8/31/2018

JARED KUSHNER/PALESTINE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “The Trump administration’s decision to end American funding to a United Nations agency that provides assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees was denounced broadly on Friday [8-31-18] by international officials, former United States diplomats and Palestinians who were reeling from the elimination of a decades-long policy of support. The State Department […]

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8/20/2018

CIA/INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “More than 175 former U.S. State Department and Pentagon officials added their names to a statement signed by former national security officials criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan. New signatories to the statement, initially issued last week by 15 former directors […]

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8/16/2018

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/SANCTIONS/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday [8-16-18] named senior policy adviser Brian Hook as Washington’s special representative for Iran. The move came as the Trump administration prepared to increase economic pressure on Iran by restoring sanctions to force Tehran to end its nuclear weapons program and support for militant groups […]

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7/31/2018

DEMS/GUNS/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “State officials, Democratic lawmakers and gun control groups waged a frantic legal fight on Tuesday [7-31-18] to block the online distribution of blueprints for 3-D printed ‘ghost guns,’ even as President Trump said he is ‘looking into’ his administration’s decision last month to allow the posting of instructions for making the untraceable, […]

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7/31/2018

GUNS/NRA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Tuesday [7-31-18] voiced skepticism about the legal sale of 3-D printed firearms, writing on Twitter that the practice ‘doesn’t seem to make much sense!’ Mr. Trump said he had talked to the National Rifle Association about such firearms, though he didn’t give any detail about what steps he might […]

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7/25/2018

GANGS/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration was warned that ending US protections for more than 300,000 Central Americans would strengthen and grow MS-13 and gangs that President Donald Trump has called ‘animals,’ according to an internal report obtained by CNN. But the administration went on to end the protections for citizens of El Salvador, […]

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7/23/2018

MIKE POMPEO/REFUGEES/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Thirty-two prominent former U.S. diplomats and 11 aid groups on Monday [7-23-18] urged U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to eliminate a key State Department refugee bureau, warning that the move would be ‘an error of grave proportion.’ In a letter to Pompeo, the former diplomats and national security advisers […]

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7/20/2018

RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Two groups representing U.S. diplomats scolded President Donald Trump for entertaining the idea of handing former Ambassador Michael McFaul over to Russia for questioning, saying such a move would ensure that ‘no diplomat could be secure in carrying out his or her instructions from Washington’…On Monday [7-16-18], Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested […]

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7/6/2018

CIA/DEFENSE/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kicked off talks in North Korea with one of leader Kim Jong Un’s top lieutenants, Gen. Kim Yong Chol, soon after arriving in Pyongyang. During his trip, Mr. Pompeo aims to fill out the details of a North Korean pledge to work toward denuclearization, including […]

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7/2/2018

IRAN/OIL/SANCTIONS/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is softening its earlier demand that countries like China, India and Turkey end all imports of Iranian oil by Nov. 4, as a top State Department official on Monday [7-2-18] said the United States would allow reduced oil flows, in certain cases…His announcement was a delicate attempt at reassuring […]

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7/2/2018

IRAN/OIL/SANCTIONS/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration will consider requests for waivers from economic sanctions against Iran on a ‘case-by-case’ basis, a senior State Department official said Monday [7-2-18], a step back from threats to insist on zero imports by a Nov. 4 deadline. Buyers of Iranian crude oil have been hoping for relief from U.S. […]

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7/2/2018

DEMS/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Sunday [7-1-18] that she doesn’t believe President Trump is a fascist but called him the ‘most undemocratic president in modern American history’…Albright, who led the State Department under President Bill Clinton between 1997 and 2001, has publicly written that fascism and the ‘tendencies that lead […]

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6/30/2018

IVANKA/MIKE POMPEO/STATE: “RT @IvankaTrump: Thank you @SecPompeo. It was an honor to join you and your talented, passionate colleagues at @StateDept to honor the her…” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 30, 2018 5:49 am […]

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6/29/2018

HUMAN RIGHTS/RACISM/STATE/UN/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A Trump administration appointee to the State Department tore into standard UN documents that condemn racism as a threat to democracy. The deputy assistant secretary for refugees and migration, a foreign service officer promoted by the White House to an unusually senior position for his rank, disputed the idea that leaders have […]

