National Security and Foreign Affairs

President Trump alone knows the codes that can authorize a nuclear attack on North Korea. Lately, it sounds like he hasn't ruled that out. This week alone, he's threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" and "things that will happen to them like they never thought possible," and Friday morning, he tweeted this:

Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!

The dueling threats issued by President Trump and the North Korean military have prompted questions about U.S. procedures to launch a preemptive nuclear attack. The answer is stark: If the president wants to strike, his senior military advisers have few options but to carry it out or resign.

President Donald Trump's threats against North Korea and tweets about the United States' powerful nuclear arsenal have raised the specter -- however small -- of nuclear war.

But some members of Congress argue that the current process by which the president can order a nuclear strike is illegal.

The dueling threats issued by President Trump and the North Korean military have prompted questions about U.S. procedures to launch a preemptive nuclear attack. The answer is stark: If the president wants to strike, his senior military advisers have few options but to carry it out or resign.

Donald Trump actually threatened North Korea with a nuclear attack if their egomaniacal leader continued to "threaten" the United States.

The idea that the United States of America would seriously consider launching a nuclear war over a verbal taunt is simply unthinkable.

But remember, this is the same Donald Trump who last year is reported to have asked why, if we have nuclear weapons, we shouldn't use them.

President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that he would unleash "fire and fury" against the state as U.S. officials confirmed North Korea had miniaturized a nuclear warhead that could fit inside its missiles.

President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" Tuesday if Pyongyang doesn't stop threatening the United States. But can the President launch a military strike on his own?

The Constitution may give Congress the ability to declare war, but in reality it has little ability to stop the President if he's determined to strike North Korea.

President Trump's warning that North Korea could "face fire and fury like the world has never seen" has reignited a debate about whether the commander in chief needs congressional approval before launching a preemptive military strike.

So far, congressional leaders from both parties have been silent on the issue. They're reluctant to tie Trump's hands as Pyongyang threatens to bomb a specific target: the U.S. territory of Guam. They also recognize how unpopular and divisive a vote on a war resolution would be for lawmakers facing reelection next year.