US, South Korea begin largest-ever joint air drill

The U.S. and South Korea on Dec. 4 kicked off their largest ever joint air exercise, an operation North Korea has labelled an "all-out provocation," days after Pyongyang fired its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile. The five-day Vigilant Ace drill -- involving 230 aircraft, including F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters, and tens of thousands of troops -- began Monday morning, Seoul's air force said.

Pentagon evaluates West Coast missile defense sites

The U.S. agency tasked with protecting the country from missile attacks is scouting the West Coast for places to deploy new anti-missile defenses, two congressmen said on Saturday, as North Korea's missile tests raise concerns about how the United States would defend itself from an attack. West Coast defenses would likely include Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-ballistic missiles, similar to those deployed in South Korea to protect against a potential North Korean attack.

Senator: It’s time for US military families to leave SKorea

With reporters looking for updates, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and other senators rush to the chamber to vote on amendments as the Republican leadership works to craft their sweeping tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. It would mark the first time in 31 years that Congress has overhauled the tax code, making it the biggest legislative achievement of President Donald Trump's first year in office.

US stealth jets arrive in South Korea as North Korean rhetoric heats up

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated over the weekend as US stealth fighters moved into the region and official sources from both North Korea and the US said the chances of war are growing. The bellicose rhetoric from North Korea came in two phases: On Saturday, a statement from its Foreign Ministry said US President Donald Trump is "begging for a nuclear war" through what it called an "extremely dangerous nuclear gamble on the Korean Peninsula"; A day later, a commentary from Pyongyang's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, said US-South Korea joint air exercises scheduled for Monday to Friday are a "dangerous provocation" pushing the region "to the brink of a nuclear war."

Senator: It’s time for US military families to leave South Korea

Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he believes it's time to start moving the families of American military personnel out of South Korea as North Korea pushes the U.S. closer to a military conflict. Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he will also urge the Pentagon not to send any more dependents to South Korea.

GOP pressing plan to avert government shutdown on Dec. 8

An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says the 88-year-old lawmaker will fight allegations of sexual harassment involving former female staff members. An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says the 88-year-old lawmaker will fight allegations of sexual harassment involving former female staff members.

GOP tax bill gains support; Senate leaders work on holdouts

An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says the 88-year-old lawmaker will fight allegations of sexual harassment involving former female staff members. Maryland officials say 26 people have been indicted after an investigation into gang activity in the state's prisons, including correctional officer called a high-ranking gang member.

HBO cuts ties with Russell Simmons amid second allegation

Simmons announced on Nov. 30, 2017, he would be ... An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says the 88-year-old lawmaker will fight allegations of sexual harassment involving former female staff members. An attorney for U.S. Rep. John Conyers says the 88-year-old lawmaker will fight allegations of sexual harassment involving former female staff members.

NYT report: White House planning Tillerson’s exita

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks to the media about North Korea during White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee's daily press briefing at the White House on November 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. The White House has a plan ready to oust Secretary of State Rex Tillerson from the State Department, the New York Times reported Thursday.

New missile test shows North Korea capable of hitting all of US mainland

North Korea claims to have successfully tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, topped with a "super-large heavy warhead," which is capable of striking the US mainland. The country's state media made the announcement Wednesday, hours after leader Kim Jong Un ordered the 3 a.m. launch of the Hwasong-15 missile, which reached the highest altitude ever recorded by a North Korean missile.

Trump confronts perilous North Korean test

North Korea pushed President Donald Trump closer to a set of excruciating choices with its most potent missile test yet, which shattered a two-month calm in Northeast Asia and set nerves in Washington back on edge. Trump, who earlier this year warned he would rain "fire and fury" on the isolated state if it continued to threaten the US or its allies, was relatively muted in responding to Kim Jong Un's latest provocation.

North Korea’s Missile launch appears to put D.C. in range

North Korea claimed the entire United States mainland was within reach after "successfully" testing a new kind of intercontinental ballistic missile, which it called the Hwasong-15, and said could carry a "super large heavy warhead." While Pyongyang is prone to exaggeration, its boast of having all of the United States in range is in line with experts' calculations that the missile launched Wednesday, which flew 10 times higher than the International Space Station, could theoretically reach Washington, District of Columbia.

Castro Meets N. Korea Minister Amid Hope Cuba Can Defuse Tensions

Cuban President Raul Castro met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Friday amid hopes the communist-run island might be able to persuade its Asian ally to avert a showdown with the United States. North Korea is facing unprecedented pressure from the United States and the international community to cease its nuclear weapons and missile programs.