morning, president trump and the north korean leader kim jong-un are on the ground in singapore. it is 10:00 p.m. eastern 10:00 p.m. singapore time, and they are preparing for tomorrow for the historical summit that will take place at 9:00 p.m. eastern time tonight. go to www.c-span.org for more details. that will be 9:00 a.m. in singapore when they meet behind closed doors. earlier this morning, mike pompeo briefed reporters about thearations in advance of summit. here's what he had to say. >> good afternoon. thank you for your patience. certainly worth the wait.

i would like to welcome the secretary of state mike pompeo, who will answer questions specific to the summit that will take place tomorrow and will be around to follow up with questions beyond that. thank you. >> good afternoon. said onresident saturday, this is a mission of peace. our ambassador led a delegation to meet with the vice foreign minister and her north korean delegation. as talks continue this afternoon, even as we sit here now, they are moving quite

rapidly and we anticipate they will come to their logical conclusion even more quickly than anticipated. before discussing the summit, i want to address the report in the new york times that suggest the u.s. team lacks the expertise on dismantling north korea's weapon program and we went to address it directly. months, over 100 experts have met multiple times per week to address technical and logistical issues associated with dismantling north korea's weapons programs, including those from the military, the department of energy, including from theand officials intelligence community covering north korea. the same experts also covered north korea's biological and missile programs. the experts include dozens of phd's who have expertise in nuclear weapons, missiles,

biological weapons, with advanced degrees in numerous subjects and other relevant fields. on the ground in singapore, we have a team that includes the president's seniormost experts in weapons of mass destruction that can cover any technical needs the meetings present. in a suggestion that the u.s. lacks the technical expertise across government or on the ground in singapore is mistaken. north korea has previously confirmed their willingness to do nuclear rise and we are eager to us -- to denuclearize and we are eager to see if the words prove clear. the fact our leaders are sitting down face-to-face will immensely benefit both of our peoples and the entire world. believes themp north korean leader has an unprecedented opportunity to change the trajectory of our relationships and bring peace and prosperity to his country.

we are hopeful this summit will have set the conditions for future and productive talks. in light of how many flimsy agreements united stes has made in previous years, we wl doese that no agreement not adequately address the north korean threat. has notsee from this changed. the complete and verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the north korean peninsula is the only outcome the united states will accept. sanctions will remain until north korea eliminates its weapons of mass distraction programs. if diplomacy does not move in the right direction, and we are hopeful of a continue to do so, those measures will increase. president trump recognizes chairman kim's desire for security and is prepared to ensure that a north korea free of weapons of mass distraction is also a secure north korea. the president expressed openness

to economic access opportunities for north korea if they take the right steps. all the preparations for this summit have come together very nicely. the president met this afternoon with the prime minister of singapore to thank the prime hisster of singapore for partnership in helping make this a reality. singapore is home to over 4000 is acan companies and long-standing commercial partner and we thank them for their help in making this summit what it is. the president also had a chance to visit other embassy teams in singapore and thank them for their work to make the summit success. for example, at tomorrow's summit, there will be some 5000 members of the media that will be covering this historic event. president trump is going into the meeting with confidence, a positive attitude, and eagerness for real progress.

he has made it clear north denuclearize is, there is a brighter future for north korea. tomorrow, we will get our clearest indication on whether he shares the vision. i am happy to take a couple of questions. >> [indiscernible] is there 50 d nuclear is -- [indiscernible] i wonder if that represents a slight shift? which reflects in part [indiscernible] sec. pompeo: that is the case we

are prepared to make security insurances, and we are prepared to take action that will provide them sufficient certainty that they will become tubal that denuclearization is not something that ends badly for them but the opposite in that it leads to a brighter and better future for the north korean people. following on that point, under the umbrella of security assurances, would that include removing u.s. forces in south korea? mpeo: i will not get into the details of the discussions we have had to date. take whatpared to will be security assurances that are different, unique then have -- then america has been willing to provide previously. we think it is necessary and appropriate. >> would it be erroneous --

pompeo: you should not assume that any question has any merit. if you hypothesize something and i refuse to tell you what is in it, you should assume i am simply refusing to tell you what is in it and do not draw negative conclusions. there is going to be a l of work left to do. there is a lot of detail that has to be provided. we will not conduct these negotiations in the open with the media between the two parties to have an opportunity to have a real success. >> wall street journal. secretary, but does the u.s. expect in terms of denuclearization? concept [indiscernible]

