north korean technology. just a quick question, does does any of our witnesses have any guess as to how much money north korea was given for cooperating with outcome are? the estimates have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars. we know two things, i read once a nuclear weapon, iran is about to get their hands on hundred $30 billion. would north korea be willing to sell, they've already proven they are willing to sell nuclear weapon kits if you will, or equipment and plans. is north korea have enough atomic weapons that they will be willing to sell one or two of them, and is this a multibillion-dollar cost for whoever wants to buy them? >> i was going to address your comment about north korea as a terrorist nation if i could. in my written testimony i have a long list of actions that north korea has taken which i think i fulfilled the legal obligation of relisting them as a terrorist nation. there are number of your statues, perhaps the most relevant is 18 u.s. code 2331 which defines international terro

alkali in syria, north korean technology. do any of our witnesses have any gas as to how much money north korea was given for cooperating? the estimates have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars. two things, around once a nuclear weapon and they are about to get a chance at $130 billion. would north. would north korea be willing to sell, they've already proven their willing to sell nuclear weapons kits, if you will, or equipment and plans. is, does north korea have enough weapons that they are willing to sell one or two of them and is the same multibillion-dollar cost for whoever wants to buy them? do we know that, mr. klinger? >> i was going to address your comment about north korea as a terrorist nation, if i could could. in my written testimony, i have a long list of actions that north korea has taken that fulfill the legal obligation for relisting them as a terrorist nation. there are a number of u.s. statutes, perhaps the most relevant is the 18 u.s. code, 23312331 which defines international terrorism as involving

four other tests carried out by the north koreans. each time, the international community, the japanese, the chinese, the south koreans, all try to work out how to make the north koreans pay a price so they don't it again. >> i think you're seeing the same scenario play out this time around. there will be condemnation. there will be resolutions at the u.n. security council. there will be some moves to ramp up sanctions. but in the end i would be very surprised. one reason is the chinese, they are certain to be very, very upset about what has happened. they're going to be pretty cautious about sanctions that might really cripple the regime or inflict enough pain to really force a change in behavior. from the american point of view, it's also a very, very tough decision because there are already pretty stringent sanctions in place. if the u.s. really wanted to try to hurt north korea economically, it would need to target north korea's economic engagement with china, because there are chinese companies that are heavily involved in north k

al kabar in syria, north korean technology. a quick question, do any witnesses have any guess as to how much money north korea was given for cooperative with alkali are -- al kabar? the estimates have been in the hundreds of millions of dollars. we know two things come iran wants a nuclear weapon and there are about to get their hands on $130 billion. it would north korea be willing to sell, they have already proven they will sell nuclear weapons kits, if you will, or , is norththat plans korea -- do they have enough weapons and they would be willing to sell one or two and is this a multibillion-dollar cost for anybody who wants to buy it? mr. klingner: i was going to address the, about north korea as a terrorist nation. in my written testimony i have a long list of actions that north korea has taken which i think fulfill the legal obligation to list them as a terrorist nation. perhaps the most relevant is code 2331 which defines international terrorism as involving acts that would be a violation of criminal law in the u.s. and

they know that china cares in fact about north korean stability and they're betting that that desire to see north korea as a buffer, as a security buffer for china, will be sufficient to keep china in line and not be willing to do anything that would pull the plug on north korea. >> china's sowrchina's support for north korea militarily, financially, has helped keep the kim family in power despite overwhelming international criticism. but it doesn't need -- you were just describing what north korea might think china needs from it, but for economic reasons, china's trade with south korea is 296 billion as compared to $6 trillion. >> for china to come to the recognition that north korea engaging these kinds of provocative nuclear tests is actually taking destabilizing actions that damage china's security interests in the region to such a great extent that it's no longer worth the security benefit of the long standing so-called buffer that north korea has represented in chinese security discourse. >> china's got its own regional issues with the south china sea and various other matters i

the north korean, yet again, are in the driver's seat. they have the entire international community reacting to what they've done and if there is any diplomatic follow-up, it gives the north the leverage of everybody knowing they've got this powerful new device. they will continue to go more unless they get what they want. which from the united states is recognition of some kind. respect from china, it probably involved money. more aid and without that, the north is signaling very clearly, it's going to keep moving ahead and developing this nuclear capably. >> you talk about north korea's relationship with china. it's primarily financial. how much pressure do you expect china to exert in the coming days and weeks? >> well, the test is really a slap in the face to china and its leaders. the chinese in recent months took a different approach to north korea. they have been pretty critical of pyongyang the last couple of years. they adopted a new friendlier tone. the chinese calculation i think was being more accommodating would encourage the

