#a soldier&039;s play

[news4usonline]

Norm Lewis lights the candle to ‘A Soldier’s Play’

(NEWS4USONLINE) – Actor and singer Norm Lewis has a history of firsts. Lewis was the first Black actor to star as the Phantom on Broadway in the long-running musical “Phantom of the Opera,” dipping into that role in 2014. As groundbreaking as that moment in stage history was, Lewis was not thinking about that at the time he auditioned for the role.   “I was just another brother just trying to…

[rodspurethoughts]

A Soldier's Play: Exploring Race, Identity, and Sacrifice in America

Don't miss the Tony Award-winning drama "A Soldier's Play" exploring race, identity, and sacrifice in America. Gripping and powerful. 🎭🇺🇸 #theater #drama #socialjustice

A Soldier’s Play is a powerful drama that explores complex themes of race, identity, and sacrifice in America. Set in 1944 on a Louisiana Army base, the play follows the investigation of a Black sergeant’s murder, which triggers a series of interrogations that reveal deeper questions about the nature of service and the sacrifices that soldiers make for their country. At the heart of the play is…

[caroleditosti]

'A Soldier's Play,' Bravura Performances by Blair Underwood and David Alan Grier

‘A Soldier’s Play,’ Bravura Performances by Blair Underwood and David Alan Grier

(L to R): David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood, Billy Eugene Jones in ‘A Soldier’s Play, by Charles Fuller, directed by Kenny Leon, Roundabout Theatre Company, American Airlines Theatre (Joan Marcus)

When the Negro Ensemble Company presented Charles Fuller’s A Soldier’s Playin its Off Broadway premiere in 1981, the production garnered a number of theater awards and Fuller won a Pulitzer Prize for…

[arizonaculture]

Black Theatre Troupe Presents “A Soldier’s Play”

Black Theatre Troupe Presents “A Soldier’s Play”

By Laura Latzko Through a group of soldiers during World War II, A Soldier’s Play delves into systematic racism within the U.S. Army and society. Many of the topics explored in the show have relevance for audiences today. From Friday through Sunday, Feb. 4 to 20, the Black Theatre Troupe will present Charles Fuller’s award-winning play. The show won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a 1982…

[kenpiercemedia]

The 74th Annual Tony Award Winners Are Announced

The Tony Award winners were announced/revealed last night and while its a show that I generally enjoy watching I wasn’t able to do so this year because the network decided to air the awards broadcast on the Paramount+ streaming service while a celebratory concert mixed with some announcements would air in tandem on the public network. Though I had a subscription to Paramount+ for a short time…

[puzzlenation]

Celebrating the Puzzly Legacy of John Horton Conway

In today's blog post, we celebrate the life and puzzly legacy of mathematician John Horton Conway!

The worlds of puzzles and mathematics overlap more than you might think. I’m not just talking about word problems or mathy brain teasers like the Birthday Puzzle or the jugs of water trap from Die Hard with a Vengeance.

For twenty-five years, Martin Gardner penned a column in Scientific Americancalled Mathematical Games, adding a marvelous sense of puzzly spirit and whimsy to the field of…

[bulkyphrase]

Everybody & the Avengers Team

I've got a new fic rec list for you!

The stories in the "X & the Avengers Team" tags focus on one person's relationship to the Avengers team as a whole. Courtesy of AO3's tag browse and Excel, here's a ranked list of the top 20 most popular pairings:

Tony Stark | 2470 total, 240 OTP

Peter Parker | 2255 total, 85 OTP

Steve Rogers | 602 total, 56 OTP

Loki | 387 total, 26 OTP

Natasha Romanov | 308 total, 35 OTP

Clint Barton | 268 total, 46 OTP

Bruce Banner | 244 total, 15 OTP

Thor | 209 total, 7 OTP

Avengers Team | 174 total, 24 OTP

James "Bucky" Barnes | 156 total, 7 OTP

Wanda Maximoff | 143 total, 4 OTP

Phil Coulson | 105 total, 9 OTP

Darcy Lewis | 91 total, 6 OTP

Matt Murdock | 60 total, 8 OTP

Sam Wilson | 53 total, 5 OTP

Nick Fury | 41 total, 5 OTP

Harry Potter | 40 total, 0 OTP

Pepper Potts | 31 total, 1 OTP

Vision | 29 total, 2 OTP

Stiles Stilinski | 25 total, 0 OTP

In chart form, if you like charts:

Notes:

The numbers after the names are the number of stories tagged with that ship. OTP means the number of stories where that is the only relationship tagged on the story. Numbers are accurate as of July 2021.

