Spy agencies doubt North Korea will give up nuclear weapons

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies are expressing renewed doubt that North Korea will eliminate its nuclear arsenal.

This calls into question the likelihood that a second U.S.-North Korean summit, which the White House says is expected in February, can achieve President Donald Trump’s goal of a nuclear disarmed North Korea.

In a report prepared for a hearing Tuesday on global security threats, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats says North Korean leaders view nuclear weapons as critical to the survival of the Kim Jong Un regime.

More broadly, the report predicts that security threats to the U.S. this year will expand and diversify, driven in part by China and Russia. It says Moscow and Beijing are more aligned than at any other point since the mid-1950s and their global influence is rising.