Apr 26, 2017

WH considers labeling North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism

Shannon Vavra

Wong Maye-E / AP

A senior White House official said the U.S. is considering adding North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism, per Reuters.

The club: North Korea would be joining Iran, Sudan, and Syria. It was de-listed as a state sponsor in 2008 after agreeing to scale back its nuclear program.

Context: Defense Secretary Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, DNI Dan Coats, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Joesph Dunford are briefing Senators in at the White House today on North Korea.

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Orion Rummler

America's dwindling executions

The Trump administration wants to reboot federal executions, pointing to a 16-year lapse, but Pew Research reports the government has only executed three people since 1963.

The big picture: Nearly all executions in the U.S. are done by states. Even those have been steadily dropping for two decades, per the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) — marking a downward trend for all executions in the country.

Go deeperArrow42 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Jonathan Swan, Margaret Talev

Top NSC official may be moved after "Anonymous" rumor fallout

President Trump at the Daytona 500. (Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Top Trump administration officials are in discussions to reassign deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates to the Department of Energy from the National Security Council, per two sources familiar with the planning.

Why it matters: Coates' working relationship with National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, who elevated her to the deputy role only months ago, has strained amid an effort by some people inside the administration to tag her as "Anonymous" — a charge she has vehemently denied to colleagues.

Go deeperArrow59 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Orion Rummler

Jeff Bezos commits $10 billion for climate change research

Bezos at Amazon Smbhav in New Delhi on Jan. 15. Photo: Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced the launch of his "Earth Fund" on Monday via Instagram to fund climate change research and awareness.

What he's saying: Bezos says he's initially committing $10 billion to fund "scientists, activists, and NGOS" that are working on environmental preservation and protection efforts.

Go deeperArrow1 hour ago - Energy & Environment