Premptive strike by the United States. The president also is publicly declaring that he has no plans to fire Robert Mueller as his russia investigation heats up. Fbi said he was surprised the raid of the home of Paul Manafort. And pouring more feud on the Top Republican in the senate. He called Mitch Mcconnells failure to get obama care repeals and replaced a disgrace. This after he posted multiple tweets slamming the Majority Leader and urging him to get back to work. This hour, ill talk about the north korea situation with our today, trump said he would consider diplomatic efforts but offered a pessimistic view of their odds of success. We will always consider negotiations, but they have been negotiating for 25 years. You look at bush and obama imploring china to step up their pressure on pyongyang. I think what noo can do more and i think they will. His secretary of state, rex tillerson, taking a different approach. Offering reainsurances to the American People. I think the president has the capability to defend itself from the attack, and from allies, and we will do so. The American People should sleep well tonight. Donald trump insisting his
administration is speaking with one voice. There is no mixed messages. I heard that, i mean to be honest, general mattis may have take tennessee a step beyond what i said. No mixed messages and rex was just saying now tensions have been rising not just between the u. S. And north korea, but the u. S. And russia. It was striking to see the different tone that the president took on these issues. While he was slamming kim jong un, he had only positive things to say today. President trump stands firmly for his promise of fire and furry, kim jongun is also releasing newripley. We got a new statement from north korea, tell our viewers about that . Yes, it came out just before the president s latest press conference. They usually take about 24 hours to response if is still in response to the rhetoric. But this statement, north korean officials and is cites a number of them, vowing to merciously wipe out the provocateurs. Saying that the u. S. Will suffer a shameful defeat and final doom if it persists in its most extreme military adventures. They would launch four missiles and put them down near guam. Now you have more rhetoric, and this is mosimilar to what were used to hears. Turning washington into a sea of fire. This is more trip Kal Rypical R but President Trump upping the ante again. Theyre going to take his words and come up with a response. In the background, you have the region already a tense month here because of the regularly scheduled joint Military Exercises between south korea and the United States. These are not happening as a result of the latest escalation. These are something that the u. S. Does on a military basis, and theyre always angered, but given the climate right now, the
uncertainty about how the United States will respond, and what steps north korea will take, china and other countries are nervous and continuing to call for calm for both sides to stop the talk and the actions that will only escalate the dangerous situation on the korean peninsula. Will ripley in beijing for us, thank you. If lets bring in barbara star. The president is not ruling anything out as of now. Not ruling anything out, and if anything doubling down and then some. Reporter President Trump not ruling out a preemptive straight against north korea. He has been given updates options. The death toll, it war breaks out, could be horrific. There is acontingency. If kim jongun moves first, a decision to shoot the missiles down will have to be made so fast it could come without President Trump being consulted several u. S. Officials tell cnn. Once they fire, a Shoot Down Decision must be made within minutes opinion for guam, the t. H. A. D. Missile season will be the final layer of defense. My sincere vote is that the testing that we have done to demonstrate that capability provides confidence to the residents of guam theyre protected. But the next move is up to kim for the moment. President trump today apparently willing to set a new red line. Vowing a u. S. Response. It will be an event to the likes of which nobody has seen before what will happen, in north korea. Its not a dare, its a statement. Trump signals earlier in the day the fire and fury value against kim more than assistants. Were backed by 100, by our military. Even if the state department talks diplomacy, james mattis says if the regime initiates a
conflict, the u. S. Will destroy it. General mattis may have take tennessee a step beyond what i said. There are no mixed messages. U. S. Military officials are preparing for tensions to ride in the coming days and scheduled days begins august 21st to test how well u. S. And korean troops can work together. And tonight, oust Officials Say for now, they do not see any evidence of an imminent north Korean Missile launch. Thank you very much, barbara star. Lets talk about all of this, the north korean crisis and more with susan rice. Thank you very joining us. Good to be with you, wolf. He just said that if he does do something to guam, it will be an event to the likes of which no one has ever seen before. He said thats not a dare, its a statement of fact. Do you see that as a direct threat . Wolf, we have to be careful, the rhetoric and hot language is itself a challenge. On the korean side, the north korean side, we run the risk that they fiscmi miscalculate t message from the u. S. Incorrectly and act. Who President Trump said today is that if north korea was to attack the United States, we would respond with the full
force of our capabilities. That is common sense. What i worry about is this discussion and preparation potentially for what the administration called preventive war or preeven preemptive war. Deterrents makes good sense nap is very essential for us to maintain and for us we dont take off of the table the threat of the use of force, but preemptive war, if one was thinking of executing that would be catastrophic for the korean peninsula, the over 200,000 americans that reside there, the 26 Million People of seoul, and for the global economy, a direct confrontation with china and a conflict that could go to the extreme of being nuclear. So a preev preemptive attack a good idea. You wrote today in the New York Times that you expect the kind of bluster that were all hearing from north korea, but you added what is unprecedents is the reaction of President Trump. Explain what you mean. What i said in the article, wolf, is that whenever north korea faces tough sanctions from the United States, and i was part of negotiating several such sanctions solutions, this time
it is combined with the annual exercises. And they always get very insecure even more insecure in august. Combine these two things what experts know to be predictably hot rhetoric. By when the president of the United States makes statements that could be mistaken for kim jong jonguns, it runs a risk of a threat. Not an attack on the United States, which we need to be very clear about, but kim jon u. N. Making another provocative statement or threat that is inevitable. We need today be very measured, careful, and planned in our rhetoric. I hope we will see more pressure out of the president as he