Story Recommendations

For your reading pleasure, included below is at least one fic rec for each pairing except the crossovers from non-Marvel fandoms (apologies to Mr. Potter & Mr. Stilinski). Most are gen fic, and even in the ones with a romantic pairing, romance is not the focus.

Tony Stark

As Subtle As Cognitive Recalibration by petroltogo (Teen, 8949) tumblr: @tonystarktogo

Standing inside his penthouse, listening to Rogers, Barton and Banner explain to Fury how they just happened to stumble over the Tesseract on a routine security check of Stark Tower’s roof and wouldn’t you know, they’ve managed to fight off the looming alien invasion before it could really start and secure the missing overpowered nightlight is one of the most surreal situations Tony has ever had the displeasure of experiencing.

Peter Parker

the worst field trip ever by shrill_fangirl_screaming (Teen, 3420) tumblr: @i-am-having-an-emotion

"We're on a field trip," Peter said. "To here. And Tony decided to be our tour guide and absolutely embarrass me, so can you please help get him under control?"

Which is how Peter Parker, architect of his own destruction, ended up with not one but two superhero pseudo-dads being annoying on his school field trip.

Steve Rogers

Do You Remember Being Happy? ('Cause I Sure Don't) by GalaxyThreads (Teen, 11022) tumblr: @galaxythreads

That seems about right. He doesn't know how he knows that, though. He does have vague memories of an annoyed fondness at finding peanut butter in some sort of jam. Thor's doing, because he doesn't see the point of using two knives when one works just as fine. He knows that. How does he know that? He knows all those little details, though, almost innately. How can he know these strangers so deeply?

Everyone else below the cut!

Loki

Proprietary by TheThirdMarauder (Teen, 7639)

No, Loki simply wants the Avengers conquered. The details of whom, how, and when matter not. Unless, of course, said details interfere with Loki's plans. Then, well, then none can fault him for protecting his own interests.

Loki has always been exceptionally good at lying to himself.

Natasha Romanov

What Girls Are Made Of by enigma731 (Teen, 4613) tumblr: @enigma731

She rolls her eyes but does as he’s indicated, using his shoulders to leverage herself up onto his back, her arms around his neck and her legs hugging his waist.

“You know,” he says blithely, “this isn’t really what I tend to picture when I think of a hot girl riding me.”

Natasha groans, deciding that if his sense of humor gets them arrested, she’ll kill him herself. “Just go.”

Clint Barton

Dear Clint Barton (circa age 7) by pollyrepeat (Teen, 4221)

With a normal person, this might count as blackmail material, but a) this is a case of mutually assured destruction if ever there was one, and b) Fury is immune to embarrassment. Not just in the regular, Tony Stark way, either, oh no. Things that could possibly end up being embarrassing to Fury get somehow warped and changed until they go from mortifying all the way over into useful and/or good for his image. It’s like a superpower.

Carrying Clint’s small child self around on his shoulders more than once has probably already hit the interagency rumour mill as an example of Fury’s innate awesomeness: good with rocket launchers and small children.

Also available as a podfic!

Bruce Banner

They're Not Wrong by Trumpeteer34 (Teen, 10163)

As Tony began to pace around the hole in the road to keep himself from shooting repulsors at the nearby buildings in a fit of rage, Thor began to study the nearby area. There was no sign of either the Hulk or Bruce Banner beyond the crater. The surrounding area, aside from the rubble of the fight, held no clue as to their friend’s location.

“Guys, he’s gone,” Tony growled into the communicator on their private line, drawing Thor out of his darkening thoughts. “Someone tranqed him and took him. He’s gone.”

Honorary mention goes to the Responsible Science series by @letteredlettered - the stories don’t have the "Avengers Team & Bruce Banner" tag, but they could, and they are amazing. The best Bruce Banner writing I've ever come across.

Thor

Fortunately, I Am Mighty by onward_came_the_meteors (General, 3062)

Steve was the first one to speak. “Are you okay?”

Thor nodded. Which was a bad idea, as it turned out, because now there were little gray lights flashing in front of his eyes. “I’m fine.” Absolutely everyone narrowed their eyes, and he added, “But, uh. Could we possibly not get back in the car just yet?”