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6/28/2018

CHILDREN/IMMIGRATION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The State Department warned in a report on Thursday [6-28-18] that separating children from their parents can cause lasting psychological damage that leaves them vulnerable to trafficking, a cautionary tale that comes amid an uproar over a Trump administration immigration policy that has temporarily broken up migrant families as they enter the […]

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6/28/2018

BORDER/CHILDREN/IMMIGRATION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The State Department said children held in government facilities are at higher risk of psychological damage and should be separated from their families only as a ‘last resort.’ The finding, part of the agency’s Trafficking in Persons Report released Thursday [6-28-18], came as President Donald Trump seeks to quiet public furor […]

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5/31/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is better known for speaking directly to his base than trying to win over his critics. But when it comes to selling Trump’s Iran strategy and other foreign policy initiatives, the White House has been blasting out its talking points to an uncharacteristically inclusive list of foreign policy […]

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5/29/2018

ASIA/FOREIGN POLICY/MINORITIES/RELIGION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Myanmar’s military campaign to kill or drive away its ethnic minorities is worsening despite a growing international outcry, according to a State Department religious freedom report that was released on Tuesday [5-29-18]. Violence against the Rohingya, nearly all of whom are Muslim, in the country’s Rakhine state has been likened to […]

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5/29/2018

HUMAN RIGHTS/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A U.S. State Department spokeswoman declined to say whether human rights abuses were on the agenda of meetings with North Korea, despite criticism by successive administrations and a U.S. government report on Tuesday that described Pyongyang as running a system of prison labor camps…Any summit between U.S. President Donald Trump […]

Read More… from 5/29/2018

5/23/2018

CIA/MIKE POMPEO/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday 5[5-23-18] that he ‘does not believe there is a deep state’ at the State Department or the CIA — contradicting President Donald Trump’s repeated assertion that there are forces within the government conspiring against him. Just hours after Trump tweeted about the existence of […]

Read More… from 5/23/2018

5/16/2018

ETHICS/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday [5-16-18] appeared to offer an implicit rebuke of his old boss, as he warned of a ‘growing crisis in ethics and integrity’ during a commencement address at the Virginia Military Institute…The ex-diplomat — who did not mention President Donald Trump by name […]

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5/15/2018

MIKE POMPEO/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday [5-15-18] lifted a hiring freeze at the department, reversing an unpopular policy introduced by his predecessor, Rex Tillerson. A State Department official said the move applied to both foreign-service and civil-service job classifications and would allow hiring to resume at current funding levels…Under Mr. Tillerson, […]

Read More… from 5/15/2018

5/8/2018

STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Another desk is being vacated in the ever-churning White House communications department. Cliff Sims, a special assistant to the president who oversees White House message strategy, is expected to take a position at the State Department as a senior adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the coming weeks…Sims was officially offered […]

Read More… from 5/8/2018

5/2/2018

CIA/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump hailed newly minted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a ‘true American hero’ while alluding to a boost of energy at the State Department during a ceremony marking the agency leader’s swearing-in on Wednesday [5-2-18]. In his first remarks at the State Department since becoming president, Trump praised […]

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5/2/2018

MIKE POMPEO/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is trying to hit reset at the State Department on the eve of a critical decision on the Iran nuclear deal and a potential summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump made his first visit to the department on Wednesday [5-2-18] for the ceremonial swearing-in […]

Read More… from 5/2/2018

5/1/2018

IRAN/MIKE POMPEO/NUCLEAR/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Incoming U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised to restore the State Department’s ‘swagger’ in his first address to employees on Monday [4-30-18] after a whirlwind tour of Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan over the weekend. Mr. Pompeo was greeted in the State Department’s packed lobby with lengthy applause and cries of […]

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4/19/2018

DEMS/MIKE POMPEO/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mike Pompeo came close on Thursday [4-19-18] to clinching confirmation as the nation’s 70th secretary of state when Senator Heidi Heitkamp, Democrat of North Dakota, announced her support. But before that triumph, he is expected to face a historic rebuke from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which most likely will not recommend […]

