美防长称保卫韩国的承诺“坚如磐石”
美国国防部长马蒂斯星期四再次向韩国保证，美国对保卫韩国安全的承诺“仍然坚如磐石”。
马蒂斯在首尔与韩国国防部长会谈时做出以上保证。美韩两国官员继续就实现朝鲜非核化进行磋商。
6月早些时候，川普总统在新加坡与朝鲜领导人金正恩会见后宣布暂停与韩国的联合军演。朝鲜长期以来一直呼吁停止美韩军演，担心军演的目的是入侵朝鲜。美国和韩国否认有此企图。
川普总统的决定让东亚地区一些美国盟友对美国的安全保护感到担心。
马蒂斯星期四说，暂停军演为朝鲜半岛实现和平提供了更好的机会。他还说，美国驻韩美军人数不变，两国军队仍将保持警惕，随时准备应对任何挑战。
马蒂斯访问韩国后前往日本，与日本高级官员会谈。
马蒂斯早些时候访问了中国，与中国国家主席习近平会见，并提到南中国海的军事化以及自由航行的问题。
Mattis Reassures South Korea of 'Ironclad' US Support
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis reassured South Korea on Thursday that U.S. commitment to its security "remains ironclad."
The comments came as Mattis met with the South Korean Defense Minister in Seoul while negotiators from both countries continue toward the goal of a denuclearized North Korea.
Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of military exercises with South Korea after he held a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea had long called for the drills to stop amid fears they were aimed at planning an invasion, which the U.S. and South Korean militaries denied.
Trump's move raised concerns among U.S. allies in the region about the continuing security assistance the United States would provide.
Mattis said Thursday halting the exercises creates a better chance for peace on the Korean peninsula. But he said the number of U.S. troops stationed there will not change, and that both militaries remain "vigilant and ready to defend against any challenge."
The Pentagon chief travels on to Japan for meetings there with senior officials.
He made an earlier stop in China where he met with President Xi Jinping and raised concerns about militarization and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
美国联邦最高法院大法官肯尼迪宣布退休
美国最高法院大法官安东尼·肯尼迪星期三宣布他计划退休，给川普总统在任职期间第二次机会任命一位更为保守的人士接替被认为是温和派的肯尼迪。
现年81岁的肯尼迪在担任最高法院大法官30年间在包括堕胎、同性恋权利和投票权在内的很多重大案件中投下关键一票。
他7月底正式开始退休。
肯尼迪在声明中说，能够在联邦司法体系中为国效力43年，包括在最高法院效力30年是他最大的荣幸。
川普总统任命的大法官可能会让保守派在联邦最高法院中牢固掌握多数的五席。肯尼迪退休后，最高法院8名大法官中有4名民主党总统任命的自由派大法官和4名共和党总统任命的保守派大法官。
肯尼迪曾撰写过联邦最高法院的重大意见书，包括1992年确认堕胎权的裁决和2015年具有里程碑意义的美国同性婚姻合法化裁决。
但是肯尼迪大法官星期二在他参与的最后一个案件中加入了4名保守派大法官，裁定川普行政当局禁止人口多为穆斯林的5个国家的公民入境的政令合法。这项政令在美国引起很大争议。
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy to Retire
Justice Anthony Kennedy, a moderate on the Supreme Court, announced his retirement on Wednesday, giving President Donald Trump the second opportunity of his presidency to put forward a more conservative judge and alter the makeup of the nation's highest court.
Kennedy, 81, has often cast the decisive vote in landmark Supreme Court cases during his 30 years on the bench, including those involving abortion, gay rights and voting rights.
His retirement becomes effective at the end of July.
In a statement, Kennedy said it had been his “greatest honor and privilege to serve our nation in the federal judiciary for 43 years, 30 years of those years on the Supreme Court."
A Trump-named successor would likely create a solid five-member conservative majority on the court. Without Kennedy, the court will be split between four liberal justices who were appointed by Democratic presidents and four conservatives who were named by Republicans.
Kennedy has authored major Supreme Court opinions, including a 1992 ruling that reaffirmed abortion rights, and a landmark 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.
But in his final decision on the Supreme Court, Kennedy joined the court’s four conservative justices on Tuesday in upholding the Trump administration’s controversial travel ban on citizens of five predominantly Muslim countries.