this is something that trump administration [indiscernible] sec. pompeo: i think the first part of your question is the same alreasked, on what one side will be prepared to do and i will not speak to that. with respect to the second question, the context for these discussions is radically different than ever before. the backdrop against which the negotiations are taking, president trump has said in a way that is fundamentally different than before. the president has made clear, until such time as you get the

outcome we are demanding, economic relief is not going to be provided. hypothesislways the that summer along the way the americans would take their foot off and allow economic opportunities for the north, and thereby, produce the capacity to achieve the deal. we are not going to do that, so these discussions tomorrow between chairman kim and president trump will set the framework for the hard work that will follow. we will see how far we get. i am optimistic we will have a successful outcome from tomorrow's meeting between the two leaders. the in each of those two countries, there are only two people who can make decisions of this magnitude and they will be sitting in a room together tomorrow. >> with the ap. >> secretary, the president says he will know within a minute whether kim is serious. these are complex issues that

have tens of millions of civilians in the crosshairs, is it wise for the president to be going on his gut? have you established criteria that lead to the walkout tomorrow? sec. pompeo: the president is totally prepared for the meeting tomorrow. i had the opportunity to make sure he has heard lots of different voices, all of the opportunities and risks, and we have put the two leaders in the right place. as i said to the previous question, president trump has that isid out a process fundamentally different than the ones we have gone through before and i expect that the process alsotomorrow forward will be fundamentally different with a result america working to provide an outcome that benefits both countries. that is different than what we have done before. >> preparations [indiscernible] yes, sir. >> thank you, secretary.

[indiscernible] how can you trust the north korean leader? [indiscernible] sec. pompeo: i think the hypothesis is ludicrous. fooleited states has been d before. many presidents previously have signed off on paper to find that

the north koreans either did not promise what we got they had or reneged on promises. it matters. we are going to ensure we set up a system that is robust and we are able to verify the outcomes. it is only once that happens that we will proceed. that is what has been missed before. trusting iteagan was verified. at the end of the day, both countries will have to have sufficient trust in each other and to do the verification each country needs that we have provided what we have committed to its various documents you have signed, both tomorrow if we sign the documents, and if we sign subsequent documents. we will be checked to ensure we take the actions necessary to follow through on commitments, and when we do, we will have a verify deal. if we get that far, we will have an historic change here, in southeast asia, north asia, and

around the world. >> we will take the last question. mr. secretary, this morning, [indiscernible] [indiscernible] i came here today in singapore to talk about north korea, but i am happy to talk about work with our european partners, as well. we would not be in this place or have this historic opportunity without the diplomatic work that has been done by european partners alongside of us. president trump has led a enormous coalition, including thosen g7 partners, who have helped us get to this point and have every expectation they will

continue to do that. inre are always irritants relationships, and i'm confident the relationships between the united states and those g7 countries will continue to move forward on a strong basis. i am unconcerned about our capaty to continue to do what we need to do to get the outcome we are looking for north korea as a result of what you described having taken place in canada. >> thank you. 0 this week -- in line >> this week, that coverage between president donald trump and the north korean leader, starting tonight. join "washington journal" tuesday and wednesday mornings for analysis in your comments.

watch live on c-span and www.c-span.org for listen using the pre-c-span radio app. -- free c-span radio app. join us at noon eastern for a preview of the upcoming farm bill in congress with remarks from chuck grassley. live coverage starts at 12 noon eastern on c-span. week,g at congress this the senate returns at 3:00 p.m. eastern today for work on the defense programs and policy bill. lawmakers will take a vote to advance the measure: 30, with simple majority needed to start debate on the bill. if that succeeds, they will work on amendments throughout the week. the house will be back tomorrow at noon eastern to work on opioid legislation, including the crackdown on synthetic opioids into the u.s., treatment and covery, and getting guidelines for pharmacists on

prescriptions. live coverage on c-span and c-span [applause] -- c-span2. neutrality,f net interviewed by the technology reporter. >> the conversation has shifted to legislation or the hill would like it to. do you think it is possible to legislate this issue? allt is fascinating that along during my term, this was something congress would decide. when congress now has an opportunity to decide what the congressional review act that has passed the senate in a bipartisan way and is now pending in the house, that the republicans in the house and industry will say, congress should not sign. look, if the chairman of the sec has the courage of his convictions that what he has

and is right for america will stand up to a vote in the congress, he ought to pick up e phone, call speaker ryan and say, schedule it for a vote in whatouse, and let's see the american people and representative say. >> watch "the communicators" on c-span2 tonight at 8:00 eastern. >> this past weekend, we -- jamesthe former -- jameso washington, bookper to discuss his . this is one hour. trump is due to arrive in about an hour and a half. james clapper, is this summit a great i