Apr 17, 2017

Pence warns North Korea at DMZ

Axios

Lee Jin-man / AP

Mike Pence has toured Camp Bonifas, a military base near the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, just a day after North Korea's failed missile launch and amid heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.

Pence quotes: "North Korea would do well not to test [Trump's] resolve ... all options are on the table ... the era of strategic patience is over."

Why it matters: The Trump administration is trying to send a signal that they stand with South Korea and are prepared to confront the threat from the North. Pence called the failed launch a "provocation" after arriving for the first leg of his 10-day Asia trip.

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Pelosi warns U.S. allies against working with China's Huawei

Nancy Pelosi on Feb. 16. Photo: Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday cautioned U.S. allies against allowing Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to develop their 5G networks, arguing at the Munich Security Conference that doing so is akin to “choosing autocracy over democracy," CNBC reports.

Why it matters: Pelosi's hawkish stance marks a rare area of agreement with the Trump administration, which believes Huawei is a national security threat because the Chinese government may be capable of accessing its equipment for espionage.

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Why it matters: Stone's defense team on Friday filed a sealed motion for a new trial — the second time they've done so — amid allegations of juror bias and a growing controversy over Attorney General Bill Barr's intervention in the case.

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Biden says Bloomberg's money can't "erase" his record

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Why it matters: Biden's polling free fall in the wake of poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire has coincided with a surge for Bloomberg, who appeals to a similar moderate bloc of the Democratic Party. The billionaire's limitless spending capacity poses an especially stark threat to Biden, who has struggled with fundraising.

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