Us VP Pence warns North Korea: ‘The sword stands ready’

From the wind-swept deck of a massive aircraft carrier, Vice-President Mike Pence on Wednesday warned North Korea not to test the resolve of the U.S. military, promising it would make an "overwhelming and effective" response to any use of conventional or nuclear weapons. Pence, dressed in a green military jacket, said aboard the hulking USS Ronald Reagan that President Donald Trump's administration would continue to "work diligently" with allies like Japan, China and other global powers to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.

Pence gives stern warning to North Korea

Vice President Mike Pence doubled down on the US commitment to Asia Pacific with a stern warning for North Korea, which he called the "most dangerous and urgent threat" to the region. Speaking aboard the USS Ronald Reagan in Japan Wednesday, Pence reiterated the US and its allies were prepared to respond to potential North Korean attack with "overwhelming" force.

Mike Pence warns North Korea: ‘The sword stands ready’

Vice President Mike Pence, center, speaks to U.S. servicemen and Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel on the flight deck of U.S. navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka on April 19, 2017. Vice President Mike Pence, center, speaks to U.S. servicemen and Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel on the flight deck of U.S. navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan at the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka on April 19, 2017.

With Trump, the “Elders” have found their man

A debate is under way about how best to respond to North Korea's belligerence, says Richard Haass, President of The Council of Foreign Relations. Ideas range from a cyber attack to weaken North Korean political and military assets to relisting the country as a state sponsor of terrorism, presumably accompanied by new sanctions.

Trump: Kim Jong Un ‘Outplayed’ Obama, Clinton

North Korea President Kim Jong Un "outplayed" both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama" over the years, President Donald Trump said in an interview airing Tuesday, but he refused to "telegraph" his own plans for dealing with Kim's aggression, simply saying "we will find out" what will happen if North Korea attempts to launch another missile test. "I don't want to telegraph what I'm doing or thinking; I'm not like other administrations where they say we are going to do this in four weeks," the president told "Fox and Friends" co-anchor Ainsley Earhardt in an interview recorded Monday before the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

National View: Ted Koppel – Don’t underestimate the cyberthreat from Syria and North Korea

As the Trump administration confronts the nuclear ambitions of North Korea's Kim Jong Un and the toxic fallout from Bashar Assad's chemical warfare against Syrian civilians, it is worth remembering that both dictators also command cyber-units. On the face of it, their impact is significantly less lethal, and they can easily be underestimated.

Us VP Pence assures Japan America is with ally a 100 per centa

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence looks at the North side from Observation Post Ouellette in the Demilitarized Zone , near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, South Korea, Monday, April 17, 2017. Viewing his adversaries in the distance, Pence traveled to the tense zone dividing North and South Korea and warned Pyongyang that after years of testing the U.S. and South Korea with its nuclear ambitions, "the era of strategic patience is over."

Trump: Don’t Want to ‘Telegraph’ Action on NKorea

President Donald Trump is keeping his plans for North Korea close to the vest amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, insisting he doesn't want to "telegraph" any U.S. action. In an interview Monday with Fox News aired on "The O'Reilly Factor," the president reiterated his oft-stated belief that it's foolish to give away too much strategy, especially on foreign affairs and took a swipe at previous Democratic administrations for doing exactly that.

Trump says Kim has ‘gotta behave’ as he takes tough North Korea stance

The White House displayed a tough and unyielding approach to North Korea and its nuclear ambitions Monday, with President Donald Trump warning that Kim Jong Un has "gotta behave" and Vice President Mike Pence sternly advising Kim not to test America's resolve and military power. Trump, in Washington, and Pence at the tense Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, signaled a forceful U.S. stance on North Korea's recent actions and threats.

North Korean envoy at UN warns of nuclear war possibility

Only at a North Korean press conference at the United Nations, can you hear a diplomat say he hoped journalists had a good holiday weekend and then warn of possible thermonuclear war. North Korea has consistently issued threats of war toward the United States in recent decades, but the Trump administration's announced end of a "strategic patience" policy with Pyongyang has upped the ante in terms of warnings and bellicose rhetoric.

Changing Trump views toward Russia, China worry some allies

Once soft on Russia and hard on China, President Donald Trump rapidly reversed course in the last weeks, concluding there's more business to be done with Beijing than with Moscow. Trump's evolving views on those two world powers have brought the U.S. back into alignment with former President Barack Obama's pattern of "great power" politics.

The Morning Roundup: North Korea Is Becoming Trump’s Cuban Missile Crisis

Despite North Korea's failed missile test this weekend , the crisis appears to be speeding up. From The New York Times : All the elements of the North Korean nuclear crisis - the relentless drive by Kim Jong-un to assemble an arsenal, the propaganda and deception swirling around his progress, the hints of a covert war by the United States to undermine the effort, rather than be forced into open confrontation - were on vivid display this weekend.

Mixed reactions greet Trump’s new attitudes on Russia, China

" Once soft on Russia and hard on China, President Donald Trump rapidly reversed course in the last weeks, concluding there's more business to be done with Beijing than with Moscow. Trump's evolving views on those two world powers have brought the U.S. back into alignment with former President Barack Obama's pattern of "great power" politics.

McCain raises doubts US sabotaged North Korean missile launch

John McCain McCain raises doubts US sabotaged North Korean missile launch McCain: North Korea 'first real test' for Trump Sunday shows preview: McMaster hits circuit for second straight week MORE dismissed the possibility that the U.S. hacked North Korea's nuclear missile test, leading to its failed launch. "I don't think so, but I wouldn't rule it out," McCain told host Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

Harder on Russia and softer on China, Trump’s views evolving

Once soft on Russia and hard on China, President Donald Trump rapidly reversed course in the last weeks, concluding there's more business to be done with Beijing than with Moscow. Trump's evolving views on those two world powers have brought the U.S. back into alignment with former President Barack Obama's pattern of "great power" politics.

‘The election is over!’: Trump tweetstorms response to…

President Donald Trump launched into an early morning tweetstorm Sunday, the day after national protests demanding he release his tax returns. In a series of tweets, Trump first responded to critics who have highlighted that following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he has reversed on his promise to declare China a currency manipulator.