The missile self-destructed after several minutes. It is reported to have exploded over the North Korean peninsular.

(Via Reuters) North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Saturday from a region north of its capital, but it appears to have failed, South Korea’s military said, defying intense pressure from the United States and the reclusive state’s main ally, China.

An official at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed the launch but did not immediately have any further information. Yonhap news agency said the missile appeared to have blown up a few seconds into flight.

The test came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the United Nations that failure to curb North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to ‘catastrophic consequences’.

(more…)

Earlier today Vice President Mike Pence participated in the final presidential commission ceremony for a cabinet member of the President Trump cabinet, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta.

.

The Senate finally voted 60-38 yesterday to confirm Alex Acosta to the post. Acosta accepts the presidential commission and becomes the 27th labor secretary. The son of Cuban immigrants will lead a sprawling agency that enforces more than 180 federal laws covering about 10 million employers and 125 million workers.

(more…)

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson traveled to New York Friday to discuss the ongoing threats by North Korea with the United Nations Security Council.   Secretary Tillerson urged all member nations to act “before North Korea does.”

[TRANSCRIPT] – SECRETARY TILLERSON: Thank you, Secretary General, for that most helpful briefing. I shall now make a statement in my capacity as Secretary of State of the United States, and I thank you for the opportunity to address the Security Council.

According to UN Security Council Resolution 2321, a stated objective of this council is North Korea’s abandonment of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

For the past 20 years, well-intentioned diplomatic efforts to halt these programs have failed. It is only by first dismantling them that there can be peace, stability, and economic prosperity for all of Northeast Asia.

(more…)

President Trump is in Atlanta today to deliver a speech at the National Rifle Association forum.  Live Stream Link – Alternate Live Stream

(more…)

In Part I we explained why President Trump has not received any legislation:

To Wit: President Donald Trump winning the election threw a monkey wrench into the entire DC system…. The modern legislative machine is frozen in place.

The “America First” policies represented by candidate Donald Trump are not within the legislative constructs coming from the authors of the legislation.   Congress has no bills to advance because all of the myriad of bills and briefs written are not in line with President Trump policy.

That’s why congress has not passed any legislation for President Trump to sign.

There’s no entity within DC writing legislation that is in-line with President Trump’s economic and foreign policy agenda.  Exactly the opposite is true.  All of the DC pipeline legislative briefs and constructs are antithetical to Trump policy.

There are almost zero organizational entities within K-Street presenting any legislative constructs or legislative briefs intended to advance any of Trump’s policy objectives.

Think about how much money is behind the legislative business when those who control the legislation are willing to spend $3.1 BILLION in a single year to achieve their needs.

♦The “Associated American Southern Border Wall and Security Builders” – special interest and lobbying group – simply doesn’t exist. Nor are there any entities creating legal briefs (bills) to facilitate the southern border wall construction.

♦There is no “Associated Illegal Immigrant and Deportation Enforcement” group lobbying for the removal of undocumented illegal aliens; or writing legislation to fast-track deportation of illegal aliens.

♦There’s also no official corporate political action committee or group office on K-Street creating legislation to repeal ObamaCare, or lobby for the removal of government interventionism into the healthcare system.  etc.

(more…)

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sean Spicer Twitter @PressSec

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

There has been some confusion, mostly spurred by media falsehoods, about whether or not Secretary Ross had submitted the ‘notification of intent’ letter to congress to begin the clock to renegotiating NAFTA.

Early in this video, yet again, Secretary Ross clearly states he is waiting on congress to accept the letter; ie. it was sent mid-March.

.

Republicans control the Senate. Republicans, not democrats in the Senate, do not want the Trump administration to renegotiate NAFTA. This is one of the clearest examples of the UniParty at work and the anti-American principles behind the U.S. Chamber of Commerce corporate lobbyists – lobbying directly against the Trump administration.  “The Big Club”.

(more…)

Interesting oval office interview in Reuters. President Trump, Vice-President Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have invested an extraordinary amount of time engaging in deep diplomacy, and clarity of discussion, with every regional member affected by the North Korea nuclear issues. 

I still believe the Giant Panda will never allow Kim Jong Un to compromise the stability of the region.  The only previously missing ingredient for China to engage more fully was respect from the U.S. toward their interests.  If North Korea go rogue, and they might, China will suffer most in the aftermath because all leverage will be gone and respect from the Trump White House will be compromised. 

Regardless of what happens, President Trump has covered every possible angle, held every possible conversation and exhausted every possible diplomatic tool possible.

REUTERS – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday a major conflict with North Korea is possible in the standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute.

“There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump told Reuters in an Oval Office interview ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.

Nonetheless, Trump said he wanted to peacefully resolve a crisis that has bedeviled multiple U.S. presidents, a path that he and his administration are emphasizing by preparing a variety of new economic sanctions while not taking the military option off the table.

“We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult,” he said.

(more…)

An important and exceptional interview today with Fox News Brett Baier and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.  The diplomatic schedule for T-Rex over the next 36 hours is simply jaw-dropping in scope as he heads to New York to deliver personal remarks to the United Nations Security Council and hold bi-lateral sideline briefings with member delegations.

In advance of execution of the a schedule planned for months, T-Rex sits down with Brett Baier and discusses what the long-term goals of the U.S. administration are, and how the developed partnerships are now aligned to produce a diplomatic outcome.

This is not only an important interview, it is a GREAT interview. Man, are we in good hands here or what.

.

Secretary T-Rex is ALL THAT and a bag o’ diplomatic chips. Buckets of awesome.  Transcript below

(more…)