The Note: Trading threats moves Trump toward brink on North Korea

President Trump warned the North Koreans: There will be "fire and fury."

By
Veronica Stracqualursi
August 9, 2017, 7:07 AM ET
4 min read

— -- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

  • That escalated quickly: President Trump warned the North Koreans that if they make further threats, "they will be met with fire and fury." North Korea quickly responded by saying it's considering striking Guam.
  • What changed? U.S. intelligence analysts said in a confidential assessment they believe North Korea can now fit a miniaturized nuclear warhead inside an intercontinental ballistic missile.
  • Who trusts the president's words? "You got to be sure that you can do what you say you're going to do," Sen. John McCain told Phoenix radio station KTAR.
  • At home, Trump sides with the establishment. The president endorsed Luther Strange, who's filling Jeff Sessions' vacant Senate seat, over Rep. Mo Brooks and Roy Moore in the Alabama Republican primary for that seat.
  • Documents, dumped: The Trump campaign, Paul Manafort, and Donald Trump Jr. have handed over thousands of pages of documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee for its Russia investigation.

    • THE TAKE with ABC News' Rick Klein

    Welcome to the most dangerous moment of Donald Trump's presidency. The North Koreans did what the North Koreans do, and then President Trump…did what the North Koreans do, too. Trump's new line is not just red – it's fiery and furious and now closer than ever to being crossed, since the president's warning applies to further threats, not just actions. Perhaps it was a strategic attempt to speak in a manner Kim Jong Un would understand. The president said "fire and fury like the world has never seen" and then repeated much of that phrase. But for all Trump's inconsistencies, one major theme of his critique of his predecessor was on not following through on threats. This – "power, the likes of which this world has never seen before" – is a doozy in that category. We know, or we think we know, the president doesn't like to convey weakness. We know almost nothing about what Kim Jong Un is thinking. In any event, this might be a good time to have a president who enjoys the trust of the American people and the lawmakers he serves with.

    TRUMP SIDES WITH SENATE LEADERSHIP IN AL RACE

    The Alabama Senate primary race has been getting particularly ugly, and President Trump has made his choice – an intriguing one that aligns himself with the establishment against the insurgents. A cluster of Republicans has been trying to out-Trump Trump, or at least convince voters of whom would best have the president's back, in advance of next Tuesday's primary. One man gunning for the job, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, is running an ad blasting almost every other Republican in Washington aside from President Trump, with House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. Mitch McConnell among those targeted. Another candidate, Rep. Mo Brooks, is a Freedom Caucus member who was endorsed by Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter. But the president seemed to want to play nice with Senate leadership on this one. Last night, just a day after McConnell vented some frustration about the White House, Trump sided with the Senate majority leader and endorsed his pick in the race, Sen. Luther Strange. It may mark a de-escalation in the GOP-on-GOP tussles, and could make a big difference in a state where #MAGA is a touchstone, ABC News' MaryAlice Parks writes.

    QUOTE OF THE DAY

    "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen," President Trump on North Korea.

    "POWERHOUSE POLITICS" PODCAST'S 100TH EPISODE

    Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel joins ABC News' White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and Political Director Rick Klein for the "Powerhouse Politics" podcast's 100th episode.

    NEED TO READ with ABC News' Daksha Sthipam

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    Nikki Haley suggests President Trump tweeted about classified info. United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley refused to comment on a report about North Korea, saying, "I can't talk about anything that's classified." One person who didn't mind sharing the information? President Donald Trump. http://abcn.ws/2vgfQ0n

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    North Korea now making missile-ready nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say. The Washington Post

    Wall Street swings lower after Trump warns North Korea. Reuters

    Trump gets a folder full of positive news about himself twice a day. Vice News

    The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.