Aug 22 WATCH: Tillerson commends North Korea restraint, but says ‘we need to see more’ By Associated Press It was rare positive expression from the U.S. toward the authoritarian government in Pyongyang and comes amid a slight easing in recent tensions between the adversaries that had flared after President Donald Trump pledged to answer North Korean aggression with… Continue reading
Aug 18 WATCH: Tillerson condemns hate speech, says bigotry is un-American By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Speaking to interns and young minority staffers at the State Department, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also pledged to diversify the overwhelmingly white ranks of the senior diplomatic corps. Continue reading
Aug 10 WATCH LIVE: State Department expected to address latest North Korea threats in news briefing By Associated Press South Korea's military says North Korea will face a "stern and strong" response from Washington and Seoul if it acts on threats to fire missiles near Guam. Continue reading
Jul 21 Tillerson urges Qatar’s neighbors to lift land blockade By Associated Press Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is urging Qatar's neighbors to lift a land blockade as a "sign of good faith" in negotiations to resolve the Persian Gulf diplomatic crisis. Continue reading
Jul 21 U.S. to ban Americans from traveling to North Korea, officials report By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The Trump administration will ban American citizens from traveling to North Korea, U.S. officials said Friday, following the death of university student Otto Warmbier who died in June after falling into a coma in a North Korean prison. Continue reading
Jul 20 Treasury Department fines Exxon Mobil $2 million for Russia violations on Rex Tillerson’s watch By Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee, Associated Press When Tillerson was CEO, he said Exxon didn't support sanctions generally because it found them usually ineffective. Continue reading
Jul 19 Iran still top state sponsor of terrorism, U.S. report says By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Iran continues to be the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Trump administration said Wednesday in a new report that also noted a decline in the number of terrorist attacks globally between 2015 and 2016. Continue reading
Jul 13 Travel sanctions loom for nations that don’t meet new U.S. security criteria By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The clock has started to tick on a 50-day deadline for foreign governments to meet new U.S. standards for passports and sharing information about their citizens. Continue reading
Jul 13 Afghan girls will be allowed into U.S. for robotics contest By Amir Shah and Jill Colvin, Associated Press The third time's the charm for Afghanistan's all girl robotics team, who will be allowed entry into the U.S. to compete in a competition after President Donald Trump personally intervened to reverse a decision twice denying them enter into the… Continue reading
Jul 13 WATCH: State Department announces progress in U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. By Joshua Barajas The department's announcement comes after Mosul was officially declared liberated earlier this week. The Iraqi city had been under ISIS control since 2014. Continue reading