Trump Broke Constitutional Law by Attacking Obamacare, Lawsuit Says
Donald Trump Says Obamacare Is Being Wiped Out ‘Piece By Piece’
He spoke to conservatives at CPAC.
By RENAE REINTS August 2, 2018
Four cities have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the president is violating constitutional law by following through on his promise to “let Obamacare implode.”
Since Congress failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act last year, President Donald Trump has attempted to weaken the program through eliminating protections, discouraging enrollment, and driving up costs, the lawsuit argues. According to court filings, this directly violates a clause in the U.S. constitution, which states the president and their administration must “take care that the laws be faithfully executed.”
Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio filed a joint lawsuit in a Maryland federal court Thursday, laying out the administrative actions Trump has used to negatively impact the Affordable Care Act. This includes shortening the sign-up period, cutting funding for outreach, and expanding insurance options that don’t comply with ACA standards, The Hill reports.
The latest attempt to damage Obamacare came Wednesday, when the White House announced offerings of short-term health care plans. These plans look appealing because they’re less expensive than Obamacare, but they cover fewer medical services and charge higher rates for those with pre-existing conditions.
The lawsuit against the Trump administration points to how the executive changes have cost the cities by leading to more uninsured patients seeking care and more city-funded ambulance transports. According to NBC News, 3 million fewer people had health insurance in 2017 compared to the year prior, and city-subsidized health centers in Columbus saw almost 3,000 more uninsured patients.
“President Trump and his Administration are waging a relentless campaign to sabotage and, ultimately, to nullify the law,” stated the plaintiffs in court filings. “All Americans are, quite literally, paying the price.”
Saturday, August 4, 2018
President said ‘fake news’ misreported and that he was 15 minutes early despite images of the monarch standing alone, waiting - Guardian
Trump claims he was early to meet the 'fantastic' Queen, not late
President said ‘fake news’ misreported and that he was 15 minutes early despite images of the monarch standing alone, waiting
Adam Gabbatt in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
@adamgabbatt
Sat 4 Aug 2018 00.56 AEST Last modified on Sat 4 Aug 2018 03.50 AEST
ump: ‘I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.’
Donald Trump: ‘I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.’
Many enduring images came from Donald Trump’s visit to the UK last month. There was the huge blimp baby, the streets full of protesters, Trump’s views on Brexit – and the footage of the Queen appearing to check her watch as she waited for the US president to arrive.
Trump leaves London after wreaking diplomatic destruction
The image of the Queen standing alone on a stage as she waited to be presented to Trump captured the imagination of many. Reports emerged that Trump had turned up late, enhancing the the notion that his was a gaffe-filled visit.
But everyone was wrong, Trump claimed at a rally in Pennsylvania on Thursday night. He was actually early, and the “fake news” is to blame.
Trump said: “I was asked to have tea with the Queen, who is incredible, by the way. Incredible. I landed, [and] I’m on the ground, and I’m waiting with the King’s and the Queen’s Guards, wonderful people. I’m waiting.
“I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.”
'Fake, fake, disgusting news': Trump launches new broadside against media - video
And his account was backed up on Friday by Valentine Low of the Times, who attended the event at Windsor Castle. “The shock is that he is right,” tweeted Low. “He didn’t keep the Queen waiting. In fact, he was early, and had to wait before going up to Windsor Castle.”
On Thursday, Trump, who, according to the Washington Post, has made 4,229 false or misleading claims, told the rally that after waiting he and the first lady, Melania Trump, enjoyed tea with the Queen, who he described as “fantastic”.
President said ‘fake news’ misreported and that he was 15 minutes early despite images of the monarch standing alone, waiting
Adam Gabbatt in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
@adamgabbatt
Sat 4 Aug 2018 00.56 AEST Last modified on Sat 4 Aug 2018 03.50 AEST
ump: ‘I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.’
Donald Trump: ‘I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.’
Many enduring images came from Donald Trump’s visit to the UK last month. There was the huge blimp baby, the streets full of protesters, Trump’s views on Brexit – and the footage of the Queen appearing to check her watch as she waited for the US president to arrive.
Trump leaves London after wreaking diplomatic destruction
The image of the Queen standing alone on a stage as she waited to be presented to Trump captured the imagination of many. Reports emerged that Trump had turned up late, enhancing the the notion that his was a gaffe-filled visit.
