normally see. in the case of north korea, we haven't had that. we haven't had an individual that does that. i think one of the things we are seeing more of, and there are stories of this in the book, americans are learning more about the stories of some of these defectors that are getting out of north korea. there have been several books that have been written recently about defectors who have left, managed to escape, telling their stories. i think that certainly helps, but still, compared to other cases of human rights, we just don't see the same sort of resonance with regard to the issue. mr. snyder: another distinctive feature of north korea that could have an impact on human rights observations by the international community is the fact that north korea has been trying to become a nuclear weapons state. and i think that is particularly interesting when we look at iraq. you were in the bush administration for part of the time that this issue was playing out. and it turns out that we decided to attack iraq and overthrow saddam hussein. he didn't have nuclear weapons. the north korea

north korea. we heard about current military and diplomatic options concerning north korea's nuclear option and future relations between the country, u.s., china, and russia. this is an hour and 40 minutes. >> on behalf of all of us here, welcome, happy new year. glad to discuss an issue we know will be quite important in the new year. we hope with positive developments but we're all a little on edge about the state of the north korea crisis. we're fortunate that in today's discussion, which by the way, as you can see, is being telecast on c-span and also has a japanese translation dimension to it that i'll get to in just a moment. in today's discussion we'll begin with some polling that was that was done in the united states and japan with various other organizations in support and this is looking at united states and japanese attitudes toward the north korea crisis across a range of issues. .e'll begin with that then we'll convene a panel discussion at which i'm we'll begin with mr. kudo able to offer any thoughts he has to understand and embellish especially the japanese section o

on american and japanese views of north korea. the brookings institute look to the results of the polls on looked generally at the situation on the korean peninsula. this runs one hour, 35 minutes. chatter --ble] >> good morning everyone, welcome to brookings. i'm with the foreign policy program. on behalf of my good friend and alleague richard bush and of us here, welcome. happy new year. glad to discuss an issue we all know will likely be quite important in the new year and we hope with positive developments. we are all anxious about the state of the north korean prices. in today's discussion, which by the way you can see as being telecast on c-span and also as a japanese translation, today's discussion will begin with some by unitedat was done states and japan respectively with various other realizations and support. this is looking at united states and japanese attitudes toward the crisis across a range of issues. we will begin with that. panelwe will convene a discussion at which time we will giving hismr. kudo thoughts to further understand and embellish the japanese convent

results of public opinion surveys on american and japanese views of north korea. the brookings institution looked at the results of the polls and looked more generally at the peninsula. this runs one hour and 45 minutes. [indiscernible] conversation [indiscernible] >> good morning everyone, welcome to brookings. by michael him up foreign policy program and behalf on my good friend and colleague richard bush and others and all of us here, welcome. happy new year. i am happy to get a chance to discuss an issue that will be when important in the new year and we hope with positive developments. we're all on edge about the north korea crisis. we are fortunate that in today's discussion, which by the ways you can see his thing telecast a c-span and also has japanese translation. in today's discussion, we going to begin with some polling that in the united states and japan, respectively, with various other organizations in support. this is looking at united states and japanese attitudes towards the north korea crisis on a range of issues. we will begin in a moment. then we will conven

issue of north korea's nuclear program and beyond that, asia security. i'm going to present both the results together so you can see them side-by-side. for that reason, i am not going to show the breakdown in the u.s. democratic-republican because we would -- it would be hard to prepare the same time. i will mention some of them as i go through, but everything is posted online. it is posted on the university of maryland critical issues poll website and on the brookings website. certainly the methodology is posted there but all of the results are posted including the breakdown. feel free to pursue this after the presentation. if you have questions, there is a lot more data and breakdown as well. let me start with the polling methodology -- i have as i said, in japan, a sample of 1000. our poll, we usually do it with nielsen scarborough -- it is an online panel. a is an online panel and sample of 2000 and among the panel. we also have an oversample of young people just to have more confidence about the what the young people are thinking in the u.s. the methodology is posted and you are

