At approximately the same time Vice-President Mike Pence was in Alaska refueling Air-Force-2 en route to South Korea, the North Korean regime attempted a missile test and failed.

https://t.co/ki6dcVGkdx

— Jamie (@jamieedurann) April 15, 2017

LA TIMES – […]  U.S. Pacific Command said it detected a missile at about 6:20 a.m. Korean time. The device apparently “blew up almost instantly,” Cmdr. Dave Benham, a command spokesman, said in a statement.The type of missile is still unknown, he said. (more)

Defense Sec Mattis said they're "aware of North Korea's most recent unsuccessful missile launch" and "the president has no further comment."

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 16, 2017

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Continuing the theme of Presidential administration firsts…

WASHINGTON DC – White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer reported, in uniform, to the Pentagon Friday to fulfill his U.S. Navy Reserve duty, a White House official told Fox News.

Spicer reported to fulfill his duty at the Joint Chiefs of Staff offices, a White House official told Fox News. The well-known spokesman holds the rank of commander — which sits just under the higher rank of captain in the Navy.

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The LA Times is providing an update to the ground assessment from the use of the 10+ ton MOAB bomb dropped in Afghanistan.  The number of ISIS killed rises to 94.

“The bomb’s reverberations wave frightened me so badly. I have witnessed thousands of battles, but no bomb scared me like this one did.”  ~ Hanifullah (62-year-old Shodal Resident)

Afghans describe how the MOAB destroyed the ISIS camp and may have killed 100 fighters. 36 ISIS are confirmed dead. pic.twitter.com/ojAZgOWfBL

— Kevin W. (@kwilli1046) April 14, 2017

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Via LA Times –  Afghan officials said Saturday that 94 militants were killed in a massive U.S. bomb blast targeting Islamic State’s regional affiliate, nearly three times as many as was reported a day earlier. (more…)

A background briefing transcript from yesterday might aid in larger understanding of White House policy and strategic objectives toward Syria, Russia, North Korea and China.

[Transcript] – SENIOR ADMINISTRATON OFFICIAL:  (In progress) — on the relationship between the leaders of the United States, our President and Premier Xi, and then applying that newly formed relationship to complex problem sets from the Middle East to Northeast Asia, and then a result in the United Nations, it helps advance our mutual interests and the interests of all civilized people.

So I think it’s difficult to portray this as anything but a really great week for our citizens and the United States.

♦  Q    Thanks so much.  Japanese media is reporting that the USS Carl Vinson is in operations with the Japanese naval forces.  As you know, they have a (inaudible.)  What happens if there is a confrontation this week between North Korean forces and Japanese and U.S. forces?  And how will you prevent this from spiraling into a broader military conflict?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATON OFFICIAL:  Well, as you heard from the President many times, we’re not in the business of trying to predict with a high degree of certainty precisely what our response is going to be.

I think what we demonstrated last week was the ability of the President’s national security team to come together, convened by the National Security Council, to look at events such as those that might occur on the Korean Peninsula, quickly analyze those events, place them in context with U.S. vital interests, establish objectives that protect American citizens and advance our interests, and then develop and present the President with options.

So we have a team that is, I think, particularly adept at doing that.  And if there were to be continued destabilizing and aggressive behavior by the North Korean regime, that’s how the national security team would respond. (more…)

Today the U.S. Military carried out a precision-guided pin-prick bomb drop in Eastern Afghanistan carefully avoiding collateral damage…. LOL, JUST KIDDING..

…Trump just bombed the shit out of ISIS!

For the first time in combat, the U.S. Military dropped a 21,000 lb MOAB (Mother of All Bombs).  The official name of the weapon is the Massive Ordinance Air Blast Bomb, and it has never been used before in combat. It was tested by the U.S. in 2003.

