The dictator of North Korea made a rare acknowledgment of the poor living conditions in his country at a government meeting this week.

Supreme leader Kim Jong Un said in a Thursday speech to the Workers’ Party of Korea that the disparity in quality of life between the countryside and cities must be addressed.

‘Today, failure to satisfactorily provide the people in local areas with basic living necessities including condiments, foodstuff and consumption goods has arisen as a serious political issue that our Party and government can never sidestep,’ the dictator said to the assembly, according to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim urged any government official who sat idly by while the quality of life deteriorated to ‘admit without saying a word or an excuse’ that they were incapable of carrying out the Workers’ Party of Korea agenda.

The supreme leader spoke in a series of winding, verbose statements while lamenting the treatment of poor rural communities.

He told the Workers’ Party members, ‘As we are now in the course of effecting a great change for the project of developing the countryside, which was already raised, through a grand struggle, fully aware of the importance and urgency of the building of a new socialist ideal rural construction in the light of the demand of the turning phase for ushering in a period of socialist comprehensive development, it is easier said than done to undertake and strictly carry out the overall development of regional industry, another front and another great revolutionary stage,’ Kim said, according to KCNA.

The address to the party was a rare moment of internal honesty for the regime, which is normally predisposed to championing questionable claims of good governance and social well-being.

North Korea remains one of the poorest countries in the world due to economic mismanagement and widespread international sanctions on its trade.

‘North Korea had concentrated its resources in Pyongyang to secure support for the regime among its core population. But resources have become more scarce amid continued sanctions,’ a South Korean Unification Ministry official said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

North Korea has ostensibly made a clean break from South Korea in recent weeks, announcing an end to any campaigns even superficially seeking reunification.

Kim’s regime cited continued military exercises near the country’s borders and pressure applied in response to North Korean nuclear-capable drone tests as the reason for the break.

The war between Russia and Ukraine rages on. 

A Russian military transport plane crashed in an area north of the border. Russia claimed Ukrainian missiles shot it down with 74 passengers on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. No confirmation of that.

This comes as Russia continues to pound cities across Ukraine with ballistic, cruise and guided missiles, killing dozens, injuring more and destroying residential areas. 

Russian artillery pounds away along a 600-mile front line, firing up to 10 times as many shells as the Ukrainian military.

This threat from Moscow prompted NATO to stage its biggest military exercise in Europe since the Cold War, dubbed ‘Steadfast Defender 24.’ Starting this week, 90,000 troops, 1,100 tanks and other combat vehicles, 130 jets and ships will be in action.

The exercise aimed at getting U.S. forces to Europe. A U.S. Navy dock landing ship kicked off the drill with its departure from Norfolk, Virginia.   

Once all the forces and hardware are gathered in Europe, NATO will rehearse, at least, fending off Russia from targeting a member country.

Supreme Allied Commander General Christopher Cavoli called the war games ‘a clear demonstration of our unity, our strength, and our determination to protect each other.’

Strategic expert Fred Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute told Fox News that he was ‘glad to see NATO doing this exercise’, calling it ‘important for us to recognize the degree to which Russia threatens NATO.’

The Kremlin is defiant about NATO’s challenge. Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called the activity of NATO near its borders ‘provocative,’ declaring it ‘will not remain without an appropriate reaction from Moscow.’

As Russian sabre-rattling grows, Moscow officials have now rejected a Biden administration offer made last year to resume nuclear arms control talks as long as the U.S. supports Ukraine.

Embattled Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy, who has seen Russian aggression up close for nearly two years of full-fledged war, has emphasized the bigger stakes of this all. ‘If anyone thinks this is only about us, only about Ukraine,’ he said recently, ‘they are mistaken.’

The massive NATO exercise is happening as billions of dollars of U.S. military aid remains held up on Capitol Hill.

According to analyst Fred Kagan, all this is more ammunition for Russian President Vladimir Putin to strengthen his fight with the West.

‘It’s fueling Putin,’ he told us, ‘It’s encouraging him to think more broadly about the U.S. and our willingness to resist him at all.’

As NATO troops and armor get set to assemble across Europe, Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer had an even more chilling assessment, saying the alliance is facing, ‘the most dangerous world in decades.’

The exercises are set to last until the end of May.

Former President Trump announced donors to his presidential primary opponent will be ‘barred’ from the ‘Make American Great Again’ community.

In a lengthy Truth Social diatribe against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who the former president called a ‘birdbrain,’ Trump promised to reject any attempts by her donors to switch to his camp.

‘Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country. Her False Statements, Derogatory Comments, and Humiliating Public Loss, is demeaning to True American Patriots,’ the former president wrote. ‘Her anger should be aimed at her Third Rate Political Consultants and, more importantly, Crooked Joe Biden and those that are destroying our Country – NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL SAVE IT.’ 

