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National

North Korea insisted that denuclearization has "already gone out of the negotiating table" on Saturday, in a statement from the country's ambassador to the United Nations.

The big picture: Denuclearization talks between the two countries have not achieved anything concrete since President Trump and Kim Jong-un signed a four-point peace plan last year — which was vague on the process of denuclearization.

"We'll see about North Korea. I'd be surprised if North Korea acted hostilely. I have a very good relationship with Kim Jong-un. I think we both want to keep it that way. He knows I have an election coming up, I don't think he wants to interfere with that."

"The relationship is very good but, you know, there is certain hostility, there's no question about it. I don't know that his relationship with South Korea is very good, but we're going to find out."

Trump said on Saturday when asked by reporters about North Korea's statement 

Go deeper: North Korea calls U.S. position in denuclearization talks "sickening"

North Korea: Denuclearization talks are off the table

President Trump said he'd be surprised if North Korea acted hostilely on Saturday.

This image is a close-up of Kim Jong Un. 

Kim Jong-un. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

World

North Korea

Deep Dive: The coming health care collision

Illustration of a man in a wheelchair with a red cross symbol to his left

Health Care

Deep Dive - Health Care in 2020

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The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

The way the Democratic candidates talk about "Medicare for All" has shifted and sharpened over the course of the campaign — and Medicare for All has gotten less popular in the process.

The state of play: When Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced his "Medicare for All" bill in 2017, all of his likely 2020 rivals in the Senate signed on as cosponsors, and many Democrats treated Medicare for All as a catch-all or a loosely defined goal.

Sanders hasn't changed at all. He has tweaked the details of what his plan covers, but still makes the same forceful case for a national plan with no copays, deductibles, premiums or coverage limitations — paid for by tax increases.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren still backs Sanders' version of the national health plan, but has said she would pursue a public option first, then a full-scale single-payer program later.

Pete Buttigieg has long supported a public option, not Medicare for All, though his criticism of single-payer has gotten more aggressive as he (and Warren) have climbed in the polls.

Joe Biden also has a clear position on Medicare for All: He's against it. He, too, prefers a public option. "The party's not there. The party's not there at all," he told "Axios on HBO."

Why it matters: This is the defining debate of the Democratic primary — and it's a fight that Sanders and Biden, at least, are eager to have.

Yes, but: The powerful health care industry, particularly hospitals, opposes a public option almost as fiercely as it opposes single-payer, and would fight it just as hard in Congress, with just as much help from Republicans.

Democrats are divided over what to fight for, but it would be a fight no matter what.

Special report: The coming health care collision

Democrats' divide on Medicare for All

This is the defining debate of the primary — and it's a fight that Sanders and Biden are eager to have.

Photo illustration of Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Kamala Harris

Photo Illustration: Sarah Grillo. Photos: David McNew/Getty Images, Drew Angerer/Getty Images, Ethan Miller/Getty Images, and Zach Gibson/Getty Images

Politics

The Affordable Care Act is no longer the center of the national political debate, for the first time in nearly a decade. But it could quickly come roaring back to the fore.

What we're watching: A federal appeals court is set to rule any day now on whether the ACA's individual mandate is unconstitutional (yes, that again) — and, if so, how much of the rest of the law would have to fall along with it.

Why it matters: During oral arguments over the summer, the three-judge panel seemed likely to strike down at least some of the ACA.

That would put popular policies, like guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions, back on the chopping block and thus back at the center of the health care debate.

A ruling ultimately striking down the entire law — the outcome the Trump administration is arguing for — would have even bigger ramifications, upending more technical parts of the ACA.

The FDA would have to stop approving certain kinds of drugs, for example, and changes to Medicare, including new powers the Trump administration has relied on, would go away.

What's next: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals could rule any time. If it upholds the health care law (which would be a surprise), there's a good chance that could be the end of all this.

But if that court strikes down any part of it, get ready for another big battle at the Supreme Court.

The return of the ACA wars

A federal appeals court is set to rule any day now on whether the individual mandate is unconstitutional.

Illustration of a judge reading over a legal document surrounded by x's

The House Judiciary Committee reassessed what the Constitution considers impeachable offenses on Saturday, two days after Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly pushed the impeachment inquiry forward.

Why it matters: The committee is in charge of drafting articles of impeachment against the president, unless another specially selected committee is chosen. House rules on impeachment are largely based on precedent — and President Trump's impeachment is the new model.

In its report released Saturday, the committee says the Constitution's framers intended impeachment to be invoked for (1) abuse of power, (2) betrayal of the nation through foreign entanglements, and (3) corruption of office and elections.

House Democrats are also taking the position that "attempted" presidential wrongdoing is impeachable. This is notable in light of the House's investigation into why Trump withheld Ukraine's military aid — considering aid did ultimately reach Ukraine.

Between the lines: The Constitution's standards for impeachable offenses like "high crimes and misdemeanors" are not defined within the document — leaving them open to legal analysis.

What else they're saying: The Judicial House majority believes that impeachment was seen as especially necessary by the founders for presidential conduct "corrupting" the U.S. "system of political self-government" — and that concern is focused in two contexts: 

The risk a president "would be swayed to prioritize foreign over domestic interests."