, according to north korean state media. it says he issued the order back in december the 15th, just a few days after he publicly admitted they had the h bomb, the claim which, at the time, many analysts queried and said was highly unlikely that they could have made such a significant jump in nuclear capability. at this point, it's yet to be confirmed whether or not this was a hydrogen nuclear test, but the fact that this test went ahead is leading to expected swift international condemnation. meetings across the region are ongoing. we know right now here in south korea, seoul, there is the head of the u.s. forces in korea, and also the u.s. ambassador to south korea, and the south korean foreign minister to discuss what's happened. >> yet to confirm if this is indeed a hydrogen bomb. how do they go about confirming this, and if it is, and we don't know for sure, how significant would that be? >> reporter: there are a number of ways they can determine what kind of bomb it was. the way the immensity of the explosion, the kilo

they head for north korea aboard buses arranged by the korean red cross. e buses cross the military demarcation line and enter north korea. four hours after leaving, the south korean families arrive at a hotel. the north korean families awaited them in the hotel reception hall. the reunion meetings began with introductions in the hall. the reunions continued for two nights and three days. the times and places are prearranged. families from the north and south stay in separate accommodations. suk-ju reunited with his son for the first time in 65 years. his son, dong wook, just 5 when they separated, is now 70. dong wook says he is a retired mining company executive. dong wook's eldest son yong jin was also there. his son tries to comfort him. the first meeting lasted two hours. suk-ju, however, was somber the entire time and barely uttered a word. the following morning, suk-ju would not leave his room. kyung-suk took her father out for a walk and spoke with him. on the second day, the families met for two hours, their only time alone. dong wook came to see s

because the sanctions are not going to be tough enough to really force a change in north korean behavior. it's going to sour the north's relations with china and also going to sharten the debate about whether some kind of diplomacy where you hold your nose and try to deal with the north offers perhaps a better route to slowing down the acceleration of the north's nuclear program. i think this is a demonstration that the north koreans really don't care what the chinese think. it's a real slap in the face for china. beijing in recent months had modified an approach that we've seen in the last couple of years in which relations had chilled. but in the past several months, chinese sent a senior officials to north korea. before they would encourage the north not to engage in provocative acts. it's a personal affront to the chinese leader. beijing will no doubt be furious. but at the end of the day, are they willing to take the kind of steps to force it to abandon its pursuit of enhanced nuclear capability. i very much doubt that. >> i know you're not a nuclear scientist, but i wonder if you c

anyone but north korean's. neil: right? >> and they are the outlooks here. and what we're talking about are rational ways of dealing with that. and what you can expect of the it is a of america at any time. if we wanted to use force, could we crush this country? yes. is that the right thing to do? no. neil: obviously we're world premier power. everyone knows we could crush other countries if we wanted to do so. i guess what i'm saying here and wondering about is whether the north korean situation brings to mind the iranian deal. and you said at the time you had assurances that certainly in the near term would stop whatever they were doing ten years out or whatever they were obviously doing other things. who's to say that the iranians haven't cobbled together the same sort of strategy and aren't doing the same thing? >> well, that's why you have transparency provisions. that's i couldn't do inspections, and you do the best you can with these deals. i don't think anyone who's been involved in negotiating with a c

to sanction north korean officials simply forbidding north korean officials. we don't even have to provide evidence that it conducted illegal activity. the u.s. sanction 16 russian officials for being russian officials after the crime the incursion. we haven't used about as much as we could. the target is change. banco delta asia was rejected because of the very large conduit. north korea has adapted since then. it's sort of like the cockroach theory of law enforcement. you going to a kitchen, turn on the light, see with the cockroaches are and whether what i'll do. if you take out the first of plan if north korea given a larger intelligence and law enforcement so the watch where the money gets redirected, where the cockroaches go. it's been you go after plan b. >> on the issue of engagement, we talked about earlier we have to have a strategy that deals with, it gives them coast -- composed of engagement as well as coercive steps. as far as i understand the united states and gauges with north korea, we have a chip in new york. we do talk to the north koreans,

