White House Hypes 'OK' North Korea Briefing | Rachel Maddow

>>> IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY YOU WILL HAVE APPROXIMATELY TEN
MINUTES TO PREPARE, AND NO LONGER.
THAT IS THE NEW ADVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF JAPAN FROM THEIR
PRIME MINISTER. IF NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES A
BALLISTIC MISSILE AT JAPAN, THE NEW ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOURSELF
GUIDELINES THAT ARE POSTED ON JAPAN'S CIVIL DEFENSE NATIONAL
WEBSITE TELL THE CIVILIANS IN THAT COUNTRY THAT THEY'VE GOT
TEN MINUTES TO DEAL WITH THAT AND GET READY.
THE GUIDELINES TELL PEOPLE TO TAKE COVER INDOORS, TO SHUT OFF
ALL GAS AND WATER, TO STAY AWAY FROM ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS.
JAPAN MAINTAINS A CIVIL DEFENSE WEBSITE ALL THE TIME TO GIVE
JUST THIS KIND OF ADVICE. BUT THAT WEBSITE HAS SEEN MORE
THAN 14 TIMES ITS USUAL AMOUNT OF WEB TRAFFIC OVER THE COURSE
OF THIS MONTH. TODAY TOP U.S. -- THE TOP --
EXCUSE ME. TODAY THE TOP U.S. MILITARY
OFFICIAL IN THE PACIFIC COMMAND SAID, AS LONG AS WE'RE ON THE
SUBJECT, HAWAII COULD USE SOME ADDITIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE
CAPABILITY. GIVEN WHAT NORTH KOREA HAS BEEN
SHOWING OFF RECENTLY. IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED
STATES, IT IS STILL A HYPOTHETICAL THREAT THAT NORTH
KOREA COULD HIT THE U.S. MAINLAND.
BUT IN HAWAII IT'S A DIFFERENT THING.
AND IN JAPAN AND IN SOUTH KOREA, THEY KNOW FOR SURE THAT THEY ARE
ALREADY WELL WITHIN THE RANGE OF WEAPONS THAT WE KNOW NORTH KOREA
ALREADY POSSESSES. THIS MONTH THE JAPANESE CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN HOLDING MEETINGS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
AROUND JAPAN, ADVISING THEM WHAT THEY SHOULD DO IF THEIR REGION
IS HIT BY A NORTH KOREAN MISSILE.
IT'S UNPRECEDENTED, THAT'S SOMETHING JAPAN HAS NEVER DONE
BEFORE IN ITS POST-WAR HISTORY. YESTERDAY, NORTH KOREA STAGED
ITS LARGEST-EVER LIVE-FIRE EXERCISES OFF ITS EASTERN COAST.
THOSE ARE ALL ARTILLERY PIECES WE JUST SAW THERE.
SOUTH KOREAN NEWS REPORTS SAID THE EXERCISES INVOLVED 300 TO
400 ARTILLERY PIECES. YOU SEE THEM SHOOTING THERE,
THOSE ARTILLERY ROUNDS, INTO THE SEA.
THE U.S. AND SOUTH KOREAN NAVYS HAVE ALSO BEEN CONDUCTING THEIR
OWN MILITARY EXERCISES. YESTERDAY OFF SOUTH KOREA'S
WESTERN COAST. YESTERDAY THE "USS MICHIGAN," A
NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE, ARRIVED IN SOUTH KOREA.
THE "USS CARL VINSON" AIRCRAFT CARRIER IS ALSO EN ROUTE TO THE
KOREAN PENINSULA NOW, FOR REAL THIS TIME.
THINGS ARE ALREADY VERY TENSE RIGHT NOW.
IF YOU ARE FEELING TENSE ABOUT THAT PART OF THE WORLD RIGHT
NOW, I ADVISE YOU NEXT TIME YOU'RE AT THE GROCERY STORE TO
NOT LOOK TOO CLOSELY AT THE TABLOID GROCERY STORE
PUBLICATION THAT OUR PRESIDENT HAS REPEATEDLY ENDORSED AND SAID
SHOULD WIN THE PULITZER PRIZE. BECAUSE THIS WEEK'S COVER OF
"THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER" IS THIS. "WORLD WAR III IS COMING!
TOP SECRET PENTAGON REPORT, THE DAY AND TIME ALL-OUT WAR WILL
