This slideshow requires JavaScript.SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — It may be the strangest feeling in decades to descend on the Korean Peninsula — a wave of optimism, and not always of the cautious variety, when it comes to North Korea and its nuclear bombs. Ahead of a planned summit Tuesday in Singapore between President Donald Trump and North Korean autocrat Kim Jong Un, there has been talk of complete denuclearization, North Korea has shut down (for now) its nuclear test site, and senior U.S. and North Korean officials have shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington for meetings with Kim and Trump. The top U.S. diplomat declared that “Chairman Kim shares the objectives with the American people” amid talk of a grand bargain that could see North Korean disarmament met with a massive influx of outside aid. Skeptics, however — and that’s usually the default mindset for many Korea watchers — say there are still plenty of ways that diplomacy can implode. … [Read more...] about Reality check on optimism swirling around Trump-Kim summit
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MCCONNELL’S PROBLEM: Moderates still mad about Medicaid cuts — SCARBOROUGH teases spring Nantucket wedding — PENCE’s spokesman three times dances around on whether he’s held meetings with Russians
Driving the Day Good Thursday morning. JOE SCARBOROUGH told the crowd at a Harvard Institute of Politics event last night in D.C. that he and MIKA BRZEZINSKI will get married “in Nantucket in the spring. But we don’t know because we gotta make sure that our kids are OK with it.” Scarborough joked they would get married in Nantucket if Bill Delahunt -- the former congressman, who was in the audience -- would promise to go. THE MOST IMPORTANT STORY RIGHT NOW -- BURGESS EVERETT and RACHANA PRADHAN: “Senate moderates sidelined in new Obamacare repeal bill: Centrist Republicans are still opposed to deep Medicaid cuts, potentially dooming the GOP effort to gut the health law”: “In a closed-door meeting of Senate Republican chairmen Wednesday, Lisa Murkowski ripped GOP leaders’ attempt to scale back Medicaid spending in their Obamacare repeal bill. The two matters were unrelated, she argued, because the Affordable Care Act did not change Medicaid … [Read more...] about MCCONNELL’S PROBLEM: Moderates still mad about Medicaid cuts — SCARBOROUGH teases spring Nantucket wedding — PENCE’s spokesman three times dances around on whether he’s held meetings with Russians
OBAMA golfs with Spieth, Curry and Plank in Dallas — TRUMP implores House GOP to pass Senate budget — JASON ZENGERLE on CHRISTIE’s ‘last fight’ — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Staten Island’s Dem. challenger’s bio video
Driving the Day Good Monday morning. SPOTTED -- BARACK OBAMA playing golf yesterday with Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, golfer Jordan Spieth and Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank in Dallas. Curry and Spieth are two of the highest-profile athletes sponsored by Under Armour. Obama headed to Dallas after raising money in College Station, Texas, for the spate of hurricanes that hit the U.S. in the past few months. TRUMP AND PENCE CALL INTO HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE CALL … RACHAEL BADE: “Trump to House GOP: Pass budget bill so we can get tax reform”: “President Donald Trump had a tough message for House Republicans on Sunday: Get to work on tax reform and pass the Senate budget immediately -- or face a bloodbath in 2018. … Trump’s presence on the call highlights the sensitivity of this week's budget vote for House Republicans. Backing the Senate bill would require House Republicans to endorse a budget that is not balanced over 10 years, adds $1.5 … [Read more...] about OBAMA golfs with Spieth, Curry and Plank in Dallas — TRUMP implores House GOP to pass Senate budget — JASON ZENGERLE on CHRISTIE’s ‘last fight’ — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Staten Island’s Dem. challenger’s bio video
CBS News Logo New details revealed about ship fired on by Iranians in Gulf
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- No one onboard a Singapore-flagged commercial tanker that was fired on by an Iranian naval patrol in the Persian Gulf was injured and the ship did not sustain serious damage, the companies responsible for it said Friday. The MT Alpine Eternity "was attacked by a number of small craft," which first fired warning shots and issued calls ordering the ship to stop on Thursday morning, according to a statement from ship manager Transpetrol and owner South Maritime Pte Ltd. The crew ignored the order, changed course to head for Emirati territorial waters and called for help, they said. The tanker had been in international waters on its way from Bahrain to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The shooting happened near Abu Musa island, one of three islands near the Strait of Hormuz that are controlled by Iran but also claimed by the Emirates. "At the point when the order was ignored and when the vessel changed course it was directly fired upon," the … [Read more...] about CBS News Logo New details revealed about ship fired on by Iranians in Gulf
Chinese workers tricked into illegal work on Saipan
HONOLULU (AP) — Zhou Qingjiang was toiling in a factory in China's rust belt when he decided to pack his bags for America. A recruiter guaranteed a job that paid $3,000 a month — more than triple the average wage in China — as long as Zhou forked over thousands of dollars for his help. The offer was too good to pass up.Ten days later, Zhou found himself on the tiny Pacific island of Saipan, a U.S. Commonwealth, working 14-hour days with few breaks on a casino construction site. He bunked with eight men in dilapidated housing and took home less than half the promised wages. This was not the American dream he pictured."All those agents tricked us," said Zhou, 46. "When I arrived and saw hundreds of other Chinese workers, I realized we were all here illegally."U.S. officials have been investigating and announced settlements last week with four Chinese construction firms to pay $14 million in back wages and damages to 2,400 affected workers. The companies, contracted by … [Read more...] about Chinese workers tricked into illegal work on Saipan