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Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Time's up. North Korea is a nuclear power

 
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The Short List
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The fire and the fury

North Korea has a nuclear warhead that can fit inside a missile, "The Washington Post" reported Tuesday. And that's a big deal since analysts didn't expect that could happen for years. President Trump shot back, saying if North Korea threatens the U.S., the isolated nation "will be met with fire and fury" the "likes of which the world has never seen." On Monday, North Korea said it will launch "thousands-fold" revenge against the U.S., after the United Nations over the weekend imposed tough new sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile programs. "North Korea is a nuclear power," said Harry Kazianis, director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest. "There is no more time to stick our heads in the sand and think we have months or years to confront this challenge." 

War, Inc. 

Overpaying for war that's lasting too long? Maybe try paying someone else to fight the war? The Trump administration is taking a hard look at handing over a huge chunk of the Afghanistan war to private contractors. The proposal includes 5,500 private troops, mostly former Special Operations members, and a private air force. It would cost $10 billion annually, far less than the current $40 billion. The plan comes as the White House looks for new options in the 16-year war, America's longest. Military and security advisers aren't yet sold on privatization, but the president's chief strategist Stephen Bannon is open to the idea.

Woman sentenced to death for locking cousin in hot box 

On the day Ame Deal died, the 10-year-old was forced to exercise for hours in brutal heat and then was locked in a small footlocker as punishment for stealing a frozen treat. Instead of protecting her, Ame's cousin Samantha Allen, 29, watched as her husband forced Ame into the container. Hours later, Ame was found dead after suffocating in the 31-inch-long box, which only had small air holes. Allen was sentenced to death Monday in the brutal murder. Jurors said they had no choice.  Allen's husband, John Allen, also is charged with murder and child abuse, and will face trial in October.  

Letterman is back

Well, that was a short retirement. Former "Late Show" host David Letterman is coming out of his two-year retirement for a six-episode Netflix series that will premiere in 2018. Here are the top ten reasons he's doing it . Shows will focus on a single guest in long-format interviews with Letterman. Retirement is one thing, Letterman's beard is another. No word on if he'll keep it, said Netflix's Ted Sarandos.

'Driverless' car actually had a person disguised behind the wheel. Wait, what?

Slightly freaky, but not a joke. After a Ford Transit van with no apparent driver was spotted recently zipping around the streets of Arlington, Va., the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has disclosed the vehicle was part of a study to see how people react to the new technology. Video captured by an NBC local Washington reporter showed a hidden driver tucked partially behind the seat. Self-driving car tests are common, but states still require someone capable of intervening be behind the wheel. Hence the freak-out. All in the name of research.

USA TODAY is tracking Trump's real estate deals. You can help.

Since President Trump won the GOP nomination last year, 70% of his companies' real estate sales are to secretive shell companies hiding buyers' identities. USA TODAY journalists are tracking every sale and identifying the real owners behind each of those shell companies. Want to know what we've learned so far and help our search for additional information? Here are the details.

If you have information to contribute, you can use one of our secure options for news tips or contact the reporters directly by email.

What else is happening this week? Bookmark our calendar.

This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY. 




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