On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to call a snap general election if lawmakers from his Conservative Party back a legislative measure blocking a no-deal Brexit, which he says would rob him of leverage in last-gasp talks in Brussels.

A government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the election could be held as soon as Oct. 14 — just ahead of one of the most important decisions in British history.

View from Brussels: Several European economies have weakened in the three years since Britain voted to leave the E.U., leaving the bloc increasingly vulnerable to the chaos of a no-deal Brexit.

North Korea advances its arsenal

President Trump has dismissed more than a dozen North Korean missile tests in recent months as “very standard.”