In a wide-ranging exclusive interview Wednesday with Andrea Mitchell, Secretary of State John Kerry made news from Keystone to gay rights, Syria to Russia, and being back on Twitter.
Here’s the top six take-aways from the interview.
‘We will stand up for people’s rights anywhere in the world’
Kerry expressed his disbelief in Arizona’s controversial “religious freedom” bill currently awaiting a decision by Gov. Jan Brewer. On Uganda’s anti-gay laws. Kerry said they were “contrary to fundamental, basic human rights.”
North Korea ‘is an evil, evil place’
Kerry had harsh words for North Korea when Mitchell mentioned the U.N. report that found “crimes against humanity” had been committed there. Kerry’s response? North Korea is “evil,” “one of the most closed and cruel places on Earth.”
‘Russia does not want or need an unstable Ukraine’
Kerry warned Russia to be “very careful” on Ukraine and said the United States isn’t looking for confrontation. This isn’t a “East-West, Russia-United States, it’s not Rocky IV.”
What Assad is doing is ‘outrageous,’ and ‘craven’
Kerry talked about the “horrendous” acts commited by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on his people. Since “everybody agrees there is no military solution,” the U.S. must go forward with a political one.
Climate change is a ‘top instrument of mass destruction’ Kerry called climate change “increasingly a national security threat.” But on the Keystone XL pipeline, Kerry said it was personal and that he was still considering all the facts. ‘JK tweets again’ After a hiatus, Kerry is back on Twitter and loving it, though his “staff is extremely nervous.” He also answered a question from msnbc.com viewer Gayle Hoffman about the health of his wife Teresa. Click to see part one and part two of Kerry’s entire interview.
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