when the then-GOP candidate characterized the federal judge as a “Mexican” whose heritage meant he could not capably oversee a lawsuit against Trump, even though Curiel was born in Indiana.

 The most reliable politics newsletter. Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning — in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

 The president’s criticism of Curiel prompted significant backlash at the time, with House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) labeling Trump’s remark as the “textbook definition of a racist comment."

  ||||| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the parts of a proposed border wall he says California wants will not be built until the entire southern wall is approved, although state officials have said they are strongly opposed to the plan.

 Construction workers raise the 30-foot high bollard style wall, at the US-Mexico border to replace a section of the border wall near Calexico, California. REUTERS/Earnie Grafton

 “I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved,” Trump said in a tweet.

 A U.S.-Mexico border wall, a key item promised by Trump to his political base of supporters, has become a sticking point in talks to keep alive a federal program protecting young people brought to the United States illegally as children from deportation.

 A U.S. judge on Tuesday had sided with Trump’s administration and rejected an attempt by California and environmental groups to stop the federal government from building a wall on the state’s border with Mexico. California currently has some sections of existing barriers.

 The lawsuit filed in a San Diego federal court alleged that Trump’s proposed wall violates federal environmental standards and constitutional provisions regarding the separation of powers and states’ rights.

 The plaintiffs asked U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel to stop the administration from pursuing the barrier until it demonstrates compliance with environmental laws.

 “Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed. OUR COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!” Trump added in a tweet on Wednesday.

 It was unclear what Trump meant about parts of the wall California wants built, given the state’s opposition to the whole idea.

 Attorney General Xavier Becerra said after the ruling his office remained opposed to the border wall and would evaluate its options.

 Trump is scheduled to visit California in mid-March to see prototypes for the proposed border wall, administration officials have said.

 A week ago the federal government began work to replace a section of barrier built in the 1990s in the border town of Calexico with a 30-foot (9.1-meter) high stretch of bollard-style wall.

 That was the first wall contract awarded by the Trump administration apart from eight prototypes built last year in San Diego.

 In his latest budget proposal to Congress, Trump requested $23 billion for border security, most of it for the wall.

 Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto postponed plans for the Mexican leader’s first visit to the White House, after a testy phone call in which Trump would not agree to publicly affirm Mexico’s position that it would not fund construction of the wall. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

 / Updated By James Rainey

 The federal judge once slammed by President Donald Trump as being a “Mexican” who was incapable of being impartial has sided with Trump in his bid to move ahead with construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

 Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel on Tuesday rejected arguments by the state of California and a coalition of environmental groups, who said the Trump administration had improperly ignored environmental laws in its push to build the wall.

 Judge Gonzalo Curiel San Diego Superior Court

 Curiel said in his 101-page ruling that such decisions should be left to other branches of government, not the judiciary. He quoted U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in saying political matters "are entrusted to our Nation’s elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.”

 Related: Who is Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel?

 Curiel, who was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama, made it clear his ruling centered on whether the administration had the authority to build a border wall, not on the wisdom of that decision. He described the "heated political debate" surrounding the project and added: "In its review of this case the Court cannot and does not consider whether underlying decisions to construct the border barriers are politically wise or prudent."

 The case grew out of a 1996 law, and its amendments, that gave the executive branch power to construct a wall in and near San Diego and to waive environmental review when "necessary to ensure expeditious construction."

 The law also limited any federal court reviewing challenges to the construction to only consider Constitutional violations, not challenges based on the environmental laws.

 Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly called for a waiver of the environmental reviews last August and the plaintiffs--California, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and the Animal Legal Defense Fund all sued, saying the Kelly had overstepped his authority.

 Experts provided declarations for California and the environmental groups, suggesting that the construction — on 15 miles of border in San Diego and another three miles near El Centro — could harm the Tijuana Estuary, along with rare, threatened and endangered species.

