State Department

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US to Hand Out Biggest Immigration Fine Ever

Infosys used visitor visas instead of work visas

(Newser) - The federal government is expected to slap a record $35 million immigration fine on Infosys tomorrow, after Homeland Security and State Department investigators found that the Indian outsourcing company had been sneaking workers into the country on cheap visitor visas (B-1), instead of more expensive and harder to get temporary...

'Damning' Report: Benghazi Outpost Was a Sitting Duck

Gov't finds many US embassies at similar risk

(Newser) - The newly launched Al Jazeera America has its hands on an internal government report (you can read the full PDF here ) on the 2012 Benghazi attack, and the assessment is "damning." The report, written by an independent panel of intelligence and security experts, paints a picture of...

Coming Soon to US: Syrian Refugees

State Department agrees to allow 2K in 'major policy shift'

(Newser) - By most accounts, more than 2 million people have fled Syria in the last two years amid its civil war. In that time, the US has allowed maybe 90 of them to relocate to the US. Now, in what Foreign Policy describes as a "major policy shift," the...

US: Diplomats in Pakistan Must Leave Lahore

Move follows threat to consulate

(Newser) - The State Department has warned Americans not to travel to Pakistan and evacuated nonessential government personnel from the country's second largest city because of a specific threat to the consulate there, a US official said today. The move was not related to the threat of an al-Qaeda attack that...

Travel Warnings Stem From Unusually Specific Threat

Affiliate of al-Qaeda reportedly in 'final stages' of planning attack on US interests

(Newser) - The State Department's unusually strong warnings this week about a possible terror threat—it announced that 21 US embassies would be closed tomorrow and followed that up with a global travel alert for Americans—came after authorities intercepted communications among what the New York Times calls "senior operatives"...

US Issues Travel Terrorism Alert
 US to Global Travelers: Beware 
Aug 2, 2013 11:18 AM CDT

US to Global Travelers: Beware

State Department urges caution throughout August

(Newser) - If you were planning to travel this month, the Obama administration thinks you should be nervous. The State Department today issued a global travel alert , warning US citizens that "al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations" may be planning to strike "in the period between now and the end of August....

Threat Closes US Embassies Everywhere on Sunday

State Department says it's out of an 'abundance of caution'

(Newser) - The State Department has ordered many embassies in the Middle East and elsewhere to close on Sunday in response to a terror threat. A State Department spokeswoman said the closings come out of an "abundance of caution," but warned that they could stretch on for days "depending...

White House: Assad's Instagram 'Despicable'

@StateDept will not be retweeting

(Newser) - Ever abreast of the big issues facing a war-torn country like Syria, the US State Department has delivered a stern rebuke against President Bashar al-Assad's Instagram account , labeling it "nothing more than a despicable PR stunt," ABC News reports. In a press briefing, a department spokesperson told...

US to Egypt: Release Morsi
 US to Egypt: 
 Release Morsi 
Jul 12, 2013 4:42 PM CDT

US to Egypt: Release Morsi

Echoes Germany's calls to Egyptian military

(Newser) - The US has joined in calls for the release of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Earlier today, Germany called for "an end to the restrictions on Mr Morsi's whereabouts," reports GlobalPost . When asked if the US supports Germany's position, a US State Department spokesperson said it...

Morsi Camp: Coup Is On


 Egypt Army: 
 Morsi is Out 
Jul 3, 2013 2:20 PM CDT

Egypt Army: Morsi is Out

Military names interim leader, calls new elections

(Newser) - Mohamed Morsi is no longer the president of Egypt, the military declared today. The army's commander also said that the nation's constitution has been suspended and that an interim leader will take command until new elections take place, reports AP . Earlier, Morsi's camp declared via tweet that...

State Dept. Spent $630K Buying Facebook 'Likes'

Inspector general not a fan of the effort, per new report

(Newser) - Good luck liking this story: It turns out the State Department blew $630,000 in taxpayer cash "buying fans" on Facebook. A report by the agency's inspector general says the Bureau of International Information Programs' spending on sponsored posts, which occurred between 2011 and March 2013, did boost...

Ecuador to US: We Won't Cave Over Snowden

No decision yet, but President Correa cites 'threats, insolence' from Washington

(Newser) - Ecuador is holding firm in its decision to consider Edward Snowden's bid for asylum in the country, and it won't let the US change its mind, President Rafael Correa says. Referring to trade benefits the US provides Ecuador, Correa says: "In the face of threats, insolence, and...

Gov't Spied On Fox Journalist, Too

Examined James Rosen's emails, phone records

(Newser) - Of all the news organizations the government could spy on, it chose to tangle with ... Fox News. And this one goes further than the AP . The Justice Department examined Fox News reporter James Rosen's personal emails, phone records, and visits to the State Department, the Washington Post reports. The...

White House Releases Benghazi Emails

They cover the development of 'talking points' after attack

(Newser) - If you can't get enough of the Benghazi story, the White House has some reading for you: This afternoon, it released 100 pages of emails and other internal notes that show how its "talking points" evolved after the attack, reports the Washington Post . You can dig in here...

New Emails Keep Benghazi in Spotlight

State Department toned down CIA's initial draft in regard to 'extremists'

(Newser) - If this week made anything clear about Benghazi, it's that the issue isn't going away anytime soon. The latest development is that ABC News got its hands on 12 different versions of talking points and emails that show how the CIA's initial draft on what happened got...

Debate Swirls Over Single Word in Benghazi Email

As Boehner demands email be made public

(Newser) - Republicans aren't letting up in their pursuit of the Benghazi incident, with John Boehner yesterday calling for the release of an email that he claimed would prove that the Obama administration knew from the beginning that the incident had been an attack by Islamic terrorists. Congress has seen the...

Feds Order 3D Gun Blueprints Taken Offline

Defense Distributed will comply after 100K downloads in first 2 days

(Newser) - When a company run by a Texas law student posted blueprints online this week for a 3D-printed gun, it logged more than 100,000 downloads in its first two days. Now, the State Department also has taken notice of the gambit by Cody Wilson at Defense Distributed , reports Forbes . It...

Diplomat: Special Ops Told to Stand Down During Benghazi

Hicks says Pentagon refused to scramble jets

(Newser) - More testimony has been released sharply contradicting the Obama administration's version of events during last year's Benghazi attack. Greg Hicks, deputy of slain US Ambassador Chris Stevens, says a team of Special Operations troops was ready to fly from Tripoli to Benghazi but was told to stand down...

American Diplomacy in Sad Shape
 American 
 Diplomacy 
 in Sad Shape 
OPINION
Apr 12, 2013 11:00 AM CDT

American Diplomacy in Sad Shape

Essay: Foreign Service needs more professional diplomats, not political appointees

(Newser) - Even as diplomacy has grown ever more important to US national security, the US Foreign Service is being threatened by partisan politics worse than ever before, write longtime diplomats Susan Johnson, Ronald Neumann, and Thomas Pickering in the Washington Post . Exhibit A: Top leadership positions in the State Department have...

US Mourns Diplomat, 25, Killed in Afghanistan

Anne Smedinghoff among those who died in bombed convoy

(Newser) - Among the six Americans killed in Afghanistan yesterday was 25-year-old foreign service officer Anne Smedinghoff, reports CNN , the first US diplomat to be killed since Chris Stevens died in September. John Kerry led the mourning for her today, saluting the "vivacious, smart" up-and-comer who assisted him during a visit...

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