the north koreans know they can defy cloin chinese. community college doesn't like the leaders in beijing. >> thank you very much. on top of the hour, ali velshi will have this. ali. >> if a country like north korea did deploy a hydrogen bomb, human survival could hinge on a secret vault hidden inside a mountain. i'll take you inside, at 9:00 eastern, john. >> thank you ali. >>> in addition to the much needed rain, storms in california are bringing flash flooding. the second powerful storm to hit california just this week. >>> as the president moves to tighten gun restrictions with new executive actions, california's become the only state to enact gun violence restraining order. under the law citizens or law enforcement officials can petition to prevent someone from getting guns or take guns away, jennifer london explains. >> well, this is my last video. it all has to come to this. tomorrow is the day of retribution. >> chilling words in a haunting video posted online recorded the day before 22-year-old elliot roger stabbed and gunned d

there's got to be some rethinking on the part of the north koreans. finally, while we are doing better with the south koreans we need to continue to get south korea, japan, and the u.s. together, the three democracies of the six party talks to see what we can do to get the russians involved. our relations with russia are about as bad as they have been for a long time. there are big if's if they are going to do anything in the remaining months. that is the ambassador from the university of denver and a former diplomat. we will have more information at 3:00 and william cowan will be our guest then. still ahead on bloomberg markets, more trouble for chipotle, and e. coli outbreak, a plunge in sales, and a federal subpoena. ♪ david: "-- welcome back to "bloomberg markets." chipotle, a worse than expected plunge, they are struggling to rebound from multiple outbreaks of foodborne illness and now they have been subpoenaed in a federal criminal investigation. for a look at the troubles, let's bring in cragg. first of all, what did we learn from the sales figu

the north koreans say it's not on. if there were a freeze on the north's capabilities, there might be a diplomatic door opening. but the politics in the states in an election year make that hard. i think at the end of the day, the north koreans are going to get away with this. there will be a lot of international huffing and puffing, but nothing will change and the north's nuclear program will continue full seem aheteam >> and it will be interesting to see what china does, given that they asked north korea not to go ahead with this. mike, thank you. >> an em passioned speech. barack obama spells out his plan for cushing g for curbing gun violence. my doctor told me about stelara® it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ...stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara® your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase yo

the reason for that, the north koreans insisted he speak korean.y were listening to every word they said. a lot of the things were intended for people who were not in the room as far as the messages that sounded almost identical to pyongyang propaganda. >> what are the north koreans get out of this? >> reporter: they have another bargaining chip. the nuclear test last week was certainly an effort to get the attention of the world. it did. specifically the united states. the united states responded four days later with a b-52 bomber up to the demilitarized zone. escorted by south korean fighter jets. you have the north koreans announcing they have an american citizen in custody, accused of stealing secrets. the end game here is north korea wants to sit down at the table with the united states and other world powers. they want sanctions lifted and they feel by asking an american detainee, they may be able to work out some deal to receive aid or reduction in all of the international sanctions against the country. so far, no response indicating that ty

but look, simply caving in to north korean blackmail doesn't work. down the road to a greater crisis down the line. even if north korea hasn't conducted a hydrogen test, we can't engage in the politics across the nation simply saying the test failed there for we can break a sigh of relief because you can learn just as much from a failed test is a real test. sandra: michael rubin come your latest article, just turning the wheel is back at going to the escalating conflict there. you say make no mistake saudi arabia should be condemned without reservation. that doesn't mean the islamic republic of iran is winless. >> we have two countries in fma to odious regimes, one an ally, one an adversary who are indication of breakneck competition to see who can put you on the fire. the fact of the matter is while i don't think south korea -- i'm sorry, i don't think out of entrÉe to saudi arabia. it's not just the saudi embassy is. it is the french embassy attack over the years, british embassy, danish embassy. until you stand up and say this isn't the way you co

