Feb 03 Musk says Trump 'agreed' USAID should be shut down, staffers told to stay out of agency's headquarters By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press Staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development have been instructed to stay out of its Washington headquarters, and yellow police tape and officers have blocked the lobby. Continue reading
Jan 27 Spat over deportation flights leads U.S. to cancel hundreds of visa appointments in Colombia By Manuel Rueda, Associated Press Dozens of Colombians arrived at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota and were handed letters by local staff that said their appointments had been canceled “due to the Colombian government’s refusal to accept repatriation flights of Colombian nationals.”… Continue reading
Jan 24 Watch 2:42 State Department suspends nearly all U.S. foreign aid for 3 months By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn The State Department suspended all foreign assistance around the world for at least three months. That affects tens of billions of dollars on programs that run from military assistance to Ukraine to supporting police in Mexico who interdict fentanyl coming… Continue watching
Jan 21 WATCH: Vance swears in Marco Rubio as secretary of state By Associated Press Vice President JD Vance, who served as a senator alongside Marco Rubio, called him a “bipartisan solutions seeker.”… Continue reading
Jan 21 WATCH: Rubio gives first remarks after confirmation as Trump's secretary of state By Associated Press Rubio said Trump’s primary priority will be furthering the United States’ interests and that anything the government and State Department do must make the country stronger, safer or more prosperous. Continue reading
Jan 17 WATCH: Blinken delivers remarks at State Department farewell event By Associated Press Blinken faced two significant interruptions at his final briefing to reporters in office, both from people accusing him of complicity in Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Continue reading
Jan 16 WATCH: Blinken defends U.S. policy on Gaza as his final State Department briefing is interrupted by protests By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended Biden administration policies on Israel's war with Hamas after a ceasefire agreement in Gaza was reached. Continue reading
Jan 15 Watch 5:12 Rubio, Ratcliffe hearings give glimpse into how they would carry out Trump's agenda By Amna Nawaz, Zeba Warsi, Nana Adwoa Antwi-Boasiako, Leila Jackson Some of President-elect Trump's nominees for Cabinet posts were in Senate committees for one of the busiest days of confirmation hearings in U.S. history. Amna Nawaz reports on the hearing for Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and Trump's CIA… Continue watching
Jan 14 WATCH: Marco Rubio testifies at Senate confirmation hearing for secretary of state By Farnoush Amiri, Didi Tang, Matthew Lee, Associated Press Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday painted a dark vision of the consequences of America's “unbalanced relationship” with China, echoing President-elect Donald Trump's anti-globalist rhetoric as he vies to be confirmed as his secretary of state. Continue reading
Dec 17 Palestinian lawsuit accuses State Department of giving Israel a pass on military aid and human rights By Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press Secretary of State Antony Blinken has denied that his agency has a double standard when it comes to Israel and enforcing a 1997 law barring military support in cases of gross human rights abuses. Continue reading