10 Things to Know for Today - 18 April 2017
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. WHAT PENCE'S MEETINGS WILL FOCUS ON
The U.S. vice president assures Japan's prime minister "we are with you 100 percent" during a visit amid escalating tensions over North Korea as the crisis overshadows talks on economic issues.
A makeshift memorial sits along a fence Monday, April 17, 2017, near where Robert Godwin Sr., was killed in Cleveland. Police said Steve Stephens killed Godwin on Sunday and posted the video on Facebook. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)
2. US SUPREME COURT HALTS ARKANSAS EXECUTION
The ruling scuttles efforts to resume the death penalty after nearly 12 years in a state rushing to carry out executions before its supply of a lethal injection drug expires.
3. NATIONWIDE HUNT ON FOR FACEBOOK SHOOTER
Videos of Cleveland shooting suspect Steve Stephens show him talking about his despair over gambling debts and trouble with his girlfriend along with how he wanted to kill innocent people.
4. WHERE TRUMP IS HEADING
The U.S. president travels to Wisconsin, where he plans to sign an executive order seeking to make changes to a visa program that brings in high-skilled workers.
5. IVANKA INC. THRIVING
Since her father was elected president, sales of Ivanka Trump merchandise have surged and her company has applied for at least nine new trademarks, AP finds.
6. WHO HAS CALLED A SNAP ELECTION
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May says she is planning to call a general election for June 8, seeking to strengthen her mandate in European Union talks over Brexit.
7. VOTERS HEAD TO POLLS IN GEORGIA
The race to fill Tom Price's former congressional seat is considered an early barometer of Trump's popularity in the suburban Atlanta district.
8. IT'S TAX TIME, AND NEWS ISN'T ALL BAD
Tax season generates about $300 billion in refunds, a significant boost to the U.S. economy.
9. AMID BOMBS, BOOKS
Ali al-Moussawi hopes his mobile bookstore revives a love for words in Baghdad, which was once the literary capital of the Muslim world but is now better known for bombs than poems.
10. UPON FURTHER REVIEW ...
Nothing is set yet, but AP learns that Major League Baseball and umpires are expected to discuss an NFL-style plan for crew chiefs to wear microphones and explain the calls.
FILE - In this Thursday, April 6, 2017, file photo, Ivanka Trump, second from right, the daughter and assistant to President Donald Trump, is seated with her husband, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, right, during a dinner with President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. Earlier in the day, Ivanka Trump's company received provisional approval from the Chinese government for three new trademarks, winning monopoly rights to sell Ivanka brand jewelry, bags and spa services in the world's second-largest economy. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)