Pyongyang Purge: The formerly powerful uncle of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un was executed immediately after he was found guilty of plotting against the government, according to the country’s state news agency. Chang Song-thaek was physically removed from a Communist Party meeting earlier this week and accused of working against the state, “womanizing”, and drug use. Chang had once been a mentor to Kim as he grew into power. But observers knew he was in trouble when his ubiquitous image was removed from government propaganda films. Kim is obviously consolidating power, but foreign analysts are having difficulty understanding what’s happening inside the insular North Korea.

Budget Passes: The House overwhelmingly approved the budget compromise and the Senate is expected to vote in favor next week. The deal restores $63 billion in “sequester” budget cuts but trims $23 billion over 10 years. Compromise is when both sides come away unhappy House minority leader Nancy Pelosi told her members to “Embrace the suck.” They failed to win an extension of long-term unemployment benefits. Republicans didn’t get as much debt reduction as they wanted.

Uncovered: A former FBI agent who went missing in Iran in 2007 was working for the CIA, according to a report by the Associated Press. Robert Levinson was taken during a business trip to the Iranian island of Kish. The AP says the agency disciplined 10 veteran analysts who did not have the authority to order the mission, and paid Levinson’s family $2.5 million to keep them quiet. The US government admits trying to squelch the story. A National Security Council spokeswoman said, “We regret that the AP would choose to run a story that does nothing to further the cause of bringing him home.”

Gas: A UN report says chemical weapons “probably” were used in 5 out of 7 incidents in Syria investigated by weapons inspectors. The report does not say whether it was the rebels or the Syrian government that used the chemicals, but soldiers were affected in three of the incidents. After being accused of using chemicals, Syria admitted having chemical weapons and agreed to let them be destroyed.

Whiteout: A 1,000-mile storm stretching all the way from Missouri to the tip of Maine is expected to dump up to 10 inches of snow on the East this weekend. Temperatures: St. Louis, 28; Chicago, 19; New York, 29; Boston, 28.

Where Buffalo Roam: Scientists have determined that the pool of molten rock in the volcano beneath Yellowstone Park is 2.5 times larger than they thought. Yellowstone is really just a pretty veneer that sits on top of a volcano, which, if it blows, could destroy much of America and change the global climate. The volcano has blown about every 700,000 years and there’s roughly 60,000 years to go, so it’s probably safe to plan for the summer.

Lost in Translation: The South African deaf interpreter found to have used gestural gibberish at the Nelson Mandela memorial said he was suffering a schizophrenic episode and having visions at the time. He has spent time in a psychiatric ward and admits having had violent episodes. Under investigation is how he got an assignment that put him side by side with world leaders, including President Obama.

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