The caves and tunnels in the Afghanistan province of Nangarhar have been particularly dangerous as ISIS fighters use them to nest their activity and launch attacks.  The 30 foot long, 10-ton MOAB detonates in the air and creates a concussive shock wave that blasts the ground and travels through the caves. (more…)

President Trump gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal where he changed a prior position on declaring China a “currency manipulator”:

(Via ABC) According to the Wall Street Journal, the president said the decision came in consideration of talks with China over its role in countering North Korean weapons testing. Trump said that any move to attach the designation could hamper China-U.S. relations. He claimed that, in recent months, China’s currency manipulation has halted. (link)

Is this a change in position? Yes.

It is an arbitrary change, or even an unexpected shift? Hell no.

As we have pointed out since the February 2016 GOP debate, the Trump approach toward North Korean hostilities is to leverage China to get control over N-Korea. –Expanded Backstory–

President Trump is realigning U.S. geopolitical relationships based on America-First interests.   President Trump is using economic leverage to provide security and global stability. President Trump knows how to stroke the panda fur.

Last night President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held another consultation call.  (more…)

President Trump and Defense Secretary Mattis both gave almost identical responses today when asked about the future administration policy toward Syria.   Secretary Mattis speaking from the Pentagon stated:

…”I think what we have to look at here is a policy decision by the United States.  There is a limit to what we can do.  And when you look at what happened with this chemical attack we knew that we could not stand passive on this.  But it was not a statement that we could enter full-fledged, full-bore, into the most complex civil war probably waging on the planet at this time.”  (link)

President Trump speaking to the New York Post stated:

(Via New York Post) Amid complaints that his aides are saying different things about Syria and his policy is confusing, President Trump emphatically cleared the air.

“We’re not going into Syria,” he told me yesterday in an exclusive interview. “Our policy is the same — it hasn’t changed. We’re not going into Syria.”

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General James Mattis is anticipated to deliver his first Pentagon briefing since becoming Secretary of Defense. Mattis is anticipated to discuss Syria, Russia, North Korea and China and the U.S. military contingencies toward that end.  Anticipated start time 3:30pm ET

Update: Full Video Added

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…”I think what we have to look at here is a policy decision by the United States.  There is a limit to what we can do.  And when you look at what happened with this chemical attack we knew that we could not stand passive on this.  But it was not a statement that we could enter full-fledged, full-bore, into the most complex civil war – probably waging on the planet, at this time.”

~ Defense Secretary James Mattis

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We know from the Bret Baier interview with Hillary Clinton that she was physically located at her 7th floor office in Washington DC on Sept. 11th 2012, the night of the attack. Unfortunately we also know during the November 2012 Thanksgiving holiday a mysterious fire took place in that building. Well, actually directly above her exact office – cause undetermined.

A “fire” which preceded an unfortunate slip and fall for the Secretary, resulting in a concussion, which led to the discovery of a blood clot, that ultimately delayed her congressional testimony before a Senate Hearing into the events of the night in question.

We know the Libyan uprising began on February 10th of 2011, and we also know that sometime around the end of February 2011 President Obama signed a presidential directive authorizing the State Dept and CIA to begin a covert operation to arm the Libyan “rebels”.

We also know of a Second Presidential Finding Memo authorizing additional CIA covert action in 2012, this time in Syria. However, unlike the 2011 Libyan operation we do not know the operational name of the second action in 2012 Syria.

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It would appear, based on constructs from alternate governmental releases, that thankfully the prior AP report is not a surprise to Secretary Rex Tillerson.  A readout from a call between British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump provides additional context to absorb the larger, and overarching, ally objectives.

As such it appears the international effort is focused on holding Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for the actions of Syria’s Bashir Assad.   Toward that objective the international leadership is putting an absolute ton of responsibility on U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to be the tip of the spear.

To say all eyes are on T-Rex today would be the understatement of the year.  And ahead of his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin is attempting to avoid the snare by refusing to grant T-Rex an audience.  Apparently, based on the action of Putin, Secretary T-Rex is considered a more formidable adversary than former Secretary of State John Kerry.

(Via Reuters) The Kremlin said on Monday that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not meet President Vladimir Putin when he visits Moscow on Wednesday, a move that could point to tensions over a U.S. missile attack on a Syrian air base last week.

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