Read More… from 4/19/2018

4/17/2018

CIA/MIKE POMPEO/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Nominees to lead the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency are encountering resistance in the Senate, where critics of President Donald Trump’s are prepared to make their confirmation battles a referendum on his foreign-policy positions. Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director and Mr. Trump’s pick to be the next secretary of state, […]

Read More… from 4/17/2018

4/13/2018

MIKE POMPEO/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “It’s starting to look like Mike Pompeo might not get a favorable vote from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support his nomination as secretary of state, after three Democrats (and at least one Republican) on the panel have signaled they’ll vote against the current CIA director. Nominations can advance to full […]

Read More… from 4/13/2018

4/12/2018

MIKE POMPEO/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo promised on Thursday [4-12-18] to rebuild the State Department that has been gutted by the departure of senior diplomats and has found itself sidelined in foreign policy decisions under the Trump administration. A reorganization and hiring freeze initiated by former Secretary of State Rex […]

Read More… from 4/12/2018

4/12/2018

MIKE POMPEO/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Senators on Thursday [4-12-18] implored Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director nominated to be secretary of state, to stabilize the Trump administration’s erratic diplomacy by standing up to Russia and other adversaries and reinstalling American influence among allies. Under persistent questioning, Mr. Pompeo said that he had spoken to Robert S. Mueller […]

Read More… from 4/12/2018

4/12/2018

MIKE POMPEO/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mike Pompeo, the CIA director nominated to be secretary of state, defended the Trump administration’s efforts to push back on aggression from Russia at his confirmation hearing Thursday [4-12-18] while suggesting more sanctions on Moscow are still needed. Yet he dodged repeatedly when Democrats tried to pin him down on President […]

Read More… from 4/12/2018

4/11/2018

GOP/MIKE POMPEO/STATE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mike Pompeo won’t have his Senate confirmation hearing until Thursday [4-12-18], but the Republican National Committee has already launched a pressure campaign aimed at coaxing politically vulnerable red-state Democrats to support his nomination for secretary of state. Pompeo won votes from 15 Senate Democratic caucus members last year for his nomination […]

Read More… from 4/11/2018

4/5/2018

BUSINESS/REX TILLERSON/STATE DEPARTMENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “It was one of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s core goals: radically reshaping the State Department to make it leaner, cheaper and modernized to the standards of a former private-sector CEO. Now that Tillerson has been fired, the vaunted ‘Redesign’ initiative he launched faces an uncertain future, but at least one […]

Read More… from 4/5/2018

3/30/2018

IMMIGRATION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In a broad expansion of the information gathered from applicants for U.S. visas, the federal government is proposing to collect social media identities from nearly everyone who seeks entry into the United States, according to a State Department filing on Friday [3-30-18]. The proposal, if approved by the Office of Management and […]

Read More… from 3/30/2018

3/29/2018

MIKE POMPEO/SECRETARY OF STATE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “As President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, prepares to face lawmakers for his second major confirmation hearing as a Trump nominee, scores of former diplomats are urging lawmakers to ‘focus public attention on the urgent need to restore the power and influence of American […]

Read More… from 3/29/2018

3/26/2018

RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “America’s most sweeping expulsion of Russian diplomats since the Cold War may have seemed like a dramatic escalation in Washington’s response to Moscow, but the groundwork for a more confrontational U.S. posture had been taking shape for months — in plain sight. While President Donald Trump’s conciliatory rhetoric toward Moscow has dominated […]

Read More… from 3/26/2018

3/22/2018

DEMS/SENATE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A Democratic senator urged fellow lawmakers to stop blocking votes on Trump administration ambassadorial nominees, arguing that the absence of ambassadors in key countries is hurting American diplomacy. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, specifically called for a confirmation vote on Richard Grenell, the Trump […]

Read More… from 3/22/2018

3/22/2018

EU/IRAN/NUCLEAR/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A disagreement between Washington and Europe over a key Trump administration concern about the Iran nuclear agreement threatens to scuttle efforts to preserve the international accord, U.S. officials said, as talks continue on a supplemental agreement. The State Department has been leading discussions with Germany, the U.K. and France since January, with […]

