Earlier today North Korea published pictures of its leader Kim Jong Un admiring a thermonuclear device or H-bomb. Hours later it tested such a bomb in an underground explosion. The North Korean news agency announced:

Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- Respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un guided the work for nuclear weaponization on the spot.

He was greeted by senior officials of the Department of Munitions Industry of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and scientists of the Nuclear Weapons Institute before being briefed on the details of nuclear weaponization.
...
He watched an H-bomb to be loaded into new ICBM.

Saying that he felt the pride of indomitably bolstering up the nuclear forces at a great price while seeing the Juche-oriented thermonuclear weapon with super explosive power made by our own efforts and technology, he expressed great satisfaction over the fact that our scientists do anything without fail if the party is determined to do.
...
The H-bomb, the explosive power of which is adjustable from tens kiloton to hundreds kiloton, is a multi-functional thermonuclear nuke with great destructive power which can be detonated even at high altitudes for super-powerful EMP attack according to strategic goals.

In the first half of today's show we're joined by author Robert Fantina to discuss the latest developments in Palestine and Israel, as well as the wider Middle East. Robert's latest book, published last month by Red Pill Press, is Essays on Palestine, a collection of his articles on Israeli apartheid, assaults on Gaza, international law, and how Israeli policies intersect with U.S. foreign policy and wider conflicts in the region. You can check out his work on his website: robertfantina.com.

In the second half of the show, we'll be discussing the floods left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the illegal seizure of Russian diplomatic property in the U.S., and the strange series of U.S. destroyers hit by tankers, among other news.

Join us for Behind the Headlines on the SOTT Radio Network, 12-2pm EST (4-6pm UTC / 6-8pm CET) this Sunday 3 September 2017.

Running Time: 01:37:32

Download: OGG, MP3

Listen live, chat, and call in to future shows on the SOTT Radio Network!

Here's the transcript of the show:

This week in an interview with the Los Angeles Times editorial board, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who filed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, said "Trump derangement syndrome" was so strong with his Californian constituents, he would be forced to oppose Mother's Day if Trump endorsed it.

Sherman said, "Then we have a Trump derangement syndrome where - thank God he didn't put out a message on Mother's Day because there would have been pressure on me to come out against Mother's Day."

He added, "If Trump takes a position, then you must take an equally extreme and opposite position. He's for Mother's Day - you must be against Mother's Day. He's for a wall - you have to be for unlimited immigration from all places."

The UK Foreign Office is apparently so concerned with protecting its brand that it asked Twitter to suspend an RT account which reports what London diplomats had to say about Russia back in 1917 as part of a historical reenactment.

The account in question was created as part of RT's 1917LIVE project, which gives people the chance to experience the atmosphere of the Russian Empire as it was undergoing dramatic changes and eventual collapse a century ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to "appropriately deal" with the recent nuclear test conducted by North Korea, Chinese Xinhua news reports.

"The two leaders agreed to stick to the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and keep close communication and coordination to deal with the new situation," the report says.

The presidents met in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen for the ninth BRICS summit, which is scheduled for September 3-5.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the North Korean test, adding that in a situation like this, it is essential "to keep composure and to restrain from any acts, which may lead to further escalation of tensions."

Long gone are the days when then-candidate Barack Obama called increasing America's national debt "un-American". Not only was Obama's presidency the most costly to the U.S. taxpayer, but so is his post-presidency.

Townwall reports:

Every former president gets an office, expenses and, in some cases, an annual pension payment, thanks to a 1950s-era law enacted after former President Truman struggled for income when he left the White House in 1953.

While most ex-presidents since Truman have found ways to make their life beyond the Oval Office financially rewarding, the taxpayer-funded perks have remained - and Mr. Obama is the latest to take them. (The Washington Times)

The biggest expense for former presidents is the cost of rent for their office spaces - especially for Obama and Clinton since their offices are in Washington, D.C. and New York City, respectively. Obama's will cost $536,000 next year, while Clinton's is $518,000. Bush 41's office in Houston costs $286,000 and Bush 43's in Dallas is $497,000. Carter's Atlanta office is only $115,000.

Obama also has the most expensive pension.

Mr. Obama's pension payment is also the highest, at $236,000. Mr. Clinton is second with $231,000, followed by the younger Mr. Bush at $225,000, the CRS memo says, citing figures from the General Services Administration, which administers the 1958 Former Presidents Act.

The Left is losing its collective mind over President Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio over the weekend.

The outrage comes after Trump allowed the 85-year old Korean War veteran and long-time sheriff to avoid potential prison time due to a case that began with a simple traffic stop of a Mexican citizen in Arizona.

In all of the Democrats' outrage, they fail to remember their leaders have a history of forgiving terrorists and traitors alike.

As Russia and its BRICS partners convene this week, the organization faces a momentous test of its global influence: can it hold the line and insist on a diplomatic solution to the alarming US standoff with North Korea?

The ninth annual summit of the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - comes at a critical time. Ahead of the two-day conference opening Sunday in China's southern port city of Xiamen, Russian President Vladimir Putin published an article warning that the North Korea crisis is "on the brink of large-scale conflict."

Few people doubt that if the US and North Korea go to war the conflict will result in the use of nuclear weapons, with millions of people's lives in the balance.

Since the crisis blew up again about two months ago, there has been a dangerous tit-for-tat bellicose exchange between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Coupled with the fiery rhetoric is a seemingly never-ending display of military force by both sides.

US President has branded North Korea a 'rogue nation and a threat' after Pyongyang said it conducted its sixth nuclear device test. Donald Trump added that South Korea must understand by now that "talk of appeasement" with its neighbor "won't work."

In a series of tweets on Sunday, the American leader described North Korea's words and actions as "very hostile and dangerous to the United States".

In late July, the Justice Department refused a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee - a bipartisan, joint request from Chairman Charles Grassley and Ranking Democrat Dianne Feinstein - to make two top FBI officials available for an interview in the committee's investigation of the Trump dossier and other matters related to the Trump-Russia affair. Citing the Mueller special prosecutor investigation, Justice stated "confidentiality" and the "sensitivity of information relating to pending matters" made it impossible for the two officials, Carl Ghattas and James Rybicki, to talk to the Senate committee that oversees the FBI.

Grassley and Feinstein are still trying - they sent another, more strongly worded, request last Friday. Their efforts show the importance of the FBI in Congress' quest to learn more about the "salacious and unverified" dossier (the words of former FBI Director James Comey), and could signal the FBI will play a key role in Congress' dossier investigation as it plays out in coming months.

Just last week, Glenn Simpson, head of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm that handled the Trump dossier, refused to tell Grassley's and Feinstein's investigators who funded the effort. But there are other ways to get at the story - and the FBI is the number-one possibility.