exercises as communication has open up between north and south korea. talk about that a little bit. what does it mean? guest: this all grew out of a speech that kim jong-un, the north korean leader, gave to commemorate the new year, in which he trumpeted his accomplishments, as he said, establishing north korea as a nuclear state, but also calling koreaproved ties to south , in part calling for enhanced communications with south korea, and specifically pointing to the upcoming winter olympics, which will be held in february. host: these exercises are held fairly regularly between the u.s. and south korea. whether they normally entail, and from a tactical standpoint, is there any issue or effect of delaying the? guest: the united states and south korea hold several exercises every year. some larger than others. usually in the spring, the combined exercises are usually quite large. one is a field exercise. the other is a command exercise. and it does not have any real tactical effect. what it does do is it shows that and we some flexibility, are able to have the exercises, it ensures

c-span two. >> north korea and south korea plan to meet for the first time in years ahead of the winter olympics. we recently spoke with a historian about the background of that relationship and the involvement of the united states. annualattending the meeting of the american historical association in washington. this is just under 20 minutes. david is a historian at the university of wisconsin, madison, who specializes in u.s./korea relations. what is the most important thing that anyone watching the news and worrying about the state of things should know about korea and u.s./korea relations. ? >> this was never supposed to be permanent. there is no doubt whose idea that was -- the reason this matters is because the koreans see themselves as one people, one nation, and one race and would like to be reunified, especially the elder generation of koreans who still have family in the north, some of whom have not spoken in decades. this matters because in many ways koreans hold the united states responsible for that decision. there is a latent stream of anti-americanism running throu

at the winter olympics but will sports diplomacy between north and south korea extend to politics and the burning issue of nuclear weapons or kim jong un exploiting concerns about america and the unpredictable donald trump this is inside story. hello welcome to the program adrian fenty good athletes from north and south korea will parade under a unified flag at the opening ceremony of the winter olympics next month and they'll field a joint women's ice hockey team at the games in pealing chang in south korea there's been a flurry of conciliatory moves from both sides since north korea's leader kim jong un called for peace with south korea in his new address in shop contrast strong warnings directed at the united states kathy novak has more now from seoul. the winter olympics are just twenty two days away and the two koreas have come to a last minute agreement that they will walk together at the opening ceremony the south korean government says it's all part of an effort to promote this event as the peace olympics but not everyone here is happy a recent poll found only about four o

i've been able to travel to north korea seven times since two thousand and five getting a picture of the country's people and their world view during these trips i saw more than i was allowed to be shunned any journalists visiting the country is accompanied by mind as around the clock i've known mine for a few years now here i'm. taking pictures with them they check what you film who you talk to and what about i see the familiar images but time and again i see new ones i notice that there are a few new ideas for many of the people caught in this collective mindset. a paranoid system one that i too have to submit to. it is a requirement on every visit to start by going to the statues of the two great leaders i'm familiar with this. they're part of the large man so day monument which commemorates north korea's fight against the japanese occupation. the capital pyongyang is home to more than three million people and to a middle class that's becoming economically increasingly independent of the state a middle class that could in the long term become a problem for the regime around two mi

accept a nuclear armed north korea the us secretary of state says the vancouver meeting on north korea has agreed that china and russia must fully apply the un sanctions on pyongyang. follow on down jordan this is our jazeera live from doha also coming up hong kong's high court has sentenced the pro-democracy activist joshua wall to three months in prison. who is providing vital services to the palestinian refugee population the u.n. says a decision by the united states to cut funding for palestinian refugees will affect stability in the region. and the french president called for more cooperation with the united kingdom on the refugee crisis. u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson has called on the world to step up pressure on north korea to end its nuclear program he's joined a summit in canada discussing how to tighten sanctions on pyongyang out as there was also in jordan reports. a show of diplomatic commitment in vancouver to ending north korea's nuclear weapons program but the meeting co-hosted by canada and the united states yielded just one new tactic for the fight an agreement to

president says it's very possible the north korea crisis can't be solved peacefully casting doubt on talks between north and south despite the two reaching a breakthrough soft power deal and compete under one flag at the upcoming winter olympics. the news the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees slams america's this is into slash funding for the organization they've dubbed the worst crisis in the organization. and also took up . the russian aegis in this parliament right now. throughout europe this seems to read over again it is all about russia in the european parliament with members clashing over threats and fake news allegedly coming from moscow. thanks for joining us you're watching. said that there's a possibility the north korean crisis won't be resolved peacefully u.s. president claims that's because having dialogue with pyongyang is next to impossible i can speak now to r.t. course particularly more on the line from the united states donald trump has reverted back to his usual rhetoric then when it comes to pyongyang. yes if you look at this interview with reuters donald t

