'Policy didn't work!': Trump tweets of North Korea after hinting at war

• Alex Lockie
 

• Oct. 9, 2017, 7:34 AM
• 24,661
 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang this April.AP Photo/Wong Maye-E

President Donald Trump on Monday morning tweeted another hint that he was nearing the end of his patience with North Korea.

"Our country has been unsuccessfully dealing with North Korea for 25 years, giving billions of dollars & getting nothing. Policy didn't work!" Trump tweeted.

Trump's tweet echoes a sentiment he expressed over the weekend that "only one thing will work" to solve the North Korea crisis.

Trump's statement was ambiguous at the time.

But Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director, later confirmed the meaning in an interview on NBC: Trump was "clearly telegraphing" military action against North Korea.

As of the latest media reports, movements, and statements from the US military, a strike on North Korea does not appear imminent.

But on Thursday evening, during an impromptu dinner with senior military officials at the White House, Trump suggested the meeting may represent "the calm before the storm." He did not elaborate.

Friday in the Oval Office, Trump was again asked about his "calm before the storm" comment, and he replied with a wink.

"You'll find out," Trump said after his wink. "We'll see."

Factually, Trump's Monday tweet rings true. The US has attempted to sway North Korea from building nuclear arms since 1992 and has given the country over a billion dollars in aid since then, even during tense periods.

While the US and other parties did at times get North Korea to agree to talks and preliminary frameworks for disarmament, no agreement held.

President Bill Clinton with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in August 2009.AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service

Sanctions and diplomacy have at best slowed the progress of North Korea's nuclear program, and today the world faces a rogue regime on the cusp of marrying a thermonuclear bomb to an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The speed of North Korea's nuclear breakout has surprised experts and academics within and outside the US government.

No previous US president faced such an advanced threat from North Korea, and no previous president took up such fiery rhetoric against Pyongyang as Trump now has.

SEE ALSO: Top CIA official contradicts Trump's 'madman' rhetoric, says Kim Jong Un is a 'very rational actor'

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More: North Korea Donald Trump Military Defense

The Trump administration just revealed how it wants to make going public easier for companies

• Joe Ciolli
 

• Oct. 6, 2017, 9:10 PM
• 3,327
 

President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin just released a report outlining how to catalyze grow for smaller companies. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Fledgling companies with aspirations of going public got some good news on Friday.

President Donald Trump and the US Treasury departmentpublished a report outlining how they want to make it easier for companies to go public. It's a piece of the financial deregulation that's been proposed by Trump since he was on the campaign trail — and one that will be welcomed by smaller firms.

Perhaps the biggest Treasury department recommendation for IPO hopefuls — referred to as "emerging growth companies" (EGCs) in the report — involved allowing them to "test the waters" with potential investors before embarking upon the official process.

The Treasury also outlined its view that small, young companies have had "weak" access to capital since the financial crisis, relative to their larger counterparts. The department recommended that rules be modified to broaden eligibility for so-called "smaller reporting companies" (SRCs), which are generally give more time to file reports with the SEC, and are exempt from an external audit.

“The U.S. has experienced slow economic growth for far too long. In this report, we examined the capital markets system to identify regulations that are standing in the way of economic growth and capital formation,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “By streamlining the regulatory system, we can make the U.S. capital markets a true source of economic growth which will harness American ingenuity and allow small businesses to grow.”

In a press release for the report, the Treasury lays out three specific ways to lessen the burden on companies looking to go public and stay public. They include:

• Streamlining disclosure requirements to reduce costs for companies while providing investors the information they need to make investment decisions;
• Tailoring the disclosure and other requirements for companies going public based on their size; and
• Re-examining the JOBS Act to identify how its tools can be improved.

You can read the full report on the Treasury website here.

SEE ALSO: Wall Street says a major fear about Trump's tax plan is overblown

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More: Small Companies Treasury Department Treasury Secretary IPOs