How much time until doomsday?
"China increases economic pressure on North Korea" by Simon Denyer Washington Post August 14, 2017
BEIJING — Beijing warned President Trump not to split the international coalition trying to rein in North Korea’s nuclear program by provoking a trade war between China and the United States.
Trump on Monday instructed his top trade negotiator to launch an investigation into Chinese intellectual property violations, a move that could result in trade penalties.
The latest move to stem imports will put significantly more pressure on North Korea, but analysts say it is unlikely to be enough to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program, which it sees as essential to its own survival.
China is very reluctant to do anything that might destabilize the regime, which is a longstanding ally. It blames American hostility toward Pyongyang for forcing the regime to develop its nuclear program, and is urging dialogue to reduce tensions.
Most of the planet does at this point.
In South Korea on Monday, General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, told his South Korean counterparts that the United States is ready to use the ‘‘full range’’ of its military capabilities to deal with North Korea, but Dunford told reporters after meeting with South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in that diplomacy and sanctions were the first plan.
‘‘It would be a horrible thing were a war to be conducted here on the peninsula, and that’s why we’re so focused on coming up with a peaceful way ahead,’’ he said, according to Stars and Stripes. ‘‘Nobody’s looking for war,’’ the Marine general said.
Some are salivating over the thought and pushing for it.
Dunford was on the first stop of a trip that will also take him to Beijing on Tuesday and then on to Tokyo. Officials in the South Korean government have voiced surprise and confusion at Trump’s tough talk.
Moon, elected as South Korea’s president in May on a pledge to adopt a more conciliatory approach to North Korea, on Monday urged the United States to give diplomacy a chance.
All we are saying.....
Monday’s meeting came the day before the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, a day known as ‘‘Liberation Day’’ in both North and South Korea. It also came a week before the US and South Korean militaries are due to start their annual fall exercises, in which they practice responding to an invasion by or the collapse of North Korea. The regime in Pyongyang always strongly objects to the drills, viewing them as a pretext for war.
General Vincent Brooks, commander of US Forces Korea, said the exercises would go ahead as planned.
You couldn't postpone them, huh?
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that North Korea’s success in testing an intercontinental missile was made possible by black-market purchases of powerful rocket engines probably from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia’s missile program. The report cited an expert analysis published Monday and classified assessments by US intelligence agencies.
The studies may solve the mystery of how North Korea began succeeding so suddenly after a string of fiery failures.
Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, made the analysis.....
US intelligence said, huh?
And it just happens to lump in Russia, too. How convenient.
Are you sure they didn't get them from the neo-Nazi thugs in Kiev that Obama helped install in 2014?
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I suggest the two leaders smoke a joint and moon it over while watching the game.
About that trade war:
"Trump calls for review of China intellectual property policy" by Andrew Mayeda Bloomberg News August 14, 2017
WASHINGTON — If China is found to be flouting the rules on US intellectual property, the administration has a range of options, including imposing import tariffs, according to administration officials, who spoke to reporters Saturday on the condition of anonymity. If the investigation moves forward, it could take as long as a year.
Big IF.
Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, in a statement, said the agency will do a thorough investigation and take action if needed “to preserve the future of US industry.”
However, the top Democrat in the Senate said the president hasn’t yet matched his tough talk on China with action.
“To make an announcement that they’re going to decide whether to have an investigation on China’s well-documented theft of our intellectual property is another signal to China that it is OK to keep stealing,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Why are the Democrats picking a fight with China?
Chinese state media on Monday criticized President Trump’s plans for an investigation, saying the action will do more harm than good, whether it’s a new policy approach or negotiating tactic.
The move comes amid growing tension over the threat of North Korea using nuclear weapons, and less than two weeks after the United States received China’s help in the United Nations Security Council to impose tougher economic sanctions on Pyongyang.
The timing is odd seeing as China is going to take the hit regarding sanctions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping moved to calm nerves last week, telling Trump during a phone call that all sides should maintain restraint and avoid inflammatory comments.
While the White House said the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, Trump’s announcement further complicates the already taut US-China relationship, which took a frosty turn last month when officials from both nations couldn’t agree on a joint statement over economic issues after high-level talks in Washington.
The Koreans are keeping their weapons.
Still, Trump’s actions stop short of what some analysts had been expecting him to do on the issue.
He keeps disappointing the Deep State!
Administration officials declined Saturday to say how long it will take before a decision is made whether to start an inquiry.....
This is looking like a negotiating tactic regarding North Korea. Help us out and there will be no inquiry.
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Trump said at the White House “it’s [his] duty and responsibility” to investigate.
Related:
"US stocks rallied Monday as technology companies and banks helped companies regain a lot of the ground they lost last week. Last week, rising tensions between the United States and North Korea sent stocks to some of their biggest losses in 2017. That eased Monday after officials said fighting is not imminent. Bond prices turned lower. That helped banks, as higher bond yields mean higher interest rates and greater profits on mortgages and other loans. Bank of America climbed 2.3 percent, and JPMorgan Chase gained 1.2 percent......"