Avengers Team

Civil Wasn't by onward_came_the_meteors (General, 7123)

"We're having an ideological conflict here," Tony stated with disbelief. "Are you telling me you still want to go out to dinner?"

"It's a standing engagement, Tony," Rhodey reminded him.

"Not you too—"

"We already had to reschedule from Friday when Natasha was..." Rhodey frowned. "What were you doing?"

The question was directed toward Natasha, who shrugged and said, "Spy stuff."

James "Bucky" Barnes

You Know How I Feel, aka, The Adventures of Bucky and Muffy the Dinosaur by ifeelbetter (Not Rated, 4511) tumblr: @ifeelbetterer

“As you may have heard, Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. The Winter Soldier, recently rescued a tiny part-robot dinosaur during the Avengers’ battle with Dr. Doom in Antarctica,” the other newscaster explained. “Pictures of Barnes and the dinosaur were posted on twitter by fellow Avenger, Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, and immediately made Barnes’s new pet America’s sweetheart.”

“Her name’s Muffy,” said Steve."

Wanda Maximoff

and the woman was young again by Mira_Jade (General, 3669)

Tony Stark called them the Cap's Kooky Quintet, and sometimes the term amused her – causing her to lift a sardonic brow where someday a smile would truly smile. She enjoyed the presence of comrades – true comrades – and she enjoyed the way their minds wove and bound together about each other to fluctuate against her senses as one. There was something soothing about being in their midst, and even when their loud and brash ways – their painful Americaness - rubbed her raw and drained on her, it was ever the knitting of their minds that soothed those moments over, and made them inconsequential.

Phil Coulson

Coulson's First Day of School by storiesfortravellers (Teen, 3055)

Coulson looked up at him. “I like drawing pictures with Mr. Rogers. I like having tea parties with Ms. Potts. I like it when Dr. Banner reads me books, and I like it when Natasha teaches me things. And I like when you play with me. You do really good voices when we play action figures. And you’re the only one who lets me do stuff like jump off the high diving board at the pool or eat three cupcakes or play tackle with kids at the park.”

Clint didn’t realize that. He was pretty sure that meant that he was doing something wrong.

Darcy Lewis

Beginner Yoga for Dummies (Darcys) and Sad Hobos by chailover (Teen, 3434)

Darcy had a theory: crazy attracted crazy, working kind of like gravity. It was pretty much her explanation for her life after Thor. And if she had thought the type of crazy Thor attracted was bad, be it Loki or the Warrior Three and Sif, or the dark elves and the Convergence, it was still nothing against what the Avengers manage en masse.

Matt Murdock

Double Blind by smilebackwards (Teen, 2381) tumblr: @smilebackwards

Stark snaps his fingers. “You can’t see half of my inventions. This explains so much about you and why you’ve never been properly impressed by me.”

“Does it?” Matt says, ambiguously.

Sam Wilson

Bystander by scribblemetimbers (Teen, 52029)

“I just want you to know,” Sam says loudly, cautiously raising his hands, “That I’m very poor and very sleep-deprived and literally the only thing you can kill me for right now are my notes.” He pauses. Wait. On second thought: “Please don’t steal my notes.”

“I’m not—I’m not a mugger,” Not Mugger rasps out, and for all that he looks about to keel over and die, the man actually manages to sound offended.

Nick Fury

Bedtime Story by dixiehellcat (Teen, 2532) tumblr: @deehellcat

Fury snorted. “I have to check in with the duty officer. I’ll be back in, let’s say twenty minutes. I expect all of you to have whatever your pre-bedtime routines are completed, and be in here pajama’ed and ready to be read to.”

He tapped the book under his arm, then left with the usual dramatic swish of his long coat. Bruce scratched his head. “Did…he just say be ready to be read to?”

Pepper Potts

Pepper and the Avengers (Which She Knows Nothing About) by rebelmeg (General, 6696) tumblr: @rebelmeg

The Avengers, that mismatched group of hurt and heroism, was one of the most important things in Tony Stark’s life. So, naturally, Pepper had made them an important part of her life too.

Vision

039. Intoxicated by aimmyarrowshigh (Teen, 100) tumblr: @aimmyarrowshigh

It might be nice to fit in, just this once. To lose a bit of composure.

Vision floated over to the refrigerator and, with some timidity, pulled off a magnet. He stuck it to his forehead.

