10 things you need to know today: February 20, 2017

Defense secretary says the U.S. won't seize Iraq's oil, Sweden demands explanation for Trump's terror comment, and more

James Mattis at his confirmation hearing
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

1. Defense Secretary James Mattis: U.S. won't seize Iraq's oil

Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday said that the U.S. would not try to seize Iraq's oil, an idea President Trump floated last month that has upset Iraqi leaders. Some local lawmakers have been pressuring Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to cut back on the country's cooperation with the U.S. due to Trump's oil threat and his travel ban, which included Iraq and six other predominantly Muslim countries but has been blocked by courts. "We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil," Mattis told reporters after arriving in Iraq on an unannounced visit.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.