President Donald Trump responded to reports of North Korea’s nuclear threats on Tuesday, saying the regime “will be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which the world has never seen before.”
Speaking from New Jersey, Trump also said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “has been very threatening beyond a normal state,” adding that the regime “best not make any more threats to the United States.”
The president’s comments follow a report that North Korea has produced a compact nuclear warhead that can be placed inside one of its advanced missiles – which are already believed to be capable of reaching half of the United States. Fox News has confirmed the report, which first appeared in the Washington Post.
The jarring assessment was prepared in July by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The Post was read parts of the DIA analysis and the document was verified by other U.S. officials, the newspaper reported.
Dan Coats, director of national intelligence, made similar comments to Congress in May.
“Kim was also photographed beside a nuclear warhead design and missile airframes to show that North Korea has warheads small enough to fit on a missile,” Coats said at the time.
READ MOREMayor Bill de Blasio’s midday nap habit came under fire Tuesday by political opponents gunning for his job — one of whom offered him a can of Red Bull outside City Hall.
Hours after The Post exclusively revealed Hizzoner’s penchant for crashing out on his office couch, Republican Nicole Malliotakis was about to hold a campaign news conference when she spotted de Blasio headed to a nearby subway entrance.
The Staten Island assemblywoman approached the mayor and held out the caffeinated energy drink.
De Blasio, who was surrounded by bodyguards, didn’t reach for the eye-opener and instead just smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
“I said, ‘Mayor, I got you a Red Bull to keep you up during the work day,’” Malliotakis said afterward.
De Blasio held his tongue, she said, adding: “I’m sure he was thinking of something.”
Malliotakis said she was “a little disappointed” that the Democratic incumbent rejected her offer of a pick-me-up “because it shows that not only is he lazy and incompetent, but he’s rude, too.
“I’m just trying to help him out so he can stay awake during the day — and doesn’t even need those frequent naps,” she said.
On his way out of City Hall en route to the subway, de Blasio refused to respond when The Post asked him if he’d ever taken a nap on the job. His press secretary had earlier denied that de Blasio “regularly” snoozed inside City Hall.
READ MOREPresident Donald Trump on Saturday touted new sanctions the U.N. Security Council approved for North Korea, saying they will have a “very big financial impact.”
The Security Council unanimously approved the sanctions on North Korea, including banning coal and other exports worth over $1 billion. The U.S.-drafted measure, negotiated with North Korea’s neighbor and ally China, is aimed at increasing economic pressure on Pyongyang to return to negotiations on its nuclear and missile programs.
Trump wrote on Twitter: “The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 to sanction North Korea. China and Russia voted with us. Very big financial impact!”
A few hours later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Trump commended the Security Council for its action and appreciated the cooperation of China and Russia in passing the resolution.
READ MOREFor Jona S. Rechnitz and Jeremiah Reichberg, giving money to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s political campaigns offered a backstage pass to city government. They exchanged friendly emails with the mayor and got access to high-level officials to discuss business they had with the city.
The close relationship between the mayor and the two men — who became embroiled in a police corruption scandal and separate federal and state investigations into Mr. de Blasio’s fund-raising — is detailed in a series of emails released by City Hall on Friday in response to Freedom of Information requests.
The emails further the notion that Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, was eager to do favors for campaign donors.
READ MOREWest Virginia Democratic Gov. Jim Justice plans to announce at a rally Thursday evening with President Trump that he is changing parties, three Republican sources confirmed to Fox News.
Justice is expected to announce he’s becoming a Republican.
Trump earlier in the day had teased the prospect of having a big announcement at his rally in Huntington, W.Va.
The state is a Trump stronghold, and even as the president faces record-low approval ratings nationally, his popularity has largely held in West Virginia.
At least 1,000 supporters lined the streets ahead of the president’s expected appearance, wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and chanting “USA! USA!”
The New York Times first reported that Justice plans to announce his party change.
The rally is set to start shortly after 7 p.m. ET.
