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Donald Trump warns of a ‘major, major conflict’ with North …

Donald Trump has said that a major conflict is possible with North Korea though he would prefer to solve the standoff over the countrys nuclear and missile programmes through diplomacy.

Trumps warning on Thursday came towards the end of a week where the administration has made a concerted effort to restrain Pyongyang from carrying out major new weapons tests.

At the same time, US officials sought to clarify US policy after a variety of mixed signals in the administrations first 100 days.

Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, said that the US would be prepared to enter into direct talks with the regime of Kim Jong-un, but that it would have to prepare to negotiate getting rid of all its nuclear weapons.

The opening to diplomacy came as the head of the US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris told the Senate that the standoff with North Korea was the worst he had seen. It was an assessment echoed by the president.

There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely, Trump told Reuters.

Wed love to solve things diplomatically but its very difficult, the president added.

Trump suggested there had been a breakthrough in Chinese readiness to help apply pressure on Kim since Xi Jinping visited the US president in Florida earlier this month.

I believe he [the Chinese president] is trying very hard. He certainly doesnt want to see turmoil and death. He doesnt want to see it. He is a good man. He is a very good man and I got to know him very well, Trump said.

With that being said, he loves China and he loves the people of China. I know he would like to be able to do something, perhaps its possible that he cant.

Tillerson had earlier said the Chinese had warned Pyongyang, an increasingly unruly client in recent years, that it would impose punitive measures if North Korea carried out provocative tests.

We know that China is in communications with the regime in Pyongyang, he told Fox News. They confirmed to us that they had requested the regime conduct no further nuclear test.

According to Tillerson, the Chinese told the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own.

China refused to confirm or deny the US claim of new pressure. A foreign ministry spokesman reiterated Chinas support for UN sanctions on the North, but repeatedly avoided giving a direct answer when asked at a daily press briefing about what other plans China might be considering.

The US secretary of state said that the North Korean regime viewed its nuclear weapons and missile programmes as a guarantee of survival, and that the Trump administration sought to change that mindset.

We want to change that calculus of theirs and we have said to them: your pathway to survival and security is to eliminate your nuclear weapons and we and other countries will help you on the way to economic development, Tillerson said. He assured Pyongyang that the US objective was ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons, not toppling Kim Jong-un.

We do not seek a regime change in North Korea. We are not seeking the collapse of the regime.

Tillerson said that the US administration would wait as long as it takes for talks to start providing North Korea conducted no new nuclear or intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

The secretary of state did not directly reply to a question on whether this policy was very similar to the strategic patience pursued by the Obama administration, which Tillerson had earlier said had come to an end.

In his Oval Office interview with Reuters, Trump offered an assessment of Kim.

Asked if he considered the North Korean leader to be rational he noted that Kim had taken over his country at an early age.

Hes 27 years old. His father dies, took over a regime. So say what you want but that is not easy, especially at that age, he said.

Im not giving him credit or not giving him credit, Im just saying thats a very hard thing to do. As to whether or not hes rational, I have no opinion on it. I hope hes rational, he said.

Meanwhile, in a sign that North Koreas regional neighbours are taking the threat of a conflict seriously, Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull warned that Pyongyang could launch a nuclear attack on nations and claimed China has not applied enough pressure on the regime.

There is the possibility and the risk that North Korea could launch an attack on its neighbours, Turnbull said on 3AW radio.

That is the reason why there is so much effort being put into seeking to stop this reckless and dangerous conduct by the North Korean regime. They are a real threat to the peace and stability in the region and to the whole world.

Turnbull said while North Korea was often a subject of satire, the country had nuclear weapons and regularly threatened to use them.

Their threats can appear sometimes to be theatrical and over the top and they have been the subject of satire but I can assure you that my government takes ... the threat of North Korea very seriously, he said.

On Friday morning Tillerson will chair a special ministerial session of the UN security council on North Korea, aimed at convincing other members to impose existing sanctions on Pyongyang more rigorously.

In Washington, the head of the Arms Control Association, Daryl Kimball, welcomed the Trump administrations readiness for direct talks with North Korea.

There are some new things here. They are making clear that regime change is not the goal. There is a recognition that North Korea has security concerns, Kimball said. I think what we hearing the evening is more of the engagement part of the maximum pressure engagement policy that they are slowly rolling out.

