North Korea Reportedly Billed U.S. For Warmbier Care

(North Korea – AP) – There’s a report that North Korea billed the U.S. two-million dollars for the hospital care of American Otto Warmbier.

The Washington Post reports that the North would not release the comatose Warmbier to the U.S. in 2017 without a signed pledge from an American official. The Post says the U.S. envoy who retrieved Warmbier signed the pledge on instructions from President Trump.

It is unclear whether the bill was ever paid. Warmbier was arrested while visiting North Korea and fell into a coma during his incarceration. The Ohio native died after being returned to the U.S.

Top Morning Headlines: Trump Praises Tax Plan, Hugh Hefner Dies, Puerto Rico Still Waiting On Help, Russians And The NFL, Whataburger Whites Only And More….

(SL) – “Playboy” founder Hugh Hefner is dead. Hefner died yesterday of natural causes at the age of 91. Hefner created the men’s magazine in 1953, and since then its iconic bunny logo has become one of the most recognizable brands in the world.

His son released a statement saying that his father “lived an exceptional and impactful life” and was a “leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom.”

(Indianapolis, IN) — President Trump says the new Republican tax plan is a big win for the middle class. In Indiana yesterday, Trump said the new plan will help bring back jobs while triggering “robust” growth. Democrats are calling the GOP plan a giveaway to the wealthy that would blow-up the federal deficit. The new plan eliminates most itemized deductions, and would lower the corporate tax rate from 35-percent to 20-percent.

(San Juan, PR) — Frustration is growing in Puerto Rico as millions of Americans wait for help to arrive. The power is still out in the U.S. territory devastated by Hurricane Maria, and the FCC said yesterday that over 91-percent of cellphone sites on the island are still out of service. Puerto Rico’s governor told CBS News that food, water and medicine are sitting at the port waiting to be delivered, but there’s no way to deliver it. Governor Ricardo Rossello said the bus drivers are either stuck at home or their buses have been destroyed.

(San Francisco, CA) — Russian accounts are fueling a debate on Twitter about NFL players protesting the national anthem. The “New York Times” says a bipartisan public policy group has been following hundreds of Twitter accounts to track Russian efforts to create division in the U.S. It found Russian trolls working both sides of the NFL protest debate, and that the hashtags #boycottnfl and #takeaknee were both linked to Russian accounts.

(Cincinnati, OH) –– A coroner’s report says they still don’t know what killed an American student who was imprisoned in North Korea. Otto Warmbier died in June after being held captive in North Korea for over a year. A coroner in Hamilton County, Ohio says a year-old injury deprived Warmbier’s brain of oxygen before his death, but doesn’t say what the injury was. The 22-year-old student was returned to the U.S. in a coma. He died several days later.(SL) – The federal government is suing Whataburger restaurants in Florida over claims that managers were told to only hire workers who sounded white. According to the lawsuit, a restaurant manager in Tallahassee told area managers to hire only white applicants so the faces behind the counter would match the customer base. Whataburger denies the claims.

(SL) – After Jay Z declined and invite to perform during halftime at this year’s Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake is returning. Reports say the pop star is finalizing a deal to do the Super Bowl halftime show in Minneapolis on February 4th. Timberlake was part of the controversial 2004 halftime show with Janet Jackson, when her exposed nipple on live television was called a “wardrobe malfunction.” The incident led to the FCC mandating a five-second delay on Super Bowl halftime shows.