here on al-jazeera of the inside story. the hotline linking north and south korea is in use again phil young wants to talk about next month's winter olympics but so also wants to discuss its nuclear program when next week's meeting east and sions will make things well this is inside story . around welcome to the program. north korea's leader kim jong un started of two thousand and eighteen by extending an olive branch to the country's southern neighbor and now kim's new year's day address has led to a planned talks between the long time rivals delegations from the two nations will meet on choose day for the first face to face talks in two years during the vast time north korea has conducted three nuclear tests and fired more than forty messiahs including its most advanced yet but even as it calls for you do stand sions junk young insists it won't get rid of its nuclear program so how much can choose days talks really achieve we'll get to our guests in just a moment but first floor has this report from seoul. in a few days the truce village of panmunjom on the demilitarized zone that se

north korea takes concrete steps calls for tougher sanctions at a twenty nation meeting to halt north korea's nuclear program. what they call the. words of defiance hong kong's pro-democracy leader says he won't be silenced by a jail sentence. a national tragedy. blame the government for the deaths of malnourished children. agency for palestinian refugees has warned that a cut in u.s. aid will threaten security across the region it's also an announcement by the trumpet ministration that it's withholding half of the one hundred one hundred twenty five million dollars that it allocated to that body it's a massive cut from last year when the us gave more than three hundred fifty million dollars to aid and palestinians most of that went to the un relief and works agency for palestinian refugees better known as are helps pay for the education for half a million palestinian children and more than seven hundred schools more than nine million doctor visits at almost one hundred fifty primary health clinics and total has helped an estimated five million people living in camps in the occu

arrival of two thousand and eight. south korea is welcoming a new year message from north korea's leader raised the possibility of reopening talks about reconciliation and reunification kim jong un said the path of dialogue is over. and improving ties is an urgent issue can also say that only use nuclear weapons of threatened to launch bottom is on his desk florence louis joins us live from sol now source the reaction we're getting from the south well south korea has responded rather positively to kim jong un speech especially the parts where he's offered to deescalate tensions on the korean peninsula he's made in a peace overture he's suggesting dialogue with south korea he's even hinted that north korea could send its athletes to participate in the upcoming winter olympics and paralympics to be held in pyongyang in south korea just eighty kilometers from the border with north korea now the presidential spokesman has said that the blue house that's a presidential. official dress has reiterated that it is willing to talk to north korea anytime anywhere and in any form if it pertains to r

discussion happening on confronting north korea's nuclear and missile programs. american and japanese views of threats and options. you can stay and watch it here. you can stay and watch it here on c-span. >> there is across a range of issues and we will begin with that. she will present at the podium after i have introduced from everyone. then we will begin a panel discussion where we will begin with mr. kudo offering any thoughts he has with the japanese dimensions. then richard bush, he is the head of our station policy center and our long-standing colic -- richard would broaden the discussion to think about outh korea and we will try to understand a little bit about south korea and use public opinion, politics, and whatnot. finally, i will try to talk a little bit about military options or in my opinion, the lack of good military options. this is something all follow naturally from some of the questions in the polling. within a couple more words of our panelists and then without further a do, we will get to the presentation. has had a distinguished career and one of the most eloquent vo

korea says an agreement has been reached with north korea to form their first joint olympics team they plan to march together in the opening ceremony of next month's winter games and to the olympics under the korean peninsula flag former joint women's ice hockey team this follows the third round of talks between the two sides the recent thaw in relations follow increased tension over the north korean nuclear weapons program to pro-democracy activists have been jailed in hong kong over their role in protests in two thousand and fourteen joshua wang was sentenced to three months in prison for contempt of court file one was given four and a half months the judges declined to release them on bail when the pill was being considered. difficult holland is in hong kong. now two of the sixteen being sentenced today are going to jail that's joshua wall and rafael wong both prominent leaders of the twenty fourteen pro-democracy protests the rest have been given suspended sentences or fines joshua long was defiance before going into courts think i will go all the way but they have. well i hop

