WEEKLY EMAIL PRINTED EDITION July 13, 2018 negotiating the return of the remains of U.S. THIS WEEK’S ANALYSIS: soldiers killed in the Korean War. But such North Korea Stalling on Denuclearization mundane matters don’t require the US Secretary Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee Can’t be Trusted of State to travel personally all the way to NK. Theresa May’s Brexit Betrayal Under Fire Britain’s 9/11 Style Terror Attack Exposed Trump Pardon’s Dwight Hammond and Son No, Pompeo was there to deliver the one year News Shorts schedule for denuclearization to Kim personally, Preparedness Tip: Should You Share Food Storage? and that is why Kim didn’t even show up to a meeting in his own country. The NK leader NORTH KOREA STALLING ON chose instead to make a publicized visit to a DENUCLEARIZATION potato farm, which only enhanced his insult North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was a no- aimed at the American envoy. The Daily Mail show at his planned meeting last week with noted that, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In fact, so was the entire NK negotiating team, which never One source told CNN the White House felt even proffered an excuse for this diplomatic slap Pompeo's trip went 'as badly as it could have in the face to Trump’s top envoy. In reality, it gone.' appears that Kim wanted Pompeo—and Trump—to lose face. This kind of tactic would 'The North Koreans were just messing severely damage any negotiations with another around, not serious about moving forward,' oriental culture, if not provoke them into an the source said, adding that Pompeo had attack. Trump, however, has already been promised a meeting with Kim, so not demonstrated his lack of negotiating ability in getting that meeting sent a big message. this arena when he gave Kim the benefit of a personal meeting in front of the world’s cameras North Korea said it was seriously in Singapore and signed an agreement utterly disappointed by Pompeo’s visit, accusing him lacking in specifics with no timeline and no of making a “gangster-like demand for accountability for failure to comply. It was denuclearization,” while failing to offer any public knowledge that Pompeo was heading to incentives. this meeting to tighten up that agreement with a list of demands that needed to be met in the next I applaud the Trump administration for wanting year. NK’s refusal to show up to the meeting to get on with the substance promised in the clearly show they don’t want to be pushed into Singapore agreement. But I don’t agree with both substantive actions, but they also don’t want to Trump and Pompeo putting a positive spin on be forced into saying so openly. This is the this highly insulting move by North Korea. That epitome of stalling for time, and it should send a only telegraphs to this communist nation that strong warning to Trump that NK isn’t at all their rebuff and stall tactic is working and has no interested in denuclearization. Sadly, Trump’s consequences. Instead of Trump going back to upbeat response shows he is all too willing to let the military threats that brought Kim to the table, them get away with it. both he and Pompeo seemed to be in complete denial that NK is openly refusing to disarm or do Officials in the Trump administration anything of substance. downplayed the meeting as merely about 1 Meanwhile, North Korea has made no public said recently that, wow, there's no more of statements about the future of its nuclear the heavy music and the propaganda,' he weapons program. said. In May, North Korean officials detonated For years, giant speakers at North Korea's explosives at a site where it conducted all six propaganda village, Kijong-dong, on the of its nuclear tests to date and called it the Demilitarized Zone, would blast a looping dismantling of the facility. Three tunnels playlist of hard rock music and patriotic were demolished at the site in Punggye-ri, speeches. In February, when the Winter which is the North's only known nuclear test Olympics began in Pyeongchang, South site. [not true, and they only destroyed this Korea, the speeches gave way to pleasant site because it had already collapsed choral and folk music. South Korea has also internally]. blasted music across the DMZ. Satellite images from the country a few weeks Following the president’s lead Mike Pompeo ago suggest improvements have been made at says that “while there is work to be done, North a rapid pace at the Yongbyon Nuclear Korea is committed to denuclearization.” It Scientific Research Center... The level of doesn’t look like that to anyone else! operations at the facility is not clear but it raises questions of how Kim is curbing his 'We had a productive conversation. There country's nuclear program in the wake of his remains a great deal of work to do,' Pompeo historic meeting with Trump. said. 'But I think most importantly my counterpart Kim Young-chul made a The president, however, has remained firm in commitment consistent with what President his belief the nuclear threat is gone. Trump was able to achieve with Chairman Kim, which was, they intend to denuclearize, That is right. Trump, ever the optimist when they are going to accomplish it, and now the trying to make a bad deal seem good, boasted task is to get it implemented.' that NK blew up another missile test site and stopped playing raucous music at the DMZ, as But that seems completely at variance with the evidence of denuclearization. However, there is leaked remarks that the meetings had gone “as no official confirmation of any missile site being badly as possible.” The only question now is destroyed, and even if there were, NK has at least “how long will it take for Trump to realize he is half a dozen other launch sites. being played?” Sadly, if Trump fails to make the North Koreans accountable for lying about their 'I really think that we established very good intent to denuclearize, Trump could be relationships,' Trump said Thursday at his responsible for allowing this threat to drift into press conference at the NATO summit in the next decade when the consequences can lead Brussels. 'They've blown up a site. I hear to WWIII. they're blowing up another site, missile site.' Trump seems all too committed to calling this 'They've taken down all of the propaganda. In bad deal a success, even in the face of their lies. fact, somebody said there's no more music It’s also the worst tactical mistake you can make, playing at the borderline. You know, the either in business or in geopolitics: letting your music was going on for many years. They 2 adversary know you want to make a deal at any assurances that it would be Kavanaugh (his price. former law clerk) Kennedy felt comfortable retiring. TRUMP’S SUPREME COURT NOMINEE CAN’T BE TRUSTED Asked repeatedly if some sort of deal between Insider sources within the White House were Trump and Kennedy was struck before playing games with the media the day of Kennedy announced his retirement, Shah Trump’s announcement of his latest appointment dodged, saying things like “I’m not going to to the Supreme Court. After proclaiming for the read out private conversations that Justice past week that Brett Kavanaugh was the front Kennedy had with either members of the runner along with Amy Barret and Raymond White House or the president,” and, “Justice Kethledge, suddenly they were saying that Kennedy can speak for himself.” But what Thomas Hardiman was “rising” in Trump’s list, Shah didn’t do is deny the NBC report. and that Kavanaugh may be out. It wasn’t true. Kavanaugh was always the pick, and the rest was Yes, that’s telling, and smacks of insider dealing. just window dressing to fool conservatives. I’m not naive enough to think this kind of thing doesn’t happen regularly in politics, but this is There is an NBC story going around Washington more like “The Swamp” than the kind of that Kennedy made a deal with Trump to resign government Trump promised. as long as Trump promised to name Kennedy’s former clerk and establishment insider, Brett If confirmed, Kavanaugh will surely become Kavanaugh to the bench. We know something another “swing vote” on the bench, just like his strange happened because Kennedy had already mentor. A swing vote is someone that can’t be chosen his staff and new clerks for next year’s relied upon to vote according to a solid set of session. Only the Left is pursuing this, but I think constitutional principles. His or her vote will it has credibility: As Aaron Rupar writes for drift across ideological lines when appropriate Think Progress, it is very suspicious that the pressure is applied by the Deep State. Kennedy, White House dances around the issue and won’t as a prime example, often sided with the deny it. As he says, “It’s not supposed to work Left/liberal justices when ruling in favor of like this.” affirmative action and LGBT rights. During an CNN interview on Tuesday Several high profile and solid conservatives have morning, White House deputy press secretary come out against Kavanaugh, based upon his Raj Shah did not deny an NBC report that record as an establishment insider, supporting outgoing Supreme Court Justice Anthony government over individual liberty.