10 things you need to know today: January 6, 2016

North Korea claims it tested a hydrogen bomb, Obama orders stricter gun-control checks, and more

Kim Jong Un.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1. North Korea claims it successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb

North Korea announced that it had successfully tested its first hydrogen bomb. If confirmed, the test would mark a major advance for the isolated communist nation's small nuclear arsenal. The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss a response. North Korea said it developed an "H-bomb of Justice" to defend against U.S. aggression. South Korean President Park Geun-hye called the test, which came after a 5.1-magnitude tremor was detected in North Korea, a "grave provocation."

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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.