approaching this challenge. North korean officials said the u. S. Would suffer a shapeful defeat and a final doom if it was to persist. Do you think that the want war, how do you this . We heard many times before from north korea. It may be a little hyped pup. But no, i dont think they want war with the United States. I think kim i dont think u. N. Knows if he started a war with the United States it would be the end of his regime and country. That message we need to reinforce as general mattis did, i think, effectively yesterday. On the other happened we need to be clear that were not precipitating something. That were not ourselves part of destabilizing the situation. But in addition to the rhetoric, the north koreans are
threatening to take specific military action. They said they would fly them toward guam and land 20 or to miles from the ghost of guam. The trump said if they made any more threats, they would face fire and fury like the world has never seen. Do you feel that the president drew a red line. Im not clear and i think the problem is no one is clear what the red shrine . Is it a threat . Action . Missiles, flying in the direction of guam, or an attack on the United States, territories, or allies. I think we have to be very clear about what were trying to deter and prevention. I think one of the challenges we faced in the last several days is the mar las been moved in both directions by the president
and his sports person. Any attack on the United States are met with the most powerful response. So if the north koreans we cannot react, be cant react to every daytime or verbal provocation. What if they launch these four missiles into the waters just off of the coast of guam, what should the u. S. Do then . I know our pentagon is preparing for that con ttingen contingency, but i have confidence that we have responses that are proportionate to the problem. What would a proportional response be ihypothetically . Thats the whole point, as a former official privy to this information, i dont think its responsible of me to get into hypotheticals. But the American People need know that we have and continue to refine advanced Missile Defense capabilities that preekd our cape nlts and our homeland. And defend ourselves. O respond you said she vicious, em pet chewous, but not irrational. He is a horrific hateful person that killed members of his own family and engaged in behavior that we all find absolutely intolerable, but he wants to survive. His Chief Objective is his own personal survival and survival of the north korean regime. He has not, to date, taken actions that naught in jeopardy. An attack on the United States or allies, using make the lar weapons or massive conventional efforts provoke the type of respond from the United States that would weretufor sure be in regimes preference. We have the ability to manage this problem not only through sanctions, not only efforts to undermine the regime, and cooperation with china and others, but we have the ability to manage this through traditional deterrents. They should now if they attack
the United States or our allies, they face overwelling force. Given the disproportionate strae between the United States and. For the eight years of the obama administration, diplomacy failed by all accounts, north korea may have 670 bo0 bombs. They may have miniaturized them to put them on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles that can reach the United States. Well always consider negotiations, but they have been associating for 25 years. Look at clinton. He folded. He was weak and ineffective. Obama didnt even want to talk about it. But i talk, its about time, someone has to do it. You had eight years as the u. N. Ambassador and then the u. N. National security advisor to president obama. You tried very hart to keep flim developing this Nuclear Threat. You have clearly failed, why . As you said in your question and your read up, this has been a very, very difficult problem that has now fexed four successive american administratio administrations. Each tries not on i did lom si but the fact of the mat sere that despite all of those efforts, can the north korean regime has been able to succeed in their program both nuclear and missile. Thats a very unfortunate
outcome. You can call it a failure, i accept that characterization over the last two decades. But we are where we are. And we now need to decide how to proceed. And what were facing is a country with Nuclear Weapons and reportedly now, a capability to reach the United States with interconal ballistic missiles. One is war, which i argue is foolish and catastrophic. The other is to maintain and increase pressure on north korea, leave open a door for diplomacy. Build up our Missile Defenses, and recognizing that we can, in all likelihood, safely rely on deterrents to prevent a catastrophic event unless wing
in carefully. I think we have a very Serious National Security challenge, i argue this immediate not be a crisis if we manage this carefully. I hope, but i frankly worry given some of the mixed messages coming out of the administration that we can manage this carefully and responsibly protecting the United States and our allies. Containing the threat that north ye korea imposes. Something from your article jumped out to me today. The same red line must apply to any proof that north korea transferred Nuclear Weapons to another state or nonstate actor. Does that mean they might be selling Nuclear Bombs to other nations or Terrorist Organizations . In order to make money . Im not saying that has happened, im saying we are wasnt athrow so happen. Up with is we have been discussed in some length is making sure north korea would never dare. They would suffer inkdefeat. The other side is that north korea is not foolish enough to try to proliferate their weapons to a third party. Whether or not that is a state or nonstate actor. And so i dont want to suggest that is happened, i want to suggest we have been for many decades concerned about the proliferation potential, and we need to be sure that we are clear. The north koreans helped the syrians build their nuclear reacre that the israelis
eventually bombed, is that right . Yes, youre right in recalling that. But that was not straps ftransf weapons, it was transfer of technology. Your Security Clearance has just been renewed, i want your reaction to that. General mcmaster renewed the Security Clearances of all of his former advisors and living president s nap is customary to do when a new administration comes in, and all of the prior ones have done the tame, i think it is really unfortunately an opportunity and a excuse for
those that are now quite unfairly, in my judgment, attacking General Mcmaster to make an issue where there is not one. Have you been in touch with him . I think i would rather not answer that. I think let us just say it is customary for sitting National Security advisors, i know from my own experience twob. In touch with predecessors to understand what challenges and issues they wraetle ld with and what options they considered. Thank you so much for joining us, deeply appreciate it. Good to be with you again, take care. Just ahead, President Trump insists he is not plbluffing, b how does he enforce the new red lines he is laying down for kim jong un. If he does something in guam,
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