RantCrush Top 5: April 27, 2017

Yesterday, the whole U.S. Senate was called to the White House for a briefing on North Korea amid increased tensions and the threat posed by the country’s nuclear weapons program. The briefing was classified, but earlier in the day, Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told reporters that he had no idea what the meeting was going to be about. Afterward, many senators expressed confusion and said they hadn’t learned anything new. They also questioned why they had to go to the White House rather than having the briefing in the Senate.

GOP senator on N. Korea briefing: Briefing lacked “even straight answers on what the policy is regarding N. Korea and its testing of ICBMs”

— Ed O’Keefe (@edatpost) April 26, 2017

Blumenthal: “I remain mystified about why the entire Senate had to be taken over to the White House rather than conducting it here.” (2/2)

— Ed O’Keefe (@edatpost) April 26, 2017

Many believed that the gathering could be a publicity stunt as President Trump’s 100th day in office is getting closer. Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris even said that the briefing “confirmed my deep concerns about this administration’s lack of a comprehensive strategy toward North Korea.”

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.