BREAK LOOSE. NAVY DESTROYERS BOUND FOR NORTH
KOREA." AFTER THIS CAME OUT TODAY AND
STARTED CIRCULATING ONLINE, DEFENSE FOLKS NOTED THAT THE
DESTROYER THEY PUT ON THE COVER IS A RUSSIAN DESTROYER, NOT AN
AMERICAN ONE. BUT WHATEVER.
FOR EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IT IS, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER" HONESTLY IS
SOMETIMES A LITTLE PEEK INTO THIS NEW PRESIDENT'S MINDSET.
IF SO, WHOA. BACK HERE ON PLANET EARTH, THE
PRESIDENT INVITED ALL 100 SITTING U.S. SENATORS TO THE
WHITE HOUSE TODAY. FOR A HIGHLY UNUSUAL
ALL-SENATORS BRIEFING ON NORTH KOREA.
THAT'S A LOT OF SENATORS TO BRING UP TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
BUT THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO DO THIS URGENT BRIEFING ON NORTH
KOREA. THEY DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT IN THE
SECURE FACILITY WHERE THEY USUALLY DO THESE THINGS AT THE
SENATE, THEY WANTED TO DO IT AT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR SOME REASON.
IN ORDER TO FIT ALL THE SENATORS INTO ONE BRIEFING THEY ACTUALLY
HAD TO MacGYVER A MAKESHIFT SECURE FACILITY ON THE WHITE
HOUSE GROUNDS. THE SENATORS THEN HAD TO GO
THROUGH THIS WEIRD PERP WALK RIGMAROLE WHERE THEY BOARDED
BUSS AND GOT SHIPPED UP TO THE WHITE HOUSE LIKE THEY WERE ON A
SCHOOL FIELD TRIP. ONE REPORTER ADDED THE INDIGNITY
THE BACK WINDOW OF ONE OF THE BUSS THEY PUT THE SENATORS ON
WAS HELD UP WITH DUCT TAPE. AND ONE OF THAT BUS' LIGHTS WAS
DANGLING OFF THE BUS, HELD BY A WIRE.
NOTHING BUT THE BEST. ONCE THEY GOT UP TO THE WHITE
HOUSE, THE SENATORS GOT OUT OF THEIR BUSES, THEY WERE
APPARENTLY GREETED BRIEFLY BY THE PRESIDENT.
THEY WERE THEN BRIEFED -- SECRETARY OF STATE REX
TILLERSON, ALTHOUGH THAT WAS A SURPRISE TO REX TILLERSON, AS
RECENTLY AS TWO DAYS AGO THE STATE DEPARTMENT "APPEARED
UNAWARE" THAT TILLERSON WOULD BE DELIVERING THAT BRIEFING.
BUT THERE IT WAS TODAY. THE BRIEFING LASTED ABOUT AN
HOUR. WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE AT THE
WHITE HOUSE? WHY DID ALL THE SENATORS HAVE TO
GET UP ON BUSES AND GO THERE FOR IT?
WHAT WAS THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT THEY NEEDED TO
HAVE IMPARTED TO THEM AT THE WHITE HOUSE?
ABOUT THIS URGENT SITUATION IN NORTH KOREA?
I DON'T KNOW. BUT SENATORS SEEM UNDERWHELMED.
HERE, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS THE REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN OF THE
SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
SENATOR BOB CORKER. >> HOW WAS THE BRIEFING?
>> IT WAS FINE. >> DID YOU GUYS LEARN ANYTHING
IN THERE YOU DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE? >> NOT REALLY.
IT WAS AN OKAY BRIEFING. >> WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT WAS AN
OKAY BRIEFING? DIDN'T REALLY LEARN MUCH?
>> I -- IT WAS -- IT WAS OKAY. >> IT WAS OKAY.
MAYBE NOT WORTH THE TRIP?

White House Hypes 'OK' North Korea Briefing | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

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