N. Korea’s Kim hosts envoys from Seoul for the first time; NEWS BRIEFING; Staff and news services; Trump blames Democrats for failing to fix DACA by March 5; Mississippi GOP Sen. Cochran says he will resign April 1; U.S. permits work requirement for Ark.’s Medicaid expansion; British media: Ex-Russian spy in critical condition; Fights break out before speech at Mich. State

TOKYO - Reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted a South Korean presidential delegation for dinner in Pyongyang on Monday, the latest surprising development in the thaw between the estranged neighbors aided by the Winter Olympics.

This is the first time the 34-year-old North Korean leader is known to have met with any South Korean officials. He has not met any heads of state - including the presidents of historical allies like China and Russia - since he took over the totalitarian state after his father's death in late 2011.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in sent a 10-member delegation to Pyongyang to begin preparations for an inter-Korean summit, the first in 10 years, and to persuade Kim to start talks with the U.S. on denuclearization and stave off a potential conflict with the United States over his nuclear program.

The envoys also planned to discuss with Pyongyang officials the release of three Korean-Americans detained in North Korea.

Kim Jong Un last month invited Moon to visit Pyongyang, with the invitation hand-delivered by his sister, Kim Yo Jong, when she visited South Korea last month for the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The South's delegation is led by Chung Eui-yong, Moon's national security adviser and someone who talks regularly to his American counterpart, H.R. McMaster.

After their two-day trip to North Korea, the South Korean envoys are due to travel to Washington later this week to discuss with the Trump administration the results of their discussions.

Trump blames Democrats for failing to fix DACA by March 5

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is blaming Democrats for failing to pass legislation extending protections for young immigrants that he has tried to end.

Trump tweeted, "It's March 5th and the Democrats are nowhere to be found on DACA." He added: "We are ready to make a deal!"

Trump announced last year he was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program but asked Congress to come up with a legislative fix in six months.

Trump had insisted that any legislation saving DACA had to be coupled with funding for a border wall and an overhaul of the immigration system. Democrats and some Republicans balked at those demands.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders blamed both parties, saying it's "terrible that Congress has failed to act."

Mississippi GOP Sen. Cochran says he will resign April 1

WASHINGTON - Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi announced Monday that he will resign effective April 1.

Cochran, a Republican, said in a statement released by his office that his health "has become an ongoing challenge." He missed weeks of work last fall because of recurring medical issues.

"I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and commitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle, after which I will formally retire from the U.S. Senate," said Cochran, who is 80.

Under Mississippi rules, GOP Gov. Phil Bryant will appoint an interim senator, who will serve until a special election in November. The winner will hold the seat until 2020, when Cochran's term would have ended.

U.S. permits work requirement for Ark.'s Medicaid expansion

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The Trump administration on Monday approved Arkansas' plan to require thousands of people on its Medicaid expansion program to work or volunteer, making Arkansas the third state allowed to impose such restrictions on health care coverage for the poor.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that the requirement for Arkansas' program, which uses Medicaid funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents, had been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. More than 285,000 people are on the Arkansas program.

The requirement will eventually affect non-disabled, childless adults on the plan who are ages 19 to 49. This year, the change will affect about 39,000 people ages 30 to 49.

Kentucky and Indiana have similar plans.

British media: Ex-Russian spy in critical condition

LONDON - British media reported Monday that a former Russian spy was in critical condition after coming into contact with an "unknown substance," a case that immediately drew parallels to the poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Authorities did not identify the man, saying only that he and a woman were found unconscious Sunday on a bench in a shopping mall in Salisbury, about 90 miles west of London.

British media identified him as Sergei Skripal, 66, who was convicted in Russia on charges of spying for Britain and sentenced in 2006 to 13 years in prison. Skripal was freed in 2010 as part of a U.S.-Russian spy swap.

Police said the man and woman appeared to know one another and "did not have any visible injuries." Both are in a critical condition in intensive care, police said.

Fights break out before speech at Mich. State

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Fights broke out between white supremacists and protesters Monday as anti-fascist activists, students and community members converged in and around Michigan State University to counter a planned speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Hours before the speech was to begin, police blocked access to the venue as hundreds of protesters gathered outside shouting, "Nazis go home!"

More law-enforcement officers arrived, lining both sides of the road leading into the venue, snapping cuffs on people and restoring calm. But as others arrived to attend the speech, a mob of protesters swarmed around them. A circle of law-enforcement officers protected those wishing to go in, but two were pushed to the ground.

A large storm brought freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds to a large swath of the Midwest on Monday, snarling traffic and forcing hundreds of schools in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota to shut down. The system is expected to move into the Northeast, which is cleaning up from a destructive nor'easter.

Toronto police said Monday they have found a seventh set of remains related to the investigation into alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur and released a picture of a bearded dead man in hopes the public can help identify him. Dismembered remains have been found this year at a home linked to McArthur.

Caption: Focusing on military ties: An officer on the carrier Carl Vinson takes a photo of the Vietnamese coast Monday. The port call by nearly 6,000 sailors to boost military ties is the largest U.S. presence in Vietnam since the 1970s withdrawal after years of combat.

LINH PHAM/Getty-AFP