Midday Roundup: U.S. student gets 15 years in North Korean labor camp

Harsh punishment. North Korea sentenced an American student to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly subverting the government by attempting to steal a political banner. Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia student, was visiting the country in January with Young Pioneer Tours, an agency specializing in travel to North Korea, something the U.S. State Department strongly discourages. North Korea is known for coercing confessions from foreign detainees who recant the statements after their release. Warmbier confessed to attempting to steal the banner for a member of a church back home, who offered to give him a car in return. The member allegedly also promised to give Warmbier’s mother $200,000 if he was detained and didn’t return.

Offshore about-face. In a dramatic reversal, the Obama administration has banned oil drilling off the Atlantic Coast. Last year, the administration surprised many with a proposal to allow limited drilling at sites 50 miles offshore from Virginia to Georgia. On Tuesday, the Department of the Interior announced that will not happen and instead released a five-year plan that effectively bans drilling in the Atlantic. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Pentagon concerns contributed to the decision. “There are some significant military facilities in some portions of the Atlantic Coast where these leases were considered,” Earnest said. The Interior Department also heard complaints from commercial and environmental interests. Meanwhile, industry groups noted the decision can be reversed by a future president.

Good fortune. A homeless man in San Francisco will get a $100,000 reward for tipping off police about two dangerous escaped prisoners. Hossein Nayeri, 33, and Jonathan Tieu, 20, escaped from the Orange County Jail in late January and were on the run for six days. Mark Hay-Chapman was outside a McDonald’s when he recognized the inmates’ stolen van from the news and alerted authorities. The police apprehended the two men not long after. A third man who escaped with them turned himself in the day before. Three other civilians who gave the police information during the manhunt will receive smaller rewards.

Approved. The Senate voted this week to confirm President Barack Obama’s nominee for Education Secretary, John B. King Jr. King will be responsible for implementing a law passed in December that replaces the No Child Left Behind program and gives states more control over educational standards. King has worked in the Department of Education since 2014. Before that, he served as education commissioner in New York City, where his policies on teacher evaluations frustrated parents, administrators, and the state’s largest teachers union.

Clogged commute. Safety concerns led officials in Washington, D.C., to close the city’s Metro subway system this morning, creating one of the worst rush hours in memory. Inspectors are examining 600 electrical cables after one of them caused a fire Monday, filling a tunnel with smoke. Federal offices gave workers the option to take the day off or telecommute. The Metro has closed in the past, but usually because of winter weather that also led businesses and workplaces to close.

WORLD Radio’s Jim Henry contributed to this report.