alarming claim from north korea. >> he has responded in kind with threats of new missile tests. >> we begin a horrific cycle of violence. >> reporter: "20/20"'s three-month investigation into the ties between this unlikely pairing took us from malaysia to tokyo, to switzerland, to macau. we uncovered what appears to be a cain and abel-like tale that reveals hidden insights into the mysterious dictator. and the lifelong rivalry with the brother once considered to be the rightful heir to the north korean throne. >> some people believe that kim jong-un perceived him as a rival. >> reporter: think of it as east asia's version of "game of thrones," where the storyline is always about power and who has it and who wants it. the kim dynasty has ruled north korea with an iron fist for 70 years, remaining isolated and secretive by design, according to former cia analyst sue mi terry. >> how much do the people in north korea know about their leaders? >> very little about their personal lives, or how they grew up, and what they do. nothing that's beyond propaganda. >> reporter: according to north

will not accept you as a nuclear state talking tough on north korea the u.s. trials the pressure on pyongyang will continue. another crisis for yemen as a dip bierria outbreak takes hold. the french president calls for more cooperation with the u.k. on the refugee crisis. the u.n. relief and works agency for palestinian refugees says reduced u.s. assistance would threaten regional security it follows an announcement by the trumpet ministration that it will withhold half of the financial aid it had allocated to the un agency is a diplomatic editor james pace reporting from u.n. headquarters in new york. after years of conflict and poverty millions of palestinians rely on they will be devastated by this announcement that they should not cut the aid people here are sick and poor and have nothing to support themselves people here can't afford to buy bread so why does the u.s. say it's taking this action it has of long been a concern of this administration here and of the administration about annorah and how it handles itself and how it manages its money under the u.n. relief and works a

embley. the headlines: north and south korea stage their first talks for more than two years. south korea's president says denuclearisation is the path to peace. flash floods and mudslides in southern california leave at least thirteen dead. a search is underway for survivors. we'd dug down and found a little baby, a little kid. we got it out, got the mud out of its mouth. i hope that it's ok, we took it right to hospital. the murder of a lawyer prompts outrage and claims of corruption in ukraine. and meghan—mania sweeps south london as she and prince harry enjoy some youth culture. hello, after months of rising tensions on the korean peninsula, the north and south are to hold a new military dialogue, and appear together at the winter olympics. within the past hour, the south koreann president, moon jae—in, said denuclearising the korean peninsula was an aim that cannot be abandoned. but he also said that he did not want the immediate reunification of north and south korea. you have per shoot this policy of engagement. —— per shoot. the us policy is one of maximum pressure.

peninsula. we welcome last week's agreement between north and south korea to hold military to military discussions and for north korea to participate in winter olympics next month. these are encouraging signals. no true progress can be made in addressing instability in the korean peninsula until north korea commits to changing course and verifiably and ir rreversib abandoning all of its weapons of mass destruction. we understand that in these extraordinary times it's vital that we come together. as neighbor, friends, partners and allies to con front threats of aggression. nowhere in the world do we see the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on the scale of north korea's program. we cannot stand by and let this threat persist. at stake are the safety and security of all the people of the world. we therefore gather here to work together for peace on the korean peninsula and to demonstrate our unity and our resolve. we have shown in word and deed that we will not accept north korea as a threat. the u.n. security council has imposed sanctions on north korea. the 20 natio

fired from north korea. that country's nuclear tests have provided donald trump with his greatest foreign policy challenge, a challenge he's met in his own, inimitable way. rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself, and for his regime. they will be met with fire and fury. but here, the tough talk may be working. yes, the provocative nuclear tests have continued, but have slowed down. tougher sanctions have been agreed, and north korea has reopened a line of communications to the south, and its athletes will now participate in the forthcoming winter olympics. is that the trump effect? donald trump had almost seemed to hope that the world would leave america alone, but that's not how it works when you are us president. the world has a habit of intruding. and even the sturdiest wall and the most trenchant america—first slogan can only protect you from so much. jon sopel, bbc news, on the us—mexico border. so, we heard jon talk about north korea being the president's greatest foreign policy challenge. i asked duncan innes—ker, an analyst at the economist's intelligence unit

