District Judge Amy Berman Jackson chastised Paul Manafort on Monday for ghost-writing an op-ed for a Ukranian newspaper, told him not discuss his case with the media, and warned that any similar behavior moving forward will be considered a violation of his gag order, per Reuters.
What didn't happen: Despite Mueller's team arguing that the op-ed is grounds to deny Manafort's request to post $11.65 million in exchange for taking him off house arrest, Jackson said she will determine whether to ease those restrictions at a later date.
"North Korea is moving steadily to acquire the essential machinery that could potentially be used for an advanced bioweapons program," the WashPost's Joby Warrick reports atop column 1.
Why it matters: "The gains have alarmed U.S. analysts, who say North Korea — which has doggedly pursued weapons of mass destruction of every other variety — could quickly surge into industrial-scale production of biological pathogens if it chooses to do so."
With President Trump's announcement on Jerusalem lighting up the Middle East, Vice President Mike Pence embarks Saturday on his first trip to Israel since taking national office.
The vice president will be gone for a week, with stops in Egypt and Germany:
Vice President Pence's office has called the decision by Palestinian officials not to meet with Pence on his visit to the region "unfortunate. The Palestinians are refusing to meet with Pence over President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The statement:
"The Vice President very much looks forward to traveling to the region to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President el-Sisi. It’s unfortunate that the Palestinian Authority is walking away again from an opportunity to discuss the future of the region, but the Administration remains undeterred in its efforts to help achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians and our peace team remains hard at work putting together a plan."