The risk that they "would place their personal interest in re-election above our abiding commitment to democracy."

What to expect from the next phase of impeachment

Read: WH declines to take part in first Judiciary impeachment hearing

House updates its guide for impeachment

President Trump's impeachment is setting new precedent for how the process works.

In this image, Trump stands in front of a podium with the seal of the President on it 

President Trump at the 97th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 05. Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Donald Trump impeachment

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Axios AM

Brian Hook, the State Department special representative for Iran, boarded a military plane at Andrews Air Force Base Friday night and flew to Zurich, where Saturday he swapped an Iranian scientist for an American student who'd been captive in Iran.

The latest: Iranian officials handed over Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang, 38, detained in Tehran since 2016 on what the U.S. says are false charges, for scientist Massoud Soleimani, who faced a federal trial in Georgia.

A senior administration official told me how it went down:

National security adviser Robert O'Brien had worked on the case in his previous job as the State Department's chief hostage negotiator.

The final flurry happened over the past few weeks after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo learned from the Justice Department that Soleimani was about to be released. Pompeo told Hook: "We may be able to move on this case. Let's reach out and see."

Iran, convulsed by what the N.Y. Times calls its "worst unrest in 40 years," has faced international condemnation for a crackdown that the U.S. says has killed at last hundreds.

After the swap, Hook and Wang flew to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Hook was to return soon. Wang will follow when doctors approve.

Behind the scenes: As soon as the swap happened, administration officials called the families of other Americans held in Iran to share the news, and tell them that they're still working on their cases.

What they're saying: The official said President Trump has made a huge priority of getting American hostages home, and added that this was done with "no sanctions released, no pallets of cash, no change in policy."

Go deeper: U.S. graduate student released from Iran

How a big prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran unfolded

An official said Trump has made a huge priority of getting American hostages home.

Brian Hook stands with Xiyue Wang in Zurich today. Photo: State Department via AP

Iran

An American graduate student imprisoned in Tehran since 2016 was released on Saturday in exchange for an Iranian stem cell researcher held in the U.S., the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Iran may have released American Xiyue Wang to distract from its recent wave of protests and the government's harsh response, the Times writes. The U.S. estimates around 1,000 Iranians died as a result of the mass clashes.

The state of play: Wang, a Princeton University graduate student, was conducting research when he was arrested in Iran for two espionage charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison, the Washington Post notes.

Masoud Soleimani was arrested in Chicago last year and convicted of violating U.S. trade sanctions against Iran, per the Post. He was expected to be released as soon as next month, regardless of the prisoner swap. 

The big picture: At least five Americans are still being held in Iran as prisoners, but the exact number isn't known, per the Post.

What they're saying: Officials in Iran and the U.S. assert the two researchers are completely innocent and are collateral damage as tensions between the countries increase, the Post reports.

In a White House statement confirming the swap, President Trump said: "Freeing Americans held captive is of vital importance to my Administration, and we will continue to work hard to bring home all our citizens wrongfully held captive overseas." 

“Our family is complete once again. Our son Shaofan and I have waited three long years for this day and it’s hard to express in words how excited we are to be reunited with Xiyue. We are thankful to everyone who helped make this happen.”

Go deeper: Iranian government meets growing protests with harsher crackdown

U.S. graduate student released from Iran

Xiyue Wang, a Princeton graduate student, had been imprisoned in Iran since 2016.

Now should be their time in life to grab the reins, but when it comes to the 2020 presidential field, Generation X candidates are becoming an endangered species.

The big picture: All the frontrunners in the still-crowded Democratic field are either Millennials (Pete Buttigieg, 37), Baby Boomers (Elizabeth Warren, 70), or products of the Silent Generation (Joe Biden, 77, and Bernie Sanders, 78). 

At 73, President Donald Trump is one of America's oldest boomers. 

Driving the news: The departures of Kamala Harris (55) and Steve Bullock (53) this week from the Democratic nominating contest are just the latest examples of the failures of Gen X to gain traction.

Beto O'Rourke (47), Kirsten Gillibrand (52), Tim Ryan (46), and Seth Moulton (41) are earlier casualties.

Hanging in the contest but at 3% or lower in national polls: Gen Xers Cory Booker (50), Julián Castro (45), Andrew Yang (44) and Michael Bennet (55). (Amy Klobuchar, 59, and John Delaney, 56, are boomers. Tulsi Gabbard, 38, is one of the oldest Millennials.)

Harris was born in October 1964, and Bennet in November 1964, on the bubble between Gen X and boomer, but culturally they have more in common with the experiences of Gen X.

What's next: Two late entrants, who jumped in last month after concluding the Democratic field just might not have what it takes, are either boomers (Deval Patrick, 63) or from the Silent Generation (Mike Bloomberg, 77).

Bloomberg and another candidate, boomer Tom Steyer (62), are billionaires, so they can afford to stay in the race until the convention regardless of polling.

By the numbers: Generation X generally describes people born 1965-80 — putting them between the ages of 39 and 54 — per the Pew Research Center. 

Reality bites? Gen X presidential candidates becoming biggest losers

The presidential frontrunners are all Millennials, Baby Boomers or of the Silent Generation.

Axios

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