But everyone was wrong, Trump claimed at a rally in Pennsylvania on Thursday night. He was actually early, and the “fake news” is to blame.
Trump said: “I was asked to have tea with the Queen, who is incredible, by the way. Incredible. I landed, [and] I’m on the ground, and I’m waiting with the King’s and the Queen’s Guards, wonderful people. I’m waiting.
“I was about 15 minutes early and I’m waiting with my wife and that’s fine. Hey, it’s the Queen, right? We can wait. But I’m a little early.”
'Fake, fake, disgusting news': Trump launches new broadside against media - video
And his account was backed up on Friday by Valentine Low of the Times, who attended the event at Windsor Castle. “The shock is that he is right,” tweeted Low. “He didn’t keep the Queen waiting. In fact, he was early, and had to wait before going up to Windsor Castle.”
On Thursday, Trump, who, according to the Washington Post, has made 4,229 false or misleading claims, told the rally that after waiting he and the first lady, Melania Trump, enjoyed tea with the Queen, who he described as “fantastic”.
Kurt Bardella Sarah Sanders' dishonest defense of Trump and his assault on the free press reaches a new low - NBC News
Kurt Bardella Sarah Sanders' dishonest defense of Trump and his assault on the free press reaches a new low
You know things are deteriorating when you are regurgitating conspiracy theories to justify your boss’s obsession with weakening the First Amendment.
Aug.03.2018 / 6:29 PM ET
Sarah Sanders is at a crossroads, whether she realizes it or not. Mary F. Calvert / Reuters
$180,000.
That’s how much Sarah Sanders earns a year as White House Press Secretary. She joins 23 other White House employees in that top salary bracket.
That means this is also how much she is paid to spread lies to the American people and peddle conspiracy theories on behalf of the president of the United States of America.
Sanders has had her current job for a little over a year. But it’s become increasingly clear that there are very few limits to what she will do when it comes to making excuses for her boss. Being the press secretary is a difficult job in any administration, but Sanders continues to lower the bar when it comes to falsehoods and obfuscation, in the process undermining the Bill of Rights not to mention the integrity of the Trump White House.
Sarah Sanders declines to answer whether press is enemy of the people
Case in point, during the White House Press Briefing on Wednesday, Sanders declared that “the media routinely reports on classified information and government secrets that put lives in danger and risk valuable national security tools… one of the worst cases was the reporting on the U.S. ability to listen to Osama bin Laden’s satellite phone in the late ‘90s. Because of that reporting he stopped using that phone, and the country lost valuable intelligence.”
There are two problems here. The first is that Sanders was using this anecdote to deflect very real and very fair questions about the hostile environment reporters have had to deal with during Trump rallies. The second problem is that this anecdote is, as the Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler wrote back in 2005, an “urban myth.” Osama bin Laden’s use of satellite phones to communicate with aides was reported back in 1996, in Time magazine. When another story reported on the satellite phone use, bin Laden himself was the source for the piece.
So Sanders was using a fabricated conspiracy theory to try and dodge responsibility for the venom now directed towards the free press — venom echoed and too often encouraged by the president himself. This is the logic of a small child — you think we did something bad, well what about what you did? And in the process, she is using the specter of one of the most hated men in the world to manipulate the American people into hating journalists.
Things continued to erode on Thursday when Sanders refused to say that the press isn’t “the enemy of the people” — a line that Trump has himself used in the past. Responding to CNN reporter Jim Acosta, Sanders said: "It's ironic, Jim, that not only you and the media attack the president for his rhetoric, when they frequently lower the level of conversation in this country.”
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, “Enemy of the People.” Sad!
10:30 PM - Jul 29, 2018
I spent the better part of a decade working as a spokesperson for various members of Congress and campaigns. I understand how you can start to see the world as “us vs them,” without stopping to really question whether you are doing the right thing. The constant 24/7 nature of the political media cycle leaves very little time for reflection and self-assessment. You spend every moment of every day fighting to get your team’s message out, responding to a growing volume of inquiries and just trying to keep your head above water. It is not an easy position to be in, even in the best of circumstances. I honestly cannot imagine what it would be like in this White House and in this toxic environment.
And yet, at the end of the day, you still have to live with yourself and live with the messages you convey. Nothing is worth losing your own self-respect or betraying your moral compass.
Chuck Todd
✔
@chucktodd
An extraordinarily disappointing moment by @PressSec just now... Her inability to acknowledge the role POTUS has played in all of this media bashing only hurts her own credibility...She had a chance to defend the institution and take the high ground and show leadership, instead..
