MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/PRISONER/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Three American prisoners freed from North Korea arrived here early Thursday [5-10-18] to a personal welcome from President Trump, who traveled to an air base in the middle of the night to meet them. Waving their hands and flashing peace signs, the freed prisoners — Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song — descended the stairs of their plane, flanked by the president and senior administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had flown to Pyongyang, the North’s capital, to secure their release. Their return to the United States removed a delicate obstacle as the president prepares to sit down with the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, for a landmark nuclear summit meeting. But as Mr. Trump basked in the glow of floodlights and TV cameras, he indicated that the most difficult part of the negotiations, which include persuading North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, still lies ahead.”
-Katie Rogers, “Trump Greets 3 Americans Freed From North Korea,” The New York Times online, May 10, 2018