TOP NEWS China Moves to Steady Ties With North Korea Before Trump-Kim Meeting New York Times Despite North Korea, arms control is unravelling The Economist Trump becomes more dovish toward North Korea, but surrounds himself with hawks Washington Post EAST ASIA Trump Hints At Likely Release Of 3 Americans Held In North Korea NPR5/3/18 President Trump suggested late Wednesday that three Americans held in North Korea could be freed soon. Reading Kim Jong Un’s lips: North Korean leader on his marriage, nuclear weapons and Trump Newsweek5/2/18 South Korean media have consulted lip readers to find out what the two Korean leaders discussed during their private talk at the inter-Korean summit last Friday. South Korea considers financing of possible inter-Korea projects: finance minister Reuters5/2/18 South Korea’s finance minister said on Wednesday the government was discussing how to finance possible economic projects with North Korea, although any projects with Pyongyang must first be approved by the international community. North Korea denies hacking UN sanctions database The Guardian5/2/18 North Korea has denied hacking the database of a UN committee tasked with monitoring sanctions against Pyongyang, and called on Washington to focus on peace efforts before a planned summit between the countries’ leaders. China Moves to Steady Ties With North Korea Before Trump-Kim Meeting New York Times5/3/18 As North Korea holds summit meetings with its archenemies — first South Korea, and soon the United States — China is hustling not to lose influence. As Trump visits State Department, Pompeo says North Korea must denuclearize Reuters5/2/18 North Korea must commit to dismantling its nuclear weapons program, new U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday during a swearing-in ceremony at the State Department where he was strongly endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL Despite North Korea, arms control is unravelling The Economist5/5/18 Complacent, reckless leaders have forgotten how valuable it is to restrain nuclear weapons U.S. NUCLEAR POLICY Safety concerns plague key sites proposed for nuclear bomb production USA Today5/2/18 Decision due soon on where plutonium parts for the next generation of nuclear weapons are to be made Trump becomes more dovish toward North Korea, but surrounds himself with hawks Washington Post5/2/18 ven as Trump softens his rhetoric in hopes of easing tensions with Kim, the president has assembled a team of foreign policy hawks that will be with him at the negotiating table and assume responsibility for hammering out the crucial details if the leaders announce a broad agreement to pursue a nuclear disarmament deal. OPINION AND ANALYSIS Netanyahu’s ‘Iran Lied’ Presentation Shows Why Trump Should Keep the Nuke Deal Foreign PolicyIlan Goldenberg 5/2/18 Israel and the United States are both led by men who are hard to trust. A Nobel prize for brinkmanship? Arms Control WonkMichael Krepon 5/2/18 Sometimes even a bull in a china shop deserves kudos, and Trump gets mine in this instance. His bluster and instincts have helped set in motion a chain reaction of events making unlikely the prospects of a preventive U.S. war and pre-emptive strikes against North Korea — at least for now. Korea’s Nuclear Nightmare Hasn’t Gone Away Foreign PolicyJames Acton 5/2/18 Unless the United States changes its priorities, Korean diplomacy is probably doomed. Any North Korea nuclear deal must involve Iran’s nuclear program The HillA.J. Caschetta 5/2/18 With the prospect of another round of North Korean diplomacy in the air, the United States must take full advantage by insisting that any deal with Kim Jong Un’s regime include full disclosure of everything it knows about the Iranian nuclear program and the decades-long nuclear proliferation abetted by Pakistan’s AQK Network. Verification is key to keeping nuclear genie in the bottle The HillPamela Falk 5/2/18 he real question is how to verify compliance with current commitments and commitments about to be negotiated. Expect a fight on the Iran deal between America and Europe The HillDavid Thorne 5/2/18 In foreign policy, every action has a reaction, and, as in a gentlemen’s duel to settle a disagreement, Trump may fire first, but Europe can and will fire back. How Europe can save the Iran nuclear deal The StrategistMark Leonard 5/3/18 In the long term, European leaders’ ability to save the deal will depend on the extent to which they can act in their own interests, rather than being a hostage to the caprices of the Trump administration. SPECIAL INTEREST Opposition gears up to nuclear waste disposal in New Mexico Santa Fe New Mexican5/1/18 A plan to temporarily store tons of spent fuel from U.S. commercial nuclear reactors in New Mexico is drawing fire from critics who say the federal government needs to consider more alternatives. Science in North Korea: how easing the nuclear stand-off might bolster research Nature4/30/18 The isolated nation publishes fewer than 100 scholarly articles a year — but as political tensions thaw, researchers hope for greater collaboration.