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>> WE HAVE DEVELOPED A VERY
SPECIAL BOND, SO PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO BE VERY IMPRESSED.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE VERY
HAPPY AND WE ARE GOING TO TAKE
CARE OF A VERY BIG AND VERY
DANGEROUS PROBLEM FOR THE WORLD.
IT WORKED OUT FOR BOTH OF US FAR
BETTER THAN ANYBODY COULD HAVE
EXPECTED.
>> Chris: PRESIDENT TRUMP
TALKING POSITIVELY AS HE AND
KIM JONG UN SIGNED A JOINT
STATEMENT AT THE END OF THEIR
SINGAPORE SUMMIT.
IT LET'S BRING IN OUR PANEL BACK
IN D.C.
MOLLIE HEMINGWAY OF THE
FEDERALIST.
MORE ELIASSON FROM NATIONAL
PUBLIC RADIO.
AND BYRON YORK OF THE
"WASHINGTON EXAMINER."
BYRON, YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE
SUMMIT AND THAT AGREEMENT THAT
WE JUST SHOWED THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND KIM JONG UN
SIGNED?
>> I THINK THE MOST REASONABLE
ASSESSMENT YOU CAN MAKE IT IT IS
THAT WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GOING
TO WORK OUT OR NOT.
IN THE JOINT AGREEMENT THAT THE
TWO LEADERS RELEASED, KIM
PLEDGED COMMITTED TO
DENUCLEARIZATION BUT PREVIOUS
LEADERS HAVE PLEDGED THE SAME
THING I'M NOT DONE IT, SO YOU
CAN'T SAY.
THERE ARE ALSO OTHER ISSUES.
TALK ABOUT THE U.S. MILITARY
EXERCISES, WHETHER THAT'S REALLY
A BIG CONCESSION OR NOT SINCE
TOM COTTON EARLIER ON THIS
PROGRAM SAID THE NEXT BIG
MILITARY EXERCISE IS NEXT
SPRING.
SO IF KIM IS OPERATING IN BAD
FAITH, WE WILL CERTAINLY KNOW
THAT BY THEN.
MY SENSE WAS IT'S A NET PLUS
BECAUSE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE TWO LEADERS AND WHAT
HAS BEEN SAID, BUT YOU JUST
DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN.
>> Chris: I WANT TO PICK UP,
MARA, ON BYRON'S FIRST POINT
BECAUSE KIM IN THE JOINT
STATEMENT COMMITTED TO COMPLETE
DENUCLEARIZATION.
THAT'S THE QUOTE.
BUT HE DID THE SAME IN HIS FIRST
MEETING WITH SOUTH KOREAN
PRESIDENT MOON BACK IN APRIL.
DO YOU SEE ANYTHING MORE HERE?
DO YOU SEE ANY MORE DETAILS, ANY
MORE MEAT ON THE BONES?
>> NOT YET, BUT THAT'S WHY
SECRETARY OF STATE POMPEO IS NOW
GOING TO PICK UP THE BALL AND
SEE IF THEY CAN DO THAT, FLUSH
IT OUT.
DENUCLEARIZATION MEANS ONE THING
TO THE U.S. AND IT MEANS
SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO
NORTH KOREA.
I THINK THEY SEE IT MORE AS A
FREEZE.
BUT THE ONE THING YOU CAN SAY IS
THIS IS SO MUCH BETTER WHERE WE
ARE NOW THAN WHEN THEY WERE
THREATENING TO BLOW EACH OTHER
UP AND AS LONG AS THEY ARE
TALKING, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO
WAR, AND EVEN IF THIS ENDS UP
WITH ONLY A FREEZE AND NOT
COMPLETE, OTHER
DENUCLEARIZATION, THAT STILL
BETTER THAN WHAT WE'VE GOT NOW.
I THINK THE ONLY DANGER FOR THE
PRESIDENT IS THAT IT'S GOING TO
BE HARD TO KEEP UP THE SANCTIONS
REGIME BECAUSE THAT REALLY
DEPENDS ON CHINA AND AS LONG AS
KIM JONG UN IS TALKING TO THE
U.S., IT SEEMS LIKE CHINA IS
ALREADY BEGINNING TO BACK AWAY
FROM ENFORCING SANCTIONS.
>> Chris: LET'S PICK UP ON
THAT POINT, MOLLY, BECAUSE THE
PRESIDENT SAYS HE'S GOING TO
KEEP THE SANCTIONS UP, HE'S NOT
GOING TO CALL IT MAXIMUM
PRESSURE ANYMORE, BUT HE
THINKS -- HE SAYS THAT'S WHAT
IT'S GOING TO BE, BUT HE ALSO
COMPLAINED THAT CHINA IS EASING
UP ON PATROLLING AND ENFORCING
ITS BORDER.
SOUTH KOREA IS EAGER TO BEGIN
TRADE WITH NORTH KOREA AND I
GUESS THE QUESTION I HAVE IS
WITH CHAIRMAN KEMP NOW AT THE
END OF THIS SUMMIT A MUCH MORE
RESPECTFUL, NORMALIZED FIGURE IN
THE WORLD DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS,
IS IT GOING TO BE HARDER TO KEEP
UP THE INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS?
>> IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER
THAT THE SUCCESS WE'VE HAD THUS
FAR HAS BEEN DUE IN LARGE PART
TO THIS VERY STRICT SANCTIONS
REGIME, AND SO TO ABANDON THAT
OR TO EASE UP ON THAT WITHOUT
SOMETHING SOLID IN RETURN MIGHT
NOT PRODUCE RESULTS THAT WE
WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
AND WHAT I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND MIKE POMPEO HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT IS THE IMPORTANCE
OF NORTH KOREA CHOOSING A NEW
WAY OF BEING VERY SEEING THAT
IT'S IN THEIR INTEREST TO HAVE A
DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION THAN
THE ONE THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN.
