North Korea burst into the news early this week when President Trump threatened to meet any acts that endangered the United States with “fire and fury like the world has never seen,” raising the specter of nuclear warfare.

Here is an overview of The New York Times’s coverage.

The basics: apocalyptic tones and threats

The United States and North Korea have been in conflict for decades. Here is a look at how it has built to this point.

Last month, North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that appeared capable of hitting Alaska and Hawaii, prompting the United States to toughen its military pressure. Weeks later, it tested a missile that experts said was capable of hitting California.

The tensions spiked on Tuesday when Mr. Trump told reporters: “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”