AP News in Brief at 11:04 p.m. EDT

US officials say Pompeo has met with NKorea’s Kim

WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director Mike Pompeo recently travelled to North Korea to meet with leader Kim Jong Un, two officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The highly unusual, secret visit comes as the enemy nations prepare for a meeting between President Donald Trump and Kim within the next couple of months.

The officials spoke about Pompeo’s trip on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

The Washington Post, which first reported Pompeo’s meeting with Kim, said it took place over Easter weekend — just over two weeks ago, shortly after the CIA chief was nominated to become secretary of state.

Trump, currently at his Florida resort hosting Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Tuesday that the U.S. and North Korea were holding direct talks at “extremely high levels” in preparation for a possible summit with Kim. He said five locations were under consideration for the meeting, which is slated to take place by early June.

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Former first lady Barbara Bush dies at age 92

HOUSTON (AP) — Barbara Bush, the snowy-haired first lady and mother of a president whose plainspoken manner and utter lack of pretense made her more popular at times than her husband, President George H.W. Bush, died Tuesday, a family spokesman said. She was 92.

Mrs. Bush brought a grandmotherly style to buttoned-down Washington, often appearing in her trademark fake pearl chokers and displaying no vanity about her white hair and wrinkles.

“What you see with me is what you get. I’m not running for president — George Bush is,” she said at the 1988 Republican National Convention, where her husband, then vice-president, was nominated to succeed Ronald Reagan.

The Bushes, who were married Jan. 6, 1945, had the longest marriage of any presidential couple in American history. And Mrs. Bush was one of only two first ladies who had a child who was elected president. The other was Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams.

“I had the best job in America,” she wrote in a 1994 memoir describing her time in the White House. “Every single day was interesting, rewarding, and sometimes just plain fun.”

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10 Things to Know for Wednesday

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

1. BARBARA BUSH DIES AT 92

Known for her plainspoken manner and utter lack of pretense, she was the wife of one president and mother of another.

2. ‘THEY HAVE MY BLESSING’

Trump confirms that North and South Korea are negotiating a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War in advance of next week’s meeting between the two countries’ leaders.

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AP PHOTOS: Former first lady Barbara Bush through the years

Barbara Bush was a deeply rooted member of one of America’s most recent political families — while sharing a distinction with one of its first.

Bush, who died Tuesday at age 92, was one of only two first ladies who had a child who was elected president. The other was Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams.

She and George H.W. Bush made presidential history in another way, too. The Bushes, who were married Jan. 6, 1945, had the longest marriage of any presidential couple in American history.

“I had the best job in America,” she wrote in a 1994 memoir describing her time in the White House. “Every single day was interesting, rewarding, and sometimes just plain fun.”

Here’s a collection of images chronicling the former first lady’s life and times.

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IRS gives taxpayers extra day to file after website issues

Americans are getting an extra day to file their taxes after key elements of the IRS website crashed on deadline day.

The IRS said that individuals or businesses with a filing or payment due Tuesday now have until midnight Wednesday to complete the task.

Earlier Tuesday, Americans who had waited until the final day to file online got an unwelcome surprise: The agency’s website for making payments and gaining access to other key services was down due to what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin later described as a “high-volume technical issue.”

The website was back online late Tuesday.

“This is the busiest tax day of the year, and the IRS apologizes for the inconvenience this system issue caused for taxpayers,” Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter said in a statement. “The IRS appreciates everyone’s patience during this period. The extra time will help taxpayers affected by this situation.”

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1 dead after jet blows an engine; woman nearly sucked out

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Southwest Airlines jet blew an engine at 32,000 feet and got hit by shrapnel that smashed a window, setting off a desperate scramble by passengers to save a woman from getting sucked out. She later died, and seven others were injured.

Passengers dragged the woman back in as the sudden decompression of the cabin pulled her part way through the opening, but she was gravely injured.

The pilots of the plane, a twin-engine Boeing 737 bound from New York to Dallas with 149 people aboard, took it into a rapid descent and made an emergency landing in Philadelphia as passengers using oxygen masks that dropped from the ceiling said their prayers and braced for impact.

