North Korea said on Saturday that it would "counter the U.S." if military exercises were conducted, and the U.S. will "own all responsibilities for the ensuing consequences," Reuters reports.

Why it matters: Per Reuters, the U.S. and South Korea plan to start joint exercises in April. North Korea said through KCNA that drills "would harm reconciliation efforts," and that the regime will not "beg for dialogue" with the U.S.

• Go deeper: U.S. Marines are training to fight in cold weather, with eyes on North Korea.

The Secret Service responded after a man shot himself near the north fence line of the White House on Saturday afternoon. Per their Twitter, no other injuries were reported and medical personnel responded.

President Trump is not at the residence, but was briefed on the situation. White House personnel were instructed to shelter in place, according to radio station WTOP.

The NRA has gotten something right: it's extremely effective in pushing its message onto as many platforms, and in front of as many people, as possible.

How they do it: They aren't using traditional tactics, like knocking on doors or making cold calls to get their message across. The NRA's official app, NRA-ILA, is used by tens of thousands of people. Through push notifications and in-app reminders, users (who aren't necessarily NRA members) are encouraged to call their representatives, post on social media, and donate. Thomas Peters, the founder of uCampaign which created the app, told Axios it's a "tremendous success."

On one side: Jordan Birnholtz, co-founder of political engagement start-up the Tuesday Company, told Axios the NRA app is "indicative of where a lot of prospective online activism is going."

• The Tuesday Company created Team, which is used to organize volunteering for Democratic and progressive campaigns and causes. While not identical, the two share a similar goal of organizing online activism.

Peters says the app isn't just for taking action — although there have been millions of "real-life actions" taken since its creation. NRA-ILA is also a community:

• The app is also used as a "parallel news structure that people go to when they're trying to figure out what the facts are, because they typically don't trust a lot of the Facebook algorithms and gate keepers," Peters said.

President Trump tweeted on Saturday afternoon that if the European Union increases tariffs on U.S. companies, the U.S. will apply "a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S."

Why it matters: This is what you'd call a trade war. This has been the primary concern since Trump announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum this week. But per Axios' Mike Allen and Jonathan Swan, tariffs are what Trump has wanted and now he's feeling like a man of steel.

South Africa's parliament voted 241-83 on a motion that would allow land to be transferred from white to black land owners without financial compensation, the Independent reports.

Why it matters: Ramaphosa, said he wanted to resolve racial disparities in land ownership "once and for all," per the Independent. The motion was opposed by the Democratic Alliance party, which argues this will "undermine property rights and scare off potential investors."

"Can Venezuela Be Saved? As a nation unwinds, Leopoldo López, the opposition’s most prominent leader, sits under house arrest and contemplates what might still be possible," by Wil S. Hylton.

Why he matters: "[H]e has become the most prominent political prisoner in Latin America, if not the world. His case has been championed by just about every human rights organization on earth."

• "López was arrested in February 2014 after leading a public protest that turned violent. ... Before his arrest, he was among the most prominent and popular opposition leaders in Venezuela. Polling suggested that he could defeat President Nicolás Maduro, the unpopular successor to Hugo Chávez."
• "The Venezuelan government routinely disparages him as a right-wing reactionary from the ruling class who wants to reverse the social progress of chavismo and restore the landed aristocracy; the Venezuelan right, meanwhile, considers López a neo-Marxist, whose proposal to distribute the country’s oil wealth among the people would only deepen the chavista agenda."
• Update: "Since the publication of this article, armed guards from the Venezuelan intelligence service have raided and occupied the residence of Leopoldo López. Members of the Venezuelan National Assembly gathered in front of the house, along with local media and citizens, to protest the invasion and threats by the Venezuelan government that López will be returned to military prison."
• Worthy of your time.

The Kennedy Center, trying to shed an image of white elitism in a largely black city, is embracing hip-hop culture in a major way, AP's Ashraf Khalil reports:

• "The center has gradually introduced rap music into its programming, with rappers like Nas and Kendrick Lamar performing with the National Symphony Orchestra."
• "Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest has been named artistic director for hip-hop culture. Last year, LL Cool J became the first rapper inducted into the elite ranks of Kennedy Center Honors recipients."
• A full-time staffer, Simone Eccleston, is director of the new hip-hop culture department.
• As far back as 2008, rapper Mos Def performed at the Kennedy Center, sneaking in as part of the jazz programing.

"Inside the building, staffers refer to the traditional programming staples by the acronym SOB: symphony, opera and ballet. President Deborah Rutter acknowledged that the shift has sparked some concern among what she called 'the dyed-in-the-wool, I only want to hear "La Traviata"' audience."

• Pianist Jason Moran, the center's artistic director for jazz, laughingly recalls a moment before Lamar's 2015 performance when a member of Lamar's team asked, 'Who's coming to this thing, man?'"

Roy Moore, former U.S. Senate candidate in Alabama, is asking for help to pay his legal bills as he fights Leigh Corfman in court, a woman who claims she was molested by Moore when she was 14.

Why it matters: Moore's loss in Alabama was a historic one — a Democrat took a senate seat in a deeply red state, after nine women accused Roy Moore of sexual misconduct. Moore has raised $32,000 of a requested $250,000, the AP reports.