Politics Apr 22 State Department unveils massive overhaul of agency, 15 percent staff reduction By Farnoush Amiri, Matthew Lee, Associated Press
Politics Jan 20 Senate confirms Marco Rubio as secretary of state, giving Trump the first member of his Cabinet Rubio is among the least controversial of Trump’s nominees. Another, John Ratcliffe, is also expected to be quickly confirmed as CIA director. By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press
Politics Nov 12 Watch 5:32 Trump begins to fill foreign policy and national security teams for 2nd term A second Donald Trump administration is taking shape, one new appointee at a time. Tuesday, the president-elect tapped more of his closest allies to fill some of the government’s top posts. Among them is Sen. Marco Rubio, putting Trump’s one-time… By Laura Barrón-López, Eliot Barnhart
Politics Sep 24 House Republicans vote to advance Blinken contempt charges over Afghanistan withdrawal testimony Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a letter to Rep. Michael McCaul, said that he was “profoundly disappointed” in the chairman's decision to advance contempt proceedings and urged him to find a resolution in “good faith.”… By Farnoush Amiri, Matthew Lee, Associated Press
Politics Jan 29 WATCH: Blinken and NATO head Stoltenberg meet as Sweden moves closer to military alliance entry The brazen attack, which the Biden administration blames on Iranian-based proxies, adds another layer of complexity to an already tense Mideast situation as the Biden administration tries to keep the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a broader regional conflict. By Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller, Associated Press
Jan 09 Maine House votes down GOP effort to impeach election official who removed Trump from ballot By David Sharp, Associated Press She's the first secretary of state in history to block someone from running for president by invoking the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause. Continue reading
Jan 08 Blinken meets with leaders in Saudi Arabia, UAE in push to contain Israel-Hamas war By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that four key Arab nations and Turkey have agreed to begin planning for the reconstruction and governance of Gaza once Israel’s war against Hamas ends. Continue reading
Jan 07 Watch 2:38 News Wrap: Blinken visits Qatar in diplomatic effort to contain Israel-Hamas war In our news wrap Sunday, Secretary of State Blinken continued his urgent mission to the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war enters its fourth month, Defense Secretary Austin took responsibility for delays in disclosing his hospitalization, major winter storms dropped… Continue watching
Jul 17 WATCH: Blinken urges Congress to act on delayed ambassadorial nominations By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged the Senate to move forward with votes on more than 60 diplomatic nominations, including 38 ambassadors, that have been stalled due to objections by individual lawmakers. Continue reading
Jun 05 WATCH: Blinken says Israeli settlement expansion is obstacle to ‘horizon of hope’ By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the expansion of Israeli settlements and ongoing demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank are taking Israel further away from peace with the Palestinians. Yet, he said Monday that the U.S.-Israel relationship… Continue reading