KOREANS bow to statues of former leaders of North Korea –Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il (Wikipedia photo).

President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet in May, an unexpected development in a acidic relationship between the hermit Communist nation and the United States.

Supporters of the meeting, including South Korean president Moon Jae-In, are hoping that this potential warming of relations could lead toward banning nuclear weapons from the peninsula.

Other proponents have suggested that this meeting represents victory in Trump’s war of words with Jung Un. Skeptics worry that it’s merely an opportunity to show that country on a par with the most powerful nation on Earth.

North Korea – officially the Democratic Republic of Korea – has one of the largest armies in the world. The U.S. posts 28,500 troops in South Korea – officially the Republic of Korea – and has another 50,000 in Japan.

“Pharma Bro” sentenced to seven years for fraud

Martin Shkeri, the notorious “Pharma Bro” accused of raising the cost of some medicines to exorbitant levels, was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison Thursday for securities fraud.

Shkeri cried after U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto pronounced the sentence. He was earlier convicted in 2017 of lying to investors in two unsuccessful hedge funds.

FLORIDA’S governor is expected to sign on Friday a bill raising the age limit for purchasing a rifle from 18 to 21 (Flickr)

School safety bill goes to Fla. Governor

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is expected to pass a $400 million school safety bill prompted by the Feb. 14 massacre at a high school in south Florida what resulted in the death of 17 people.

If signed into law, the new measure would raise the minimum age for buying a rifle from 18 to 21 years old, create a three-day waiting period for long guns and prohibit “bump stocks” that make a semi-automatic weapons fire at a much faster rate.

The governor doesn’t support arming teachers, but want $500 million to put at least one law enforcement officer in each school.

Sports: Ducks plucked in Nashville

Overnight sports results of interests to Trib readers.

• Nashville Predators 4, Anaheim Ducks 2: Despite two goals by Rickard Rakell, the Preds won their 10th straight.
• Los Angeles Kings 3, Washington Capitals 1: Trevor Lewis scored the winning goal as the Kings moved to within one point in the NHL Pacific.