in new york. we have breaking news on our starting line. north and south korea talking for the first time in nearly two years. this border hotline between the koreas has been reopened. the diplomatic development came after kim jong-un offered an olive branch saying he might send a delegation to the olympics next month. as the talks begin, president trump is taking his war of words with kim jong-un to a dangerous new level. responding to kim's threat about having the nuclear button on his desk, the president tweeted that his nuclear button is much bigger, more powerful, and his button works. >> the president tweeting up a storm. in 16 tweets, he lashed out at the justice department, calling it a deep state government conspiracy against him. he threatened to cut off funding for palestinians. this twitter tirade raising new questions in some corners about the president's mental state. one of the president's biggest supporters calling it quits. utah's orrin hatch announcing he will not run for reelection in november. it opens the door for former presidential candidate and trump critic mi

north and south korea have been holding their first official meeting in more than two years with a few diplomatic breakthrough as pyongyang says it will send a high level delegation to next month's winter olympics in the south senior officials from both sides met at the de-militarized zone in on with john on the border tension has increased since the last round of talks in twenty fifteen with north korea rapidly. accelerating its nuclear and missile programs well here's what's come out of the meeting as we mentioned athletes and supporters from north korea are going to what's being hailed as the peace takes chon seoul is considering temporarily lifting sanctions against north korea and has proposed military talks and every union of fountains of families that were sprayed after the creation of north and south korea one thousand nine hundred forty five and the war that followed now both sighs expressed optimism ahead of the talks. we came to this meeting today with a serious and sincere attitude and with the thought of giving our brother and who have high hopes for this dialogue valu

eighteen celebrations as the world brings in the new. north korea's leader kim jong il threaten the u.s. and also reached out to his neighbor in the south he made the comments in his annual new year's address kim says pyongyang has weapons capable of reaching the u.s. mainland and that the launch button is on his desk he also warned washington that in twenty seventeen north korea completed its push to become a nuclear force and that it's time to start mass producing nuclear warheads but the defiantly to made some unusually friendly remarks about south korea saying the path to dialogue with seoul is open and that he hopes ties will improve between both countries. i don't we should actively create an atmosphere to move forward with the national reconciliation and reunification improving ties between the north and the south is an urgent issue that not only the north and south want what everyone else wants it's a grave matter to which the entire korean nation needs to put its efforts towards resolving these contacts and dialogue between the north and the south will expand exchanges on c

. we will not accept a nuclear armed north korea. the us secretary of state says the bank of a meeting on north korea has agreed that china and russia must fully apply un sanctions on pyongyang. follow on down jordan this is out of there alive from doha also coming up hong kong's high court a sentence pro-democracy activist josh along just three months in prison. is providing vital services to the palestinian refugee population the u.n. says a decision by the united states to cut funding for palestinian refugees will affect stability in the region. and another crisis for yemen as the world health organization says the diphtheria outbreak is spreading fast. your secular state rex tillerson is calling on the world to step up pressure on north korea until it abandons its nuclear program he's joined representatives of nineteen other nations to discuss ways of tightening sanctions on pyongyang was in jordan reports. a show of diplomatic commitment in vancouver to ending north korea's nuclear weapons program but the meeting co-hosted by canada and the united states yielded just one new tacti

have no choice but to totally destroy north korea. (rocket engine hisses and roars) un narrator: as tensions between north korea and thed states continue, a rare glimpse inside the regime... >> the half-brother of north korea's leader was assassinated using the most toxic nerve agent ever created >> narrator: the story of at murder thaleads back to pyongyang... >> people that say that this was a botched jobre not thinking like north korean intelligence operaeyves. e not thinking like killers. >> narrator: what it revealsng about kim jo-un... >> in order to survive, he had to conduct politics inside the regime. kod politics inside north a is a blood sport. >> kim jong-un is ruthless, he's brutal, but he's not suicidal. he's not irrational. he's very shrewd and calculating. i think he has a plan, he has a goal, which is to complete the nuclear program. >> narrator: and the capabilities of his regime. >> he's managed to generate enough precision, technical acuity, and money in order to build a nuclear missile program that poses a genuine threat to the united states. >> we're truly in s

