Trump says U.S. ready for North Korean threat

President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that U.S. military solutions are in place, “locked and loaded,” should North Korea “act unwisely.” The tweet follows an announcement Thursday by North Korean state media of a plan to fire four missiles toward Guam, a U.S. Pacific territory and home to a strategic U.S. naval base. Also on Friday, reports surfaced that U.S. officials have been briefed on regular communication between Joseph Yun, the U.S. envoy for North Korea policy, and Pak Song II, a diplomat at North Korea’s UN mission. According to anonymous sources, the behind-the-scenes discussion is known as the “New York channel.” Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hinted about an ongoing back channel to North Korea, saying at an Asian security meeting, “We have other means of communication open to them.”