Trump says he’ll meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un
WASHINGTON — After
months of trading insults and
threats of nuclear annihilation,
President Donald Trump agreed
to meet with North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un by the end
of May to negotiate an end to
Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons
program, South Korean and
U.S. officials said Thursday. No
sitting American president has
ever met with a North Korea
leader.
The meeting would be unprecedented
during seven decades of
animosity between the U.S. and
North Korea.
The countries
remain in a state
of war because
the 1950-53
Korean War
ended with an
armistice and
not a peace
treaty.
“Great progress being made,”
Trump tweeted after the South
Korean national security director,
Chung Eui-yong, announced
the plans to reporters in a hastily
called appearance on a White
House driveway.
Trump added sanctions will
remain in place until there’s a
deal.
Trump took office vowing to
stop North Korea from attaining
a nuclear-tipped missile that
could reach the U.S. mainland,
a goal that Pyongyang is on the
cusp of reaching. He’s vacillated
between threats and insults
directed at Kim that have fueled
fears of war, and more conciliatory
rhetoric.
The historic announcement
comes during a
period of unparalleled
tumult in
the West Wing,
with the president’s
policy
agenda stalled
and morale
sinking as staff
departures proliferate
and disrupt efforts to
instill more discipline and order.
Trump clearly relished the
news of the planned summit.
He had made a surprise visit to
the White House press briefing
room on Thursday afternoon
to alert reporters of a “major
statement” on North Korea
by South Korea. When asked
by an ABC reporter if it was
about talks with North Korea,
he replied: “It’s almost beyond
that. Hopefully, you will give me
credit.”
Kim
One of the two Ford F-550s is driven up to have a photo taken with the crew responsible
for its transport from Oahu to the Big Island Thursday morning at Ellison Onizuka Kona
International Airport at Keahole. PHOTOS BY CHELSEA JENSEN/WEST HAWAII TODAY
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HI 80 LO 65 WEATHER, PAGE 8A
VOL. 50, NO. 68 18 PAGES
BY MATTHEW PENNINGTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Trump
Kim
SEE KOREA PAGE 8A
Facetime
MAYOR LUNCHEON
CONNECTS BIZ,
COUNTY LEADERS;
TODAY FINAL DAY
FOR TICKETS
BY CAMERON MICULKA
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com
KAILUA-KONA —
Today is the last day to
register for an upcoming
luncheon aimed at connecting
the business
community
with county
officials.
The
Focus
Luncheon,
organized
by the Kona-Kohala
Chamber of Commerce
and sponsored by Hawaii
Community Federal
Credit Union, is scheduled
for March 15 at the
Courtyard by Marriott
King Kamehameha’s
Kona Beach Hotel.
SEE LUNCH PAGE 9A
Airports
authority
bill clears
Senate
BY MICHAEL BRESTOVANSKY
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
A bill that would
shift authority over the
state’s airports from
the Department of
Transportation to an airport
corporation was successfully
passed Thursday
by the state Senate.
Senators voted 30-2
to pass Senate Bill 2996
SEE AIRPORT PAGE 7A
MOUNTAIN MOVERS
ARMY - AIR FORCE
EFFORT TO FLY
MAJOR EQUIPMENT
BETWEEN ISLANDS
FOR QUICK AID
BY CHELSEA JENSEN
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
KAILUA-KONA — From the
belly of the C-17 Globemaster
at Ellison Onizuka Kona
International Airport on
Thursday rolled out two Ford
F-550 brush trucks ready to head
to Pohakuloa Training Area.
The arrival-by-air of the offroad
apparatuses from Oahu to
bolster PTA’s firefighting capabilities
in the Big Island’s Saddle
marked the first such movement
of equipment in this way in
Hawaii, said U.S. Army Garrison
Lt. Col. Christopher Marquez.
“This hasn’t been done before,”
he said.
It was a joint effort between
the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force
testing a system to streamline
the process for the Army to
get the vehicles needed, where
they’re needed and when they’re
needed.
“This paves the way for future
operations,” Marquez said, noting
with a system in place, duties
like getting hazardous materials
clearances, determining
tie-down methods and weighing
vehicles, among others, will take
less time. “It’s really critical we
figure out what is the process
for us to rapidly respond from
Oahu.”
Last year, Marquez said, the
Army assessed moving such
equipment via boat, but using
aircraft speeds up the process —
from 24 hours to 30 minutes one
way. In the case of a request for
additional equipment, the Army
can usually get the equipment
loaded up the next day and ready
to fly.
“We could bring within a couple
of hours four trucks” once
ready, said Marquez. “This shows
a great joint cooperation and the
ability to develop a system for
the future to rapidly respond.”
Thursday’s equipment move
from Oahu utilized an active U.S.
Air Force crew from the 535th
Airlift Squadron out of Hickam
Air Force Base on Oahu, which
One of the two Ford F-550 brush trucks transported sits on
the tarmac in front of its ride, a C-17, Thursday morning at
SEE C-17 PAGE 10A Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole.
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