Dennis Rodman (Wikipedia)
Dennis Rodman is in North Korea's capital for a visit he hopes will "open a door" for his former "Celebrity Apprentice" boss -- President Donald Trump.
The past Detroit Pistons star is one of the few people to know both of the nuclear-armed leaders, Eric Talmadge of the Associated Press writes from Pyongyang, North Korea. His dispatch also says:
Rodman's arrival in Pyongyang was relatively low-key and his schedule remained a mystery. . . . Officials said Rodman was to stay until Saturday. . . .
"I'm pretty sure he's pretty much happy with the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need," Rodman said in Beijing when asked if Trump was aware of the trip. . . .
Hours after his arrival, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that North Korea had released an American student serving a 15-year prison term with hard labor for alleged anti-state acts. It wasn't immediately clear whether the release was connected to Rodman's visit.
Original post, Monday evening:
Anything goes in foreign diplomacy these days, it seems.
And speaking of anything goes, ex-Detroit Piston and Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman is going to North Korea and is expected to arrive Tuesday, CNN reports, citing two unnamed officials in that country.
CNN spotted Rodman, 56, at Beijing International Airport, where he declined to answer questions.
The visit comes as the U.S. and North Korea continue to have a very tense relationship. The trip's purpose is unknown.
Rodman played for the Pistons from 1986-93. He finished his NBA career in 2000 with the Dallas Mavericks.
He was a contestant on Donald Trump's reality TV show "Celebrity Apprentice." He's one of the only Americans to have met current North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, CNN notes. He made trips to North Korea in 2013.
