Lana Del Rey is the latest performer pressured to explain performing in Israel, tweeting: "We don't always agree with the politics of the places we play within or even in our own country ... but we are musicians and we've dedicated our lives to being on the road."
The big picture: Social media campaigns and protests are putting pressure on artists to cancel shows in Israel over the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two fans that implored Lorde to cancel her show last year cited Israel's "policies of oppression" and "apartheid," per the Washington Post.
After being deactivated for seven years, the U.S. Navy has formally reactivated the 2nd Fleet based in Norfolk, Virginia, in an effort to explore Russia's military expansion, Politico reports.
The details: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said the move is not because the Navy is "looking for a fight." The Navy had depended on the Cold War-era naval command "for decades to confront adversaries in the waters off North America," per Politico. The fleet will be responsible for assigning ships, aircraft and Marine landing forces "for potential operations along the East Coast and in the North Atlantic, where melting Arctic ice has also heightened the competition for natural resources."
The Pacific island nation of Palau has lost much of its tourism in the last year or so — hotels and tour boats are empty and travel agencies are closing shop, reports Reuters’ Farah Master.
The big picture: Palau, which is one of Taipei’s 18 remaining allies in the world, is caught in the middle of the diplomatic entanglement between China and Taiwan. China is likely curbing tourism as a way to force Palau back into its good graces.
The White House scolded El Salvador this week for its move to "abandon diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China," Politico reports.
The details: White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said on Thursday the country's "receptiveness to China's apparent interference" in its politics "is of grave concern...and will result in a reevaluation of our relationship with El Salvador." China's foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang pushed back, per Politico, asking countries to respect El Salvador's decision, and saying it's "obvious who is politically interfering in the region."
After months of back-and-forth between the U.S. and North Korea, South Koreans are growing wary and a little suspicious that any real progress can be made with the regime, according to Politico's Cory Bennett.
The big picture: In recent days, the administration has shown mixed messaging of confidence when it comes to dealing with the regime. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he'd be traveling there next week, which Trump cancelled a day later, as he argued North Korea wasn't "making sufficient progress with respect to denuclearization." South Koreans are having "creeping doubts" that any real progress could actually be made with its reclusive neighbor, and that Trump is truly committed.
