Jan 29, 2019 - World

Report: Russia proposed building North Korea a nuclear power plant

Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June 2018. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS via Getty Images

U.S. intelligence officials say Russia made a secret proposal to North Korea last fall —dismantle its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in exchange for a nuclear power plant, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: This marks yet another example of an emboldened Russia intervening publicly and privately in key global hotspots, often in direct conflict with U.S. interests. Earlier Tuesday, Russia doubled down on its criticism of the Trump administration's latest round of sanctions against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, for whom Russia has expressed continuing support.

Go deeper: Coats contradicts Trump: North Korea unlikely to give up nukes

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 12,128,406 — Total deaths: 551,552 — Total recoveries — 6,650,675 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4:30 p.m. ET: 3,088,913 — Total deaths: 132,934 — Total recoveries: 953,420 — Total tested: 36,979,745 — Map.
  3. Public health: More young people are spreading the virus — Cases rise in 33 states — Florida reports highest single-day death toll since pandemic began.
  4. Science: World Health Organization acknowledges airborne transmission of coronavirus.
  5. 1 🐂 thing: How the world could monitor for potential pandemic animal viruses.
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Alison Snyder
2 hours ago - Science

More young people are getting — and spreading — the coronavirus

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

More young people are being infected with the coronavirus, and even though they're less likely to die from it, experts warn the virus' spread among young adults may further fuel outbreaks across the United States.

Why it matters: Some people in their 20s and 30s face serious health complications from COVID-19, and a surge in cases among young people gives the virus a bigger foothold, increasing the risk of infection for more vulnerable people.

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Jacob Knutson
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Joint Chiefs chairman condemns Confederate symbols

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley criticized Confederate symbols before the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, and called the Civil War an "act of treason."

Why it matters: Milley said that minority service members — which he noted make up 43% of the U.S. military — may feel uncomfortable that Army bases are named for Confederate generals who "fought for an institution of slavery that may have enslaved one of their ancestors."

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