Pope urges mediation between USA and North Korea to avert devastating nuclear war

Pope Francis said on Saturday a third country, such as Norway, should try to mediate the dispute between North Korea and Washington, to cool a situation that had become "too hot" and posed the risk of nuclear devastation.

Francis said he believed "a good part of humanity" would be destroyed in any widespread war.

Speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him back from Cairo, Francis also said he was ready to meet U.S. President Donald Trump when he is in Europe next month but that he was not aware that Washington had made a request for a meeting.

In answer to a question about the tensions between the United States and North Korea, Francis said the United Nations should re-assert its leadership in world diplomacy because it had become "too watered down".

Can you give one reason to trust anything Trump administration says about Putin or chem weapons?

1/ I would be interested to hear why we should believe Trump over Putin, who says "show the evidence," over the use of gas by Assad in Syria? Should Trump present evidence? Should he do that before anymore loose talk and military attacks?

2/ Why should we believe that Trump isn't trying to gain authority through the use of military force? Remember Trump previously Tweeted that Obama would have to get congressional approval before attacking Syria, and only a week ago, Trump and Tillerson made it clear they would leave Syria alone. Is his change really for him about driving up his poll numbers?

3/ Do you believe that Trump really suddenly cares about the Syrian people, taking into account, he wants to ban refugees, "bomb the families of terrorists," civilian deaths due to airstrikes have skyrocketed thanks to Trump, and he only says he cares after half-a-million Syrians have died in this war.

4/ Trump has not sought either a UN mandate or a mandate from US lawmakers. Why not? Is it because he would have to present evidence? Do lawmakers and the US and Syrian people deserve to see evidence?

5/ Relations with Russia and the risk of war have been described by military figures as the worst since the Cuban missile crisis. Trump is saying Russia is enabling Assad to use chemical weapons, again without presenting one shred of evidence. Do you trust him without evidence? Is this really about trying to show he isn't Putin's puppet?

6/ Does Trump's record as a pathological liar and sociopath, cast serious doubt over everything he says about Syria and Putin? If so, should there be independent investigations into the gas attack and Russia's role in the use of gas, combined with UN involvement before anymore action?

7/ Do you think the media need to ask these questions if they are to do their job properly, as Trump leads us towards war, perhaps war with multiple nations?

Do you think that to keep a lid on Russian connections, there might be a few sudden deaths?

If the Russia story is as big as many of us think, will there be some "accidents" and "sudden deaths," to cover up what is going on, as we have seen happening in Russia?

Should Paul Ryan resign?

It was his health care plan.
He's had eight years to perfect it.
It was a piece of crap.
He owned it.
It was by far less popular than Obamacare or Trump
He couldn't get the votes from his own party.

Should Paul Ryan resign?

Trump: Wiretapping is, you know today it is different than wire tapping.

Why doesn't every Democratic Representative and Senator sign a declaration demanding Trump apologize

to Obama for his wiretap smears and while they are at it, his birther smears?

If Trump is a bull in a China shop, are we in fact the culprits for giving him the China shop?

Trump is like a bull in a China shop. But is he the culprit, or are those who allowed a bull to enter the China shop (presidential politics) the culprits?

Here is the view of Steven Reidbord, psychiatrist, on bulls in a China shop. He is not writing about Trump specifically, but seems very relevant:

The phrase "bull in a china shop" usually implies that the china shop was there first. The bull wandered in uninvited. But suppose we set up the scene another way. Picture a bull grazing in an open field. Yes, it's a big powerful animal, and maybe it's a bit clumsy. But it isn't hurting anyone; it is living in peace.

Then imagine someone sneaks up on this bull — and builds a china shop around it. The animal suddenly finds itself constrained, unable to move without hearing the crash of broken porcelain. Its natural movements are now seen as destructive, as the china is surely at risk. Yet it isn't quite right to blame the bull.

Snip

There is no small measure of passive hostility in building a china shop around a bull. All too often we observers arrive late upon the scene, only to witness the wild animal haplessly bumping into fragile dinnerware. It can take a long time to realize that the bull was just being a bull, and that the root problem was the apparently innocent bystander who constructed a china shop the bull was almost sure to topple.

Prediction: Trump will resign within the next three weeks.

Today was probably the worst day of his political life thanks to a German journalist and the German Chancellor. He was humiliated. This week was his worst week. Next week will be worse still. Every week is his worst. This cannot continue.

A runaway train that is not brought under control will crash. He has boxed himself into a corner on his wiretap lies, his unpopular healthcare bill, his unpopular budget, his Muslim ban. There's only one direction on all these things - downhill, and in the meantime he is becoming more isolated, more angry and more paranoid. And when an out-of-control train keeps going downhill, gaining speed, it will crash. That means next week will be worse, and the week after that even worse. I give him three weeks.

Pressure is building for Trump to apologize for wiretap claim - Will he do it?

This story just keeps growing and the pressure is mounting for Trump to apologize for his smears against Obama. Sean Spicer made it an international incident. Now senior GOPer, Tom Cole, has said Trump needs to apologize.

Have you ever heard Trump apologize for anything? It will be the first time that the liar-in-chief has to say sorry for telling lies.

From Trump's point of view, this would be utter humiliation. To apologize to Obama, who is obviously superior in every way (smarter, more liked, better hair, etc). How small the inadequate, insecure little Trump would feel. Trump would see this as a show of weakness. Personally, I can't see it happening, but how will it play out?

Trump thinks he doesn't need to apologize for a couple of weeks because he will have evidence then. What diversion could he be planning before then?

Sean Spicer starts international incident blaming British intelligence for Trump's wiretapping lies