The United States has tried to be patient with North Korea for 25 years now, but the strategy has led to a country that is just shy of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, a Republican congressman told Cheddar.
Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger said that after having lunch with President Donald Trump, he is confident that the U.S. is now moving in the right direction.
“When you use diplomacy against an adversary, the only way it really works is with a credible military threat behind it, ”Kinzinger said.
Trump, who’s currently on a multi-nation trip to Asia, has made his intent to denuclearize North Korea clear. According to the White House, this is one of the goals of his trip.
“President Trump will stress the United States’ commitment to the complete, verifiable, and permanent denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will call on all responsible nations to act now to ensure that the North Korean regime cannot threaten the world with nuclear devastation,” the White House reports.
Kinsinger maintains, however, that while Trump “gets” how to deal with North Korea and previously emphasized the importance of having a strong military threat, the president is now looking to exhaust all viable options before resorting to military action.
With this Indo-Pacific trip, Trump is sending a dual message to both North Korea and the country's allies and adversaries, Kinzinger said.
“To our friends: hey, join us in trying to make sure that North Korea does not get a nuclear weapon; it’s in all of our interests,” he said. “To our adversaries: why don’t you join us to help us ensure this as well.”
For President Donald Trump, tariffs — or the threat of them — can bend nations to his will.
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
U.S. and Chinese officials say a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies is drawing closer. The sides have reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting Thursday in South Korea. Any agreement would be a relief to international markets. Trump's treasury secretary says discussions with China yielded preliminary agreements to stop the precursor chemicals for fentanyl from coming into the United States. Scott Bessent also says Beijing would make “substantial” purchases of soybean and other agricultural products while putting off export controls on rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies.
A new poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive.
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
