Emerald Backdrop News Today

Policy as a pragmatic approach that shows the benefits of countries acting in their shared self interest. expected to issue harsh warnings to iran and north korea. senior white house official telling cnn the president will speak in extremely tough terms about the north korea menace. after remaining silent about kim jong-un during the first day at the u.n. >> the main message is make the united nations great. not again, but make united nations great. >> reporter: the president striking a familiar...

Sovereignty. >> reporter: like his speeches in saudi arabia earlier this year, the president will frame his foreign policy as a pragmatic approach that shows the benefit of countries acting in their shared self interest. he is expected to issue stern warnings to iran and north korea. the president will speak in tough terms about the north korean menace, after remaining silent about kim jong-un during the first day of the u.n. >> making the united nations great. not again. make the united nations...

The president started with a message to reform the u.n. >> we encourage all member states to look at ways to take bold stands at the united nations with an eye toward changing business as usual and not being beholden to ways of the past which were not working. >> reporter: but his words today far more measured than on the campaign trail when he blasted the u.n. as a bloated bureaucracy. >> the united nations is not a friend of democracy. its not a friend to freedom. its not a friend even to the ...