he is the author of the book invitation only zone, the true story of north korean product. it's a fascinating but disturbing story. how all the people were kidnapped. we should say first it's possible many were kidnapped. it was a lot of south koreans. >> this was a global abduction project. in the 50s and '60s, there were mainly fishermen, japanese, people from lebanon, from romania, other parts of asia, this was a truly global production project. the title of the book refers to the communities where some of these people live, which were the guarded communities that were thinly veiled. >> correct. these were guarded communities, gated communities, and the north koreans have a fine sense of language. if you put a sign on something saying this is a place into which one must receive an invitation, north koreans know to stay away. the back describes something out of twilight. the north koreans thought they could use the foreigners they'd kidnap for their own purposes. >> it's hard to bring north korea back to the '60, and '70s. they were outproducing south korea, they believed

area three months ago, where a series of recent murders and robberies have been blamed on hungry north koreanders. china's leadership has supported sanctions against north korea in the past, now it could be under pressure to do so again. >>> let's take you live now to the other end of the story, james bayes joining us from the u.n. headquarters. so there is a slight feeling of consternation there? >> reporter: absolutely any u.n. security council will be meeting one hour from now. they are deeply concerned about that. that's why we have a meeting. that's why in the next half hour, you are going to see comments from the u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon. worth remembers, ban ki-moon just a few months ago was planning to visit north korea to try to start a new peace initiative where things look very different today as a rut of what has happened in north korea. the first thing the security council must work out is what has happened, whether this was some sort of hydrogen bomb test as the north koreans say. most experts think that is unlikely, was it some other sort of nuclear test or a nuclear

this expert on north korean nuclear issues thinks the north may retaliate by, again, firing artillery shells at the south's propaganda speakers. >> it seems this south korean government is now braving the risk of this escalation in the belief that we should not let north korea's bad behavior go unpunished. >> reporter: he then gave the reasoning behind the south's decision to issue a firm response. >> nuclear capabilities in the hands of north korea is destabilizing the military powers on the peninsula. and also it instigates the north korean government to believe it can commit a conventional provocations with impunity. >> reporter: in his new year's speech, north korean leader kim jong-un mentioned improving inter-korean relations. the events of the past few days, though, are driving the countries further apart. >> that was nhk world's kim chan-ju. >>> with china's economic worries spilling over to markets around the world, investors have been seeking some bright signs for the global economy. they may have found it. the latest employment data shows the u.s. economy is enjoying solid

playbook of rallying north koreans behind the leadership? we need to realize that this is not a failed communist state. ,his is an ultranationalist military-first date, by its own designation. it is a right-wing state for which the economy is essentially a sideshow. economic growth is fine, but the legitimacy of the state derives from the public perception of the progress it is making along the road to final victory, and that is why we need to distinguish between the kind of internationally oriented propaganda that north korea puts fromlike that tame speech kim jong-un on new year's day, and the kind of propaganda the north koreans are getting on the ground, which is much more bellicose and which continually reminds people that final victory over the enemy is imminent. rishaad: how secure is kim jong -- kim jong-un. within thecure regime. what is insecure is the state itself. the north korean people need to be continued reminded for the need of this military high first protect the race against the enemy. it is not kim jong-un who needs to be

the boastful announcement on north korean television claimed an ominous technological achievement. a successful test of not just a nuclear device but a thermonuclear device. a miniaturized hydrogen bomb potentially an order of magnitude more powerful than any of north korea's three previous nuclear tests. it did not take long for the official scoffing from washington to begin. >> the initial analysis that's been conducted of the eeft evens reported overnight is not consistent with a north korean nuclear test. nothing to change our assessment military capabilities. >> reporter: while seismic sensors picked up a man made explosions that registered as a 5.1 magnitude earthquake the size of the blast was estimated at only 6 kilotons, 6,000 tons of tnt, a tiny magnitude of an h bomb. >> in the next few minutes you will see an explosion -- >> when the united states detonated its first hydrogen bomb in 1952 as documented in this period news real the yield was 10 megatons, more than 10 times greater than the latest north korean nuclear test. >> the violence of the bomb is comparable to the

