North Korea launched a round of short-range missiles near Japan just as Trump pushes for a new meeting with Kim Jong-un — a bad sign for US leverage in Asia.

• Trump offered to scale back joint military drills with South Korea; Kim answered with roughly ten missile launches and higher demands.
• Kim wants his nuclear arsenal recognized, while Trump is still chasing full denuclearization — a dead end.
• The failed strikes on Iran made the case for keeping nukes stronger, not weaker, for North Korea and everyone else watching.
• Seoul is drifting away too, after tariffs, the removal of THAAD defenses, and the ICE raid on a Hyundai plant that became a national scandal there.
• North Korea's economy is holding up thanks to money and weapons deals with Russia and China.

Outlook: A fall summit may still happen, but Kim gives up nothing, and allies like South Korea and Japan keep drifting toward their own defenses — including, eventually, their own nuclear weapons.