Why it matters: The threat “is seen as a move by Kim to gain leverage and establish that he’s entering the crucial nuclear negotiations from a position of strength.”

What’s happening: North Korea’s “Kim Kye-kwan, a vice foreign minister, rejected the administration’s demand that it quickly dismantle its nuclear program as Libya did 15 years ago, singling out John Bolton, Mr. Trump’s new national security adviser, for condemnation.” (N.Y. Times)

NBC News Pentagon correspondent Hans Nichols calls the statement “a clear backsliding, a clear moving of the goalposts by North Korea.”