analysis that's been conducted of the events that were reported overnight is not consistent with north korean claims of hydrogen bomb test. there's nothing occurred in the last 24 hours that's caused the united states government to change our assessment of north korea's technical and military capabilities. >> reporter: still, the detonation at an underground facility is the fourth by north korea since 2006. all in gross violation of international law and prior nuclear agreements with the west. most nuclear analysts share the administration's doubt that north korea has developed an a-bomb. however, some are concerned that pyongyang appears to be making worrisome progress in its nuclear program including the possibility of advancements in building a device small enough to deploy on a missile. and north korea has developed a missile capable of reaching as far as the west coast of the u.s. >> if you can add a little hydrogen isotope to your basic atomic bomb, you can have less material in it, make it smaller and this would help north korea fit it on the warhead of a missile. that's what they're g

the north koreans or the pakistanis? >> north korea. 1993 when we had the first nuclear price sis, kim il-sun, the grandfather, called together his military and asked them so what do we do if we fight the americans over our nuclear program and we lose? and kim jong-un's father said if we lose, i will destroy the earth. what good is the earth without north korea? so this is a loose cannon. we're not just talking about deterrence. if they have a problem with the regime, they could do it. and one has to wonder, why did they do the test now? >> what's your theory? >> they were trying to make up with china. and let kim jong un go to beijing. china has to be furious. i would suspect they have internal problems. >> we'll have more on that later this hour. it's a good point that you raise. >> we appreciate it. whether it was an h-bomb or a plutonium device, the fallout diplomatically for the north koreans is likely to be the same. >> reporter: north korea's claim it tested a hydrogen bomb brought swift condemnation from around t

state media showed north korean leader signing off on the order. he's a man who likes attention, particularly close to his birthday, which falls on january 8th. so this may have been his way of celebrating early. but it could take months or even years to prove if north korea really has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. it says it deserves to possess nuclear weapons to counter threats from the united states. around the region, leaders responded with familiar alarm. it was north korea's fourth

officials say the north korean regime has shown no sign it is ready to talk. and that's why, wolf, it's unclear what it would take to bring them to the table. for starters, the north has demanded to be officially recognized as a nuclear state. today the white house and state department reaffirmed they will not and do not accept north korea as a nuclear power, wolf. >> elise labott reporting. thank you. i sat down with the gop presidential front-runner, donald trump, just a little while ago and asked him about the shocking claim by north korea and how he'd handle a nuclear crisis with the communist regime. would you consider a preemptive strike to destroy north korea's nuclear capabilities? >> no, because china has total control over them and we have total control over china if we had people who knew what they were doing, we don't. we have no leadership in this country. we have china because of trade. they're sucking our money out of us, they're taking our money like candy from a baby. and china can come out and frankly they will, you know, they say they don't h

on friday, north korean leaders said they are being pushed to the brink of war. ed video of kim jong-un watching an apparent submarine missile launch. south korea claims the footage is old. >>> the skepticism is not stopping north koreans from celebrating the hydrogen bomb claim. and cnn is the only u.s. broadcaster reporting from inside the reclusive country. north korean officials gave our will ripley an exclusive look at life there and its new science facility. >> reporter: as the clock strikes midnight on kim jong-un's birthday, an eerie melody reminding north koreans of the sacrifices of their leaders. ♪ >> reporter: musical propaganda echoes through pyongyang every day, every night, reinforcing a message of loyalty to the supreme leader. on the front page of north korea's main state newspaper, kim jong-un signing the order to test what the regime calls a hydrogen bomb. many outside observers question the claim. there's no doubt among these students lined up outside pyongyang's science and technology center the north koreans said were the first to visit the b

it's important to point this out because our quarrel is not with the north korean people but with the december pot and his aides that run north korea. we know that the people of north korea endure deplorable treatment. i can tell you the country citizens deserve much, much better. that's why we'll keep up the pressure on north korea's leaders and that's why we need to pass this legislation. so i urge a yes vote. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. royce: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. smith. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. smith: i thank the chairman for yielding and i rise in strong support of the north korea sanctions enforcement act of 2016. mr. speaker, there is a compelling need to pass tough and effective legislation to freeze the assets of the kim regime. i want to commend chairman royce for his long and hard work on north korea and his determination to bring this bill to the floor and again thank ranking m