[chrissterry]

'A narcissistic travesty': critics savage Trump's Independence Day jamboree | US news | The Guardian

‘A narcissistic travesty’: critics savage Trump’s Independence Day jamboree | US news | The Guardian

When Donald Trump holds an Independence Day celebration with fireworks, flyovers and battle tanks at the heart of American democracy on the Fourth of July, critics fear that he will be unable to resist turning it into a vainglorious and politically divisive campaign rally.

They are also demanding that the US president foot the bill for any damage caused to Washington’s roads, bridges and…

[scifiandscary]

Flyby Five: 5 Times Toys Were Not Fun to Play With

Flyby Five: 5 Times Toys Were Not Fun to Play With

Toys are fun. They can be cute, cuddly and charming. Dolls, horses, action figures…you name it, there’s probably a toy version of it. Sometimes, though, movies love to turn cute and cuddly into evil and deadly. Or at minimum, tiny and terrifying. We’ve got a list here to make you think twice about that awesome Freddy Krueger action figure on your shelf.   Flyby Five, where we abandon all sense of…

[newssplashy]

The 50-year-old actor hasn't necessarily done anything bad himself, but his roles in two of the biggest movies of the summer.

J0sh Brolin is on a bad streak.

The 50-year-old actor hasn't necessarily done anything bad himself, but his roles in two of the biggest movies of the summer.

Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 (and another headlining role in a third film dropping this week, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) have made him one of the most visible antagonists of the year.

Brolin's role of Thanos in Avengers was huge, as he played the part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)'s harbinger of doom - but his take on X-Men character Cable in Deadpool 2really caught everyone's attention. Take a look at the actor in the movie and it's easy to see why: He is absolutely jacked.

 Thanos was a CGI creation, but Cable's muscles were all Brolin. He put the internet on notice by posting photos and videos of his workouts on social media, showing off the development of his truly impressive physique.

 The man behind Brolin's transformation, LA-based trainer Justin Lovato, told MensHealth.com that the actor's movie muscles were only possible through hours of work and sweat in the weight room.

MensHealth.com headed out to Lovato's base of operations, the legendary Gold's Gym in Venice, California, to try Brolin's typical back workout to give you an inside look on what it took to build that Cable body.

"When we got that phone call saying that he booked this role and it was going to be one of the biggest roles for one of the biggest movies, we had to dive right in," Lovato said. "He took it real seriously... training three hours a day." Check out our full interview below:

Lovato pulled from his background as a former pro bodybuilder to build Brolin's workouts. The actor was in the gym five to six days a week for three hours, split between two daily sessions. Brolin wasn't pumping iron the whole time, though - Lovato also emphasized athleticism and movement in the program, separating the days between mobility work and circuits in the mornings and old-school bodybuilding moves in the afternoons.

"These workouts changed every single day," Lovato said, "so we're consistently confusing the body, changing it up, making it not adaptable, but making him work and learn each day."

If you want to try this yourself, remember that the program was designed for an actor to achieve a very specific look in a short amount of time (12 weeks). The routine has a heavy volume of reps, which might be too much for novice lifters to handle, so listen to your body if it gets to be too much. You also might not have time to split your workout into two sessions a day - that's okay, too. Try the conditioning and weight room work on different days to get a similar experience. 

If you're ready to buy in to the whole Brolin experience, Lovato offers the whole program in comic book form, Cable Built, on his website. Start with this workout, and you can start building the body of a time-traveling mutant super soldier, too.

The Workout

Session 1: Mobility and Circuit Training

Side Lateral Shuffle

20 yards there and back, 3 times

Keeping your butt down and your chest tall, shuffle for 20 yards without crossing or knocking your feet together. Shuffle back to the starting point, the repeat for three sets.

High Skip Jump

20 yards there and back, 3 times

Skip in a straight line for 20 yards, exploding off of one foot while driving your opposite knee into the air as high as possible. Return to the starting point, repeating for three sets.

Backpedal to Sprint

20 yards there and back, 3 times

Backpedal from an athletic stance with a slight forward lean. When you reach 20 yards, plant your foot to explode into a sprint back through the original starting line. Repeat for three sets.

Foot Speed Drill

20 yards there and back, 3 times

This one is tough to explain, so check out the GIF above to master the move. Basically, you're stepping forward using a diagonal shuffle, alternating between your left and right foot as an anchor through the center of your path. Repeat for 20 yards back and forth for three sets.

