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Year: 2023

South Korea says North fired short-range ballistic missile into sea

South Korea says North fired short-range ballistic missile into sea

The launch came as Pyongyang marks the anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong Un’s father and predecessor Kim Jong Il. South Korea has accused the North of firing a short-range ballistic missile amid tensions in the peninsula. Sunday’s launch came as North Korea condemned the United States-led military’s shows of force, including the arrival of a submarine in South Korea as tantamount to “a preview of a nuclear war”. The missile was launched from the Pyongyang area towards the East Sea at around 10:38pm (13:38 GMT) on Sunday and flew about 570km (354 miles) before falling into the ocean, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The launch followed warnings from officials in Seoul and Tokyo that nuclear-armed North Korea was preparing to test-fire a missile, including one of its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) this month. Japan’s Ministry of Defence also said North Korea launched “what appears to be a ballistic missile”, with its coastguard adding that it seemed to have already fallen. South Korean and Japanese naval ships conduct missile defence drills with the US Navy in the Sea of Japan [File: Samantha Oblander/US Navy/Handout via Reuters] JCS said Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have “closely shared information regarding North Korea’s ballistic missile”, which was launched two days after the US and South Korea held their second session of the Nuclear Consultative Group in Washington on Friday, where they discussed nuclear deterrence in the event of conflict with the North. A spokesperson for the North’s Defence Ministry on Sunday slammed the allies’ plans to expand a key annual joint military drill next year to include a nuclear operation drill and warned of “a preemptive and deadly counteraction”. “This is an open declaration on nuclear confrontation to make the use of nuclear weapons against the DPRK a fait accompli,” the statement carried by the KCNA news agency said, using the official acronym for North Korea. “Any attempt to use armed forces against the DPRK will face a preemptive and deadly counteraction.” All of North Korea’s ballistic missile activities are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, though Pyongyang defends them as its sovereign right to self-defence. The missile launch also came as Pyongyang marks the anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong Un’s father and predecessor Kim Jong Il, who died on December 17, 2011. North Korea last year declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power and has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear programme, which the regime views as essential for its survival. Last month, Pyongyang successfully put a military spy satellite into orbit. It has since claimed its eye in the sky was already providing images of major US and South Korean military sites. The UN Security Council has adopted many resolutions calling on North Korea to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes since it first conducted a nuclear test in 2006. Washington and its allies have also expressed concerns about a potential arms alignment between North Korea and Russia. They worry that Kim is providing badly needed munitions to help Russian President Vladimir Putin wage the war in Ukraine in exchange for Russian technology assistance to upgrade his nuclear-armed military. Adblock test (Why?)

Haley responds to pressure to love or hate Trump: ‘Normal people aren’t obsessed with him’

Haley responds to pressure to love or hate Trump: ‘Normal people aren’t obsessed with him’