READ MOREWASHINGTON — Congress sent President Donald Trump legislation to provide the biggest expansion of college aid for military veterans in a decade.
The Senate cleared the bill by voice vote on Wednesday, passing the second piece of legislation aimed at addressing urgent problems at the beleaguered Department of Veterans Affairs in as many days. The House passed the bipartisan college aid legislation last week.
The measure is a broad effort to better prepare veterans for life after active-duty service amid a rapidly changing job market.
Building on major legislation passed in 2008 that guaranteed a full-ride scholarship to any in-state public university — or a similar cash amount for private college students — the bill removes a 15-year time limit to tap into GI benefits and increases money for thousands in the National Guard and Reserve.
READ MOREPresident Trump joined two Republican senators on Wednesday to champion legislation overhauling legal immigration in America, calling for a merit-based system that would significantly cut admissions over the next decade.
Speaking at the White House, the president called it “the most significant reform to our immigration system in a half century.”
“As a candidate, I campaigned on creating a merit-based immigration system that protects U.S. workers and taxpayers, and that is why we are here today,” Trump said.
He was joined by Georgia Sen. David Perdue and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, the Republicans who first introduced the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy, or the RAISE Act, in February. They have said the legislation aims to reduce the number of green cards issued in half from 1 million to 500,000 a year.
Trump, Perdue and Cotton argued on Tuesday that low-skilled and unskilled immigration into the United States has depressed wages.
According to a fact sheet released to reporters, the new system would favor immigrants who are educated, speak English and have high-paying job offers. It would also reduce low-skilled and unskilled labor immigration.
Trump said new immigrants must be able to “financially support themselves and their families.”
READ MOREPresident Trump touted a new program to increase veterans’ electronic access to medical care as part of a broader tele-health push at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The initiative connects veterans with health providers via mobile phones or computers, and is intended to improve medical care especially for those needing mental health and suicide prevention services, Trump said.
“It will make a tremendous difference for the veterans in rural locations in particular,” Trump said in an event at the White House with VA Secretary David Shulkin.
The application allows veterans to schedule appointments via their smart phones.
Shulkin also previewed a regulation allowing VA providers to provide tele-health services to veterans anywhere in the country.
“What we’re announcing today is a big deal for veterans,” said Shulkin. Veterans can find the digital application at the VA app store, he said.
READ MOREThe Queens County GOP will present the 2017 Queens County GOP Man of the Year award to Hon. Edward (Ed) J. O’Hare Jr. at its Annual Spring Gala on May 10th, at Terrace on the Park. Ed has been the Republican State Committeeman and District Leader in the 23rd Assembly District for over 20 years. He has helped multiple Republican candidates reach elected office and has submitted tens of thousands of signatures on nominating and designating petitions to make sure that the Republican Party is represented on the ballot year after year.
He began his professional career in real estate, proudly purchasing various properties in Broad Channel, including Turtle Towers along Cross Bay Blvd. Later in his career, Ed became a member of Local 1 Elevators Contractors. During his 37-year tenure with the union, Ed had the honor of serving as a member of the Board of Trustees at Local 1.
Ed is a political icon within the community he lives and the surrounding communities of the 23rd Assembly District. He has demonstrated sound leadership over the last two decades, as a State Committeeman, civic activist and supporter of our first responders, our youth, our active Military and Veterans.
He has volunteered his time as past President of the Broad Channel Athletic Club, as past President of the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department, and as past President of the Volunteer Firefighters Association, to name a few. Ed has also served as Vice President of the Broad Channel Civic, as a member of Community Board 14, and as Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick’s Parade in the Rockaways.
Ed is the founder of the OHBCR Regular Republican Club, member of the Rockaway Republican Club and founder of the Columbus Foundation in Howard Beach. Raised in Broad Channel, Queens, Ed met and married his wife of 25 years, Virginia (Ginger). Together they are raising their son, Edward Vincent O’Hare, with their dog Baily. Edward J. O’Hare Jr. is a 9/11 Survivor, he is a fighter, he is a winner and he is our Man of the Year!
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