[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] necessary step for North to enter the Earth's atmosphere impact. That would be a necessary step for North Korean ICBM to hit a target. Then there's the issue of placing a nuclear warhead on top of the missile.
[Rep. Michael Mccaul , Homeland Security Chairman:] They're trying to miniaturize this warhead to put it on top of this ICBM delivery system. So I think it's a very serious threat.
[Starr:] A threat that for now the U.S. is confronting peacefully.
[James Mattis, Defense Secretary:] This is a diplomatically led international efforts to stop a worldwide threat that they are bringing to bear.
[Starr:] But what does that looks like? Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the Trump administration's goal is to roll back North Korea's nuclear and missile program.
[Rex Tillerson, Secretary Of The State:] Stopping where they are today is not acceptable to us.
[Starr:] So one of the big diplomatic questions is this, would talking to North Korea directly even help? So far, no indication. Pamela?
[Pamela Brown, Cnn Anchor:] All right, Barbara Starr, thank you so much for that and Senator Chris Coons, back to you now. So bottom line, your view, can the U.S. do anything at all to prevent a nuclear capable North Korea?
[Sen. Chris Coons , Foreign Relations Committee:] Well Pamela, both Putin and president Trump have said publicly, they intend to follow diplomacy first that they're trying to mobilize a world effort. And some of the things that have been done in the United Nations at the G20 suggest that some of our key allies also see it the same way that they're willing to support tougher sanctions on North Korea. The key country here is China. This is China's problem, because this is destabilizing pet Korean Peninsula, it's destabilizing the region, but China hasn't yet taken tough enough actions to actually impose some cost on North Korea for this destabilizing action. My main question is up for pursuing diplomacy first. And this is one of our most important national security questions, then why is president Trump advancing a budget that would cut the state department by almost a third? That seems to me like were you in a lottery disarming our most important tool or weapon in a diplomatic effort against North Korea?
[Brown:] When you talk about diplomacy, you mentioned China is key in all of this. But if China hasn't done enough up to this point, why are you confident that they could?
[Coons:] I'm not confident. In fact, I'm not even optimistic. I'm concerned that China is balancing their concern that if the North Korean regime collapses, there will be humanitarian crisis on the border and loss a key ally versus their concern that the rest of the world will coalesce around making them pay a high price. I think we are in a race against time. And frankly race that we may well loss. We may be facing a North Korean nuclear armed country that has an ICBM capable of hitting the United States within two years. We don't have a lot of time. That's why we need to focus on the diplomatic effort and we need presidential leadership that engages all of our allies around the world. This is not the time for President Trump to be under mining NATO or the E.U. or the G20 or our partnerships with the rest in the world.
[Brown:] So you think within two years, North Korea will figure out the technology miniaturizing warheads and they will have it will be fully
[Coons:] That's just a rough guess. In open source reporting, that's been talked about as the time it likely will take them. I think this latest missile test took a number of us by surprised in being more successful than expected by as you've just heard Secretary Tillerson say, they're still analyzing it. So that's a rough guess, two years.
[Brown:] what's clear is that North Korea does not shows any signs of backing down?
[Coons:] No signs of backing down. And this is very risky for the United States. We need to focus on this and we need to bring all of our resources to bear.
[Brown:] I want to ask you. I want to circle back to Russian reporting. We just saw from for me and my colleagues showing for the pass, an event for us about spying by Russians inside the U.S. and the fact that Russians are stepping up their efforts even after the election. And what we're told is part of the calculus is that really the Russians haven't faced severe retaliation for the election meddling, according to the intelligence community. How concerned are you about this?
[Coons:] I'm very concerned. I think Vladimir Putin will only stop when we stop him. And he will only stop when he and his nation pay a significant price. Meddling directly in the American presidential election that was at the very heart of what it means to be a democracy. Remember what they've done recently, invaded and occupied a portion of a neighboring country, Ukraine, where we had guaranteed in writing an agreement there at territorial sovereignty. Taking the side of Bashar al-Assad, a murderous leader of the Syrian regime and Military where Russia intervened and really has prevented in his collapse and when United States had committed to his removal from power and interfering directly in our elections. They don't share our priorities. They don't share our values. They've attempted to undermine NATO, distance the United States from its Key North Atlantic allies and to affect our elections. We need to take tougher action.
[Brown:] But what about during the Obama administration because the argument hasn't made, the Obama administration didn't do enough?
[Coons:] I would agree with that. I'd frankly say that the Obama administration in abundance of caution didn't act more decisively right before the election. Out of a concern, that would be proceed as partisan. But the Obama administration did take strong steps to make sure that the intelligence community was focus on this threat, produce a broad consensus report and that will share both with leaders and congress and with the incoming Trump administration.
[Brown:] Let me just ask
[Coons:] It's the administration that has taken the steps that were needed to follow up on the intelligence.
[Brown:] let me just ask you this, because our sources tell us also part of the concern was that it could launch cyber warfare.
[Coons:] That's right.
[Brown:] And I'm hearing from people I think doing the intelligence community that Russians have been very focus on penetrating the supply chain, particularly, telecommunications companies. We know nuclear plans. There were recent hacks. How much does that factor in the concern that they would be able to cost great harm in retaliation on that?
[Coons:] I think that's a very legitimate concern. I think Russia is the most capable cyber adversary that we face in the world. They have a very sophisticated intelligence service. They have a fairly sophisticated military. And they have made the cyber domain. There priority area is actually against the United States. So I think it would be perfectly reasonable for the administration to hesitate before taking really strong escalatory action against Russia particularly in the run up to an election where some sort of the utility black out or some sort of a financial services crash could have really destabilized our election. But frankly, the longer we go without having president Trump forcefully say publicly that Russian meddling in our future elections and in future elections in Europe will not be tolerated along the way or exposed to a repeat of this threat.
[Brown:] And, of course, secretary Tillerson said today that he did press Vladimir Putin on the issue during the meeting at the G20 Summit. Senator Chris Coons, thank you very much.
[Coons:] Thanks again.
[Brown:] And coming up right here on THE LEAD, energy secretary Rick Perry gave an economic lesson. What he said that lapse many people scratching their heads? The panel discuss that and more, up next. Plus, "Everybody still loves Raymond" one of the stars of the mega hit com is here to look back at the '90s with us at least the party remembers. Stay with us.