4:03 AM - Aug 3, 2018
It’s the dilemma I faced a few years ago when I was consulting for Breitbart. Ultimately, it was clear to me that the site was heading down a path that I could not, in good conscience, enable. It would have been very easy for me to just say I was doing my job for a client and keep cashing those checks every month. It’s by and large what most people in Washington D.C. do every single day. Still, I found a line I could not cross. Choosing to walk away forever altered the entire course of my personal and professional life.
Far-right group ‘QAnon’ pushing false conspiracy theories
Sarah Sanders is now at a similar crossroads, whether she realizes it or not. You know things are deteriorating when you are regurgitating conspiracy theories about Osama bin Laden to justify your boss’s obsession with weakening the First Amendment.
Simply put, Sanders is reaching a point of no return; in fact, she may have already passed it. The question she needs to ask herself is $180,000 a year worth the damage she is doing to herself, the free press, the institution of the presidency and ultimately, the country at large.
Kurt Bardella is an NBC News THINK contributor and a former spokesperson for Reps. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter: @kurtbardella
You know things are deteriorating when you are regurgitating conspiracy theories to justify your boss’s obsession with weakening the First Amendment.
Aug.03.2018 / 6:29 PM ET
Sarah Sanders is at a crossroads, whether she realizes it or not. Mary F. Calvert / Reuters
$180,000.
That’s how much Sarah Sanders earns a year as White House Press Secretary. She joins 23 other White House employees in that top salary bracket.
That means this is also how much she is paid to spread lies to the American people and peddle conspiracy theories on behalf of the president of the United States of America.
Sanders has had her current job for a little over a year. But it’s become increasingly clear that there are very few limits to what she will do when it comes to making excuses for her boss. Being the press secretary is a difficult job in any administration, but Sanders continues to lower the bar when it comes to falsehoods and obfuscation, in the process undermining the Bill of Rights not to mention the integrity of the Trump White House.
Sarah Sanders declines to answer whether press is enemy of the people
Case in point, during the White House Press Briefing on Wednesday, Sanders declared that “the media routinely reports on classified information and government secrets that put lives in danger and risk valuable national security tools… one of the worst cases was the reporting on the U.S. ability to listen to Osama bin Laden’s satellite phone in the late ‘90s. Because of that reporting he stopped using that phone, and the country lost valuable intelligence.”
There are two problems here. The first is that Sanders was using this anecdote to deflect very real and very fair questions about the hostile environment reporters have had to deal with during Trump rallies. The second problem is that this anecdote is, as the Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler wrote back in 2005, an “urban myth.” Osama bin Laden’s use of satellite phones to communicate with aides was reported back in 1996, in Time magazine. When another story reported on the satellite phone use, bin Laden himself was the source for the piece.
So Sanders was using a fabricated conspiracy theory to try and dodge responsibility for the venom now directed towards the free press — venom echoed and too often encouraged by the president himself. This is the logic of a small child — you think we did something bad, well what about what you did? And in the process, she is using the specter of one of the most hated men in the world to manipulate the American people into hating journalists.
Things continued to erode on Thursday when Sanders refused to say that the press isn’t “the enemy of the people” — a line that Trump has himself used in the past. Responding to CNN reporter Jim Acosta, Sanders said: "It's ironic, Jim, that not only you and the media attack the president for his rhetoric, when they frequently lower the level of conversation in this country.”
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, “Enemy of the People.” Sad!
10:30 PM - Jul 29, 2018
I spent the better part of a decade working as a spokesperson for various members of Congress and campaigns. I understand how you can start to see the world as “us vs them,” without stopping to really question whether you are doing the right thing. The constant 24/7 nature of the political media cycle leaves very little time for reflection and self-assessment. You spend every moment of every day fighting to get your team’s message out, responding to a growing volume of inquiries and just trying to keep your head above water. It is not an easy position to be in, even in the best of circumstances. I honestly cannot imagine what it would be like in this White House and in this toxic environment.
And yet, at the end of the day, you still have to live with yourself and live with the messages you convey. Nothing is worth losing your own self-respect or betraying your moral compass.
Chuck Todd
✔
@chucktodd
An extraordinarily disappointing moment by @PressSec just now... Her inability to acknowledge the role POTUS has played in all of this media bashing only hurts her own credibility...She had a chance to defend the institution and take the high ground and show leadership, instead..
