Rodman gives North Korean official Trump's 'Art of the Deal'

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, on low-key return to Pyongyang, has given the North Korean sports minister a copy of President Donald Trump's book "The Art of the Deal."

It wasn't signed by Trump, who was Rodman's boss for two seasons of the "Celebrity Apprentice" reality TV show.

Rodman's arrival on Tuesday came just hours after the North decided to release Otto Warmbier, an American university student who had been imprisoned for 15 years with hard labor for trying to steal a propaganda banner.

Warmbier, who had been confined for 17 months, has apparently fallen into a coma not long after his confinement began. Pyongyang said Thursday saying it decided to let him go for "humanitarian reasons."

Officials in Washington and Pyongyang said Rodman played no role in the release.