[laughter] >> sure. >> stephen: victor cha, the book is "the impossible state."ll be right back. thank you. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> stephen: welcome back, everybody. nation, i don't know about you, but i've been dismayed by the number of states chillaxing their marijuana laws. just this past november, ballot initiatives legalizing recreational marijuana passed in colorado and washington with broad support. [cheers and applause] yeah, yeah, don't worry we'll stop them. [ laughter ] thankfully, one state is trying to weed out the problem. [laughter] jim? >> a florida bill that would outlaw the sale of bongs is passing a house subcommittee. under that bill, any retailer that sells the pipes used for smoking marijuana would be charged. >> stephen: sorry, sunshine state stoners. if you want to get high in florida, you'll have to get a prescription like everyone else. [laughter] under house bill 49, it will be a first-degree misdemeanor to sell metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic smoking pipes. [laughter] with or without scr

joining me now is our expert, professor victor cha with georgetown university, the director of asian s at the national security council at the white house and a widely read author on this subject. victor, let's get real -- threats of nuclear war, evacuate south korea? they've closed down the economic-shared factory area to the north. how do we assess what kim jong un is really doing and who is rupping the show? is it the military? is it the young leader? who's in charge? >> well on the second question, the bottom line we don't know. he certainly is up front in all the pictures and he's been in power for about a year now. the balance between him and the military, we don't know. if anything, whoever it is, the hardliners are winning in north korea. with regard to the first point, there is bluster. but as you know well, andrea, this is way off the scale. way off the scale compared to what we've seen in the past. i think that's why everyone is worried. and the shutting down the shared factory area, they need hard currency test practice thely. much more so than the south which is a vibrant

. >> victor cha, a lot of american comedians have had a lot of fun at kim jong-un's expense. and generally at north korea. but that probably doesn't help in a country where saving face and honor are extremely important to the leadership here. what should the american administration led by, say, john kerry in south korea, how should they be conducting themselves with the north koreans would you say? >> i would agree with what bob said earlier. for any u.s. administration and secretary kerry, it's difficult at this point given the threats that have been made against the united states specifically, and u.s. cities specifically, it's difficult to advocate any sort of direct diplomacy. i think the obama administration has been pretty clear that they're open though that. at the right time when the north shows some sort of commitment to getting back on a negotiation track. i think all of the action now falls to china, in the sense that china seems to be upset with what the north koreans have done. their third nuclear test, signed on to a chapter 7 resolution, and hopefully will enfo

victor cha was a top adviser to president george w.h. >> i think they're watching very carefully the situation. i think they're watching to see if there are military maneuvers, or a higher level of military alert on the ground in north korea, that is accompanying all of this rhetoric. >> now, don't expect north korea to be leaving the headlines anytime soon, though, wolf. the new president park will be here next month visiting with president obama. their first visit. and it's certainly expected, i would say, that north korea, as it does at times, may act up and try to steal some of the attention during that time as well. >> brianna, thanks very much. let's go wack to our guests for some further analysis right now. there is a new government, ambassador hill, in south korea, and president park, she's tough. if there is some sort of provocation, i suspect unlike her pre deceaser, she might respond right away, and that could escalate a dangerous situation. >> well, she's tough, but i think the times have changed somewhat. and this north ko

. >> reporter: kim jong-un, victor cha says, may feel compelled to act. >> they have pushed the rhetoric up so high now, to do nothing, they would look like a paper tiger. >> reporter: and hagel says kim jong-un's regime now is so unpredictable, the u.s. has no choice but to prepare for whatever may come. and tonight, the u.s. navy has two ships in key positions, able to shoot down a missile if it comes their way. one is east of japan, the other further in the pacific near guam. wolf? >> u.s. and south korean troops on a higher state of alert. barbara, thanks for that report. let's go to cnn's rare visit to that korean border, the demilitarized zone, or the dmz, the buffer between the north and the south. it was created at the end of the korean war some 60 years ago. it could be a front line if a new war erupted. she has more on what's going on. what else is going on? >> reporter: well, wolf, we can tell you that when you go to the border, you certainly get a sense of how it feels between the two countries. remember, the korean war ended at armistice. it never truly ended. and that's app

. >> reporter: victor cha says north korea's recent successful missile and nuclear tests play, perhaps, into the regime's ultimate goal, to not give up its weapons crown jewels. >> you can't put it past them the idea that they are also trying to establish a new equilibrium at which they are accepted as a nuclear weapons state. >> and that underground nuclear test might have been more advanced than initially thought. analysts say there were very few emissions, radioactive emissions from that test which is an indication that north koreans succeeded in burying it deep underground, shielding it, doing everything they could to keep the united states from figuring out what was going on. john? >> obviously, barbara, one of the concerns with this young leader is the possibility of flexing the country's nuclear might. the other question i had, though, what about the possibility of them selling, you know, nuclear bombs to -- to terrorists? >> well, you know, it's always possible. and that would be a concern. and for the north koreans, that would give them what they need most, which is cash. so t

