State Department

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Amid State Department Cuts, a New Bureau Emerges

'Bureau of Emerging Threats' is part of sweeping overall of the Rubio's department

(Newser) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a massive overhaul of the State Department on Tuesday, with plans to reduce staff in the US by 15% while closing and consolidating more than 100 bureaus worldwide. The reorganization plan, announced by Rubio on social media and detailed in documents obtained by the...

Trump Plan Would Slash, Remake State Department

Draft calls for eliminating offices handling democracy, human rights, migrant issues

(Newser) - An executive order has been prepared for President Trump's signature that mandates "a disciplined reorganization" for the State Department, which would include closing embassies around the world, dropping offices working on climate and refugee issues, and nearly shutting down its work involving Africa. The 16-page proposal says it'...

State Department Staff Must Report 'Anti-Christian Bias'

Accusations will go to Trump administration task force

(Newser) - State Department employees have been told to report their colleagues for any instances of "anti-Christian bias" they witness, according to a memo that was sent to embassies around the world under Secretary Marco Rubio's name. The accusations can be made anonymously, Politico reports. "Reports should be as...

Kari Lake in Line for a Move
Kari Lake in Line for a Move
Apr 9, 2025 5:21 PM CDT

Kari Lake in Line for a Move

Trump loyalist originally was to run the Voice of America

(Newser) - That Voice of America job didn't work out for Kari Lake, possibly because it ran into Elon Musk, but President Trump apparently has something else in mind for her. The Washington Post reports that the Trump loyalist who lost statewide elections in Arizona in 2022 and 2024 will be...

Duke Basketball Star May Be Deported

US revokes visas to South Sudanese, including NBA hopeful Khaman Maluach

(Newser) - The US State Department is revoking "all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders," effective immediately, a move that threatens, among others, Duke University basketball star Khaman Maluach. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement on social media Saturday, just before Duke lost its Final Four game...

State Department Orders Staff Out of South Sudan

After clashes, US advisory warns of the general availability of weapons

(Newser) - The State Department on Sunday ordered nonemergency government personnel to leave South Sudan's capital as tension escalates because of fighting in the north. The travel advisory issued on Sunday stated that fighting was ongoing and that "weapons are readily available to the population." An armed group clashed...

US Shuts Downs Air Monitoring at Embassies, Consulates

Critics say move not only stymies pollution research—it also threatens health of US staffers

(Newser) - For more than 10 years, 80 US embassies and consulates have collected and reported data on air pollution in countries around the world, in some areas serving as the only reliable disseminator of such information. Now, the Trump administration has put the kibosh on that global monitoring program, with the...

John Roberts Rules in Favor of Trump on Foreign Aid Freeze

SCOTUS chief justice overrules federal judge's Wednesday deadline for release of nearly $2B

(Newser) - A federal judge's pause on the foreign aid freeze imposed by the Trump administration has been superseded for now by John Roberts himself. On Wednesday, just ahead of a midnight deadline put in place by US District Judge Amir Ali for the US government to release nearly $2 billion...

Trump's Appointees Put Musk's Power to the Test

Patel, Gabbard among agency leaders telling employees not to justify their roles to Musk

(Newser) - Multiple government agencies run by Trump-appointed leaders have told employees not to respond to an email from Elon Musk , demanding they provide five bullet points explaining the work they got done over the past week. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," Musk wrote Saturday on...

Change on US Website Reassures Taiwan, Irks China

State Department reference to independence disappears from fact sheet

(Newser) - A statement proclaiming that the US does not support independence for Taiwan has vanished from the State Department's website, an alteration welcomed by the island but not by China. Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan's foreign minister, expressed thanks for what he called "positive, Taiwan-friendly wordings," the BBC reports....

US Email Asks Nonprofits to Halt Clearing Land Mines

Decision follows from new Trump policy, official says in thanking the organizations for their work

(Newser) - The State Department on Saturday asked humanitarian organizations it funds around the world to stop clearing unexploded mines "effective immediately." Karen Chandler, who runs the department's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, said in an email to the nonprofits that the action is in keeping with President...

State Department Freezes Foreign Aid Spending

Order seems to go beyond Trump's and include Ukraine assistance

(Newser) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a "stop-work" order on Friday affecting all existing foreign assistance and all new aid, an action that appeared to go further than President Trump's executive order issued this week and stunned the State Department's staff. The only exceptions are for emergency...

Picks Reported for Secretary of State, Homeland Security

Marco Rubio and Kristi Noem poised to assume key positions; Trump names Waltz for NSA

(Newser) - The Trump administration picks keep trickling in, and unconfirmed reports zero in on two big ones Tuesday morning:
  • Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida for secretary of state.
  • South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head Homeland Security.

US Plans Arms Sales to Taiwan Totaling $2B
US Plans Arms Sales to Taiwan
Oct 26, 2024 1:10 PM CDT

US Plans Arms Sales to Taiwan

$2B delivery includes advanced missile defense, radar systems

(Newser) - The US has approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including its first delivery to the self-ruled island of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, in a move sure to anger China. Taiwan's presidential office on Saturday thanked the US for greenlighting the potential arms sales. Under the...

Feds Make Passport Renewal Fully Available Online

You can apply 'without having to do anything in person or send anything in the mail'

(Newser) - The State Department says it has taken a big step to make it easier for Americans to renew their passports. Officials say an online program is now fully operational and available to the public. People over 25 who have had a passport before will now be able to renew their...

Family: Unjustly Held American Was Raped in Chinese Prison

Father, brother call attention to case of Chicago woman Dawn Michelle Hunt

(Newser) - Dawn Michelle Hunt thought she'd won a free trip from Chicago to Australia in 2014. Instead, the US woman landed in a Chinese prison for life, narrowly escaping execution. As the New York Times reports, the trip she thought she'd won was part of a drug trafficking scheme....

State Department Has Exciting News on Passport Renewals

Some can now apply online

(Newser) - There's an easier way to renew your passport—online. The State Department has opened a trial run allowing a limited number of people to apply for their updated travel documents with a few clicks, the AP reports. You can't just start anytime—windows will open at midday Eastern...

US Companies Inadvertently Gave $7M to North Korea

American charged in fraud scheme that saw North Koreans pose as remote US workers

(Newser) - Citizens of North Korea are snagging remote jobs with US companies and funneling earnings into their country's missile program, federal authorities said Thursday in announcing fraud charges against a US woman accused of facilitating such a scheme. Christina Chapman, 49, of Litchfield Park, Arizona, is among five people facing...

LGBTQ+ Travelers Get Special Alert From State Department

There's 'increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence' overseas

(Newser) - The State Department renewed a global security warning Friday for Americans overseas, adding to it that LGBTQ people and events in particular face an "increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence." The alert is a standard renewal of travel advice telling Americans to exercise increased caution against possible...

US: Israel May Have Broken International Law

Nothing found calls for stopping arms shipments, State Department says

(Newser) - The State Department told Congress on Friday that although it hasn't found violations that would merit withholding military aid from Israel, it is "reasonable to assess" that the US ally's offensive in Gaza has used US weapons in breaking international law. At the same time, the Biden...

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