SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Tensions between the United States and North Korea tend to flare suddenly and fade almost as quickly – but the latest escalation won’t likely go away quite so easily.
Events closer to home, including deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Virginia, could demand more of President Donald Trump’s attention in the days ahead and cut into the volume and frequency of his fiery North Korea rhetoric.
But North Korea has yet to back away from its biggest threat: a plan to lob missiles toward U.S. military bases on the island of Guam that Pyongyang says should be ready for leader Kim Jong Un to review pretty much anytime now.
Will it all stop there?
Or, despite the extremely high risks, will Kim really give the go order? And, regardless of what Kim does or doesn’t do, will the tough-talking Trump feel compelled to take matters into his own hands?