Last week, President Trump discussed one of his key traits: "I like to think of myself as a very flexible person." This week, his flexibility was on full display on everything from China, to NATO to his legislative priorities:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un looks like he wants a war, meaning that this weekend's provocative posturing is much more worrisome than in the past.
Taunting Trump, Pyongyang today showed off a "Frankenmissile" — a new type of ICBM that had not been seen before.
Get smart fast: In the past, North Korea has aligned their displays of military force with significant dates. In 2014, hours after the US, South Korea and Japan held a summit to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons capability, the nation tested two midrange missiles for the first time in five years. They tested a Taepo Dong 2, its longest-range and most provocative missile, as the US celebrated Independence Day in 2006.
The bomb dropped on Afghanistan on Thursday killed 94 ISIS members, updated from the original estimation of 36 militants, government officials confirmed early Saturday morning. It was the largest and most powerful non-nuclear bomb the U.S. has ever used. The bomb hit near the Pakistan border, in the Nangarhar province, where U.S. military officials had estimated there were 600 to 800 ISIS members. The bomb struck a group of underground tunnels that the group had been using to carry out attacks against government forces in Afghanistan.
Why it matters: The bomb was deployed to fight against a remote area in Afghanistan that ISIS had taken over by mining it with explosives. Trump said in February he wanted a plan to destroy ISIS in 30 days, so eliminating some of the terrorist group's members was an important goal to achieve — even if he's nearing Day 100 of his presidency.
Trump's take: This was Trump's second major military action in one week, so many were watching closely when the news broke that the U.S. dropped this bomb on Afghanistan. He called the bombing "another very successful job," which came exactly one week after his airstrikes in Syria.
President Trump announced last night he will nominate Scott Garrett to serve as the Export-Import Bank president.
Why this matters: Garrett has openly supported closing the Ex-Im Bank, which he could now lead. He voted twice (in 2012 and 2015) to oppose the reauthorization of the Bank, which would have continued providing loans to companies that export U.S. goods.
Who is he? A former Republican lawmaker in New Jersey, serving in the House of Representatives from 2003 to Nov. 2017. He earned his law degree at Rutgers Law School.
Hundreds of marches are taking place across the country today, pressuring President Trump to release his tax returns. So far, he's stubbornly refused — first claiming that he couldn't release his tax returns because they were under audit with the IRS, then claiming nobody cared about his tax returns and finally sending Kellyanne Conway to say, "It's not going to happen."
Why they matter: The marches only work if they put enough pressure on Congressman to join the efforts in forcing Trump to release his tax returns. So far, there are three ways Dems could manage to get Trump's tax information — through the emoluments clause, subpoena or a petition.
Just this week, Trump tweeted about North Korea "asking for trouble," and offered China better trade deals if they help deal with the "North Korean problem." But the reality is that Trump has used Twitter to discuss foreign policy for years — and mostly to trash-talk other countries.
We've compiled all the tweets Trump has sent since 2013 that targeted different countries and organized them by sentiment. Here's what we found.
Data: Trump Twitter Archive; Note: Tweets from January 7, 2013-April 13, 2017; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon / Axios