Read More… from 3/22/2018

3/19/2018

MIKE POMPEO/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is meeting with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, the man President Donald Trump has chosen to replace him. A State Department official says that Tillerson and Pompeo were sitting down at the department’s headquarters in Foggy Bottom. The official wasn’t authorized to comment by name and […]

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3/14/2018

CIA/NOMINATIONS/RAND PAUL/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) said Wednesday [3-14-18] he would oppose the nominations of Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state and Gina Haspel to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. The announcement by Mr. Paul, the first Republican to oppose either nominee, makes it likely that Democratic support will be needed for […]

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3/14/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House has created a working group to prepare for the landmark meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. But Mr. Trump’s sudden ousting on Tuesday [3-13-18] of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson could delay critical elements of the planning until the Senate confirms […]

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3/13/2018

CIA/FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump’s plan to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed Rex Tillerson as secretary of state positions a crucial Trump ally as the administration’s top diplomat, one who the president said is more in line with his foreign-policy vision. Mr. Pompeo is among the few outsiders to have […]

Read More… from 3/13/2018

3/13/2018

REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Hours after his boss, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, was ousted Steve Goldstein, the under secretary of public affairs at the State Department has been fired by the White House. Goldstein publicly contradicted the White House account of how Tillerson was fired on Tuesday [3-13-18] morning. Goldstein said Tillerson was officially […]

Read More… from 3/13/2018

3/12/2018

AFRICA/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will cut short his first Africa tour and return to the U.S. a day earlier than planned, amid two major policy announcements by President Donald Trump —both with foreign- affairs implications. ‘Due to pressing demands in the U.S., Secretary Tillerson will return tonight (Monday) [3-12-18] after concluding […]

Read More… from 3/12/2018

3/11/2018

EDUCATION/IMMIGRATION/STATE: “The number of visas issued to foreign students fell markedly last year amid stricter immigration policies, State Department data show, exacerbating financial challenges for some U.S. colleges and universities. Some of the slide can be attributed to stepped-up competition from schools in other countries and less support for foreign study by some governments. But […]

Read More… from 3/11/2018

3/11/2018

DEMS/STATE/NOMINATIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Democrats continue to Obstruct the confirmation of hundreds of good and talented people who are needed to run our government…A record in U.S. history. State Department, Ambassadors and many others are being slow walked. Senate must approve NOW!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 11, 2018 09:49am […]

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3/8/2018

IMMIGRATION/NOMINATIONS/STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A White House aide close to senior policy adviser Stephen Miller who has advocated strict limits on immigration into the U.S. has been selected for a top State Department post overseeing refugee admissions, according to current and former officials. Andrew Veprek’s appointment as a deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees […]

Read More… from 3/8/2018

3/7/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In two months, the United States plans to open a new embassy to fulfill President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. There’s just one problem: The embassy may be in Jerusalem, but it may not be fully in Israel. The diplomatic compound that will serve as the American Embassy until […]

Read More… from 3/7/2018

3/6/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TERRORISM/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson heads to Africa this week for a five-nation trip focusing on counterterrorism, China’s influence and fence-mending, a visit that comes as the Trump administration tries to set out its priorities there. The one-week tour by the most senior Trump administration official to visit the continent […]

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3/4/2018

CYBERWAR/POLITICS/RUSSIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As Russia’s virtual war against the United States continues unabated with the midterm elections approaching, the State Department has yet to spend any of the $120 million it has been allocated since late 2016 to counter foreign efforts to meddle in elections or sow distrust in democracy. As a result, not one […]

Read More… from 3/4/2018

3/2/2018

CUBA/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “The U.S. will make staff reductions at its embassy in Havana permanent, the State Department said Friday [3-2-18], as officials have so far failed to determine the source of ‘health attacks’ against personnel stationed there. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had ordered most staff except for emergency personnel to leave the embassy in […]

Read More… from 3/2/2018

3/1/2018

AMBASSADOR/MEXICO/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States ambassador to Mexico plans to resign from her post in May, according to a memo circulated on Thursday [3-1-18] to embassy staff, the latest in a string of senior diplomatic departures from the region — and more broadly from the State Department. The ambassador, Roberta S. Jacobson, 57, served […]

