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October 30, 2017

Vice President Pence: "No Greater Force for Peace" Than U.S. Nuclear Arsenal
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Mattis's threat came as Vice President Mike Pence toured an
intercontinental ballistic missile launch site at an Air Force base in
Minot, North Dakota, telling airmen that the Trump administration was
prepared to launch an attack on North Korea.

Vice President Mike Pence: "The threats we face today mean that, once
again, America's security and our very future depend on the airmen of
Minot being ready and being prepared. … History attests the surest path
to peace is through American strength. There's no greater element of
American strength, there's no greater force for peace in the world, than
the United States nuclear arsenal."

Pence's visit came as the Trump administration seeks to expand the U.S.
nuclear arsenal. A draft of the Nuclear Posture Review reviewed by top
administration officials last month calls for new "low yield" nuclear
warheads, sea-launched nuclear-armed cruise missiles, preparations for
possible nuclear weapons tests and an easing of conditions under which
the U.S. might launch a nuclear attack.
Somalia: Attack on Mogadishu Hotel Kills 29, Wounds 30+
In Somalia, al-Shabab fighters stormed a hotel in the capital Mogadishu
on Saturday, killing at least 29 people and wounding more than 30
others. The attack began as militants set off a truck bomb to blast
their way through the fortified entrance to the hotel. Minutes later,
the fighters went room to room shooting guests. Witnesses say the men
used identity cards from the country's intelligence service and were
dressed in the agency's uniform. The assault came ahead of a planned
meeting at the hotel between Somalia's president and other top
officials. The latest attack came two weeks after a massive bombing in
Mogadishu killed at least 358 people and wounded 400 others.


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