May 16, 2018 - World

North Korea to leave talks if U.S. pushes nuclear program

Photo: Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images

North Korea will pull out the June 12 summit with President Trump if it is "based on 'one-sided' demands to give up nuclear weapons," the Associated Press reports.

Why it matters: This comes after reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to pull out of the summit with Trump in Singapore over U.S.-South Korean military drills. Reuters reported Tuesday night that North Korea said it would "never engage in economic trade with the U.S. in exchange for giving up its nuclear program."

What they're saying: On Tuesday, North Korea's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Han Tae Song, told the Conference of Disarmament the regime "will join international disarmament efforts for a total ban on nuclear tests," per Reuters.

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Hans Nichols
2 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Biden's doctrine: Erase Trump, re-embrace the world

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto, and Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Foreign policy will look drastically different if Joe Biden defeats President Trump in November, advisers tell Axios — starting with a Day One announcement that the U.S. is re-entering the Paris Climate Agreement and new global coordination of the coronavirus response.

The big picture: If Trump's presidency started the "America First" era of withdrawal from global alliances, Biden's team says his presidency would be the opposite: a re-engagement with the world and an effort to rebuild those alliances — fast.

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Gigi Sukin
12 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Robert Mueller speaks out on Roger Stone commutation

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill on Wednesday July 24, 2019. Photo: The Washington Post / Contributor

Former special counsel Robert Mueller responded to claims from President Trump and his allies that Roger Stone was a "victim" in the Justice Department's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, writing in a Washington Post op-ed published Saturday: "He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so."

Why it matters: The rare public comments by Mueller come on the heels of President Trump's move to commute the sentence of his longtime associate, who was sentenced in February to 40 months in prison for crimes stemming from the Russia investigation. The controversial decision brought an abrupt end to the possibility of Stone spending time behind bars.

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Jacob Knutson
13 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump dons face mask during Walter Reed visit

Trump wearing a face mask in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on July 11. Photo: Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump wore a face mask during his Saturday visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to AP.

Why it matters: This is the first known occasion the president has appeared publicly with a facial covering as recommended by health officials since the coronavirus pandemic began, AP writes.

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