Democratic Rep. Peter Welch Condemns Trump's "Reckless" Threats Toward North Korea

As reported by Democracy Now!:

The Trump administration sent mixed signals on North Korea Thursday, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. is open to direct negotiations with Kim Jong Un’s regime over his country’s nuclear program, while President Trump hinted at a possible nuclear war. Trump made the remark in an interview with the Reuters news service. Trump’s comment came as Secretary of State Tillerson told NPR he’s open to direct talks with North Korea if the country is serious about permanently abandoning its nuclear program. Meanwhile, President Trump told Reuters that South Korea should pay the $1 billion price tag for a THAAD missile defense system the U.S. recently began installing. Trump suggested the U.S. could cancel a free trade deal between the two countries if South Korea doesn’t accept the demand. "I think the president should be talking diplomacy," says our guest Peter Welch, U.S. Congressman from Vermont. He is Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, "not making a reckless threat of military action where it is going to be very damaging."

Watch the full video of the interview, as posted at the link above.

Nuclear Free Future: Nuclear Sabre-Rattling - From Korea to Yucca Mountain

Margaret Harrington and co-host Ben Shulman-Reed, researcher with Fairewinds Energy Education, speak with Kevin Kamps, Nuclear Waste Watchdog with Beyond Nuclear, about nuclear escalation on "Nuclear Free Future," an ongoing series on Channel 17/Town Meeting Television in Burlington, Vermont. The discussion covers not only the nuclear escalation in the Korean Peninsula but the continuous nuclear weapons buildup, including nuclear waste, uranium mining, and nuclear weapons testing. Watch the episode here.

Chomsky: Like Obama, Trump Is Radically Increasing the Danger of Nuclear War

As reported by Democracy Now!

Trump says Iran has not ‘lived up to the spirit’ of the nuclear agreement

As reported by the Washington Post. The article opens by pointing out that:

President Trump on Thursday criticized the nuclear deal with Iran just day after his secretary of state certified that Iran was complying with the terms of the agreement, calling it “terrible” and “as bad as I've ever seen negotiated.”

The article also quotes Trump regarding the nuclear sabre-rattling between the U.S. and North Korea.

As reported by Margaret Harrington on "Nuclear-Free Future Conversation" in 2015, groups like Beyond Nuclear and Physicians for Social Responsibility not only celebrated the Iran Nuclear Deal as a non-violent alternative to armed conflict, but also worked to defend it against those who would overturn it.

Advocates Urge Trump to De-escalate with North Korea, Not Ratchet Up Threats & Military Aggression

As reported by Democracy Now!