Rep. Kinzinger Thinks Trump "Gets" How To Deal With North Korea
The United States has tried to be patient with North Korea for 25 years now, but the strategy has led to a country that is just shy of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, a Republican congressman told Cheddar.
Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger said that after having lunch with President Donald Trump, he is confident that the U.S. is now moving in the right direction.
“When you use diplomacy against an adversary, the only way it really works is with a credible military threat behind it, ”Kinzinger said.
Trump, who’s currently on a multi-nation trip to Asia, has made his intent to denuclearize North Korea clear. According to the White House, this is one of the goals of his trip.
“President Trump will stress the United States’ commitment to the complete, verifiable, and permanent denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and will call on all responsible nations to act now to ensure that the North Korean regime cannot threaten the world with nuclear devastation,” the White House reports.
Kinsinger maintains, however, that while Trump “gets” how to deal with North Korea and previously emphasized the importance of having a strong military threat, the president is now looking to exhaust all viable options before resorting to military action.
With this Indo-Pacific trip, Trump is sending a dual message to both North Korea and the country's allies and adversaries, Kinzinger said.
“To our friends: hey, join us in trying to make sure that North Korea does not get a nuclear weapon; it’s in all of our interests,” he said. “To our adversaries: why don’t you join us to help us ensure this as well.”
Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, joined Cheddar News to discuss how prices are being affected by the war and how much worse it could potentially get for drivers. "It's obviously a fluid situation. In one field today, I might feel differently in a half hour. But for now, I think we could see the national average realistically go somewhere into the mid $4 range, maybe $4.40 to $4.65 based on what we're seeing," he said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its 12th day following what Ukrainian authorities described as increased shelling of encircled cities and another failed attempt to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol.
Gasoline prices are pushing even farther above $4 a gallon, the highest price that American motorists have faced since July 2008, as calls grow to ban imports of Russian oil.
Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, believes a lot of the bad news regarding the fighting in Ukraine and Fed is already priced into the market and looming uncertainty factored into Friday's movement. However, he also believes the upcoming Fed decision will be good news for Wall Street.
News of Russian forces taking control of a Ukrainian after artillery bombardment of a nuclear power plant raised concerns this week. Nuclear policy expert and Quincy Institute Distinguished Fellow Joe Cirincione joined Cheddar News to discuss the implications for a potential disaster. “I’m with the director general of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says that he is extremely concerned, and that this Russian attack is a severe risk and that Russia clearly violated the fundamental principle of preserving the integrity of nuclear power plants," Cirincione said.
Amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, major businesses from BP to Big Tech like Apple have been pausing their business dealings with the invading nation. Brian Walker, chief strategy officer at commerce software company Bloomreach, joined Cheddar News to discuss how some companies are showing support for Ukraine and what this could mean for consumers. "Whether it be impacts on energy or operational costs, shipping and logistics, or frankly impacts on the financial services industry, these will have long term implications on retail prices," he said.
About 678,000 jobs were created in February, hundreds of thousands more than predicted, according to the latest Labor Department report, showing a broad economic recovery despite inflation woes. Heather Boushey, member of the Council of Economic Advisers for President Biden, joined Cheddar News to talk about the employment figures. "This really shows that the economy is now more resilient because of the tools that we have in place," Boushey said. "So I'm optimistic that we'll be able to weather future storms."
Ramit Varma, Independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, joins Cheddar News to discuss the race and how he plans to tackle critical issues in the California city.
