Sep 19, 2017

How war with North Korea would unfold

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser / Axios

President Donald Trump today pledged to "destroy" North Korea if it doesn't back down from its pursuit of a nuclear missile program. Speaking of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump said "Rocket man [Kim Jong Un] is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime."

So we asked four experts if there are any military options in North Korea that wouldn't lead to immediate catastrophe:

Daniel Russel, diplomat in residence at Asia Society Policy Institute: The possibility of a warning shot
Du Hyeogn Cha, visiting research fellow at Asan Institute for Policy Studies: Keeping the military option open
Jonathan Pollack, senior fellow at Brookings' Center for East Asia Policy: There are no easy answers
Adam Mount, senior fellow at Center for American Progress: Don't start a war

Go deeper

Axios

World coronavirus updates: London mayor says U.K. a week away from worst of virus

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered hope in the fight against the novel coronavirus, saying she believes New Zealand has "turned a corner" after two weeks of strict lockdown measures. But London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said the U.K. is "nowhere near" lifting restrictions.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed over 82,000 people and infected 1.4 million others globally as of early Wednesday, per Johns Hopkins data. Global recoveries have surpassed 301,000. Spain has reported the most cases outside the U.S. (more than 141,000) and Italy the most deaths (over 17,000). Half the planet's population is on lockdown.

Go deeperUpdated 6 mins ago - Health

Stef W. Kight

Wisconsin may be the start of the 2020 election wars

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Wisconsin voters braving lines in face masks — after a last-minute Supreme Court ruling against extending the absentee deadline — could foreshadow a nationwide legal struggle over how to conduct elections during the coronavirus outbreak, election experts say.

Why it matters: "It's a harbinger of what's to come in the next skirmishes in the voting wars" from now through November, Richard Hasen, a professor and national election law expert at the University of California, Irvine, told Axios.

Go deeper12 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Rebecca Falconer

New Zealand sets sights on coronavirus elimination after 2 weeks of lockdown

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gives a coronavirus media update at the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington. Photo: Mark Mitchell - Pool/Getty Images

AUCKLAND -- New Zealand has flattened the curve of novel coronavirus cases after two weeks of lockdown and the next phase is to "squash it," Professor Shaun Hendy, who heads a scientific body advising the government on COVID-19, told Axios.

Why it matters: The country imposed 14 days ago some of the toughest restrictions in the world in response to the pandemic, despite confirming only 102 cases and no deaths at the time.

Go deeper59 mins ago - Health