In the post, Trump reflected on past election experiences in which donors to opposing candidates would consolidate around him as campaigns came to an end.

Objecting to portions of the Republican Party’s opposition to his re-election campaign, the former president swore not to take money from Haley’s donors in the future.

‘When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s ‘Donors’ would immediately come to me, and want to ‘help out.’ This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me,’ Trump continued.

He concluded, ‘Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!’

Trump also accused Haley, whom he appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 2017, of being weak on the world stage.

‘I knew Nikki well, she was average at best, is not the one to take on World Leaders, and she never did. That was up to me, and that is why they respected the United States,’ Trump continued. 

Haley projected optimism as the former South Carolina governor began campaigning in her home state Thursday.

Nevertheless, Haley appears to have few allies in the upper echelon of the South Carolina GOP and the Republican Party, with both of her state’s senators endorsing Trump and RNC head Ronna McDaniel all but declaring Trump the victor in the 2024 primary.

Rep. Nancy Mace also congratulated Haley on a well-run campaign but endorsed Trump earlier this week.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

A super PAC supporting former President Trump’s 2024 White House run hauled in over $46 million in fundraising during the second half of last year.

Officials with Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.) also confirmed to Fox News that they started the new year with more than $23 million in their coffers.

MAGA Inc.’s fundraising during the final six months of 2023 is a dramatic increase from the $13 million it brought in during the first half of last year.

Trump is the commanding frontrunner in the GOP presidential nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run.

The former president crushed his rivals last week in Iowa’s low-turnout Republican presidential caucuses. On Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign, making the race a two-candidate contest between Trump and Nikki Haley.

And on Tuesday, Trump topped the former South Carolina governor who later served as his ambassador to the United Nations by 11 points in New Hampshire’s GOP presidential primary.

While Trump has long been known for his prowess when it comes to smaller, grassroots contributions, the MAGA Inc. fundraising figures suggest that the former president has been able to maintain connections with top dollar GOP donors.

MAGA Inc., which notes that it has spent $38.5 million running ads supporting Trump so far this election cycle, has been urging donors to contribute to the super PAC in advance of what’s expected to be an onslaught of expenditures this year by President Biden’s re-election effort and other Democratic groups.

‘The general election has already started. President Trump has a clear path to win, but Democrats are spending more money and they are doing it earlier than ever before. MAGA Inc. is proud to be the organization entrusted to lead the outside effort to support President Trump and his America First movement into November,’ Taylor Budowich, the super PAC’s CEO, told Fox News in a statement.

Budowich was a top Trump adviser before moving over to MAGA Inc. in 2022. The super PAC is also steered by longtime Trump pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio. And Meredith O’Rourke is its fundraiser.

As Politico first reported, the biggest donation during the second half of last year came from Mellon banking fortune heir and transportation executive Timothy Mellon, who contributed $10 million.

More than a dozen donors have contributed $1 million or more to MAGA Inc. in the past six months.

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are making a formal show of support for Taiwan’s newly elected president on Thursday in a move that’s likely to irritate Beijing’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In a letter sent to President-elect Lai Ching-te and signed by six GOP lawmakers, they vowed to help the island withstand Chinese ‘pressure’ and accused Beijing of continuing its campaign of aggression against its neighbors in Southeast Asia.

‘We want to offer our sincere congratulations on your recent victory in Taiwan’s presidential election. Once again, the Taiwanese people have demonstrated the strength of your country’s robust democratic system in a region where these values are not always shared,’ the U.S. lawmakers wrote.

‘Strengthening the U.S.-Taiwan relationship remains one of our top priorities, especially in light of China’s growing aggression.’

The letter was led by Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas.

Lai’s election by Taiwanese voters was not unexpected but is still a rebuke of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his goal of ‘reunification’ between the two territories. 

Taiwan’s independence has also been a flashpoint in the strained relations between the U.S. and China, particularly over the island’s booming semiconductor industry. 

Semiconductors are critical components in a range of electronic devices from smartphones to satellites and bank ATMs.

The U.S. lawmakers wrote to Lai on Thursday, ‘We look forward to working with you and your administration to advance our partnership and assist Taiwan from rampant diplomatic, economic, and military pressure from Beijing.’

They also congratulated Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim, who previously served as Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S.

‘Through your joint leadership, we are confident the Democratic Progressive Party will usher in the next stage for Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy. We welcome a new chapter in U.S.-Taiwan relations and look forward to collaborating with you to advance stability and growth in the Indo-Pacific region,’ the letter finished.

Lai favors upholding Taiwan’s strong relationship with the U.S. There are no formal diplomatic ties, however, because of the U.S.’s ‘One China’ policy that only recognizes Beijing’s government. 

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., will introduce a bill Thursday to strengthen cybersecurity defenses to counter cyberattacks against critical food structure sectors. 