All i$ right with the world again.
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"Russia says it foiled ISIS attack plot" Associated Press August 14, 2017
MOSCOW — Russia’s top domestic security agency said Monday it has thwarted suicide bombings in Moscow planned by Islamic State operatives from Syria.
According to the Federal Security Service, or FSB, one of them is a Russian national and three others are from former Soviet Central Asia.
In Syria on Monday, hundreds of rebels and civilians started leaving the Lebanon-Syria border area when a deal was reached for their departure after days of delay, the media arm of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said.
In Beirut, meanwhile, the United States handed over to the Lebanese army eight Bradley Fighting Vehicles, part of a total of 32 that will be delivered over the coming months. The military aid is aimed at helping Lebanon combat extremist groups and prevent further spillover from neighboring Syria.
At the border, buses carrying members of the Levant People’s Brigades rebel group started moving from the Lebanese border town of Arsal in the direction of the Syrian village of Fleeta.
The evacuation comes nearly two weeks after more than 7,000 Syrians, many of them al-Qaida-linked fighters and their families, left Arsal following a Hezbollah offensive.
The Levant People’s Brigades, whose members did not take part in last month’s battles, will be heading to the Syrian town of Ruhaiba, about 30 miles northeast of the Syrian capital, Damascus, where they will return to normal life following an amnesty by the state, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.
Rebels and government fighters have lived alongside each other in Ruhaiba without fighting for more than a year following a local de-escalation agreement.
Hezbollah’s Military Media said that by Monday afternoon, some 1,500 fighters and civilians had left toward Ruhaiba. Another 300 are scheduled to leave later in the day bound for their government-held hometowns in the western parts of the Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said about 2,000 in total should enter Syria by the end of the day.
The only insurgents remaining on Lebanon’s side of the border now are members of the Islamic State group. Hundreds of ISIS fighters control a stretch of land that is almost equally split between Lebanon and Syria.
The Lebanese army has been preparing an attack for weeks, sending in reinforcements and pounding the area with artillery shells and rockets. The Syrian army and Hezbollah are preparing for a simultaneous attack on the Syrian side of the border.
Looks like the war is almost over. Trump surrendered Syria.
At the Bradley handover ceremony at Beirut’s port, US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard said the vehicles represent an investment of more than $100 million that will ‘‘provide the Lebanese Armed Forces with new capabilities to protect Lebanon, to protect its borders and to fight terrorists.’’
The United States has supplied the Lebanese military with Cessna aircraft armed with Hellfire missiles, as well as helicopters, anti-tank missiles, artillery and radar, along with training.
The American Embassy says the United States has provided Lebanon with more than $1.4 billion in security assistance since 2005.....
That's when Syria was chased out after the assassination of Hariri.
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"Pence says US won’t stand by as Venezuela ‘crumbles’" by Jill Colvin Associated Press August 14, 2017
CARTAGENA, Colombia — Seeking to highlight the growing plight in Venezuela, Vice President Mike Pence, before planning to depart to Buenos Aires, on Monday met with people who’ve fled the country to neighboring Colombia.
The vice president and his wife, Karen Pence, also spent time speaking with the migrants, listening to their emotional stories.
Reporters were not able to hear their conversations, but watched the vice president comfort several women. He said he heard ‘‘heartbreaking’’ stories of their struggle for food.
‘‘President Trump’s made it very clear we will not stand by while Venezuela collapses into dictatorship,’’ Pence said, arguing that ‘‘a failed state in Venezuela threatens the security and prosperity of our entire hemispheres and the people of the United States.’’
Looks like the U.S. military may intervene after all.
Pence is trying to rally the region against Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro, and said the United States will not stand by as Venezuela ‘‘crumbles.’’
Venezuelan officials have been firing back in a series of statements, with Information Minister Ernest Villegas denouncing US meddling in Venezuela’s affairs as hypocritical on Twitter Monday.
‘‘The US and its satellite in Bogota are trying to give classes in democracy to Venezuela while it provides cover for neo-Nazis in its own territory,’’ Villegas wrote, linking to photos of the recent deadly march in Charlottesville, Va., involving far-right groups.
I heard about that.
Asked whether the United States would commit additional financial aid for those migrating from Venezuela, Pence said only that the United States ‘‘has a long and storied history of generosity with regard to refugees populations and it’s happening here in Colombia.’’
Yeah, never you mind the wall.
The Trump administration has pushed to reduce the number of refugees allowed in the United States and money spent on foreign aid.
In the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, thousands of government supporters took to the streets Monday to denounce President Trump’s talk of a ‘‘military option’’ to resolve the country’s political crisis.
Several senior officials have blasted Trump’s suggestion as an insolent throwback to the days of military interventions in Latin America, but Venezuela’s president himself has yet to comment, even as Pence ratcheted up pressure on the embattled socialist during his trip to Colombia.....
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BREAKING NEWS:
The latest reports suggest troops have been airlifted to the area. The parachuting in didn't go as planned, but armed men have established a beachhead.