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2/27/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SPORTS/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “North Korea’s declaration at the end of the Winter Olympics of its willingness to start a dialogue with the United States offered a sliver of optimism that the political pageantry of the Games would lead to more substantial results. A day after the closing ceremony, President Trump responded that the […]

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2/27/2018

AMBASSADOR/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/STATE: “Joseph Yun, the top U.S. diplomat on North Korea issues, said Tuesday [2-27-18] that he plans to retire this week, dealing a blow to Washington’s efforts at outreach to Pyongyang as the regime signals its interest in dialogue with the U.S. Mr. Yun confirmed the news, reported earlier by CNN, in an […]

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2/26/2018

2016 ELECTION/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/STATE: “The State Department will get $40 million in new funding to fight disinformation from foreign countries, the agency said Monday [2-26-18] in a long-awaited announcement that avoided mentioning Russia by name. The funding for the State Department’s Global Engagement Center had been a source of tension between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson […]

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2/23/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/STATE: “The Trump administration is expected to move its US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem sometime in May, according to a senior State Department official. While symbolically important, the move is likely a preliminary step in a broader relocation effort initiated by the administration in December, which Secretary of State Rex […]

Read More… from 2/23/2018

2/23/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/STATE: “The State Department is set to begin operating its embassy in Jerusalem in May and is entertaining an unusual offer from Sheldon Adelson, Republican Party donor and casino magnate, to help pay for a new facility after an initial move from Tel Aviv, U.S. officials said. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson late Thursday […]

Read More… from 2/23/2018

2/22/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/IRAQ/REX TILLERSON/STATE/SYRIA: “The Trump administration has decided that it needs no new legal authority from Congress to indefinitely keep American military forces deployed in Syria and Iraq, even in territory that has been cleared of Islamic State fighters, according to Pentagon and State Department officials. In a pair of letters, the officials illuminated the […]

Read More… from 2/22/2018

2/22/2018

REX TILLERSON/STATE/WOMEN: “State Department officials have been ordered to pare back passages in a soon-to-be-released annual report on global human rights that traditionally discuss women’s reproductive rights and discrimination, according to five former and current department officials. The directive calls for stripping passages that describe societal views on family planning, including how much access women […]

Read More… from 2/22/2018

2/20/2018

DEFENSE/STATE/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF SUBJECT: Delegation of Authorities under Section 1245 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the […]

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2/16/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NATO/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TURKEY: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday [2-16-18] said the U.S. and Turkey won’t ‘act alone any longer,’ but the North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies fell short of immediate concrete steps to improve what the top U.S. diplomat described as a ‘crisis point’ in relations. The two countries instead pledged to form […]

Read More… from 2/16/2018

2/15/2018

CUBA/FBI/STATE: “A group of American diplomats stationed in Havana appear to have symptoms of concussion without ever having received blows to their heads, medical experts have found. The diplomats originally were said to have been victims of a ‘sonic attack,’ a possibility that the Federal Bureau of Investigation reportedly ruled out in January. The experts’ […]

Read More… from 2/15/2018

2/12/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/REX TILLERSON/SOUTH KOREA/STATE: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said ‘it’s too early to judge’ whether new overtures involving North and South Korea could lead to a serious diplomatic process regarding Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program… Mr. Tillerson’s comments followed a weekend in which the start of the Winter Olympics in South Korea gave rise […]

Read More… from 2/12/2018

2/9/2018

DEFENSE/STATE/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SUBJECT: Delegation of Certain Functions and Authorities under Section 1235 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 […]

Read More… from 2/9/2018

2/8/2018

DEFENSE/STATE/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SUBJECT: Delegation of Certain Functions and Authorities under Section 1252 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 […]

Read More… from 2/8/2018

2/7/2018

2016 ELECTION/CYBERWAR/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/STATE: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that any Russian interference in November’s midterm elections would ‘invite consequences,’ but suggested the United States is still vulnerable to such meddling… Tillerson said the Trump administration is seeing signs of meddling in European elections, as well as elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere, and suggested they […]

Read More… from 2/7/2018

2/5/2018

DEFENSE/INTELLIGENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/STATE/TREASURY/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “SUBJECT: Delegation of Certain Functions and Authorities under Section 1238 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate […]