. >> reporter: kim jong-un, victor cha says, may feel compelled to act. >> they have pushed the rhetoricigh now, that to do nothing, they would really look like a paper tiger. >> and hagel says that kim jong-un's regime is now so unpredictable, that the u.s. simply has no choice but to prepare for whatever may come. and tonight, the sufficient navy has two ships in key positions, able to shoot down a missile if it comes their way. one is east of japan, the other further in the pacific near guam. wolf? >> and u.s. and south korean troops clearly now on a higher, higher state of alert. barbara, thanks for that report. let's go now to cnn's rare visit to that korean border, the demilitarized zone, or the dmz. the historic buffer between the north and the south. it was created at the end of the korean war, some 60 years ago. and it could be a front line if -- if -- a new war erupted. cnn's kyung lah has more on what's going on. what else is going on, kyung? >> calle . >> reporter: wolf, when you go to the border, you certainly get a sense of how it feels between the two countries. remember,

. >> reporter: victor cha says north korean's recent successful missile and nuclear tests play, perhapsweapons crown jewels. >> you can't put it past them the idea that they are also trying to establish a new equilibrium at which they are accepted as a nuclear weapons state. >> now, it looks like that underground nuclear test was perhaps more successful, more advanced, than originally thought, john. analysts say there were almost no emissions from that underground test. a strong suggestion that north korea was able to bury it deep underground, and possibly shield it, doing everything they could, once again, to keep the united states from figuring out what they were up to. >> and barbara, there was big news overnight. a lot of people waking up to this development that the north koreans are restarting the yongbyon nuclear complex. explain the significance of this move. >> well, you know, that was shut down back around 2007, after some disarmament talks. now starting it again, that puts north korea back in a position of being able to potentially create enough plutonium material to make one

victor cha was a top adviser to president george w.ng very carefully the situation. i think they're watching to see if there are military maneuvers, or a higher level of military alert on the ground in north korea, that is accompanying all of this rhetoric. >> now, don't expect north korea to be leaving the headlines anytime soon, though, wolf. the new president park will be here next month visiting with president obama. their first visit. and it's certainly expected, i would say, that north korea, as it does at times, may act up and try to steal some of the attention during that time as well. >> brianna, thanks very much. let's go wack to our guests for some further analysis right now. there is a new government, ambassador hill, in south korea, and president park, she's tough. if there is some sort of provocation, i suspect unlike her pre deceaser, she might respond right away, and that could escalate a dangerous situation. >> well, she's tough, but i think the times have changed somewhat. and this north korean bluster is pretty serio

victor are cha. the former director for asian affairs at the national security council.. is it -- do they have the potential for nukes or not or are they close? >> they are very close, sean. i mean this has been a 25 year effort to develop long-range ballistic missiles tipped with nuclear weapons that can reach the united states. and they are willing to sacrifice everything including the welfare of their own people allowing two million people to die of starvation to make this happen. they are getting close and there is nothing right now to stop them. >> sean: is it that they are close? any potential they there are and the world doesn't know it yet? >> i think most people believe they are not there yet. last december they tested a space launch vehicle based on ballistic missile launch that succeeded which means a range of up to 6,00 6,000-kilometersy would put, hawaii, and alaska anaheim the west coast in range. nobody is sure they have a nuclear device to put on the top of the ballistic missile. >> sean: what are your thoughts? >> i think they are probably close. as your

. >> sean lowe brought his biceps front and center for his cha-cha inspired by "ymca" while boxer victort was more bad news for comedian d.l. hughley. >> if you are a sex machine, i'm america's next top model, i'm telling you. >> reporter: with the lowest score of the night wynonna disappointed len again. >> like mt. rushmore, you look magnificent but you don't move. >> okay, let's hear what sherri thinks. >> you know, i absolutely loved it. i'm looking at my former partner val and zendaya. she probably only rehearses a few hours as opposed to the older folks like us. you know, val never lifted me and did all the lifts. i heard him say oh jesus when i ran towards him. i'm just saying but kellie pickler, kellie pickler, derek hough by far is one of the best choreographers on "dancing with the stars." kellie pickler was so wonderful. her body just moves. don't you love her body? >> i do. we were saying. >> her energy. >> she has great energy. >> wynonna rider, she's in there -- >> wynonna ryder? >> wynonna judd. wynonna ryder was the one who took all the stuff. wynonna judd, she's not stea