Singapore Summit: Was It a First Step to Peace?

CHARLOTTE, NC — As promised, the June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un took place in Singapore, with flags of both countries, the red carpet and a much-photographed handshake. Dennis Rodman even showed up, giving the occasion a reality-show air.

But what was accomplished and what happens next?

The Olympics as Diplomacy

CHARLOTTE, NC – South Korea has offered to talk with the North about joining next month’s Olympics…so could this potentially signal that the Korean Peninsula wants to use the winter games as a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis?

The nuclear taunting between the U.S. and North Korea has escalated, with President Trump tweeting that his “button” is bigger that the North Korean leader. Will South Korea’s paying “good cop” to Trump’s “bad cop” be an opening for a compromise?

The Olympics, in the past, have been center stage for political statements that have led to diplomatic discourse – in positive and negatives ways. Will the 2018 winter games bring a breakthrough? Or is North Korea playing for time and using overtures as a way to drive a wedge between South Korea and the U.S.?

Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis offers more perspective.

2018 Politics Preview and Predictions

CHARLOTTE, NC — Will 2018 beat 2017 when it comes to political surprises? WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis takes a look at what’s in store in Charlotte and beyond.

An Impasse in North Korea

CHARLOTTE, NC– World leaders are trying to figure to out how to deal with North Korea. This comes after North Korea claimed to have successfully launched it’s largest nuke ever, on Sunday. Amid the threat, South Korea has stepped up its live military exercises.

Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis offers more perspective on the role of the North Korea’s other neighbors and the U.S.

Tillerson: U.S. Proposes Sit-Down Talks with North Korea

(CNN) — Conflicting signals about the possibility of war between the U.S. and North Korea. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that the U.S. is willing to sit down for talks with North Korea, but only if it relinquishes its pursuit of nuclear weapons. He says the goal of all U.S. foreign policy now is to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan to “make America great again.”

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says military option is “inevitable” if Kim Jong Un continues developing missiles that are capable of reaching major U.S. cities.

This all comes after Pyongyang’s firing of two intercontinental ballistic missile tests in July. In response, the U.S. has just tested it’s fourth ICBM.

Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis offers more perspective into the rising North Korea threat.

A Full Agenda for Trump’s Trip Overseas

CHARLOTTE, NC — President Trump leaves a Tweet-storm in the U.S., but his overseas trip could be complicated. North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile has many countries pondering the next move.

In Hamburg, Trump is set to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Will he mention Russia’s support of Assad in Syria, who has used chemical weapons? What about Russia’s annexing of Crimea and tensions with Ukraine?

Trump will also meet with German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has questioned his pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate change accord. What is the next step in that relationship?

WCCB’s political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, weighs in.

The Heat: Journalist round table talks Wikileaks, THAAD, travel ban

China’s Two Sessions continue as the U.S. begins to install the controversial THAAD missile defense system in South Korea. Meanwhile, international outcry as WikiLeaks reveals CIA secrets and Trump’s travel ban makes its second appearance.

All these stories and more on The Heat’s weekly roundtable with a panel of journalists:

    • Qinduo Xu, political analyst for China Radio International
    • Nathan King, CGTN correspondent
    • Eduardo Cue, an international freelance journalist
    • Mary C. Curtis, a columnist for Roll Call