Thursday Scoop: Rocket Man Is Back

Welcome to the Morning Scoop for Thursday, September 6, 2018. Guess who’s back, back, back? We haven’t heard from Kim in a while but then…poof! He’s here to remind us that North Korea still has nuclear weapons. This time, it’s more optimistic. 

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Kim Jong Un Has ‘Unwavering Faith’ in President Trump

Rocket man meets the president in June. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

South Korean officials met yesterday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. According to the Associated Press, Kim Jong Un reported an “unwavering faith” in President Donald Trump and his commitment to ending the hostile relationship between North and South Korea.

The North Korean leader, however, did voice frustration at the constant questioning about his willingness to move forward with the denuclearization plan. He expressed that he would like his “goodwill measures” to be met without skepticism. This request has become challenging with neither side making a substantive peace effort, and a strong doubt that Kim will really dismantle the nuclear weapons program.

North and South Korean officials are set to meet once again in Pyongyang for a denuclearization conference, which is scheduled for September 18-20. This will be their third meeting since April, and is expected to determine how much of a role the U.S. and President Trump should play in these efforts.

Roy Moore Sues Sacha Baron Cohen, CBS, and Showtime for $95 Million

Former chief justice and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore is suing Sacha Baron Cohen, CBS and Showtime for $95 million, accusing Cohen of misleading Moore and publicly embarrassing him by calling him a pedophile on his Showtime program, “Who is America?”

The Washington Post outlines that the lawsuit which with Moore is bringing forward to sue Cohen, CBS and Showtime states the politician “suffered extreme emotional distress” and was “falsely portrayed as a sex offender and pedophile.” The impact of these allegations, Moore argues, are financially and emotionally damaging to himself, his family and his career. He is moving forward with a lawsuit for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud totaling $95 million in punitive and compensatory damages.

Kelly Rosenblatt tells us more in her report here. 

Anonymous Trump Aide Writes Scathing Op-ed for New York Times

An anonymous senior administration official for Donald Trump has questioned the President’s morality and reckless decision-making in an op-ed published by the New York Times Wednesday, adding they are part of a “resistance” in the White House to restrain Trump’s worst impulses.

CNN reports, “The Times said disclosing the name of the official, who is known to the publication, would jeopardize the official’s job, and said publishing the piece anonymously was the only way to deliver an important perspective to readers. Major newspapers almost never publish unnamed op-ed pieces. At The New York Times, it is very rare, but not entirely unprecedented.”

This op-ed comes just days after veteran journalist Bod Woodward’s book slamming Trump’s presidency was published, suggesting to some that the President’s top advisors question his conduct in office and ability to lead.

Today in a Tweet

Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman has won “GQ Man of the Year.” Congratulations!

Last But Not Least: Toyota Recalls Over One Million or More Hybrids Due to Fire Risk

On Wednesday, Toyota announced a voluntary recall of certain hybrid models including the Prius and C-HR hybrid vehicles. According to the Los Angeles Times, “An engine wire harness connected to the power control unit is at risk of wear over time, potentially leading to a short circuit or even a fire, the company said in a statement.”

This recall affects cars built in Japan between June 2015 and May 2018, including the Prius plug-in variant and the hybrid version of the C-HR, however, the company has agreed to inspect the wire harness assembly and if a wire core is exposed, repairs will be handled at no cost to vehicle owners due to this blunder. The vehicle owners can also go here, if they want to verify if their car is affected.

To see what Toyota had to say, read Erin Whitten’s report here. 

Thursday’s Morning Scoop was made possible by Natalia Kolenko, Erin Whitten, Kelly Rosenblatt, and the CMN Staff. We wrote too much in this Scoop today…this is the section where we take a break.