she ations. ahead of the winter olympics of thaw in the ice north and south korea well they're talking again it's mostly about sports for now tonight kim jong un is planning to send his athletes and his cheerleaders to the games in the south will they arrive in peace or in a trojan horse. this is the day. the talks were held in a serious friendly atmosphere throughout the year the north will send a high level delegation athletes a cheering squad artists spectators and reporters to the winter olympics that i'm on when we'll consider lifting sanctions against north korea if it is necessary to facilitate the visits of the north korean delegation. from cancun to north korea's participation is needed to promote peace olympics in mind. our strategic weapons including atomic bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles ironically i'm to think you will not. also coming up tonight children first cell in communist china the story of a mother desperate to find her child taken away and no one seems to care. now what i have been trying to find him for three years this is my child he was so

gordon chang, author of the book nuclear showdown u north korea takes over the world. gordon, good of you to join us today but a very bad and time for people that received warning on cell phones to take shelter, what do you make of this. >> this is a real concern. the reason is first of all the warning system obviously failed and the question that people are going to have to ask is whether it was hacked, if it was hacked but it hack bid foreign power. there are all sorts of issues that we are going to have to deal with. but this highlight the fact that the north koreans at this particular time can actually land a missile in the united states, the one thing they haven't been able to do is master heat shielding and guidance necessary to land a weapon but, nonetheless, they are getting close, this a necessary wake-up for americans about what the north koreans can do should they want to. kelly: gordon, point of interest here, you had mentioned that it's possible that the system was hacked and oddly before we went on air, i asked producer, what would cause this kind of false alarm, coul

reports." >>> right now on a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports" live from a north korea crisis summit in vancouver, canada, high stakes. world powers meeting here this hour in a desperate attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the korean crisis as kim jong-un's propaganda machine today calls president trump's twitter taunts the spasm of a lunatic. moments from now we will hear from the president, meeting today with the president of kazahkstan back at the white house even as his secretary of state here is trying to press north korea to give up its nuclear weapons at a meeting with 18 countries. >>> shutdown showdown. a potential government shutdown appears more likely days from now, after talks over a dreamer compromise and that wall break down following the president's controversial remarks about immigration and immigrants from africa and haiti. just moments ago, the homeland security secretary, who was in the oval office that day, was pressed on why she cannot recall the president's off-color comments even though she was right there. >> apologies, i don't remember specific w

time around is iraq. south korea accepts talks with the north but says pyongyang needs to address the nuclear issue to really improve relations. and sam is a down this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up the government protests continue in iran despite present ronnie's calls for unity israel's parliament passes a law making it harder to give up any part of jerusalem to the palestinians and pakistan stops charities banned by the un security council from collecting funds. south korea has accepted the north's rare all full of talks proposing the two sides meet next tuesday the unification ministry said the talks with mainly focus on north korea's participation in the upcoming winter olympics in the south that follows kim jong un's new year address which struck a more friendly tone from seoul and joins us now live from seoul so any plans at this point by officials to talk about anything other than him pick issues . well for more we've heard from south korean officials is that the talks are going to focus on apart from the olympics on improving into career relations and we have rea

from 20 countries have been meeting in canada, to try to exert concerted pressure on north korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. the group is made up solely of countries which were involved in the korean war more than half a century ago, but two key international players, north korea's neighbours russia and china, are not there. at a news conference, rex tillerson said the us is open to talks with north korea but only if it stops its threatening behaviour. the united states has always been open to clear messages with north korea, and we have sent north korea clear messages that we are ready for serious negotiations. north korea knows that channels are open and they know where to find us. but a sustained cessation of north korea's threatening behaviour is necessary... is a necessary indicator of whether the regime is ready to pursue a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the security threat that it has created. our nations must remain united on sustaining pressure until north korea takes concrete steps toward and ultimately reaches denuclearisation. the canadian foreign minister, chry