 Border Patrol agents patrol the US-Mexico border prior to an Easter mass at the fence separating the two countries at Friendship Park on April 16, 2017 in San Ysidro, California. Sandy Huffaker / AFP - Getty Images file

 Curiel said the state and environmentalists did not meet the high threshold for holding up the construction: showing that Kelly had acted in excess of his powers.

 The plaintiffs had argued that Trump’s Department of Homeland Security had violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act, by not properly consulting with California and other stakeholders on the environmental consequences of the construction in the Golden State.

 Curiel agreed that the "belated contact with stakeholders reduces the practical benefit of the consultation process." But he said that the failures were not enough to show that Kelly and an interim director of Homeland Security had overstepped their authority.

 “While unlimited judicial review would assure compliance with all legal requirements,” wrote Curiel, who sits on the U.S. District Court in San Diego, “it would defeat the purpose of the law to expedite the construction of border barriers and roads in areas where they are needed.

 California Attorney General Xavier Becerra renewed his complaint that the Trump White House was “ignoring laws it doesn’t like in order to resuscitate a campaign talking point of building a wall on our southern border."

 Related: Environmentalists sue to block Trump border wall

 "A medieval wall along the U.S.-Mexico border simply does not belong in the 21st century.” Becerra said in his statement, noting that California officials were reviewing their options.

 Another plaintiff in the case, the Center for Biological Diversity, announced that it would appeal. “The Trump administration has completely overreached its authority in its rush to build this destructive, senseless wall,” said Brian Segee, a senior attorney with the group. "They’re giving unprecedented, sweeping power to an unelected agency chief to ignore dozens of laws and crash through hundreds of miles of spectacular borderlands. This is unconstitutional and shouldn’t be allowed to stand.”

 Related: Taco trucks to bad hombres: 7 times Latinos figured in Trump's campaign

 Trump had said in June 2016, during the presidential campaign, that Curiel could not fairly judge a pair of class-action lawsuits brought against the real estate magnate for the operation of his for-profit Trump University. The candidate said Curiel would be biased, because he was a Mexican and would be upset by Trump's positions on immigration.

 Trump also branded him a "hater" and "very hostile."

 Curiel was born in Indiana to parents who were immigrants from Mexico. Trump's remarks prompted outrage from critics, who said he was refusing to acknowledge the judge was an American and capable of impartiality, merely because of his ethnic roots. |||||


Here is a news article: Enlarge Image Steven Ewing/Roadshow

 The turn signal is a marvelous invention. It elegantly communicates your intent to move your 4,000-pound guided missile from one space to another, thus minimizing the chance that the driver of a similar missile will be occupying the same space. It's like magic, but I live in Los Angeles where nobody uses their signals and that's why this new Tesla patent filing is especially exciting.

 Tesla wants its vehicles to signal automatically without the driver needing to go through the agony that is lifting their finger and moving it up or down by several inches. The way that Tesla envisions it working is that the car detects the driver's intent to change lanes or make a turn by using the Autopilot hardware at its disposal, it then works to sense if there are other vehicles nearby and if it detects them, it puts the signal on for the driver.

 Cool, right?

 If it works, it will be brilliant but given the fact that Tesla has remained adamant that it doesn't need driver monitoring systems for Autopilot, it seems questionable that the vehicle would be able to detect a driver's intent to turn based solely on external observation.

 There are plenty of systems out now from other manufacturers that will offer drivers a warning to use their signals after repeated turns or lane changes without them, but because those ultimately rely on the driver moving their finger and physically activating the signal, they're not that helpful. People are just lazy, what can we say?

 Enlarge Image Tesla

 Anyway, I hope this patent actually makes it into a vehicle, since many patents don't. They're most often secured by manufacturers as a means of hampering the competition's ability to develop a technology but in this case, if it works, it could really do some good.

 We've reached out to Tesla for additional information on this patent, but it has not immediately responded to requests for comment. ||||| Tesla has filed for a new patent that describes a technology to automate turn signals.