Defensive Shuffle

20 yards there and back, 3 times

Using the same form as the lateral shuffle, move diagonally in between a five yard space for 20 yards. Return back to the original starting position, then repeat for three sets.

Lunges

20 yards there and back, 3 times

Lunge forward for 20 yards, then return back to the original starting spot and repeat for three sets. Be mindful to land evenly on the foot, driving evenly to work the glutes and hamstring with every rep.

Frog Jumps/Bounds

20 yards there and back, 3 times

Bend your knees to gather your weight, then jump forward, landing on both feet evenly. Explode with both legs and use the momentum to carry you into each successive jump. Perform the movement for 20 yards, return back to the start, then repeat for three rounds.

Cable Grind Conditioning Circuit

Perform each exercise consecutively for five rounds. Rest as little as possible while maintaining proper form.

Standing DB Hammer Curl

5 sets of 20 reps

Curl the dumbbells simultaneously, holding your palms parallel to each other. Use only your arms - if you feel yourself using your hips and backs to finish the reps, switch to a lighter weight.

Pushups

5 sets of 20 reps

Keep your spine straight and squeeze your glutes and core while repping through these pushups.

Sled Push

120 yards

Use a low center of gravity to push a weighted sled across a flat surface. For an extra challenge, push for 60 yards using the sleds handles, then flip to the other, lower side and push from a position even closer to the ground.

Battle Rope Slams

60 hits

Swing the battle rope with both arms simultaneously to smack it on the ground. Anchor your feet in the ground with your knees bent and your core tight, holding an athletic stance throughout.

Treadmill Walk

30 minutes at 15 incline, 3.0 mph

Cool down with a 30 minute walk on the treadmill. Set the incline to 15, the speed to 3.0 mph, and keep your arms off the handles. "Too many people are holding on [to the treadmill], and that takes away the whole purpose of the incline," Lovato said.

Session 2: The Cable Built Back Workout

Deadlifts

5 sets of 12 to 15 reps, 2 minute rest between sets

Instead of powering through this set of deadlifts quickly (which you should never do in anycase), Lovato had Brolin completely de-load the weight at the bottom of the movement, taking away any momentum from the plate bouncing. Pause at the bottom without rounding your back, then explode to the top of the movement, keeping your core tight. This is a ton of volume, so use a light weight, especially to start.

Neutral Grip Cable Lat Pulldowns

2 sets of 12, 15, 6, 8 reps, 2 minute rest between sets

Use a handle that allows you to hold it with a neutral grip, with your palms parallel to each other. Pause for a full second at the top, recruit your lats to pull down and contract for two seconds, then ride it back to the top. The first set should start at a weight you're comfortable to perform for 12 reps. Cut that by about 30 percent for 15 reps, then jump back up to the original weight for 6 reps. Finish off the set by performing the dropset weight for 8 reps. Again, this is a ton of volume, so be wise with your weights. For an extra challenge, don't use the knee support provided by the pulldown machine.

Seated Wide Grip Cable Rows

3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, 2 minute rest between sets

Use a wide grip handle and focus on your upper back. To master the motion, break it up into three movements: first, hold the cable with your arms extended in front of your chest. Second, lean forward slightly, without rounding your back. Finally, pull the cable to your upper chest, targeting your upper back. As you get more accustomed to the movement, speed up. For an extra challenge, drop the weight 30 percent after each set and rep out until failure.

Shoulder Width Pronated Cable Lat Pulldowns

3 sets of 12 to 15 reps, 2 minute rest between sets

Approach this exercise like you did the other lat pulldowns, just switch up the grip. Here, you should use a handle that allows you to hold it at shoulder width with a pronated (overhand) grip. Again, try to ditch the knee support and add a dropset to failure at the end of each set for even more work.

Smith Machine Pendlay Rows

5 sets of 10 to 12 reps

Lovato wraps up Brolin's back blast inside the Smith Machine with Pendlay Rows. Hinge at the hip and stand in an athletic position within the rack. Like the deadlift, you should de-load the weight at the bottom of the movement before using your back muscles to drive the bar back up to your chest.

