1. Trump on North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un: ‘You Gotta Give Him Credit’
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump appeared to praise North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying at a rally Saturday that “it’s incredible” how he was able to dispatch his political opponents.
Trump called Jong-Un a “maniac” during remarks about North Korea’s nuclear program during a rally at Ottumwa, Iowa, but conceded, “You gotta give him credit.”
“How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals, and all of a sudden … he goes in, he takes over, and he’s the boss,” Trump said. “It’s incredible. He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one. I mean this guy doesn’t play games. And we can’t play games with him.”
2. 24-Year-Old Arrested in String of Southeast Jewelry Store Robberies to Appear in Court Monday
The FBI released these photos on Jan. 5, 2016, of the suspect wanted in connection with several jewelry store thefts.
A young woman arrested by the FBI in connection with a string of jewelry store robberies across the Southeast is scheduled to make her initial court appearance Monday, a spokeswoman for the FBI office in Jacksonville, Florida, said.
Abigail Lee Kemp, 24, was arrested without incident Friday in Smyrna, Georgia, following tips from the public, the FBI said.
The Jewelers’ Security Alliance reported the total losses from the six robberies as more than $4 million at retail.
3. Oregon Refuge Occupiers Send Armed Group Away; Community Wants Them All Gone
A man stands guard after members of the “3% of Idaho” group along with several other organizations arrived at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016.
They rolled up in a long convoy of pickup trucks and utility vehicles — members of Idaho’s 3 Percent group and the Pacific Patriot Network. Heavily armed, assault rifles at the ready, they waded into the dwindling number of media and others at the entrance of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge headquarters Saturday and took over a press conference arranged by the group occupying the reserve in southeastern Oregon, led by Ammon Bundy.
It’s the latest in a series of conflicts or missteps between groups pressing different causes that have been drawn to the refuge. Earlier this week there was a fistfight between rival groups seeking attention or a way to press their own case for change.
“We are here to create a safety buffer,” 3 Percent leader Brandon Curtiss told the media, but not long after that, Curtiss and his followers came back from inside the reserve and left, after being told they were not needed.
4. The Story Behind This Young Couple’s Hospital Photo That’s Going Viral
Arika Stovall posted this photo on her Facebook page after she and her boyfriend, Hunter Hanks, survived a car crash.
This photo captures the moment Arika Stovall and her boyfriend, Hunter Hanks, were reunited in a Tennessee hospital hours after a car crash — a snapshot that has since been shared more than 79,000 times on Facebook.
The two were driving from Jacksonville, Florida, home to Nashville, when their car crashed New Year’s Day near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Stovall told ABC News today. Hanks, 21, was driving while Stovall, also 21, slept, she said.
At the hospital, Stovall and Hanks kept asking the doctors and nurses to see each other — because the last time Hanks saw her she was asleep in the car, and the last time she saw him was when she looked over at him after the crash and he wasn’t responding, she explained.
“I just needed to talk to him and make sure he was OK,” she said.
5. Duchess Kate Celebrates 34th Birthday
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the Anna Freud Centre Family School Christmas Party at Anna Freud Centre on Dec. 15, 2015 in London.>>The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her 34th birthday Saturday in Norfolk, England, at her Anmer Hall home with Prince William.
Kensington Palace has not released any information about Kate’s birthday plans other than to say it will be a “private celebration.” Kate’s sister and brother, Pippa Middleton and James Middleton, just returned from a holiday in St. Barts on Thursday so it is likely Kate will share her birthday at some point with them.