“I just remember holding my husband’s hand, and we just prayed and prayed and prayed,” said passenger Amanda Bourman, of New York. “And the thoughts that were going through my head of course were about my daughters, just wanting to see them again and give them a big hug so they wouldn’t grow up without parents.”

The dead woman was identified as Jennifer Riordan, a Wells Fargo bank executive and mother of two from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was the first passenger killed in an accident involving a U.S. airline since 2009. The seven other victims suffered minor injuries.

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To soften image, Kim Jong Un turns spotlight to sister, wife

TOKYO (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be trying out a new tactic to boost the image of his authoritarian regime — he’s putting the spotlight on the women in his life.

Over the past few months, Kim has increasingly shared the stage with his younger sister, who became an instant celebrity as his envoy to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and his wife, a former singer in her late 20s.

For sure, there is only one star of the show in North Korea, and that is Kim himself.

But the greater public role for Kim Yo Jong, his sister, and Ri Sol Ju, his wife, comes as Kim is embarking on a “charm offensive” — a series of summits and diplomatic moves that have significantly raised his international profile. The timing suggests he’s hoping to change the optics of his regime, if not its iron-fisted domestic policies, by presenting a softer face to the outside world.

The new look may be on display again later this month, when Kim is to sit down for his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. South Korean media suggest Kim is planning to bring his wife to the April 27 meeting on the south side of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two nations.

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White House adviser apologizes for saying Haley was confused

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The new White House economic adviser apologized Tuesday to U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley after suggesting she was suffering from “momentary confusion” when she announced over the weekend that new sanctions against Russia were imminent.

Haley had fired back at Larry Kudlow, saying, “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.”

A White House official said Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, called Haley to apologize Tuesday afternoon in an effort to mend fences. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to describe private discussions.

A striking intra-administration quarrel played out in public when Kudlow told reporters during a briefing in Florida that Haley “got ahead of the curve” when she said the U.S. would be slapping new sanctions on Russia on Monday in retaliation for the country’s support for Syria’s Assad government after its latest suspected chemical attack.

Kudlow said additional sanctions are under consideration but have yet to be implemented. Of Haley, he said, “There might have been some momentary confusion about that.”

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Bill Cosby’s graphic testimony could undercut his defence

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby’s own words from 2005 might have undercut his defence on sexual-assault charges.

Prosecutors on Tuesday sought to maximize the impact of Cosby’s graphic deposition, in which he testified about his sexual encounter with chief accuser Andrea Constand and acknowledged apologizing to her mother a year later “because I’m thinking this is a dirty old man with a young girl.”

Cosby, 80, testified more than a dozen years ago as part of a civil lawsuit that Constand filed against him, and prosecutors won the right to introduce it at his sexual-assault retrial on charges he drugged and molested her at his suburban Philadelphia home.

In a transcript read to the jury, Cosby testified he believed the encounter was in 2004, undermining his defence team’s assertion that it had to have been earlier and thus outside the criminal statute of limitations. Cosby was charged in late 2015.

Cosby also testified he didn’t think Constand had come forward to collect a big payday. But his defence team has called Constand a “con artist” who set him up by levelling false accusations of sexual assault.

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DeRozan scores 37, Raptors win Game 2, beat Wizards 130-111

TORONTO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan matched his career playoff-high with 37 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 19 points and 14 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Washington Wizards 130-119 on Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.

Kyle Lowry had 13 points and a career playoff-high 12 assists as Toronto set team playoff records for points in a quarter, a half, and a game.

C.J. Miles scored 18 points, Delon Wright had 11 and Serge Ibaka 10 for the Raptors, who snapped an NBA-worst 10-game losing streak in Game 1s with a 114-106 win on Saturday.

Toronto, which made a team playoff record 16 3-pointers Saturday, connected on 12 of 32 from long range in Game 2, making only one in the second half.

John Wall scored 29 points, Mike Scott had 20 and Ty Lawson 14 for the Wizards, who host Game 3 on Friday night.

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