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley responded on Sunday to pressure to love or hate former President Trump, claiming that typical voters care more about issues. Coming off a key endorsement by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Haley slammed the media’s preoccupation with Trump.  “You guys are exhausting. You’re exhausting in your obsession with him. The thing is, normal people aren’t obsessed with Trump like you guys are,” Haley said of the media during a sit-down interview with ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that aired on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “The normal people care about the fact that they can’t afford things. They feel like their freedoms are being taken away. They think government is too big. I know you all want to talk about every single word he says and every single tweet he does.” “That’s exactly why we need a new generational leader,” Haley, who was Trump’s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, continued. “Because people don’t want to hear about every word a person says or every tweet. They want to know how you fought for them that day, and they want to know how their life is going to be different. And life would be a whole lot different if the media would stop this obsession with Trump.”  DONALD TRUMP GETS OVATION, HIGH-FIVES FANS UPON UFC 296 ARRIVAL FOR ‘BIGGEST FAN’ COLBY COVINGTON’S FIGHT Haley’s remarks came after Karl pressed her on Trump campaigning on the idea of “retribution,” which Sununu argued distracts the media and voters from Trump’s record.  “He does everything he can not to talk about issues. He almost acts like he wasn’t there. He doesn’t want to talk about building the wall and securing the southern border because he didn’t do it,” Sununu, interviewed alongside Haley, said of Trump. “He doesn’t want to talk about fiscal responsibility because he made a hard promise that he would do it in that debate, ‘I’m going to be known as the most fiscally responsible president this country’s ever seen’. He said he balanced the budget. Yeah, didn’t even try to balance the budget. And you know, the thing that for someone in New Hampshire where, you know, it’s not about big government, we love the idea that he was going to drain the swamp. That was an amazing opportunity. Didn’t even try. I mean, literally didn’t even try. So if he talks about those issues, he has to kind of own those failures. So he’s always going to talk about retribution and just kind of try to spur something up.” DESANTIS ARGUES TRUMP ‘WILL SAY IT’S STOLEN, NO MATTER WHAT’ IF FORMER PRESIDENT LOSES IN IOWA OR NH Earlier in the interview, Haley also addressed pressure from those who wished she would take a strong stance regarding Trump. “Anti-Trumpers want me to hate him, pro-Trumpers want me to love him, but this is where I stand. There are things I agree with the president on. I had a good working relationship with him. There are things I don’t agree – I don’t agree with the fact that, yes, we had a good economy while he was there, but he put us $8 trillion in debt that our kids are never going to forgive us for. I don’t agree with how he handles national security. He focused on trade with China, but he did nothing about the fentanyl flow. He did nothing about the fact that fentanyl has killed so many of our Americans.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Positioning herself for the GOP endorsement, Haley said Trump “was the right president at the right time,” but stressed, “the world is on fire and chaos follows him, and we can’t have a country in chaos for four more years, so we won’t survive it.” 

Trump blasts Biden at NH rally, says inflation, Ukraine and Israel wars ‘wouldn’t have happened’ on his watch

Trump blasts Biden at NH rally, says inflation, Ukraine and Israel wars ‘wouldn’t have happened’ on his watch

Former President Trump, the GOP’s current 2024 presidential frontrunner, said soaring inflation and conflicts in Ukraine and Israel “wouldn’t have happened” on his watch, blasting Democrat President Biden during a campaign rally in New Hampshire on Saturday as the two head to a likely 2024 rematch.  The former president referenced an interview given by Hungarian Prime Minister Vikor Orban, in which Orban touted Trump’s foreign policy. “”He did not initiate a new war and… it would have been the greatest thing. Our world would have been a very different place right now,” Trump quoted Orban as saying. “He said it would have been very different. And there was no way that Russia – and he’s right there – there’s no way that Russia would have invaded Ukraine. It would not be possible for Russians to do that if President Trump were president, it wouldn’t have happened. And guess what? It didn’t happen. And you know what else wouldn’t have happened? The attack on Israel wouldn’t have happened and inflation wouldn’t have happened.”  Trump also told the crowd that Biden puts America last when it comes to global interests.  MAJOR PRO-ISRAEL GROUP ACCUSES BIDEN OF FANNING FLAMES OF ANTISEMITISM WITH CLAIM OF ‘INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING’ “These people are crazy. Crooked Joe puts China first. He puts Asia first, Ukraine first, illegal aliens first, environmental maniacs first. He puts everyone first, but he puts America last,” Trump said. “He puts New Hampshire last. He puts our workers last. He puts our farmers last. He puts everything that’s good. He puts it last. And I put New Hampshire first and I put America first.”  The remarks come as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown – two top U.S. military leaders – are traveling to Tel Aviv to advise the Israeli government on how to transition from major combat operations against Hamas in Gaza to a more limited campaign and prevent a wider regional war.  Iranian-backed militants on Saturday launched a wave of attack drones against ships in the Red Sea and said they would continue until Israel’s “aggression” ends. One of the American warships assigned to the Ford carrier strike group, the destroyer USS Carney, “successfully engaged” 14 one-way attack drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. Britain reported that a Royal Navy destroyer downed another drone that was targeting commercial ships. Trump on Saturday further placed blame on Biden for worsening tensions in the Middle East.  SEC. AUSTIN TRAVELS TO ISRAEL AS THOUSANDS PROTEST AGAINST MISTAKEN KILLING OF ISRAELI HOSTAGES “Iran was broke under the Trump administration. They didn’t have the money to fund Hamas, Hezbollah and all of the other instruments of terror. They had no money. They were totally broke. But those sanctions were lifted by a corrupt Biden administration. And now Iran is a rich country with over $200 billion. And another 6 billion for hostages and 10 billion for dollars from electricity from Iraq, all compliments of the incompetent Biden administration. Iran has so much money, they don’t know what to do with it. And China with Taiwan is next.”  His appearance in Durham was part of a swing taking the former president through early nominating states as he cites his wide polling lead over a dwindling field of GOP hopefuls. They are trying to block his political comeback as Trump navigates multiple indictments and looks ahead to a potential rematch with Biden, who won against Trump in 2020. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The New Hampshire primary is Jan. 23, eight days after the Iowa caucuses begin the nominating process on Jan. 15. Nevada and South Carolina come next in the early stages, before Super Tuesday on March 5, when the highest cumulative number of delegates are up for grabs on any single day on the election calendar.  The Trump campaign sees a path for him to secure the nomination before the Super Tuesday polls open. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Top GOP strategist quits DeSantis PAC just weeks before Iowa caucus

