North Korea May be Continuing Ballistic Missile Program

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2018 - (The Ponder News) -- Senator Edward J.Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member of the East Asia Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after a new New York Times report reveals that North Korea may be continuing to expand its ballistic missile program. At a July 25 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Senator Markey to “fear not” when the Senator expressed serious concerns that President Donald Trump was being fooled by North Korea.

“President Trump is getting played by Kim Jong Un,” said Senator Markey. “We cannot have another summit with North Korea — not with President Trump, not with the Secretary of State — unless and until the Kim regime takes concrete, tangible actions to halt and roll back its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Without these verifiable steps, we can only assume that Kim Jong Un is not serious about denuclearization, only serious about stringing along a gullible American president.”

Israel Attacked by Rockets

Washington, D.C. - November 12, 2018 - (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) has released the following statement after more than 200 rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip:

“The escalation in violence on the Israel-Gaza border is deeply disturbing, and I am relieved that Israel’s missile defense programs were able to avert civilian fatalities from this disgraceful terror attack. I urge calm so the situation does not further escalate, and I still remain hopeful for a long-term, peaceful solution to this tragic conflict. But the only way we will accomplish that is through negotiations that create conditions for safety and economic security – not through rocket attacks or any other acts of terrorism.”