4:03 AM - Aug 3, 2018
It’s the dilemma I faced a few years ago when I was consulting for Breitbart. Ultimately, it was clear to me that the site was heading down a path that I could not, in good conscience, enable. It would have been very easy for me to just say I was doing my job for a client and keep cashing those checks every month. It’s by and large what most people in Washington D.C. do every single day. Still, I found a line I could not cross. Choosing to walk away forever altered the entire course of my personal and professional life.
Far-right group ‘QAnon’ pushing false conspiracy theories
Sarah Sanders is now at a similar crossroads, whether she realizes it or not. You know things are deteriorating when you are regurgitating conspiracy theories about Osama bin Laden to justify your boss’s obsession with weakening the First Amendment.
Simply put, Sanders is reaching a point of no return; in fact, she may have already passed it. The question she needs to ask herself is $180,000 a year worth the damage she is doing to herself, the free press, the institution of the presidency and ultimately, the country at large.
Kurt Bardella is an NBC News THINK contributor and a former spokesperson for Reps. Brian Bilbray, R-Calif., Darrell Issa, R-Calif., Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter: @kurtbardella
Trump ex-campaign chief Manafort's 'income doctored' - BBC News
Trump ex-campaign chief Manafort's 'income doctored'
4 August 2018
Cindy Laporta was testifying in court on the fourth day of the trial
An accountant for Donald Trump's former election campaign chief Paul Manafort says she helped disguise his foreign income so he could pay less in tax.
Cindy Laporta told the court in Alexandria, Virginia, she had been told to concoct a $900,000 (£690,000) loan on his tax return in 2015.
Mr Manafort is facing charges of bank fraud, tax fraud, and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
The former political consultant has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Last month, Mr Manafort, who ran the Trump campaign for three months, was accused by prosecutors of using numerous accounts in order to evade tax.
He could face up to 30 years in jail if found guilty.
Read more: The man who helped Trump win
None of the charges that Mr Manafort faces at trial relate to the investigation into possible collusion in 2016 between Russia and the Trump campaign.
What happened in court on Friday?
Testifying on the fourth day of the trial, Ms Laporta, who has been given immunity in exchange for testifying, said she knew what she did with fabricating the loan was "not appropriate".
"You can't pick and choose what's a loan and what's income," she said. "I very much regret it."
A courtroom sketch shows Mr Manafort seated during the opening day of his trial
She added that she had agreed to do this under pressure from Mr Manafort's former associate Rick Gates, who had alleged that Mr Manafort did not have the money to pay the full tax.
Ms Laporta said Mr Manafort had likely saved up to $500,000 in taxes in 2015.
Mr Manafort's lawyers have previously argued that Mr Gates is the one responsible for the financial charges.
"This is about Mr Manafort placing his trust in the wrong person," defence lawyer Thomas Zehnle said in his opening statement.
However, prosecutors argue that Mr Manafort was closely involved in managing his own finances.
Mr Gates has already pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and lying to investigators. He has since been co-operating with the investigation into Mr Manafort.
The accused
Before joining Mr Trump's team in summer 2016, Paul Manafort had worked on a number of Republican presidential campaigns, including those of Gerald Ford in the mid-1970s and Ronald Reagan from 1978 to 1980.
Paul Manafort (L) in 1985 with fellow political consultants Roger Stone (C) and Lee Atwater (R)
As a lobbyist, he developed a reputation for representing the unrepresentable, including former Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who was accused of torturing, abducting and killing thousands of opponents.
Mr Manafort took over as chairman of the Trump campaign in May 2016 and aimed to present a more thoughtful candidate, who stuck to scripts instead of ad-libbing in campaign rallies.
He was in the hot seat when Mr Trump eventually won the Republican nomination, and organised the Republican convention in July 2016.
But Mr Manafort quickly faced allegations that he had not disclosed millions of dollars he received for consultancy work he carried out in Ukraine for its then pro-Russian president.
At the same time, the Republican Party changed the language in its manifesto regarding the conflict in Ukraine, removing anti-Russian sentiment.
Mr Manafort quit Mr Trump's team in August 2016.
4 August 2018
Cindy Laporta was testifying in court on the fourth day of the trial
An accountant for Donald Trump's former election campaign chief Paul Manafort says she helped disguise his foreign income so he could pay less in tax.