Top GOP strategist quits DeSantis PAC just weeks before Iowa caucus

A top Republican strategist for a PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign announced he is resigning from the organization just weeks before the Iowa caucus. “I am resigning my position effective immediately,” veteran GOP strategist Jeff Roe said in a statement posted to X late Saturday. “Governor DeSantis has been an exceptional governor and I hope he will be the 47th President of the United States. I wish the Governor, First Lady, and their entire team the best through the rest of the campaign.” Roe’s departure comes amid a string of exits from Never Back Down, the main PAC supporting the Florida governor’s White House bid, coming just two weeks after the organization fired three top officials, including its chief executive officer. According to reporting from Politico, the PAC’s board chairman and also its president left the organization around the same time. DESANTIS ARGUES TRUMP ‘WILL SAY IT’S STOLEN, NO MATTER WHAT’ IF FORMER PRESIDENT LOSES IN IOWA OR NH The turmoil at the PAC was the subject of a Washington Post report Saturday, which detailed the sudden rash of departures and infighting that has plagued the organization as the Iowa caucus quickly approaches. Included in the report was a statement from Never Back Down chairman Scott Wagner, who blamed the recent firings on “mismanagement and conduct issues, including numerous unauthorized leaks containing false information.” “Senior officials were terminated,” Wagner told the Washington Post. “We don’t have time to indulge false narratives from those with ulterior motives.” But a lawyer for the fired employees accused Wagner of making a “categorically false” statement, leading to a revised statement with a different tone. DESANTIS STOPS IN ALL 99 OF IOWA’S COUNTIES — BUT WILL IT HELP HIM CLOSE THE GAP WITH TRUMP? “Following some opinions regarding mismanagement and conduct issues, including some who believed there appeared to be numerous unauthorized leaks containing false information, NBD and some senior officials parted ways,” Wagner told the Washington Post. “I cannot in good conscience stay affiliated with Never Back Down given the statements in the Washington Post today,” Roe said in his statement. “They are not true and an unwanted distraction at a critical time for Governor DeSantis.” DeSantis entered the race with a $269 million war chest, according to the report, with $82.5 million coming through Never Back Down in an unprecedented new campaign strategy. The PAC has largely been responsible for funding most of the Florida governer’s advertising and field operations, while also paying for much of the candidate’s campaign travel. According to the Washington Post report, Roe’s departure will not leave the PAC without experienced campaign veterans, with longtime DeSantis ally Phil Cox stepping into a senior adviser role while others are elevated to heightened roles. Meanwhile, Roe expressed that he is “proud of the team” that was built at Never Back Down and the “incredible work and integrity of every devoted professional within the organization.” “This is a team of political warriors and their grind and dedication over the last nine months has helped put Governor Ron DeSantis in a strong position,” Roe said. The DeSantis campaign and Never Back Down did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.