think this has the effect of bringing china and the united states together in dealing with the north korean nuclear capability >>> now we enter familiar territory, don't we. we get international condemnation, pretty much universally, we have the u.n. security council, international rebukes, threats of more sanctions, but nonetheless north korea still seen to do exactly what it wants. >> well, north korea seems to be prepared to take the sanction. i'm sure at this time china will have no objection to dilute the sanctions that are coming, but north korea knew that they would be coming and they're prepared to accept it. i think it's a wrong assessment, but, nonetheless, that's the judgment of north korea >>> what in your estimation does the leader want? clearly international attention is focused firmly on north korea, but what exactly does the leadership want? >> i think the leadership wants to be recognised as a nuclear weapon state and can be a credible threat to countries, the united states in particular, and i think this will serve as a credible threat which will actually not serve to prom

the north koreans are staying it's a reaction to so-called aggression of the u.s. i think when you put all these things together and, you know, it is highly unlikely in my opinion that they could put these things together. particularly in short notice. it could change things, the rehabilitation from the russians, u.s., u.k. and others. hopefully a statement by the u.n. later today is absolutely right because a rogue nation like north korea with this cape ability will paying the world unsorrier than it already is >>> thank you for talking, a weapons expert joining us from the u.k. >>> president obama issued an executive order to make it harder for americans to get guns. he appeals for support. here is the white house correspondent. >> reporter: this just doesn't happen. >> every time i think about those kids, it gets me mad >>> an emotional president remembering the children killed in their classroom in connecticut. his team in part for one of the victims. anna green. >> she was a smart, brilliant talented girl who loved to show how much she loved her family how muc

a missile, we know the north koreans and iranians have tested missiles that can go 1,000 miles so if you could have a miniature nuclear weapon and a missile that can reach from iran, reach europe, from north korea could reach japan or the west coast of the united states you're in a whole different world, intercontinental ballistic missiles that carry nuclear weapons that can reach far from the local neighborhood and that means the japanese, south koreans have to be nervous about north korea and it means the europeans, others in the middle east have to be very concerned about the potential capability of an iranian nuclear program. jenna: in 2011, five years to the day, bob gates, secretary of defense in china said in 2011 that he was gravely concerned about north korea and where north korea will be in five years. five years later the news of the day. both republicans and democrats have failed in containing and deterring north korea. what is our move to date? >> you hit the nail on the head, bob gates is right, the horse is out of the barn. this is a country with a $60 billion gnp, $4 b

what's the reaction to that from officials in the north korean capital where you are? r: when i informed them about the comments made by donald trump, the response was very strong that nobody has total control over north korea except for the workers party, which is led by the supreme leader kim jong un and also told us they feel other countries, other entities including the u.s. are trying to drive a wedge between north korea and china because china is north korea's most important and most powerful friend. they provide economic assistance to this country and trade with china has essentially been partially fueling in a great part, fueling this country's economic growth and you do see some small signs of economic growth. there are more cars on the streets here. people have electronics, people have smart phones and other goods, many of which are imported from china. the north koreans of course want to maintain that relationship but then again, the chinese government infuriated about this test. i was in beijing yesterday when officials said they received no advanced warning

north korea, and also hoping that this new tough rhetoric that is coming from beijing against the north korean neighbor, it could prompt china in the future to impose some unilateral sanctions against north korea, but the problems here is that hard any anybody has any leverage over to thor hermit king dom, and perhaps the only country who does is china who enjoys a good economic relations with north korea. wolf? >> ivan watson, thank you very much. and as ivan just said, the reaction has been swift. japan's foreign minister says, quoting, we see the announcement that a hydrogen bomb tested is a major threat to regional, and international peace and stability. south korea's president saying, quote, it is not only grave provocation of the national security, but also an act that threatens our lives and future. and from the white house national security council, we have consistently made clear that we will not accept north korea as a nuclear state. joining us is texas republican congressman max thornberri who is joining us now, and when you woke up to the news this morn morning, what was your immed