He added: Its going to require persistence and patience.

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Howard Stern was 100% right about Donald Trump – Apr. 28, 2017

Donald Trump told Reuters in an interview this week that he misses the days before he was president.

"I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," he said. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier."

12 days into Trump's presidency, Stern, the radio shock jock and Trump's longtime friend, publicly predicted this moment. During the Feb. 1 broadcast of his show, Stern said he'd told Trump early on that the presidency wouldn't be good for him.

"I really was sincere, I said, 'Why would you want to be the president of the United States? You're not going to be beloved, it's going to be a f*cking nightmare in your life," Stern recalled telling Trump in audio first flagged by CNN's KFile.

"He stepped into a situation that's really not a win for him," he added. "He's a 70 year-old guy, he's got a great life, gorgeous wife, great kids, he's got helicopters, airplanes, all the accoutrements of the great life... so now to step into this f*cking mess, and for what? There are people who are better suited for this kind of thing.

"He didn't need this in his life."

The two men know each other fairly well. Trump was a frequent guest on Stern's radio program for years, and even attended Stern's 2008 wedding.

In the February broadcast, Stern -- who supported Hillary Clinton over Trump -- noted that he still considers Trump a friend, but said that he hadn't heard from him as much as the campaign progressed.

Stern said he believed the presidency wouldn't be a "healthy experience for Trump."

"I know something about Donald Trump, he really does want to be loved," Stern said. "He does want people to really love him. That drives him a lot. I think that he has a very sensitive ego and when you're president of the United States, people are going to be very very critical."

CNNMoney (New York) First published April 28, 2017: 2:02 PM ET

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Howard Stern was 100% right about Donald Trump - Apr. 28, 2017

Donald Trump invites Rodrigo Duterte to Washington

Trump and Duterte seem to have a mutual admiration. Composite: STRINGER, Dondi Tawatao/Reuters, Getty Images

US president Donald Trump has invited Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House during a phone call that also addressed concerns over North Korea, the White House said in a statement.

The White House gave no details of when the leaders would meet in Washington to discuss their alliance, but said Trump looked forward to visiting the Philippines in November as part of two summits with other Asian nations.

A readout of the call on Saturday said the discussion between the two was very friendly and the US-Philippines alliance was now heading in a very positive direction.

The pair talked about the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea.

The phone call also touched on Dutertes war on drugs, in which some 7,000 people have died at the hands of vigilantes and state sanctioned death squads. Trump has previously praised the drug war.

They also discussed the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world, the readout said.

President Trump enjoyed the conversation and said that he is looking forward to visiting the Philippines in November to participate in the east Asia summit and the US-Asean summit. President Trump also invited President Duterte to the White House to discuss the importance of the the United States-Philippines alliance.

Last week a Filipino lawyer filed a complaint at the international criminal court (ICC) accusing Duterte and 11 other Philippine officials of mass murder and crimes against humanity.

In the 77-page complaint Jude Sabio says the president has repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously committed extra-judicial executions or mass murders over three decades, amounting to crimes against humanity.

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Donald Trump invites Rodrigo Duterte to Washington

Donald Trump invites Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to …

President Donald Trump has invited Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to the White House "to discuss the importance of the United States-Philippines alliance," according to a White House readout of the leaders' phone call on Saturday.

"It was a very friendly conversation, in which the two leaders discussed the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding regional security, including the threat posed by North Korea," said the readout. "They also discussed the fact that the Philippine government is fighting very hard to rid its country of drugs, a scourge that affects many countries throughout the world."

The readout continued, "President Trump enjoyed the conversation and said that he is looking forward to visiting the Philippines in November to participate in the East Asia Summit and the U.S.-ASEAN Summit."

Duterte is a controversial and polarizing leader with a deadly and ruthless reputation. Since taking office last year, he has been outspoken in his support of extrajudicial killings of thousands of citizens accused of dealing or using drugs. His crackdown on suspected drug dealers and users has left nearly 2,800 people dead purportedly in gunbattles with police. Another 6,000 deaths are being investigated.

Duterte often raises eyebrows by making incendiary comments.

Last September, for example, he compared the Holocaust to his campaign to kill criminals.

"Hitler massacred three million Jews," he incorrectly stated (in fact, 6 million Jews were killed). "Now, there are 3 million drug addicts [in the Philippines] ... I'd be happy to slaughter them."