Cindy Laporta told the court in Alexandria, Virginia, she had been told to concoct a $900,000 (£690,000) loan on his tax return in 2015.
Mr Manafort is facing charges of bank fraud, tax fraud, and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
The former political consultant has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Last month, Mr Manafort, who ran the Trump campaign for three months, was accused by prosecutors of using numerous accounts in order to evade tax.
He could face up to 30 years in jail if found guilty.
Read more: The man who helped Trump win
None of the charges that Mr Manafort faces at trial relate to the investigation into possible collusion in 2016 between Russia and the Trump campaign.
What happened in court on Friday?
Testifying on the fourth day of the trial, Ms Laporta, who has been given immunity in exchange for testifying, said she knew what she did with fabricating the loan was "not appropriate".
"You can't pick and choose what's a loan and what's income," she said. "I very much regret it."
A courtroom sketch shows Mr Manafort seated during the opening day of his trial
She added that she had agreed to do this under pressure from Mr Manafort's former associate Rick Gates, who had alleged that Mr Manafort did not have the money to pay the full tax.
Ms Laporta said Mr Manafort had likely saved up to $500,000 in taxes in 2015.
Mr Manafort's lawyers have previously argued that Mr Gates is the one responsible for the financial charges.
"This is about Mr Manafort placing his trust in the wrong person," defence lawyer Thomas Zehnle said in his opening statement.
However, prosecutors argue that Mr Manafort was closely involved in managing his own finances.
Mr Gates has already pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and lying to investigators. He has since been co-operating with the investigation into Mr Manafort.
The accused
Before joining Mr Trump's team in summer 2016, Paul Manafort had worked on a number of Republican presidential campaigns, including those of Gerald Ford in the mid-1970s and Ronald Reagan from 1978 to 1980.
Paul Manafort (L) in 1985 with fellow political consultants Roger Stone (C) and Lee Atwater (R)
As a lobbyist, he developed a reputation for representing the unrepresentable, including former Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos, who was accused of torturing, abducting and killing thousands of opponents.
Mr Manafort took over as chairman of the Trump campaign in May 2016 and aimed to present a more thoughtful candidate, who stuck to scripts instead of ad-libbing in campaign rallies.
He was in the hot seat when Mr Trump eventually won the Republican nomination, and organised the Republican convention in July 2016.
But Mr Manafort quickly faced allegations that he had not disclosed millions of dollars he received for consultancy work he carried out in Ukraine for its then pro-Russian president.
At the same time, the Republican Party changed the language in its manifesto regarding the conflict in Ukraine, removing anti-Russian sentiment.
Mr Manafort quit Mr Trump's team in August 2016.
North Korea calls US actions on nuclear programme 'alarming' - BBC News
August 8, 2018
North Korea calls US actions on nuclear programme 'alarming'
The two men appeared friendly at a summit but North Korea has some strong words for the US
North Korea's foreign minister has called US actions "alarming" as tensions over the North's nuclear programme again flared.
Ri Yong-ho was responding to comments by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who urged other countries to keep up sanctions pressure on Pyongyang.
A landmark summit between the two sides in Singapore in June saw the North agree to work towards denuclearisation.
But details remain vague and the UN says its nuclear programme continues.
At a regional forum, also in Singapore, Mr Pompeo said it was important to maintain "diplomatic and economic pressure" on North Korea to achieve "the final, fully verified denuclearisation".
Pyongyang is currently under a range of international and US sanctions over its nuclear programme and missile tests.
What was said at the latest meeting?
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishna said discussions about the North Korean nuclear programme at the Asean regional forum had been "brutally frank" but there was some good news.
"People acknowledge that there has been some progress and that the summit in Singapore did change the tone of the conversation and hopefully will help set the stage for a peaceful resolution of the outstanding issues," he told AFP news agency.
North Korea carried out a series of long-range missile tests in 2017
Mr Pompeo said he expected all nations to abide by sanctions, singling out Russia amid reports that it had potentially violated them by allowing thousands of North Korean labourers into the country. Russia has denied this.
In response, Mr Ri said that North Korea "stands firm" in its commitment made at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
He added: "What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the US to go back to the old, far from its leader's intention."
Mr Ri and Mr Pompeo only met face-to-face briefly, exchanging smiles, handshakes and a few brief words.
Also at Saturday's meeting, the US delegation delivered a letter from Mr Trump for Mr Kim. It is unclear what it contained.