 Surprisingly, it sounds like the technology is actually not for self-driving cars, but for drivers who forget/don’t use turn signals.

 It has happened to most of us at one point or another.

 A car swerves in your lane without signaling or a car slows down to take an exit without activating their turn signal.

 At best, it’s annoying and at worst, it’s dangerous.

 Tesla appears to have a solution. By leveraging its Autopilot technology, the automaker thinks it can detect when a driver should activate its turn signal and do it for them if they forget it.

 The company describes the system in the patent application:

 “An embodiment includes a method of automated turn signaling, the method comprising: determining, via the processor, that a vehicle will cross a lane line or turn based on a measured steering angle value that is within a value range stored in a memory, wherein the car includes the processor, the memory, and the turn signal source; and activating, via the processor, the turn signal source based on the determination that a vehicle will cross a lane line or turn.”

 Here’s a flowchart that explains when the system would activate the turn signal for the driver:

 Tesla has applied for an international patent to use its sensors and onboard processor to make this work. There’s no word on when or even if the technology will make its way into Tesla’s vehicles.

 Here’s the full patent application:

 Electrek’s Take

 It sounds like Tesla might have been working on detecting when it should activate its turn signal when the vehicle is driving automatically and figured out that it could also be useful technology when drivers are manually driving their vehicles.

 Of course, it’s not a reason to not activate your turn signal since any good driver knows that you should activate it before taking any action and not when you are just about to cross a lane line, but it is certainly better than no turn signal at all.

 As for automated turn signals for autonomous driving, Tesla is definitely working on that too since the company said that it plans to release the Autopilot ‘On Ramp/Off Ramp’ feature in the version 9.0 update next month.

 The feature would reportedly enable Autopilot to drive on its own on the highway without inputs from the driver, including lanes changes.

 Currently, Tesla drivers can initiate a lane change on Autopilot but they have to make sure the way is clear and activate the turn signal – only then will Autopilot drive the car in the next lane. |||||
A summary of this is?

– Activating a turn signal takes just a flick of the finger, but that simple move apparently is too much for lots of drivers out there. A new patent filing by Tesla seeks to change that. The company envisions an automated signal, one that senses when a driver is getting ready to turn and activates the blinker on its own, reports CNET. What Electrek finds surprising about the patent application is that it appears to be designed for use with human drivers, not with self-driving cars. The technology stems from Tesla's Autopilot function. (A Tesla in Canada managed to fly, sort of.)


Article:

Mack Wolford, a flamboyant Pentecostal pastor from West Virginia whose serpent-handling talents were profiled last November in The Washington Post Magazine , hoped the outdoor service he had planned for Sunday at an isolated state park would be a “homecoming like the old days,” full of folks speaking in tongues, handling snakes and having a “great time.” But it was not the sort of homecoming he foresaw.

 Instead, Wolford, who turned 44 the previous day, was bitten by a rattlesnake he owned for years. He died late Sunday.

 Mark Randall “Mack” Wolford was known all over Appalachia as a daring man of conviction. He believed that the Bible mandates that Christians handle serpents to test their faith in God — and that, if they are bitten, they trust in God alone to heal them.

 He and other adherents cited Mark 16:17-18 as the reason for their practice: “And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

 The son of a serpent handler who himself died in 1983 after being bitten, Wolford was trying to keep the practice alive, both in West Virginia, where it is legal, and in neighboring states where it is not. He was the kind of man reporters love: articulate, friendly and appreciative of media attention. Many serpent-handling Pentecostals retreat from journalists, but Wolford didn’t. He’d take them on snake-hunting expeditions.

 Last Sunday started as a festive outdoor service on a sunny afternoon at Panther Wildlife Management Area, a state park roughly 80 miles west of Bluefield, W.Va. In the preceding days, Wolford had posted several teasers on his Facebook page asking people to attend.

