Wednesday morning news: June 6, 2018

Guatemala death toll at 69 » AUDIO: Sound of funeral

Thousands of mourners in a funeral procession for victims of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala.

GODINEZ: [Speaking in Spanish] 

Jose Godinez with Guatemala’s disaster agency updating reporters on recovery efforts. The death toll in Sunday’s unexpected eruption now near 70 and recovery teams expect it to rise.

AUDIO: Sound of recovery workers

Workers have pulled dozens of ash-covered bodies from the debris.

Electricity remains out in many areas around the Fuego volcano— hampering recovery efforts.

Kim Jong Un fires military advisers » North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has fired his top three military advisers just days before the June 12th denuclearization summit in Singapore.

Analysts say it’s difficult to interpret the move— it could be that Kim wants more loyal aides willing to go along with his pledge to scrap North Korea’s nuclear program— or a sign of how strongly the military opposes it, which would limit how far Kim can go.

But White House National Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow is optimistic. 

KUDLOW: This is breathtakingly important in terms of world affairs and of course in Asia and the Korean Peninsula. It could have a terrific ending. 

That summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un now set for a week from tomorrow.

Special counsel accuses Manafort of witness tampering » Federal prosecutors say former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort attempted to tamper with witnesses and get them to lie in his money laundering case.

They say he contacted the witnesses through an encrypted messaging app and called them on the phone while under house arrest. The witnesses turned the messages over to prosecutors.

Manafort also faces charges of making false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukrainian interests. None of the charges relate to the Trump campaign or Russian election interference.

Trump doubles down on kneeling controversy » AUDIO: …Into the endzone. Zach Ertz for the touchdown! 

The Philadelphia Eagles won last year’s Super Bowl— but they did not celebrate at the White House Tuesday.

President Trump canceled the traditional event— it now the latest victim of the controversy over NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. 

The decision came after the Eagles organization informed the White House only about half of the team would attend, some players saying they didn’t want to part of a “photo op” with Trump. 

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement, “Disinviting them from the White House only proves that our president is not a true patriot, but a fragile egomaniac obsessed with crowd size.” 

Instead of the Eagles’ visit, the White House hosted a “Celebration of America” event, featuring the Marine Corps band playing the national anthem. 

Miss America Pagent drops swimsuit competition » AUDIO: Miss America theme song

That, of course, the Miss America theme song. But something will be missing from this year’s pageant. 

Officials have announced they’re axing the swimsuit competition, telling contestants—quote— “we’re not going to judge you on your outward appearance.” 

The swimsuit competition and evening gown appearances by contestants have come under fire in recent years as sexist.

I’m Jim Henry. Up next: Washington Wednesday. And later, Janie Cheaney on the meaning of life. This is The World and Everything in It.

(AP Photo/Luis Soto) A girl peers into the camera as she carries flowers to the cemetery during the funeral procession for seven people who died during the eruption of the Volcan del Fuego, which in Spanish means Volcano of Fire, in San Juan Alotenango, Guatemala, Monday, June 4, 2018.

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