What did the two leaders agree in June?
Mr Trump and Mr Kim made a commitment to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, but it is still unclear how this could be achieved.
Nukes, Trump Towers and human rights - what might peace look like between the US and North Korea?
The commitment was included in a one-page agreement at the end of the summit aimed at reducing regional tensions.
Aside from the written agreement, the US president also announced that joint military exercises with South Korea, which he described as "provocative", would end.
What has happened since the summit?
Amid a tentative warming of relations since June, North Korea appears to have begun dismantling part of a key rocket launch site in the north-west, in compliance with a promise by Mr Kim to destroy an engine test site.
And at the end of July, the North returned to the US remains believed to be of 55 US troops killed during the Korean War, as agreed at the summit.
The satellite imagery appears to show the dismantling of facilities at North Korea's Sohae site
But reports last month based on US intelligence leaks suggest Pyongyang is still upgrading its uranium enrichment sites.
The reports are seen as undermining the spirit of the summit and casting doubt on the North's sincerity.
Then last week, unnamed US officials said that Pyongyang appeared to be building new ballistic missiles after spy satellites spotted continuing activity at one site.
A UN Security Council-commissioned report on Friday said North Korea was continuing its nuclear and missile programmes, violating UN sanctions.
It was increasing illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil products and trying to sell weapons abroad, it said.
North Korea calls US actions on nuclear programme 'alarming'
The two men appeared friendly at a summit but North Korea has some strong words for the US
North Korea's foreign minister has called US actions "alarming" as tensions over the North's nuclear programme again flared.
Ri Yong-ho was responding to comments by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who urged other countries to keep up sanctions pressure on Pyongyang.
A landmark summit between the two sides in Singapore in June saw the North agree to work towards denuclearisation.
But details remain vague and the UN says its nuclear programme continues.
At a regional forum, also in Singapore, Mr Pompeo said it was important to maintain "diplomatic and economic pressure" on North Korea to achieve "the final, fully verified denuclearisation".
Pyongyang is currently under a range of international and US sanctions over its nuclear programme and missile tests.
What was said at the latest meeting?
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishna said discussions about the North Korean nuclear programme at the Asean regional forum had been "brutally frank" but there was some good news.
"People acknowledge that there has been some progress and that the summit in Singapore did change the tone of the conversation and hopefully will help set the stage for a peaceful resolution of the outstanding issues," he told AFP news agency.
North Korea carried out a series of long-range missile tests in 2017
Mr Pompeo said he expected all nations to abide by sanctions, singling out Russia amid reports that it had potentially violated them by allowing thousands of North Korean labourers into the country. Russia has denied this.
In response, Mr Ri said that North Korea "stands firm" in its commitment made at the June summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
He added: "What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the US to go back to the old, far from its leader's intention."
Mr Ri and Mr Pompeo only met face-to-face briefly, exchanging smiles, handshakes and a few brief words.
Also at Saturday's meeting, the US delegation delivered a letter from Mr Trump for Mr Kim. It is unclear what it contained.
What did the two leaders agree in June?
Mr Trump and Mr Kim made a commitment to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, but it is still unclear how this could be achieved.
Nukes, Trump Towers and human rights - what might peace look like between the US and North Korea?
The commitment was included in a one-page agreement at the end of the summit aimed at reducing regional tensions.
Aside from the written agreement, the US president also announced that joint military exercises with South Korea, which he described as "provocative", would end.
What has happened since the summit?
Amid a tentative warming of relations since June, North Korea appears to have begun dismantling part of a key rocket launch site in the north-west, in compliance with a promise by Mr Kim to destroy an engine test site.
And at the end of July, the North returned to the US remains believed to be of 55 US troops killed during the Korean War, as agreed at the summit.
The satellite imagery appears to show the dismantling of facilities at North Korea's Sohae site
But reports last month based on US intelligence leaks suggest Pyongyang is still upgrading its uranium enrichment sites.
The reports are seen as undermining the spirit of the summit and casting doubt on the North's sincerity.
Then last week, unnamed US officials said that Pyongyang appeared to be building new ballistic missiles after spy satellites spotted continuing activity at one site.
A UN Security Council-commissioned report on Friday said North Korea was continuing its nuclear and missile programmes, violating UN sanctions.
It was increasing illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil products and trying to sell weapons abroad, it said.
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