Read More… from 2/5/2018

2/5/2018

SPORTS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Several Philadelphia Eagles players will skip out on any White House celebration this year following their first-ever Super Bowl win Sunday [2-4-18]. Wide receiver Torrey Smith, defensive end Chris Long and safety Malcolm Jenkins have all said they will not attend if the traditional presidential invitation is extended… Last year, several Patriots […]

Read More… from 2/5/2018

2/5/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/NUCLEAR/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. has met the limits on the number of deployed nuclear warheads it is allowed under a 2010 treaty with Russia, the State Department said Monday, and expects to find Moscow in compliance with its obligations as well. The State Department said the U.S. has fulfilled its commitments under […]

Read More… from 2/5/2018

2/2/2018

REX TILLERSON/STATE: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has spent much of his first year trying to manage crises with North Korea, Syria, Iran and Venezuela. But he’s largely alone at the highest levels of the State Department, a problem exacerbated after the senior career diplomat, Tom Shannon, announced on Thursday that he plans to […]

Read More… from 2/2/2018

2/2/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/STATE/SUDAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan Friday [2-3-18], in a sign of Washington’s mounting frustration with continued violence in the country. The move is more symbolic than practical, as the U.S. government doesn’t sell arms or provide defense services to South Sudan, and there is virtually no military […]

Read More… from 2/2/2018

2/1/2018

POLITICAL FIGURES/STATE: “The State Department’s top career diplomat announced his resignation on Thursday [2-1-18], contributing to an exodus of senior diplomats during the Trump administration. Thomas A. Shannon Jr., the under secretary of state for political affairs, is the department’s third highest ranking official. He will serve until his successor is confirmed by the Senate, […]

Read More… from 2/1/2018

2/1/2018

GUANTANAMO/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s order to keep open the Guantanamo Bay prison camp formalized a yearlong push to halt his predecessor’s efforts to close the detention center, but raises tough questions about how to manage the costly facility and its inmates. The State Department directed diplomats at its missions around the world to […]

Read More… from 2/1/2018

2/1/2018

CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/STATE: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson criticized Chinese and Russian attempts to expand footholds in Latin America as the chief U.S. diplomat prepared to embark Thursday on a visit to the region… Mr. Tillerson took particular aim at China and criticized what he described as Beijing’s unfair trading practices… China is the largest […]

Read More… from 2/1/2018

1/28/2018

STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A growing number of State Department employees are charging they are being put in career purgatory because of their previous work on policy priorities associated with President Barack Obama and in offices the Trump administration is interested in closing. The situation has got so serious that several officials tell CNN they have […]

Read More… from 1/28/2018

1/23/2018

MILITARY/NATIONAL SECURITY/REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/STATE/SYRIA: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he is holding Russia accountable for a new chemical weapon attack believed to be conducted by Syrian government forces near Damascus on Monday [1-22-18]. Moscow’s failure to halt chemical strikes calls into question Russia’s ability to participate in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, Mr. Tillerson […]

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1/22/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/REX TILLERSON/STATE/UK: “The United States needs to pay attention to its treasured relationship with Britain, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday [1-22-18] just days after Donald Trump canceled a trip to London citing anger at the sale of an embassy. Trump’s cancellation of his trip has raised questions in Britain over […]

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1/18/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and has decided to modify an existing property to accommodate the new mission that will open next year, U.S. officials said. The U.S. won’t be building a new structure, in a shift […]

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1/18/2018

FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/REX TILLERSON/STATE/SYRIA: “The U.S. will turn its focus in Syria to moving to reduce Iranian influence there, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a policy speech that marked a shift in U.S. strategy in Syria away from Islamic State. Mr. Tillerson on Wednesday [1-17-18] said the U.S. will reinvigorate diplomatic efforts and maintain […]

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1/16/2018

IRS/STATE/TAXES: “A law that would deny or revoke passports for U.S. citizens with seriously delinquent tax debt is set to take effect later this month. Under the law, the Internal Revenue Service is required to notify the State Department after it has certified that an individual has unpaid federal taxes, including penalties and interest, of […]