should step up pressure on north korea until it abandons its nuclear program he says the fact that pyongyang agreed to talk with south korea is proof that sanctions are working mr tennyson's when speaking at a meeting on north korea being held in canada well we're standing by for the end of that day long conference in a news conference is expected. in jordan is our correspondent who's there in vancouver covering this conference it's an interesting line up really isn't it twenty countries been invited by the americans in the canadians but not including the chinese nor the russians. that's right martine the u.s. said that the chinese were not invited because they took the side of north korea during the korean war between one nine hundred fifty and one nine hundred fifty three and the russians weren't invited for any number of reasons but it was felt that the countries that had supported south korea during that war needed to have an opportunity to come together and to try to hash out the facts around the security situation on the korean peninsula and perhaps come up with some ideas on

stadium. he said you. guys down the. middle. class. because of the latest u.n. sanctions north korea has been forced to be self-sufficient no role materials or products may be exported. given the current economic situation it's hopefully only a matter of time before north korea gives up its stop a nuclear policy. i'm allowed to visit a textile factory and i've been here four times already but the managers music till it's done come in and take a look. and shown a showcase spinning male the workers largely women in this case are the pride of the nation officially the people earn five euros a month it's very probable but their actual wages are even lower. the people here can only survive with food stamps handed out by the government malnutrition is so common in north korea that people have become demonstrably smaller i. to say the factory is strikingly clean the workers are laughing and joking. in some views that the country needs economic reforms exports to china have dropped by half in addition the country is losing large parts of this agricultural land every year as a result of environme

people of this country should be concerned about the mental fitness of the leader of north korea. he has made repeated threats. he has tested missiles time and again. this is the president that is not going to cower down and be weak. he is going to do what he has promised to do, to stand up and protect the american people. i'm going to keep moving. >> is it possible he could misinterpret that? you said he is unpredictable. ms. sanders: i didn't say that. i think it is extremely clear what the president's position is and our position on north korea has not changed since the beginning. this is a president who is committed to protecting americans and the people of this country and he will not back down. john. john: the statement put out. it is not the first time steve bannon, you made reference to his interview on 60 minutes. during that press briefing on december 11, we were pretty much hands off in terms of going out after steve bannon. the president did not respond in any particular way. what has changed between then and now, after the interview he he apparently did with michael wolf

security forces also coming up. north korea's leader kim jong un tells the united states that the nuclear launch button is on his desk but to south korea the offers and all of branch. and what is it about new year's day that makes people want to jump into really cold water we'll take a look at that and some of the other things people get up to around the world on the first of january. and it's good to have you with us reports from iran say more protests have erupted in the capital tehran police say one officer has been shot and killed and three others injured last night the country experienced its worst night of violence since the protests started last thursday at least thirteen people have now lost their lives. this footage has been provided by demonstrators people have been on the streets in various parts of iran's since thursday protesting conditions in the country and this is footage provided by iranian state t.v. which claims that protesters are violent and that some have damaged a.t.m.'s buildings and other property and also claim that some protesters tried to take over poli

up. north korea's leader kim jong. states that the nuclear launch button is on his desk by the south korea he offers and all of branch. and the world welcomes twenty eighteen turn out for celebrations around the globe we look at some of the high points. to the program iran has seen its worst night of violence since protests erupted last thursday iranian state television says ten people were killed overnight that brings the total death toll to twelve hundreds of people have been arrested and it's the biggest show of dissent since anti-government protests in two thousand and nine iranian authorities are calling for calm but are also warning of a crackdown. iranian state t.v. shows president hassan rouhani meeting with members of parliament to discuss the situation the news reader says the president is claiming that protests are happening because iran's. anime's are angry due to the country's accomplishments and are therefore provoking protesters. because. the protesters have been on the streets in various parts of the country since thursday they first protested about the country'

threats. if the previous administration had done anything and dealt with north korea and dealt with iran instead of sitting by and done nothing, we would not have to clean up their mess now. amy: president trump tweeps's nuclear button is more bigger and more powerful than north korean leader kim jong-un's. north and south korea have open lines of medication saying they are open to direct negotiations. we will speak with bruce cumings from the university of chicago, author of "north korea: another country." been to yemen where u.s. act saudi air campaign has killed more than 10,000 civilians. this rig norway says it will stop supplying weapons and ammunition to the coalition. we will speak with reporter iona craig. ,> the primary weapon sales armed sales are coming from u.s., saudi arabia. britain, other european countries are involved. canada is involved. i think it is very lucrative business for the u.s. and the u.k. amy: we look at a case that highlights was some are calling the palestine exception to free speech on college campuses across the united states. your fordham to educate th

