This week on CounterSpin: North Korea's launch of several missiles on July 4th revealed once again the sensational and crisis-driven nature of U.S. media coverage of North Korea. While media dredged up stories of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's irrationality and eccentricity, coverage left many Americans ill-informed U.S./North Korea relations. Korean expert John Feffer will join us to talk about the latest alleged crisis.

Also on the show: Remember Ronald Reagan and his Cadillac-driving welfare queens? Now that the White House wants to tighten public assistance even further, officials are pushing a new image: welfare recipients will no longer get work credits for getting massages. What is that actually about, and does anybody—in the press corps that is—care? We'll hear about the latest round of welfare changes from journalist Neil deMause.

Links:

—JohnFeffer.com

—deMause.net