 “I am looking for a great time this Sunday,” he wrote May 22. “It is going to be a homecoming like the old days. Good ’ole raised in the holler or mountain ridge running, Holy Ghost-filled speaking-in-tongues sign believers.”

 “Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes, brother” he wrote on May 23. He also invited his extended family, who had largely given up the practice of serpent handling, to come to the park.

 “At one time or another, we had handled [snakes], but we had backslid,” his sister, Robin Vanover, said Monday evening. “His birthday was Saturday, and all he wanted to do is get his brothers and sisters in church together.”

 And so they were gathered at this evangelistic hootenanny of Christian praise and worship. About 30 minutes into the service, his sister said, Wolford passed a yellow timber rattlesnake to a church member and his mother.

 “He laid it on the ground,” she said, “and he sat down next to the snake, and it bit him on the thigh.”

 A state forester, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said park officials were unaware of Wolford’s activities. “Had we known he had poisonous animals, we would have never allowed it,” he said.

 The festivities came to a halt shortly thereafter, and Wolford was taken back to a relative’s house in Bluefield to recover, as he always had when suffering from previous snake bites. By late afternoon, it was clear that this time was different, and desperate messages began flying about on Facebook, asking for prayer.

 Wolford got progressively worse. Paramedics transported him to Bluefield Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. It could not be determined when the paramedics were called.

 Wolford was 15 when he saw his father die at age 39 of a rattlesnake bite in almost exactly the same circumstances.

 “He lived 101 / 2 hours,” Wolford told The Washington Post last fall. “When he got bit, he said he wanted to die in the church. Three hours after he was bitten, his kidneys shut down. After a while, your heart stops. I hated to see him go, but he died for what he believed in.”

 According to people who witnessed Mack Wolford’s death, history repeated itself. He was bitten roughly at 1:30 p.m.; he died about 11 that night.

 One of the people present was Lauren Pond, 26, a freelance photographer from the District. She had been photographing serpent handlers in the area for more than a year, including for The Post, and stayed at Wolford’s home in November.

 “He helped me to understand the faith instead of just documenting it,” she said Tuesday. “He was one of the most open pastors I’ve ever met. He was a friend and a teacher.”

 The family allowed her to stay near Wolford’s side Sunday night, and she’s still recovering from having witnessed the pastor’s agonizing death. “I didn’t see the bite,” she said. “I saw the aftermath.”

 In an interview with The Post for last year’s story, Jim Murphy, curator of the Reptile Discovery Center at the National Zoo, described what happens when a rattlesnake bites.

 The pain is “excruciating,” he said. “The venom attacks the nervous system. It’s vicious and gruesome when it hits.”

 But Wolford refused to fear the creatures. He slung poisonous snakes around his neck, danced with them, even laid down on or near them. He displayed spots on his right hand where copperheads had sunk their fangs. His home in Bluefield had a spare bedroom filled with at least eight venomous snakes: usually rattlers, water moccasins and copperheads that he fed rats and mice. He was passionate about wanting to help churches in nearby states — including North Carolina and Tennessee, where the practice is illegal — start up their own serpent-handling services.

 “I promised the Lord I’d do everything in my power to keep the faith going,” he said in October. “I spend a lot of time going a lot of places that handle serpents to keep them motivated. I’m trying to get anybody I can get involved.”

 His funeral will be held Saturday at his church, House of the Lord Jesus, in Matoaka, just north of Bluefield.

 Julia Duin, a contributing writer for The Washington Post Magazine, wrote the original article about Mack Wolford. ||||| Mack Wolford is on Facebook.

 To connect with Mack, sign up for Facebook today. |||||
What is a summary?

