North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un said Trump will "pay dearly" for his speech calling for destruction of the DPRK. Kim released a statement saying he thinks Trump's speech shows "mentally deranged behavior" and that Trump "is unfit" to serve at the "command of a country." He called Trump a "rogue and a gangster fond of playing with fire, rather than a politician."
The key line: Now that Trump's made "the most ferocious declaration of a war in history that he would destroy the DPRK, we will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history..."
Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is working on the Kurdish independence referendum now, which the U.S. opposes over fears it could destabilize Iraq and the fight against ISIS, the NYT reports.
Context: Manafort's foreign lobbying jobs in the past have gotten him in hot water: The government investigation into him began in 2014 over his consulting in the Ukraine; a new investigation opened in 2016; and the news recently surfaced that the government wiretapped him before and after the election under FISA court orders, which were reportedly part of an effort to understand foreign powers.
President Trump's executive order issuing new sanctions on North Korea sends a clear signal to foreign financial institutions that they can do business with North Korea or the U.S., "but not both," said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at the UN General Assembly Thursday. "No bank in any country should be used to facilitate Kim Jon Un's destructive behavior," he said.
Mnuchin disputed that the order targets China, North Korea's largest trading partner: "This action is directed at everyone, it is in no way specifically directed at China... we appreciate the way they're working with us."
In what he branded a "bold" and "somewhat unexpected' move, President Trump announced this afternoon that China's central bank has directed its subsidiary banks within the country's "massive banking system" to cease all business with North Korea. Trump also announced that he'd signed an executive order designed to target individuals, companies, and financial institutions that do business with North Korea.
Sean Spicer told ABC News' Paula Faris that he knows he "made mistakes" while serving under the Trump administration, but said some people have gone too far in criticizing him for them, such as by "questioning his integrity" and calling him a liar.
Kimmel's big quote: "This morning, the senators sat for an interview with Chris Cuomo, CNN, and pulled the 'all comedians are dummies' card... Oh, I get it, I don't understand because I'm a talk show host, right? Well, then help me out. Which part don't I understand? The part where you cut $243 billion from federal health-care assistance?... Or could it be, Sen. Cassidy, the problem is that I do understand and you got caught with your G-O-Penis out? Is that possible? Because it feels like it is."
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Wednesday that Trump's strategy for the war in Afghanistan is better than Barack Obama's was, per Reuters. The winning points, per Ghani:
Trump wants a regional approach
Trump wants a harder line with Pakistan
Ghani also pointed out Obama didn't have former Afghan President Hamid Karzai on board with U.S. plans
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Bloomberg's John Micklethwait Wednesday that he has had several conversations with both the U.S. and Russia regarding how to handle the crisis in Syria. Erdogan said nothing came of repeated talks with the U.S. under the Obama administration, but with Russia there have been tangible results.
Why it matters: The U.S. and Russia, which is allied with the Assad regime, have different visions for a post-war Syria.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has sent the White House a request for documents pertaining to some of President Trump's most controversial moves in office, per a report from The New York Times. The news suggests that at least part of the Russia probe is focused directly on Trump's time as president.
What Mueller wants: Trump's meeting with high-ranking Russian officials in the Oval Office the day after Comey's firing; the events leading to the firing of Michael Flynn; and the White House's response to questions from NYT about Donald Trump Jr.'s Trump Tower meeting with Russian officials.
