"The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. The North Korean launch was "the first step of the military operation of the (North Korean military) in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam," North Korean state media said, doubling down on Pyongyang's threats in early August to strike the US territory, home to a large US military base. "This dramatically undercuts the State Department - any offer of talks to North Korea has zero credibility if the President is not on board." "The goal was deterring North Korea from launching missiles toward Guam or attacking South Korea, which has not happened."

Source: CNN August 30, 2017 14:16 UTC