– A West Virginia Pentecostal pastor who used poisonous snakes during religious services has died of a rattlesnake bite. Mack Wolford, who just turned 44, was killed by a snake he had owned for years, reports the Washington Post. He was bitten during an outdoor service at a state park he had hoped would be a "homecoming like the old days," filled with people speaking in tongues, handling snakes and having a "great time," he said on his Facebook page. “Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes, brother,” he wrote last week. Wolford was bitten on the thigh when he sat next to the rattlesnake during the service. He was taken to a relative's home to recover, but was rushed later to a local hospital where he was declared dead. Wolford believed that the Bible requires Christians to handle poisonous snakes to test their faith in God, and remain steadfast in their belief that they will not be bitten or will be healed if they are attacked. Death by rattlesnake is "excruciating—the venom attacks the nervous system, and it's vicious and gruesome when it hits," a snake expert told the Post. Wolford was the son of a snake-handler preacher who died of a snake bite when Wolford was 15.


Article:
A New Jersey woman was arrested, accused of failing to pay tolls on her EZ Pass account.Port Authority Police said they tried to stop the suspect after they learned her EZ Pass account owed more than $16,000.00According to the Port Authority Police Department, on Wednesday, Denise Simien, 55, of Verona, N.J., was driving a 2007 Toyota SUV and ignored police instructions to stop.Police said she eventually was pulled over by another Port Authority officer near the Holland Tunnel entrance.Simien is accused of failing to pay EZ Pass tolls at Port Authority crossings more than 250 times with a total amount owed of $16,633.She was charged with theft of services and obstruction of justice, and is due back in Jersey City Court July 19. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. |||||Summary:

– Authorities in New York and New Jersey have arrested a trio of scofflaws for allegedly racking up more than $130,000 in unpaid tolls and fines, the New York Daily News reports. Denise Simien was the most recent suspect to be nabbed. Authorities say she took the Holland Tunnel more than 500 times without paying the toll (though WABC puts the number closer to 250), racking up more than $16,000 in unpaid tolls and fees. The 55-year-old New Jersey woman allegedly added one more to her tally, attempting to flee police through the Holland Tunnel on Wednesday…without paying the toll, the Jersey Journal reports. Earlier this month, authorities arrested 34-year-old Willie Reyes and 45-year-old Spirdon Fragoulis for racking up unpaid tolls and fees on their E-Z Passes. Authorities say Reyes owes more than $37,000. Tow-truck driver Fragoulis allegedly failed to pay his tolls 850 times and owes more than $78,000. "These motorists are the most prolific that we have seen at this time," a spokesperson for the Port Authority tells the Daily News. "When we have repeat offenders the Port Authority makes even greater effort to crackdown."


Here is a news article: Seoul, South Korea (CNN) The leaders of North and South Korea will hold a summit in Pyongyang in September, both countries announced Monday.

 It will be the third in-person meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two first met in April, pledging to forge closer relations and work to formally end the Korean War in an agreement called the Panmunjom Declaration

 They then held an impromptu meeting in May at the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas.

 Representatives from the two Koreas announced the September meeting after a round of high-level talks between officials from Pyongyang and Seoul at the DMZ Monday.

 Ri Son Gwon, North Korea's point man for inter-Korean relations, told reporters that the date has been set, but would not confirm exactly when in September the meeting would be held.

 "What's very important is that both governments do all they ought to do regarding progressing all the issues on the agenda," Ri said.

 "If the issues that were raised in the inter-Korea talks and individual meetings are not resolved, then unexpected problems could arise and all the items on the agenda could meet obstacles."

 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) pose for photographs after signing the Panmunjom Declaration.

 However, Cho Myoung-gyon -- Ri's South Korean counterpart -- appeared to dispute that both sides have settled on a specific date, telling reporters that "it needs to be discussed further."

 Kim Eui-keum, a spokesman for Moon, said that holding the summit before September 10 would be difficult due to logistics.

 When he does go, Moon will be the third South Korean president to travel to the North Korean capital, and the first in more than a decade.

 South Korean President Kim Dae-jung met Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang in 2000 for the first inter-Korean summit. Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun also met Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2007.

