| US missile defense: Getting to 'ready' on North Korea threat Posted: 03 May 2017 01:22 PM PDT ![US missile defense: Getting to 'ready' on North Korea threat]( "US missile defense: Getting to 'ready' on North Korea threat") For decades, US presidents have used diplomatic pressure and economic sanctions to try and convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. The Pentagon has been developing a nationwide antimissile program since the early 1990s. The aim is to protect American territory – not from established nuclear powers Russia or China, but any smaller Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) arsenals produced by North Korea, or (possibly) Iran.
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| In rejecting Obama's Asia 'pivot,' did Trump leap before he looked? Posted: 03 May 2017 12:54 PM PDT ![In rejecting Obama's Asia 'pivot,' did Trump leap before he looked?]( "In rejecting Obama's Asia 'pivot,' did Trump leap before he looked?") With the stroke of a pen, Mr. Trump made clear what US relations with Southeast Asian nations are NOT going to be – a strategic alliance built on the framework of a multilateral trade and investment partnership with the US economy. The Trump administration will have the opportunity to start sketching out what will replace President Obama's Asia pivot, particularly when it comes to economic relations, when the foreign ministers of the nine-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet Thursday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington.
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| Applause that drowns out hate speech Posted: 03 May 2017 12:40 PM PDT ![Applause that drowns out hate speech]( "Applause that drowns out hate speech") Red Sox officials quickly apologized and promised to punish such fan behavior. "We are better than this," said Mayor Martin Walsh. When Mr. Jones came to bat in the first inning the following day, almost the entire stadium gave him a sustained standing ovation.
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| Moqtada al-Sadr: In Iraq, a fiery cleric redefines himself as nationalist patriot Posted: 03 May 2017 11:58 AM PDT ![Moqtada al-Sadr: In Iraq, a fiery cleric redefines himself as nationalist patriot]( "Moqtada al-Sadr: In Iraq, a fiery cleric redefines himself as nationalist patriot") While Iraqi forces push further into the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, a fight over the future of Iraq is brewing in Baghdad. As has been the case since Saddam Hussein was toppled, the mercurial cleric from a revered Shiite family is playing a leading role. Mr. Sadr, who commands his followers to wave only the Iraqi flag as a sign of nationalism, had called for peaceful protests, though his history as a militia leader may have undermined that request.
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