Axios

Three Americans being held in North Korea have reportedly been released from labor camps and are "getting health treatment and ideological education" ahead of a planned summit between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, per the Financial Times. However, a State Department official told Axios they can not confirm the reports.

The details: Kim Dong-cheol, Kim Sang-deok, and Kim Hak-seong were reportedly released in early April, according Choi Sung-ryong, the country’s "most vocal campaigner for South Korean abductees," per FT. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is also "believed to have discussed the issue" when he traveled to North Korea on Easter weekend.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a statement from the State Department.

U.S. policy has long strived to prevent an Israeli–Iranian war. This is largely what motivated nuclear diplomacy with Iran, culminating in the 2015 nuclear deal, formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

So when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu took to the cameras on Monday to denounce Iran and its past behavior — something he has done for nearly two decades — it was, in the words of Yogi Berra, déjà vu all over again.

Why it matters: Although talking about Iranian nukes could bolster Netanyahu’s domestic support as he navigates corruption scandals, his maneuver is fraught with risks. If Netanyahu succeeds in his gambit to persuade President Trump to terminate the JCPOA, the guardrails preventing the development of an Iranian bomb — and further Israeli–Iranian confrontation — will disappear, too.

Tomorrow, a seven person U.S. trade delegation will arrive in Beijing to begin discussions over the U.S.-China trade imbalance and its concerns with China’s state-led push to dominate advanced technology.

The bottom line: With the threat of $150 billion in U.S. tariffs looming, the stakes for both sides are high, and no clear path exists toward a negotiated settlement. Both the U.S. and Chinese leaders see trade as a question of national renewal and preeminence. It’s America First meets China, Inc., and something’s gotta give.

A Defense Department spokesman said Wednesday that certain stores serving American military personnel will no longer sell electronics from ZTE and Huawei, two major Chinese telecom manufacturers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: The Journal reports that Pentagon officials fear the Chinese government could use Huawei or ZTE devices to track troop movements. The move comes as both companies are facing an aggressive campaign in Washington to keep their products out of American hands over concerns they could be too close to China's government. Huawei said in a statement it was committed to security.

Global military spending rose by 1.1% in 2017 to $1.739 trillion, per ABC News, with military spending now accounting for 2.2% of worldwide GDP. The United States, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and India together accounted for 60% of the world's overall military budget expenditures.

The big picture: This year's hike was fueled by increased spending in Asia — especially by China, India, and Saudi Arabia — highlighting the tensions as major regional players attempt further expand their spheres of influence.

Fancy Bear, a group U.S. intelligence believes hacked the Democratic National Committee in 2016 and attributes to Russia, appears to be using Lojack laptop tracking software to facilitate new hacking campaigns.

The details: Researchers at Arbor Networks' ASERT lab found that hackers tampered with Lojack to communicate with several domains used by Fancy Bear in the past.

President Trump pitched meeting Kim Jong-un in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, and CNN is now reporting, citing one source, that South Korean President Moon Jae-in has convinced Kim to agree to meet Trump in the DMZ.

Trump’s reasoning: "There's something that I like about it because you are there, you are actually there…If things work out there's a great celebration to be had on the site, not in a third-party country."

Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu briefed President Trump two months ago on the capture of the Iranian "nuclear archive," and decided to publicly expose the documents yesterday due to Trump's May 12th deadline on possible U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

Between the lines: An Israeli official tells me Israel wanted to publicly release the new intelligence after White House visits from French President Macron and German Chancellor Merkel, both of whom tried to convince Trump not to withdraw. "We are facing a major decision by President Trump regarding the nuclear deal. Last week was for the Europeans, and this week is our week," the official said.

The Dominican Republic is terminating its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan and pledging to recognize it as "an inalienable part of China," reports the AP.

The big picture: It's a setback for Taiwanese sovereignty and a win for Beijing, which is increasingly wary of Taiwan's leanings toward independence and threats to the One-China policy. The Dominican Republic's move comes as the U.S. is ramping up diplomacy with Taiwan under President Trump.