SANCTIONS ARE KEY TO HELPING
THEM SEE THAT IT IS IN THEIR
BEST INTEREST TO HAVE A NEW
APPROACH, A LESS BELLICOSE
APPROACH, ONE WHERE THERE IS
MORE FREEDOM IN TERMS OF FREE
ENTERPRISE AND INDIVIDUAL
LIBERTY FOR THEIR PEOPLE, AND SO
I WOULD HOPE THAT EVERYONE WOULD
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE IN
KEEPING THIS TOGETHER.
WE MIGHT NEED TO RAMP UP OUR
PRESSURE ON CHINA AND OTHER
COUNTRIES TO ENSURE THAT THAT
DOES TAKE PLACE.
>> Chris: MOLLIE, YOUR GENERAL
THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SUMMIT?
THERE ARE SOME CRITICS WHO ARE
SAYING THAT THE PRESIDENT GAVE
TOO MUCH CONSIDERING WHAT HE
GOT.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S FAIR?
>> IT'S KIND OF FUNNY.
WITH THAT SO MANY PUNDITS BE SO
WRONG FOR SO LONG.
A YEAR AGO WE WERE TOLD THAT WE
WERE ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR
BECAUSE OF THE APPROACH THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP ARE TAKEN, THAT
WE WOULD NEVER GET TO A SUMMIT,
THAT HE WOULD NEVER WALK AWAY TO
A SUMMIT, THAT WE COULDN'T HIT A
JUNE 12TH MEETING.
TIME AND TIME AGAIN THE FOREIGN
POLICY EXPERTS HAVE BEEN WRONG
ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S VERY DIFFERENT
APPROACH FROM THE BIPARTISAN
CONSENSUS THAT WE HAVE SEEN
LEADING UP TO THIS.
IN FACT, WE HAVE NOT LIKE
PREVIOUS MEETINGS THAT WE HAD,
WE ACTUALLY HAD TO GIVE CASH
MONEY TO GET THEM TO THE TABLE.
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO THAT THIS
TIME.
WE HAVE A LOT OF LEVERAGE.
THEY ALSO ARE A NUCLEAR POWER,
WHICH IT PUTS THEM IN A
DIFFERENT POSITION THAN THEY
HAVE BEEN IN PREVIOUS SCENARIOS.
THIS IS A REALLY GOOD FIRST STEP
IS BYRON AND MARA POINTED OUT,
THE WORD COMMIT IS IN
DISAGREEMENT I THINK EIGHT
TIMES.
THE DEVIL WILL BE IN THE
DETAILS.
THIS IS A FIRST STEP, A
PROMISING STEP.
WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO SEE
THAT THIS ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHES
THE PEACE WE ALL HOPE FOR.
>> Chris: I WANT TO GO BACK TO
THE ISSUE OF DENUCLEARIZATION,
BECAUSE THE WAY IT IS STATED IN
THE JOINT AGREEMENT IS THE
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS N
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS C
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS E
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS R
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS Z
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS T
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS O
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS N
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS F
COMPLETE NUCLEAR IS R
THE KOREAN PENINSULA.
FOR THE U.S. THAT MEANS THE
NORTH KOREANS GET RID OF THEIR
NUKES.
FOR THE NORTH KOREANS IT MEANS
THAT ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS ARE
GONE, THAT WE DON'T HAVE NUKES
IN SOUTH KOREA, BUT WE DO HAVE
BOMBERS WITH NUKES.
WE DO HAVE SHIPS WITH NUKES.
WE DO HAVE SUBMARINES WITH NUKES
WE DO HAVE SUBMARINES WITH NUKE
NUKES.
GIVEN THE FACT THAT THIS CALLS
FOR THE COMPLETE
DENUCLEARIZATION OF THE
PENINSULA AND THE PRESIDENT
AGREED TO END THE JOINT MILITARY
EXERCISES WITH SOUTH KOREA, AND
A CONCERN ON YOUR PART THAT
THERE IS A DANGER TO U.S. WILL
FOLD ITS NUCLEAR UMBRELLA, WHICH
IS A NUCLEAR GUARANTEE TO
PROTECT SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN?
>> I DON'T THINK THAT'S
CONTEMPLATED AND I THINK THE
PRESIDENT ACTUALLY SPECIFICALLY
DID ADDRESS THAT, THAT THAT IS
NOT IN THE DEFINITION OF
DENUCLEARIZATION.
ONE ADDITIONAL THING, TALKING
ABOUT THE SANCTIONS AND WHETHER
THEY HAD -- WHAT EFFECT THEY HAD
ON THIS, YES, I THINK TOUGH
SANCTIONS ON TOP OF PREVIOUS
SANCTIONS DID HAVE A BIG EFFECT
BUT ALSO THE THREAT OF WAR HAD A
BIG EFFECT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY ANALYSTS
WE HAVE HEARD OVER THE YEAR
SAYING THAT WAR IS NOT AN OPTION
ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA OR WAR
IS UNTHINKABLE IN THE KOREAN
PENINSULA.
THE CURRENT MILITARY TEAM WAS
THINKING ABOUT IT.
THEY WERE WORKING THROUGH
SCENARIOS AND I THINK THAT
NORTH KOREA'S KNOWLEDGE THAT
THIS SEEMINGLY UNPREDICTABLE MAN
WHO HAD BECOME THE PRESIDENT WAS