 The Winter Olympics thaw

 Moon has long been an advocate for greater engagement with North Korea, dating back to his days as a key presidential aide in the 2000s.

 He is credited with using this year's Winter Olympics to help warm relations between Pyongyang and the rest of the world after a tense 2017 marked by North Korea's repeated weapons tests.

 The detente paved the way for the April inter-Korean summit and US President Donald Trump's meeting with Kim in Singapore in June -- the first ever between sitting leaders of North Korea and the United States.

 Kim and Trump both agreed to "build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula," while the North Korean leader "reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

 Trump and Kim during their summit at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island on June 12 in Singapore.

 Critics of the agreement argued the Trump administration failed to get Kim to agree to specific action.

 Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have preached patience since then, arguing that complex nuclear negotiations take time. Pompeo has been quick to note North Korea has not tested any weapons since November, when it fired a long-range ballistic missile experts believe could be capable of hitting the United States with a nuclear warhead.

 But the two sides appear to have hit an impasse.

 Senior diplomatic sources told CNN last week that Pyongyang has continually rejected Washington's proposals on denuclearization, calling them "gangster-like."

 Cho, the South Korean reunification minister, said North and South Korea discussed denuclearization in general terms during their talks Monday.

 "We explained that we need to help North Korea-US talks progress quickly and that there needs to be an establishment of dynamic where the inter-Korean relationship and the North Korea-US relationship improves in cycles," he said. ||||| SEOUL, July 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's media on Friday ramped up their calls for South Korea to repatriate its restaurant workers who defected here years ago, saying that any delay in resolving the issue could negatively affect inter-Korean relations.

 Twelve North Korean women had been working at a restaurant in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo and came to the South in April 2016. The group defection has been causing controversy amid claims that some of them were duped into coming to the South.

 "If our female citizens' repatriation issue is not resolved as quickly as possible, it could serve as an obstacle not just to the planned reunions of separated families between the two Koreas but also to the overall inter-Korean relations," said Uriminzokkiri, the North's external propaganda website.

 The website claimed that those workers were coerced into the South and sending them back would be a "touchstone" by which the Seoul government's commitment to carrying out the April inter-Korean summit agreement can be tested.

 "We will closely watch what action the South Korean government will take," it said.

 Meari, another North Korean propaganda website, also claimed that the North Korean workers were "kidnapped," saying that a failure in resolving the issue could hamper inter-Korean relations, including the planned family reunion event.

 Controversy flared up over those workers in May when a local cable broadcaster aired an interview with a restaurant manager who said he tricked them into defecting and that South Korea's spy agency was involved in the process.

 The Seoul government has claimed that the North Korean women defected to the South of their own will. The North has demanded their immediate return.

 South and North Korea are currently preparing to hold reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War at the Mount Kumgang resort on the North's east coast next month, an event in line with the agreement their leaders reached in a historic summit in April.

 kokobj@yna.co.kr

 (END) |||||
A summary of this is?

– What was unprecedented in April is now becoming ... routine? The leaders of North and South Korea will meet again sometime in September, their third such meeting in five months, reports CNN. This time, however, the South's Moon Jae-in will travel to Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong Un. High-level officials from the two nations announced the meeting after talks in the Demilitarized Zone on Monday. No agenda has been released, but the two sides have been discussing everything from a possible peace declaration to economic projects, notes Reuters. One potential sore spot: The plight of 12 North Korean women now in South Korea as restaurant workers. The North claims they were kidnapped—or perhaps tricked into defecting—and must be returned, while the South maintains they defected of their own accord in 2016 through China, per Yonhap News. "If our female citizens' repatriation issue is not resolved as quickly as possible, it could serve as an obstacle not just to the planned reunions of separated families between the two Koreas but also to the overall inter-Korean relations," said Uriminzokkiri, a propaganda website for the North, last month. South Korean officials declined to say if the issue came up in Monday's talks.