Sticks and stones and ICBMs

[Bloomberg View]( A daily digest of opinions and analysis Fewer Insults, More Sanctions for North Korea Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never stop a missile launch. As the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. [escalated]( their war of words over the weekend, the [Bloomberg View editorial board notes]( that Trump's tough talk only ratcheted up everyone's anxiety. (And since the president can't confine himself to a single target, [Timothy L. O'Brien dissects]( his controversial speech in Alabama on Friday, which somehow turned into several days of insults directed at American athletes.) Angela Merkel's Lackluster Victory Is Good News for Germany Sunday's [federal election]( may have left the German chancellor weaker, but it strengthened the country's democracy. [Leonid Bershidsky argues]( that spirited opposition on left and right guarantees Merkel won't spend her fourth term resting on her laurels. Conservatives, Health Insurance, and the Return of States' Rights The latest foundering attempt to [repeal Obamacare]( "takes money and power out of Washington and gives it back to patients and states," [according to]( co-sponsor Lindsey Graham — an appealing notion, perhaps. But as [Frank Wilkinson explains](, the cheery rhetoric of empowerment conceals the Graham-Cassidy health-care bill's deeper and more poisonous roots. How to Wage Twitter War for Fun and Profit As two London museums [proved]( earlier this month, needling the competition on social media can be a smart way to build exposure. Just, you know, don't be a jerk about it. Public relations expert [Kara Alaimo offers]( a few simple guidelines for businesses hoping to build their brands with some good-natured online sparring.  Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can't find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Ritholtz's Reads - How a tax haven is leading the race to privatize space ([The Guardian]() - HGTV is a never-ending fantasy loop. Look deeper, and it gets pretty ugly ([Vulture]() - Wall Street's best-kept secret is a 72-year-old Russian chess expert ([Bloomberg]() (Read Barry Ritholtz's full daily news roundup [here](.) Bloomberg L.P. ● 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Web]( ● [Facebook]( ● [Twitter]( [Feedback]( ● [Unsubscribe](