The legislation, called the Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act, would enhance security for both government and private entities against cyber threats.

‘America’s adversaries are seeking to gain any advantage they can against us – including targeting critical industries like agriculture,’ Cotton said in a statement. ‘Congress must work with the Department of Agriculture to identify and defeat these cybersecurity vulnerabilities.’

He added, ‘This legislation will ensure we are prepared to protect the supply chains our farmers and all Americans rely on.’ 

If passed, the bill mandates biennial cybersecurity studies on agriculture and food sectors and reports on findings to Congress. It also requires an annual cross-sector crisis simulation for food-related cyber emergencies, involving various government agencies.

Co-sponsor of the bill, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said in a statement that protecting farms and food security against cyberattacks ‘is a vital component of our national security.’ 

The bill already has support from several agricultural groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, North American Millers Association, National Grain and Feed Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, USA Rice and Agricultural Retailers Association. 

Republican Rep. Brad Finstad of Minnesota and Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan will introduce companion legislation in the House.

This month, the Aliquippa water authority in western Pennsylvania became a victim of an international cyberattack, along with other U.S. water utilities, by what federal authorities said were Iranian-backed hackers targeting a piece of equipment specifically because it was Israeli-made.

The danger, officials said, is hackers gaining control of automated equipment to shut down pumps that supply drinking water or contaminate drinking water by reprogramming automated chemical treatments. Besides Iran, other potentially hostile geopolitical rivals, including China, are viewed by U.S. officials as a threat.

Last year, agricultural giant Dole disclosed to federal regulators the impact of a ransomware attack, a type of cuber attack that uses malware to lock a victim’s information until a ransom payment is made, which cost the company $10.5 million. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor Thursday morning that President Biden has ‘clear authority’ to continue carrying out airstrikes in the Middle East and urged the president to do more to deter attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. 

‘The Constitution of the United States, the consensus of our nation’s founders and the weight of exhaustive historical precedent gives the president the clear authority to use military force when American lives and interests are under attack,’ McConnell said. ‘The commander in chief does not lack authority. Rather, he is failing to sufficiently exercise the authority that he has right now.’

Despite military responses and warnings in Iraq and Syria, U.S. troops are still being targeted. According to the Washington Institute, a think tank focused on foreign policy in the Middle East, Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. forces 18 times in Syria and 10 times in Iraq since Jan. 4. 

The orchestrated attacks appear to be part of Iran’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza after its ally, Hamas, attacked Israel on Oct. 7. 

‘When President Biden took office, Senate Republicans warned him not to go soft on Iran,’ McConnell said. ‘We urged him not to abandon maximum pressure, not to obsess over restoring a failed nuclear deal, and not to ignore Iran’s relentless, relentless campaign of terror. But the president failed to hear this advice.’

‘Instead, his administration slipped through glaring indications that Iran backed terror was actually reaching a tipping point. So today, America and our allies face an adversary profoundly undeterred,’ he said.

McConnell tallied that Iran’s proxies are responsible for more than 150 attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 7.

‘We have yet to see signs that the administration understands how to compel Iran and its proxies to stop even with the world’s strongest military at the ready,’ he said. ‘The commander in chief has failed to deter Iran and its proxies. Instead, a figure of escalation has only invited more aggression from Tehran to Moscow to Beijing.’

Earlier this month, Biden received backlash from some House Democrats for striking Houthi positions – a Yemen-based Islamist militant group – without congressional approval. Biden said the airstrikes were in response to Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea. 

‘Mr. President, they are profoundly mistaken,’ McConnell said of dissenting voices who have criticized the airstrikes. ‘Exercising the right to defend against imminent threats to our nation and service members is a central responsibility of the commander in chief.’

The U.S. carried out a ‘self-defense’ strike in Yemen on Wednesday morning, targeting and destroying two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were preparing to launch, aimed at commercial ships in the southern Red Sea, U.S. officials said. 

U.S. forces targeted three facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-linked groups, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. 

The Kataib Hezbollah headquarters was targeted, along with storage and training locations for rocket, missile and one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, U.S. Central Command said.

The strikes were in response to the Iran proxy group Kataib Hezbollah’s massive ballistic missile attack on al-Asad air base on Saturday, and an attack on al-Asad on Tuesday, a U.S. defense official told Fox News. The group fired 17 ballistic missiles and rockets at the base, where the majority of the 2,500 troops in Iraq are stationed.

On Saturday, the U.S. Army’s Patriot missile defense system fired 15 missiles to intercept the ballistic missiles and rockets, but two got through, damaging the base and resulting in four U.S. service members being diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. 

All have returned to duty. 

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been launching attacks against southern Israel and ships in the Red Sea since soon after Israel’s war with Hamas began in October.

Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report. 