Treadmill Walk

30 minutes at 15 incline, 3.0 mph

Finish the session with another half hour on the treadmill, keeping your hands off the handles. Cyborgs don't need support; neither should you.

via NewsSplashy - Latest Nigerian News Online,World Newspaper

[newssplashy]

Politics: Trump delivered Japan a huge win on one part of the US's upcoming talks with North Korea

While this is a much-needed political score for Abe, experts warn that abductees' families shouldn't put their hope in Trump.

President Donald Trump agreed to raise one of Japan's most important political issues with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

While meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump said he would try to resolve the issue of more than a dozen Japanese citizens that were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s.

This is a huge win for Abe, whose support back home has plummeted as Japan fadded into the background on fast-moving talks with North Korea.

But one expert told Business Insider it would be "tragic" if abductees' families put faith in Trump.

In the 1970s, more than a dozen people went missing from coastal areas of Japan, abducted by North Korea in a failed attempt to turn Japanese citizens into spies.

Pyongyang didn't admit to the kidnappings until 2002 when Kim Jong Il, in an attempt to receive aid, returned five abductees to Japan. At the time, North Korea said it only abducted 13 people and the remainder had died — a claim widely disbelieved in Japan where the abductions, believed to be of 17 people, have remained a hot political issue, particularly as family members of the taken youths grow older.

But at a news conference in Florida on Wednesday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Donald Trump confirmed the US would bring the cause up with Kim Jong Un directly.

"I will tell you that we were having dinner last night, and [Abe] started talking about abduction and how horrible it was. And his level of enthusiasm was unbelievable. And I said to him right then and there last night at the table, I said we will work very hard on that issue, and we will try and bring those folks back home," said Trump.

A day earlier, Abe expressed his gratefulness that Trump himself would take up the issue at the upcoming US-North Korea summit, and Trump replied, "You have my commitment."

It's a huge win for Abe.

The Japanese prime minister's popularity, and grip on power had plummeted back home, due both to a political scandal involving his wife and Abe's constant exclusion from the fast-moving talks concerning the country's biggest security threat, North Korea.

In the past, Abe was the world leader closest to Trump, and the two bonded over games of golf as well as a hardline approach to North Korea. In the first 11 months of Trump's presidency the two spoke on the phone 13 times — more than Abe did during Obama's entire second term.

But Abe received no warning about Trump's decision to accept a meeting with Kim Jong Un and has been scrambling ever since. Japan was even forced to ask China about Kim's meeting with Xi Jinping after finding out about the visit in the media, long after Beijing had briefed Washington and Seoul.

In meeting Trump ahead of the upcoming US-North Korea summit, and gaining assurances on the abductions issue — which Abe had made a top policy priority for his administration — the prime minister is likely feeling more confident about his relationship with Trump and the Japanese people than he has in months.

"Whether Japan will be left behind, that is not at all the case. In the last two days, together with President Trump, we have spoken about North Korea," Abe said. "We have gone into really in-depth discussion. About our policy and direction, we have reached agreement."

This isn't the first time Trump has raised the abductions issue

Speaking at the UN last year, the president mentioned the story of Megumi, a 13-year-old who was kidnapped while playing on the beach and was forced to become "a language tutor for North Korea's spies."

He also met the families of the abductees, who were mostly chosen by North Korean commandos at random, while on a tour of Asia in November.

"I think it would be a tremendous signal if Kim Jong Un would send them back," Trump said the time. "That would be the start of something I think would be just something very special, if they would do that."

And the latest news has again raised the hopes of family members whose siblings, children, and parents were taken more than 40 years ago.

Hope in Trump may be misguided

But hoping Trump raises the issue with Kim, and can even deliver a positive outcome, may be misguided.

In meeting the families of those abducted by North Korea, Trump was following a pattern set by the two presidents before him and most US ambassadors.

Robert S. Boynton, a journalism teacher at NYU and the author of "The Invitation-Only Zone: The True Story of North Korea's Abduction Project," told Business Insider at the time of the meeting last year that little would likely be achieved.

"The families have become a kind of sacred shrine officials must visit in order to demonstrate that they and their loved ones have not been forgotten. The Japanese government uses these visits to show that the US cares, and hasn't abandoned Japan," Boynton said. "It is all theater because most US officials know virtually nothing about the abductions."

"It is tragic if the abductees' families put real faith in Trump. He couldn't remember the name of a slain US soldier, and I'm sure he's already forgotten about Megumi Yokota," he added.

source https://www.newssplashy.com/2018/04/politics-trump-delivered-japan-huge-win_19.html