Missile launch tests Trump’s North Korea strategy
Missile launch tests Trump’s North Korea strategy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest North Korean missile launch comes as President Donald Trump appears to be reassessing his strategy for the region, which has emphasized both tough talk and collaboration with China.
Trump responded quickly after North Korea on Tuesday tested a missile that flew higher and longer than previous ones, criticizing leader Kim Jong Un and urging China to “put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!” But he offered no specifics on a path ahead.
White House officials did not respond to questions about what Trump meant. Since he entered the White House, Trump has talked about confronting Pyongyang and pushing China to increase pressure on the North, but neither strategy has produced fast results. The White House has been threatening to move forward on its own, though administration officials have not settled on next steps.
Patrick Cronin, an Asia expert with the Center for a New American Security, said Trump was probably “coming to the point of no return” with North Korea, adding that the upshot could be diplomatic overtures or military action.
“We either go to the diplomatic table with Kim Jong Un or we do take some course of action,” Cronin said. “In all probability we do both.”
Iraqi PM congratulates troops on ‘big victory’ in Mosul
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister on Tuesday congratulated his fighters on “the big victory in Mosul” — even as fighting with Islamic State militants continued in Mosul’s Old City neighborhood where Iraqi forces are about 250 meters from the Tigris River and facing increasingly fierce resistance.
Haider al-Abadi spoke during a press conference in Baghdad, less than a week after he declared an end to IS’ self-styled caliphate after Iraqi forces achieved an incremental win by retaking the landmark al-Nuri Mosque in the Old City.
“Praise be to God, we managed to liberate (Mosul) and proved the others were wrong, the people of Mosul supported and stood with our security forces against terrorism,” al-Abadi said.
His remarks came on the third anniversary of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s sermon at the al-Nuri Mosque, from where he declared an Islamic caliphate on IS-held lands in Syria and Iraq.
Also during the press conference, al-Abadi added that he has given instructions to rebuild and stabilize areas of the city already freed from the militant group.
In Syria’s Raqqa, Old City wall a testament to glorious days
BEIRUT (AP) — The Old City wall of Syria’s Raqqa that was the scene of intense fighting Tuesday in the battle against the Islamic State group was once a testament to the golden age of Islamic civilization, when the city on the banks of the Euphrates River was the capital of the famed caliph Harun al-Rashid.
The 1,300-year-old structure was breached by U.S-backed Syrian opposition forces trying to capture Raqqa who brought the fight closer to the heart of the IS-held city.
The Islamic State militants fortified their positions, booby-trapping the 2,500 meters (yards) long Old City wall — or the Rafiqah Wall — to protect their de facto capital.
The U.S. military said warplanes hit “two small portions” of the wall to allow allies from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces to push through.
The wall was built to protect Rafiqah, or “Companion” in Arabic — an 8th century garrison town built in the late 700s next to the city of Raqqa, on the road between Damascus and Baghdad. The town was modeled after Baghdad, then the newly built capital of the Abbassid Dynasty.
No ‘specific agenda,’ but Trump, Putin have lots to discuss
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday will be brimming with global intrigue, but the White House says there’s “no specific agenda.” So in the absence of a set list of topics, what are two of the world’s most famously unpredictable leaders to discuss?
Trump, who prefers to have neatly packaged achievements to pair with high-profile meetings, may be looking for some concessions from Russia to show he’s delivering progress and helping restore a productive relationship between the two powers. Putin would almost surely want something in return, and there’s a long list of “irritants” between the two countries that they could potentially resolve.
Ahead of the bilateral meeting, White House National Security Council and State Department officials have been reviewing possible gestures the U.S. could offer Russia as part of the meeting, a current and a former administration official said. They weren’t authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.
Yet any outward sign of bonhomie between Trump and Putin would be immediately seized upon by the president’s critics and Russia hawks eager to show he’s cozying up to the Russian leader. The ongoing investigations into Russia’s interference in the U.S. election and potential Trump campaign collusion won’t be far from anyone’s minds.
The two leaders will sit down in Hamburg, Germany, on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit of leading rich and developing nations. Ahead of the meeting, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak met Monday in Washington with the No. 3 U.S. diplomat, Thomas Shannon, to prepare.
British baby at end of life support draws in pope, Trump
LONDON (AP) — A terminally ill British child has attracted the attention of both the president of the United States and the pope. More than 1.3 million pounds ($1.68 million) has been raised to help 11-month-old Charlie Gard travel to America for treatment.
But little has changed for baby Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic disease that has left him brain damaged and unable to breathe unaided. The life support he is receiving at a London hospital soon will be turned off over the objections of his parents, who want to take him to the United States for experimental therapy they believe could prolong his life.
A succession of judges has backed specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital who say the treatment won’t help Charlie and may cause him to suffer. Britain’s Supreme Court ruled it’s in the boy’s best interests to be allowed to die with dignity. The European Court of Human Rights last week rejected an appeal from Charlie’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, exhausting their legal options.
They have been spending time with Charlie before he is taken off life support.
By wading into the case in recent days, President Donald Trump and Pope Francis have given Gard and Yates new hope and shined an international spotlight on an ethical debate that pits the rights of parents to decide what’s best for their children against the authorities with responsibility for ensuring that people who can’t speak for themselves receive the most appropriate care.
Woman charged in Craigslist plot to kill Israeli ex-husband
PONCA CITY, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma woman is accused of trying to hire someone via Craigslist to travel to Israel and kill her ex-husband using ricin.
Federal prosecutors charged 37-year-old Danielle Dana Layman on Saturday with using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Prosecutors said in a news release Monday that Layman posted on the classifieds website advertising a seemingly innocent “10 day gig overseas.”
According to an affidavit, the ad read: “For production overseas, looking for talent, 30-45 years old. Doesn’t have to be a professional actor. Required: Creative, outgoing and friendly, positive personality, boldness and bravery (some stunts may seem risky, although they are completely safe).” It added that experience in acting, magic shows and casino dealing was preferred.
The affidavit said a person who responded to the ad contacted the FBI after meeting with Layman at a coffee shop in May. The affidavit said Layman used a PowerPoint presentation called “Operation Insecticide” and that the person who responded to the ad provided the written instructions to the FBI.
The “Mission Details” of the plot instructed the person to travel to Israel, hire the ex-husband as a taxi driver every morning and offer him coffee that was laced with ricin. According to the affidavit, the plot said: “Repeat every morning and monitor the driver’s health. Report if he starts showing signs of illness, if he is vomiting, and if he fails to come pick you up at the hostel. When your mark is hospitalized (or) eliminated — move to a different hotel or motel until your flight back home.”