Senate Democrats have put forward a measure that endorses the creation of a Palestinian state backed by every member of their conference — with two notable exceptions.

The proposed amendment to a pending national security supplemental package reaffirms that the U.S. supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ‘that such a solution must ensure the state of Israel’s survival as a secure, democratic and Jewish state, and fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own.’ 

‘The U.S. government has long supported a two-state solution as a path to a just and lasting peace in the region, and our amendment reaffirms our continued commitment to that vision,’ said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who sponsored the amendment. 

‘The horrors of the war on and since October 7th have underscored the fundamental reality that in order for both Israelis and Palestinians to live in safety and with dignity, they need to have distinct, inalienable, and mutually-recognized states that coexist side-by-side in peace,’ he said.

The amendment comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected U.S. calls for a Palestinian state after the Israel-Hamas war. President Biden has urged Netanyahu to scale back the military offensive in Gaza, but the prime minister insisted the war will not end until Hamas is destroyed and the remaining 130 hostages held captive by the terrorist group are freed.

Netanyahu said last week a Palestinian state would become a launching pad for attacks on Israel. He insisted that Israel must have ‘security control’ over Gaza and the West Bank and warned America not to ‘coerce us to a reality that would endanger the state of Israel.’ 

The Schatz amendment is supported by 49 senators from every ideological wing of the Senate Democratic conference, including independents Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who caucus with Democrats.

However, centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and vocal Israel supporter Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., have not signed on. 

‘Once a Palestinian government with its peoples’ best interests at heart agrees that Israel should be a state, I will be the first one to sign on to a bipartisan amendment supporting that Israel recognize a Palestinian state,’ Manchin told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

A spokesperson for Fetterman told Axios the senator supports a two-state solution in Israel, but that ‘this resolution should include language stipulating the destruction of Hamas as a precondition to peace.’ 

Schatz hopes to tie his amendment to a forthcoming $110 billion national security supplemental package that would deliver military aid to Israel and Ukraine, as well as funds for border security.

However, Republicans and Democrats have been unable to reach a deal that would pass the Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-led House, with border security policies being the sticking point in negotiations. 

Fox News Digital’s Lawrence Richard and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley’s campaign lashed out at the Republican National Committee and its chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, on Thursday over a draft resolution being considered by the party to declare former President Donald Trump the presumptive GOP nominee.

The resolution was proposed Thursday morning by RNC committee member David Bossie, a former 2016 Trump campaign official, despite Haley’s vow to continue her campaign into her home state of South Carolina for its primary next month.

‘Who cares what the RNC says? We’ll let millions of Republican voters across the country decide who should be our party’s nominee, not a bunch of Washington insiders,’ Haley campaign spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas told Fox News Digital. 

‘If Ronna McDaniel wants to be helpful she can organize a debate in South Carolina, unless she’s also worried that Trump can’t handle being on the stage for 90 minutes with Nikki Haley,’ she added.

In a statement, RNC spokesperson Keith Schipper said, ‘Resolutions, such as this one, are brought forward by members of the RNC. Chairwoman McDaniel doesn’t offer resolutions. This will be taken up by the Resolutions Committee, and they will decide whether to send this resolution to be voted on by the 168 RNC members at our annual meeting next week.’

The resolution could be voted on as early as next week when the RNC convenes for its winter meeting in Las Vegas with all 168 committee members, but it’s clear not everyone is ready to go along with declaring Trump the nominee, including RNC committee member Bill Palatucci from New Jersey.

‘A silly resolution to say he is the presumptive nominee, insulting to millions of primary voters who wait for the opportunity to get involved in presidential politics every four years,’ the Trump critic close to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told Fox News Digital.

‘Another example of Trump’s authoritarian streak. ‘We don’t need Super Tuesday or any other primaries, I’ll just have it handed to me,’’ he added.

Haley is the sole remaining challenger to Trump in the race, and is facing what’s expected to be daunting odds after the latter won two convincing victories in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. Early polls have also suggested she could lose by a wide margin to Trump in the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary, although no new polling has been released since Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Following her loss in New Hampshire, McDaniel called on Haley to drop out of the race so the party could coalesce around Trump as the nominee.

‘Looking at the math and the path going forward, I don’t see it for Nikki Haley,’ McDaniel told Fox News. ‘I think she’s run a great campaign, but I do think there is a message that’s coming out from the voters which is very clear: We need to unite around our eventual nominee, which is going to be Donald Trump, and we need to make sure we beat Joe Biden.’

‘It is 10 months away until the November election, and we can’t wait any longer to put out foot on the gas to beat the worst president, to beat a president that’s kept our borders open, allowed fentanyl to pour through, allowed inflation to go rampant. He is hurting the American people, and we need to do everything we can to unite so that we can defeat him,’ she added.

Fox News Digital has also reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment concerning the resolution.