If you’ve followed the entire strategy for a while you’ll note President Trump has no intention for direct military conflict with the DPRK. There’s simply no reason to use military intervention when the reality is: China driving N-Korea behavior to gain economic leverage.
The key to resolution is to defeat the economic objectives of Beijing. However, for purposes of providing the cornerstone for the Trump Doctrine, the military option must always remain available and visible.  The military option enables the economic leverage.
Secretary Tillerson is in Texas today and after calling numerous ASEAN allies he is communicating via phone and video links with the White House.  U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman James Dunford appeared together outside the White House today to deliver a statement after North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date.

And keep in mind, regardless of how severe the sanctions are that Treasury Secretary Mnuching might draw up, China and Russia are essentially bound to agree to them or face the dropping of the panda mask, and STILL get more economic sanctions from the U.S.
It’s like China can’t just catch a break.  The more they dig, the deeper they get,..

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said on Sunday that he would put together a package of new sanctions to potentially cut off all trade with North Korea after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.
Speaking on Fox News, Mnuchin said he would ask U.S. President Donald Trump to strongly consider cutting off all trade with new sanctions.

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President Trump has hinted at deconstructing a trade deal with South Korea.  Geopolitical “experts” clutch their pearls at the possibility of President Trump targeting S-Korea at the same time that North Korea threatens the region.

WASHINGTON – President Trump confirmed Saturday that he was talking with advisers amid reports that he had instructed aides to prepare to withdraw the U.S. from its free trade agreement with South Korea.
“I am. It’s very much on my mind,” Trump told a reporter covering his day trip to Texas and Louisiana when asked if he was talking to advisers and would do something in the coming week. (more)

Media pundits join in deep sighs of concern. Oh noes, he didn’t..
CTH laughs.
People need to get their mind right with the entire principle behind ‘America-First’ and looking out for America’s best interests.  It wasn’t so long ago that South Korea was snarking back at POTUS Trump, the United States and were dismissive about paying for THAAD missile defenses etc.
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Well, that didn’t take too long.  For those who might not be familiar with the key issue in the breakdown of prior six-party talks (China, Russia, DPRK, S-Korea, Japan and U.S.), the issue was “denuclearization”.
Both China and Russia have just announced a shift in their public policy.  Together Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin agree the goal for the Korean Peninsular should be denuclearization:

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Sunday to “appropriately deal with” the latest nuclear test by North Korea, state news agency Xinhua said.
“The two leaders agreed to stick to the goal of denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation,” Xinhua said in a brief dispatch.

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CTH holds a fundamentally different view of China and North Korea than most.  Our position is based on independent research and a lengthy following of patterns between the two which show predictable cause and effect outcomes.
It is our position that while the DPRK is technically an independent nation; in reality, and in quintessential economic terms, North-Korea is more accurately defined as a province of China, and not an independent nation.  What China authorizes Kim Jong-un (North Korea) to do, Kim Jong-un does.  “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-un is better described as a provincial governor, who serves a specific function as a tool against the West.

History will observe the key date for President Trump’s strategic victory over North Korea was achieved on August 5th, 2017.  That’s the original date when Russia and China agreed to the U.N. Security Council’s economic sanctions against North Korea.  That first, historic, Russia and China U.N. Security Council vote against North Korea came as a result of eight months of assembled economic leverage created by President Donald Trump.
As a result of President Trump’s strategy, every time North Korea’s Kim Jong-un takes an action, President Trump hits China’s Xi Jinping with an additional economic action. As Beijing feels the squeeze, they tell Kim Jong-un to act. Every time Kim Jong-un acts, President Trump squeezes Beijing with more economic pressure.  Wash-Rinse-Repeat.
Communist Beijing has boxed themselves into this inescapable cycle.  The reason they keep authorizing Kim Jong-un to take action is simply because China has no alternative leverage to use against President Trump.  China has nothing in their economic arsenal they can use to hit back against President Trump, so Beijing keeps using North Korea in an attempt to create leverage.
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Two seismic events happening in North Korea are suspected to be a nuclear test.  The first event was reportedly measured at a 5.6 Richter Scale magnitude. The second event is being reported at 6.3.  Both seismic events are potentially related to a nuclear detonation:

SEOUL (Reuters) – An earthquake 5.6 was recorded on Sunday in North Korea near the country’s known nuclear test site Punggye-ri, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea’s meteorological agency.
The quake appeared to have been man-made, Yonhap quoted the agency as saying, suggesting the isolated country had conducted a sixth nuclear test. (read more)

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President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at the National Guard Armory in Lake Charles, Louisiana to thank the military, first-responders and Cajun Navy prior to meeting with those impacted by TS Harvey and the subsequent Louisiana flooding.
First Lady Melania arrives with La/FLOTUS ball cap, and Governor John Bel Edwards  immediately says: “I love your hat”.

Last week the insufferable left-wing media pounced on First Lady Melania Trump for exiting the White House en route to Texas wearing stiletto heels.  Today, our First Lady sent a subtle message in response.
Subtle, like a brick through a window…


After our President and our First Lady departed the White House armed with the messaging of a beautiful pair of snakeskin stiletto’s, our first family arrives in Texas.
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Prior to departing Texas for Louisiana, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump thanked various branches of the military, including several dozen pilots from Coast Guard, Army and Marines, for their united rescue efforts which saved the lives of thousands.
(Video starts at 1:25 prompted)

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Lara Trump shares the week in review from the President Trump administration.  Topics include Hurricane Harvey response, economic news including the Tax Reform proposal and the geopolitical threat from North Korea’s aggression.