Wednesday's Headlines: Trump warns North Korea of ‘fire and fury’ if threats continue

'God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un,' evangelical adviser says; WorldViews: Why North Korea threatened Guam, the tiny U.S. territory with big military power; North Korea making missile-ready nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say; A 97-year-old WWII veteran was killed in his bedroom inside the house he'd owned for six decades; Trump holds off on declaring opioid crisis a national emergency;   Democracy Dies in Darkness     The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Trump warns North Korea of 'fire and fury' if threats continue The president's escalated rhetoric and talk of a response "the likes of which this world has never seen before" came as the administration is trying to push North Korea toward direct talks that, despite its earlier pushes for such a dialogue, Pyongyang now shows no sign of wanting. By Karen DeYoung and John Wagner  •  Read more » 'God has given Trump authority to take out Kim Jong Un,' evangelical adviser says Southern Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress, who made the comments, preached the morning of Trump's inauguration. By Sarah Pulliam Bailey  •  Read more »   WorldViews: Why North Korea threatened Guam, the tiny U.S. territory with big military power The island is on the edge of U.S. power in the Pacific and is the home port for nuclear submarines, a contingent of Special Operations Forces and the launching point of flights for strategic bombers. By Alex Horton  •  Read more »   North Korea making missile-ready nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say North Korea has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, crossing a key threshold on the path to becoming a full-fledged nuclear power, U.S. intelligence officials have concluded in a confidential assessment. The analysis completed by the Defense Intelligence Agency comes after another assessment that raised the estimate for the number of bombs in the country's atomic arsenal. By Joby Warrick, Ellen Nakashima and Anna Fifield  •  Read more »   A 97-year-old WWII veteran was killed in his bedroom inside the house he'd owned for six decades Wadell Tate was attacked during a burglary, making him not only one of Baltimore's oldest homicide victims in decades but also a symbol of the relentless violence that has claimed 211 lives in the city so far this year. "There is just not enough words to describe how disgusting an act of violence this is," a police spokesman said. By Peter Hermann  •  Read more »   Trump holds off on declaring opioid crisis a national emergency Even with an average of 142 Americans dying of drug overdoses each day, President Trump is not yet ready to take the action recommended by a commission he organized. He said the "best way to prevent drug addiction and overdose is to prevent people from abusing drugs in the first place." By Jenna Johnson and John Wagner  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   The 144 million people who like Trump best By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   Why the Trump Organization could be Trump's undoing By David Von Drehle  •  Read more »   This is the moment of truth on North Korea By David Ignatius  •  Read more »   What Melania Trump should tell her husband By Garrison Keillor  •  Read more »   Decoding the ancient logic of the Google Bro By David Rothkopf  •  Read more »   Trump's 'fire and fury' threat is a rhetorical grenade By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Mueller, several lawyers on his team gave up million-dollar jobs to work on special counsel investigation The personal financial disclosures are likely to be closely scrutinized by allies of President Trump, who has criticized Mueller and his team as having conflicts of interest as they probe Russian interference in the 2016 election. By Matt Zapotosky  •  Read more » Kenya president takes strong lead in vote count but opposition says results hacked Opposition leader Raila Odinga called the outcome "a complete fraud" and outlined an elaborate hacking scheme involving the login information of a top election official who was mysteriously murdered last month. By Kevin Sieff  •  Read more » Conservatives continue push for probes of Clinton and her campaign And in the conservative media world, the churn of possible investigations into the Democrat's campaign has created a news cycle all its own nine months after the election. By David Weigel  •  Read more » WorldViews | Analysis He used to lead Germany. Now, he oversees Russian energy firms and criticizes the U.S. Gerhard Schröder, the former German chancellor who was narrowly ousted by Angela Merkel, has embraced Vladimir Putin and Russia — and now he's making a comeback of sorts at home. By Rick Noack  •  Read more » Two months into Saudi-led boycott, tiny Qatar goes on the offensive The energy-rich Persian Gulf nation has used its billions to strengthen its economy and security, and it has announced reforms and bolstered ties with Turkey and Iran that could potentially reshape the region and its alliances for years. By Sudarsan Raghavan  •  Read more » Mormon Church excommunicates one of its top leaders for the first time in decades Officials are not saying why James J. Hamula was ousted, but sources told Utah news outlets that it was not for "apostasy or disillusionment." By Michelle Boorstein  •  Read more » Firing of Google engineer over controversial memo is a reminder of free-speech limits in the workplace The confusion about the First Amendment has only grown as politics has become hyper-polarized and social media has given employees platforms to broadcast their views to the world. By Jena McGregor  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? Click here to view in your browser. You received this email because you are signed up for Headlines. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here. We respect your privacy. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here. Contact us for help. ©2017 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071