Washington (CNN) Only President Donald Trump and his closest advisers may truly know how close the US is to war with North Korea as the administration's standoff with Pyongyang continues to escalate. Why North Korea wants nukes and missiles North Korea has long maintained it wants nuclear weapons and long-range missiles to deter the United States from attempting to overthrow the regime of Kim Jong Un. Many experts say they believe North Korea would not use the weapons first. While the situation with North Korea demands urgency, the former defense official told CNN that the rhetoric used by both McMaster and Graham is "damn scary" and potentially dangerous. Duckworth and Sen. Chris Murphy recently proposed legislation to reaffirm that "no president can take preemptive military action against North Korea with congressional approval."

Source: CNN December 08, 2017 06:56 UTC