-- be on the north korean people? >> the north korean people could continue to suffer if, in fact, the supply lines are cut. we're talking all but 11% of the fuel that is consumed in north korea comes from china or through china. there are also foodstuffs, various consumers goods. this would have a real effect. there is this careful balance between sending a message and trying to topple what is an otherwise very problematic government. the chinese are very reluctant to interfere in the affairs of other countries, but this will not go down well. everyone notes that he is not visited despite out wardly warm relations with south korea. it is a clear message that beijing has been sending >>> you made a very good point so far this has not been verified. we're simply going off the word of north korea. thank you so much for your time. the obama administration doesn't see bashar al-assad stepping down as syria's president before 2017. that's according to a new report. information obtained by the associated press news agency d

the north koreans today are boasting of the, quote, spectacular success of its first ever hydrogen bomb test. the explosion created a 5.1 magnitude seismic event modestly stronger than the last north korea nuclear detonation, but u.s. officials doubt the north koreans have a hydrogen bomb. >> the initial analysis that's been conducted of the events that were reported overnight is not consistent with north korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test. there's nothing that's occurred in the last 24 hours that caused the united states government to change our assessment of north korea's technical and military capabilities. lou: but even if the north koreans did not explode a hydrogen bomb, there is no doubt that kim jong-un's unpredictable regime did carry out a highly provocative nuclear test. is there any radioactive fallout? why don't we know whether the koreans exploded an h-bomb that is exponentially more powerful than fission bombs and what is kim jong-un up to? major general bob scales, former pentagon official k.t. mcfarland among our guests tonight. >>> also a good look at the

north korean people like to see, a very strongmentin young guy. we don't know about. that that's a possibility we have to entertain. so the chinese are really left on the back of their feet and it will be interesting to watch xi to develop this. >> that relationship back in the freezer. thank you so much for joining us. great analysis. thank you. >> big developments on the korean peninsula this morning. >>> other news, a series of new years sex attacks causing anger outrage in a huge european city. the backgrounds of the attacker is causing more concern. we'll explain next. i. >>> angry protests breaking out in the german city of cologne, 90 women robbed threatened and raped on new year's eve t. suspects described by police as arab or north african. angela merkel calling the attacks disgusting, warning against an anti-migrant backlash. we are tracking the latest development live from london. fred, what do we know about this? >> reporter: well the german police is actually trying to get to terms with some of the fact, trying to find a lot of things

. >> the latest provocation from north korean leader kim jong-un comes as a weary washington and a weary international community once again considers sanctions against the rogue nation. >> north korea will freeze and dismantle its nuclear program. >> that was over 20 years ago. since then, not much has changed with respect to u.s. policy towards pyongyang. >> north korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons is a path that leads only to more isolation. it's not a sign of strength. >> experts say the continuation of u.s. strategy has yielded little. in some ways has produced an even bigger problem. >> whether it was president clinton with the first north korean nuclear deal or president obama with the iranian deal, you know, with a determined adversary, you can't talk your way out of it. >> and talk, they have. beginning with six-party negotiations in 2003. but since pulling out in 2009, the north has ramped up its nuclear program. this time analysts say with iran's help. the north koreans scientific community is a gang that can't shoot straight. they've had several failures in years pas

the action really occurred overnight. 9:00 we got word about nuclear tests by the north koreans, ande also got word that china said its currency fix lower. i think that was a major factor. >> modest expansion and new lows. almost 200 at the nyse. haven't seen that in a while. the autonation ceo talking about the dealership. that's a new low for autonation. the carmakers are being affected by that announcement as well. what's holding up? this is looking a like 2015. those old consumer names that did so well, the rentals and the conagras and the tysons and dr. pepper, they're the ones, again, fractionally on the positive side. gold subpoena, and i do want to point out that while the spider gold trust is on a five-year decline, the volume is fairly heavy today. much heavier than normal. twice the normal volume. even though it may not be moving that much, guys, the volume interest is very high. >> all right, bob. thank you very much. bob pasani on the floor. more on north korea this morning. let's go to chief pentagon correspondent jim mick mick. there's still an awful lot of skepticism