And last year, after then-President Barack Obama criticized Duterte's drug-fighting methods, the Philippine leader lashed out in a press conference, saying, "Mr. Obama, you can go to hell ... I am the president of a sovereign country, and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people. Son of a b----, I will swear at you," Duterte said.

He has been more effusive about Trump, though.

At a press conference in Qatar earlier this month, Duterte compared himself to Trump, praising him as "a realistic and a pragmatic thinker."

Duterte spoke positively about Trump's desire to stop the illegal drug trade. "Look at his inaugural speech," Duterte said. "He will stop drugs ... We're not different. He will really kill you."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Donald Trump to strip all funding from State Department team …

Donald Trumpplans to strip all funding from a State Department bureau that promotes the rights of women around the world, it has emerged.

Oxfam America led criticism of the move, saying said cutting funds for the Office of Global Womens Issues would have dire consequences for millions of people, as well as our global standing.

Documents first leaked to Foreign Policy showed plans to reduce the offices 2016 budget of $8.25 million (6.43 million) to zero in 2018, though the Presidents budget will still have to make it past Congress.

Its clear that womens empowerment and gender equality are on the chopping block in this budget, Oxfam vice president for policy, Paul OBrien, said.

The offices work had been championed by defeated presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during her time as Secretary of State under Barack Obama.

Oxfams intervention came as Mr Trump tweeted he was proud of his daughter Ivanka for her leadership on womens empowerment.

On Tuesday Ms Trump told an audience in Germany, where she shared a stage with Chancellor Angela Merkel, she was really striving to think about how best to empower women in the economy, both domestically and across the globe.

She also defended her fathers treatment of women and said the thousands he had employed in the Trump Organisation were a testament to his belief and solid conviction in the potential of women and their ability to do the job as well as any man.

Mr OBrien added: Talk is cheap when you dont fund the efforts you tout.

Congress must stand against this reckless move to walk away from one of Americas proudest and smartest investments.

At less than a penny of every federal budget dollar, these vital programmes are wise investments that ensure girls are able to go to school, small business owners can contribute to the local economy, and millions of small farmers are able to produce enough crops to prevent hunger.

Instead of building on these investments and ongoing real reforms, this administration is proposing devastating cuts that will have dire consequences for millions of people, as well as our global standing, national security interests, and the values central to Americas identity.

Now is not the time to cut back on development, but to build on progress to make it even more effective.

Musimbi Kanyoro, the president and chief executive of the Global Fund for Women, told The Independent: This proposed budget cut sends an alarming signal about the primacy the US government accords to womens human rights around the world.

In previous years, we saw this office help drive meaningful progress and position the US as a champion for womens rights worldwide.

It took a leadership stance on womens rights, amplified the voices of grassroots womens leaders, and enacted important policies like the US global strategy to empower adolescent girls, which carried the potential to ensure more girls globally are educated, healthy, and free from violence.

An action like this de-prioritises women and girls and holds the threat that we will actually see global womens rights recede rather than advance under the watch of this administration."

The President is seeking savings to pay for a proposed $54 billion (42 billion) increase in funding for the US military, which he said had been depleted over a number of years.

In January Mr Trump was criticised for reinstating the Mexico City Policy, a block on federal funds going to non-governmental organisations that help provide abortion services for women overseas, through an executive order.

Marie Stopes International, an NGO that lobbies in favour of abortion and provides a variety of family planning services in both the UK and abroad, warned women in developing countries would pay the price for the shift.

That month, millions of women held marches around the world to protest Mr Trump. The hundreds of demonstrations followed Mr Trump's derogatory remarks about Fox News host Megyn Kelly after a presidential debate, and a recording of him boasting of famous men being able to grab women by the pussy.

The leaked budget documents show the President also intends to strip funding from a series of other soft-power and scientific programmes within the State Department including slashing two-thirds of the Bureau for Food Security's resources, and 95 per cent of funds for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

The $2.5 million budget for USAID's work with blind children is also set to disappear, according to the documents. USAID is the agency that administers American foreign aid.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

The State Department referred to previous statements it had made. An official said: Later this spring, the President will release the full FY 2018 budget request with more details on specific funding and programmes requested for the State Department and USAID, along with other Executive Branch agencies.

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