haley held a press and touch oniscuss north korea's nuclear program and the decision to withhold millions of aid to pakistan. >> happy new year. it is great to see everyone again. it is going to be a great year. what we wanted to do was talk about the fact 2017 was a very active year at the you win. we are starting off fast. i want to touch on a few topics front and center facing the world. nowhere isrst days the urgency of peace, security and freedom more tested than in iran. iranianhousands citizens are taking to the street to protest the oppression of their own government. it takes great bravery to use the power of their voice against their government especially when their government has a long history of murdering its own people who dare to speak the truth. we applaud the courage of the iranian people. of iran isent attempting to stop social media and other forms of communication . we want to help amplify the voices of the iranian people. here are some messages. all these brigades have come out to the streets. they have come out against the leader. must bel prisoners freed. i

one of the most mysterious places on the planet. tonight we'll show you what we saw in north korea. >>> how safe are e-cigarettes? how vaping help some kick the habit while getting others hooked. >>> and neil diamond's sudden announcement ♪ "sweet caroline" the legendary singer announces his diagnosis of parkinson's. >>> glad to be back with you tonight. they are the three words that have chilled us so many times. another school shooting. this time it's happened at a high school in kentucky where teachers and students huddled in fear. others fleeing in panic as shots rang out near the start of a school day. a 15 year old boy killing two and leaving 17 people injured. 14 of them shot. it happened in the rural community of benton, kentucky. gabe gutierrez is there tonight with the latest. >> reporter: the chaos erupted just before 8:00 a.m. >> marshall county high school. >> reporter: as students gathered in a common area. >> got one shot in the head, one in the back. >> reporter: hundreds of teenagers, running for their lives from marshall county high school in benton, kentucky. >> i heard

january 8. 3. senate returns on january >> the final portion of our program on north korea features a person who served as asian affairs director on than national security council during the george w. bush administration. undera is reportedly consideration to be the next ambassador to south korea. >> one of the theses of the book is north korea is an impossible state because no one in power -- in the outside -- and no one on the outside cares about the risks of talks to change it. no one is empowered to overthrow. why do you you think that is the case in north korea, especially from a comparative politics perspective. this makes north korea and an outlier. >> that observation is quite accurate. than a in power longer former recent weeks seized north korean leader, they have collapsed, and north korea continues to survive. that is evidence that no one in the system is empowered to overthrow it. it is also because, the very strict controls that exist in a society in which to use the term strong state would be an understatement. this is about the strongest state in terms of the control

president trump says it's very possible the north korea crisis can be resolved peacefully despite the two koreas agreeing to compete under one flag at the winter olympics. the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees slams america's decision to cut the organizations funding calling it the worst crisis in its history. that there are russian agents in the zero parliaments right now. lies allies in the largest are being told throughout europe and we hear the same story over and over again. and talk about russia dominates in the european parliament's with members clashing over alleged threats and fake news coming from moscow. or is r.t. international coming to you live from moscow i'm kate partridge thank you for joining us. donald trump says there's a possibility that the north korean crisis won't be resolved peacefully the u.s. president claims that's because having dialogue with pyongyang is next to impossible. and has more this recent interview given by u.s. president donald trump trouble repeated much of his typical rhetoric demonizing north korea for trying them as a threat to the r

focusing on north korea and the kim regime. we begin with a testimony of a former official at the north korean embassy in london who defected with his family in 2016. this hearing before the house foreign affairs committee took place in early november. mr. thae: chairman royce, ranking member engel, distinguished members of the house committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here today. first, i would like to express my sincere gratitude to chairman royce, who kept his promise to accommodate my wishes to visit the united states and gave me this opportunity to testify before the house committee on foreign affairs. as you are all aware, i worked at the front line of north korean diplomacy until i defected to south korea in summer of 2016. but my story is quite different from other defectors who may have experienced political oppression, inhumane treatment in prison camps, or to avoid hunger and other difficulties. -- economic difficulties. rather, today i would like to tell you about my life as a north korean diplomat, why i defected to the free world, why kim jong-un is developing n