but decades of sanctions have failed to curb three generations of north korean leaders. president obama came to office promising not to overreact to north korea's nuclear antics, continuing sanctions until pyongyang agreed to negotiate an end to its program. instead, the u.s. focused on a nuclear deal with iran, a more willing partner. in april, iran agreed to robust curbs on its program. three of the nuclear tests have been launched since obama took office. critics label obama's so-called strategic patience a recipe for diplomatic failure. >> some no diplomatic policy options need to be put on the table. >> it's unclear what it would take to bring them to the table. for starter, north has demanded to be officially recognized as a nuclear state. >> if the north koreans tested a hydrogen bomb or if it was made from plutonium matters a lot in terms of pyongyang's nuclear capability. but perhaps it's not as important in terms of diplomacy and what happens next. we're talking with the director of korean studies. >> china says everyone stay calm. we don't really have a whole l

officials say they doubt the north koreans have a hydrogen bomb. >>he initial that were reported overnight is not consistent with north korean claims of a successful hydrogen bomb test. there's nothing that's occurred in the last 24 hours that caused the united states government to change our assessment of north korea's technical and military capabilities. >> but even if the north koreans did not explode a hydrogen bomb, there is no doubt that kim jong-un's unpredictable regime did carry out a highly provocative nuclear test. is there any radioactive fallout? why don't we know if the koreans exploded an h-bomb that is exponentially more powerful than fisson bombs? and also we look at the republican candidates battling it out on the campaign trail now. and they're in a bruising round of tough talk and more than a few insults. rubio after cruz, kasich after everyone. christie after rubio, fiorina after them all, donald trump taking aim at rival ted cruz, he's concerned and concerned deep by will cruz's citizenship, suggesting cruz's roots may be a pr

until we do, the north koreans are going to proliferate this around the world. >> north korea is famous for launching these provocative attacks when they want attention of some kind. >> yes. >> kim jong-un's birthday is two days from now. no idea if that's connected. is there a feeling in north korea that syria has been getting all the attention or they've somehow been disrespected on the world stage? >> i think there's a certain amount of that. we saw that in pyongyang's statement. the most important thing is kim jong-un wants to solidify his position in the regime. he's shaky. he's killed about 120 senior officials since he took over in 2011. that's a sign of continuing instability inside the ruling group. this is very good politics for him to detonate a device. that's why i think they sort of hyped it, because what they're trying to do is say, first of all, the regime, look, kim jong-un is strong, continuing policies of his father and grandfather. they want to bolster the position of the regime with regard to the north koreaen people because the economy right now is not that good. >>

this is the last place we thought the north koreans would ever let us film, but they want to make a point to cnn and to the world. in february, 2007, north korea agreed to disable this plant in exchange for fuel oil, trade, and being removed from the u.s. list of state sponsors of terrorism. though some might call this a carefully cover yo graphed show, the tour appeared to be a sincere effort to prove they've shut the plant down. on a hillside overlooking the nuclear plant, north korean officials set up a reviewing stand and seats for the u.s. state department delegation and the others who had come to witness the destruction of their cooling tower. as dignitaries, technical experts and the press waited, an official from the plant gave the signal. first, a warning flair, and three minutes later, a massive cloud of smoke. as the tower crumbled, the sound of the blast finally hit the air. there was a moment of stunned silence as it sank in. then a quiet handshake between the u.s. point man on north korea and the director of safeguards at the nuclear plant. >> a complete demolition. >> repor

north koreans helped pakistan build their nuclear arsenal. t what evidence is there that north korea's helping iran with any kind of nuclear ambition? >> well, that's one of the things we're asking is making sure the president and the executive agencies are reviewing all the information they have to see if there's any connections. and there's any violations of u.n. treaties by the iranians, they've already done it with their long-range missile program recently. this is something they probably do. and the north koreans are looking to iran as an example of how they can possibly position themselves. if they have nuclear capability, they think the united states will treat them a little bit differently, almost the way we're changing our tune when it comes to iran. >> you'll vote in favor of this legislation to tighten sanctions against north korea? >> absolutely. >> congressman, standby. we have more to discuss including latest u.s. air strikes against an isis target inside iraq, an isis target where there are millions and millions of dollars that