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1/12/2018

AMBASSADOR/PANAMA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. Ambassador to Panama John Feeley, a career diplomat and former Marine Corps helicopter pilot, has resigned, telling the State Department he no longer feels able to serve President Donald Trump. ‘As a junior foreign service officer, I signed an oath to serve faithfully the president and his administration in an apolitical […]

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1/10/2018

STATE: “The State Department has revamped its warnings about the risks of traveling to other countries, in an effort to make them easier to understand, officials announced Wednesday [1-10-18]. The department changed the previous phrasing from the previous warnings and alerts, which some travelers found confusing, to a colored-number system of advisories with more explicit […]

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1/9/2018

FBI/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will order a special panel to investigate the U.S. response to mysterious illnesses that have stricken American diplomats and their relatives in Havana. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Department have been probing the incidents in recent months after the administration said they resulted from attacks. […]

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1/7/2018

DHS/IMMIGRATION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. admitted about 5,000 refugees in the first three months of fiscal year 2018, far below similar periods in recent years, as the Trump administration implemented tougher screening and all but halted admissions from parts of the world that generate large numbers of refugees. Unless the pace of admissions picks up, […]

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1/4/2018

IRAN/PROTESTS/STATE/TREASURY: “The U.S. imposed sanctions on five entities tied to Iran’s ballistic-missile program, seeking to punish Tehran for its management of the economy as thousands of Iranians protest against their government. Treasury Department officials blamed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other parts of the government for funding proxies across the Middle East despite the […]

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1/2/2018

2016 ELECTION/HILLARY CLINTON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday [1-2-18] suggested that Hillary Clinton’s longtime aide, Huma Abedin, should be jailed after the State Department’s release last week of classified emails found on the laptop of Abedin’s estranged husband, Anthony Weiner… The emails to which Trump referred, released last week in response to a […]

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12/21/2017

STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. State Department has told refugee agencies it will sharply pare back the number of offices across the country authorized to resettle people in 2018 as President Donald Trump cuts the number of refugees allowed into the United States. The announcement was made at a Dec. 1 meeting in Washington with […]

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12/19/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “Three months into his tenure as secretary of state, Rex Tillerson alarmed veteran diplomats with remarks that sounded like a potential shift in American foreign policy: The U.S., he said, should be careful not to let values like human rights create ‘obstacles’ to the pursuit of its interests. The comment, at a […]

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12/17/2017

CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson let slip last week a few tantalizing details about one of the nation’s most secret military contingency plans: how the United States would try to race inside North Korea to seize its nuclear weapons if it ever saw evidence that Kim Jong-un’s government was collapsing. […]

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12/15/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “An American diplomat who resigned in frustration last week has told CNN that she believes the Trump administration is putting American citizens abroad at risk by sidelining the State Department… The State Department not only helps shape foreign policy, she said, but gets American civilians out of harm’s way overseas. Without […]

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12/14/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “The White House and State Department both stated Wednesday [12-13-17] that the US is not ready to begin talks with North Korea, a day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had suggested the two sides could start negotiating without preconditions. Tillerson’s offer Tuesday to “sit down and see each other face […]

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12/12/2017

NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRADE DEALS: “Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ruled out pursuing a traditional Cold War-style containment and deterrence strategy against a nuclear-armed North Korea, citing concerns that Pyongyang will transform its arsenal into a commercial business and sell nuclear weapons to other actors… President Donald Trump has long said he won’t tolerate a […]

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12/11/2017

REX TILLERSON/STATE: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau next week for talks on how to address the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons, an Ottawa source said on Monday [12-11-17]. Canada and the United States are due to co-host a meeting of foreign ministers in Vancouver in […]

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12/6/2017

FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump granted U.S. recognition to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Wednesday, veering from decades of U.S. policy and launching an uncertain chapter in Washington’s decadeslong quest for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. Trump also ordered the State Department to begin moving the U.S. Embassy to […]

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12/6/2017

REX TILLERSON/RUSSIA/STATE/UKRAINE: “U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday [12-6-17] he is hopeful that Moscow and Washington can bridge differences and agree on a peacekeeping force for Ukraine. U.S. and Russian negotiators have been trying to reach a deal on a peacekeeping force in Eastern Ukraine that could help stop the fighting between the […]

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