Monday Briefing | April 17

Stories to Follow

North Korea’s Failure: Early yesterday morning, North Korea attempted to launch a missile but it failed and “blew up almost immediately,” according to U.S. military officials. This attempt comes at a time of rising tensions between North Korea and the United States, and a warning from China (North Korea’s closest ally), to stop plans for any nuclear activity. The United States has yet to respond to this latest act.

Gorsuch Confirmed: Last Monday, judge Neil M. Gorsuch was sworn in as the newest Supreme Court Justice, concluding a 14 month-long vacancy since Justice Scalia’s death. Gorsuch’s confirmation represents not only a victory for President Trump in fulfilling one of his high-profile campaign promises, but also a conservative majority in the Supreme Court with five conservative justices and four liberals.

This Week in JPI

Op-Ed | Africa, Don’t Abandon Your Last Colony
In response to Morocco rejoining the African Union, JPI’s Ayenat Mersie makes her case on the implied consequences for Western Sahara.

Happening This Week

Smorgasburg | Saturdays in Williamsburg and Sundays in Prospect Park
Running from April through October, Smorgasburg is the largest weekly open-air food market in America. Go out and enjoy the weather while feasting on everything from spaghetti donuts to the Filipino dessert halo-halo, with 100 vendors to choose from.

Portia Munson: Earth Rites | NYU Langone Medical Center Art Gallery
This brand-new exhibition on display until June 16 features works by artist Portia Munson which serve as a reminder of the profound impact we have on our environment and a call to respect it.

In Your Free Time

For all you die-hard Star Wars fans out there, the official teaser for Star Wars: The Last Jedi is out! Watch, rejoice, and die of anticipation.

This week’s Monday Briefing is brought to you by Alina Zheng.