U.S. Fast-Tracks Arms Deals Valued at $8.6 Billion to Mideast Partners
The Persian Gulf countries and Israel have faced repeated Iranian attacks during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The State Department move bypassed congressional review.
State Department
Rubio Says Iran’s Soccer Team Can Attend World Cup
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that while the players were welcome, anyone accompanying them who has links to the Iranian military would be denied entry.
Fulbright Board Quits, Accusing Trump Administration of Political Interference
The board of the prestigious program told the State Department it had no right to cancel scholarships for nearly 200 American professors and researchers.
Rubio Is Pressing to Open Sanctions Investigation Into Harvard
Experts and former officials said it was unusual for a cabinet secretary to try to influence the Treasury Department’s sanctions process to target a domestic entity.
Joseph Nye, Political Scientist Who Extolled ‘Soft Power,’ Dies at 88
He coined the term, arguing that a country’s global influence can’t be built on military might alone. Diplomats around the world paid heed.
U.S. to Downgrade Palestinian Affairs Office in Jerusalem, Officials Say
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, plans to shut down a direct communications channel between U.S. diplomats in Jerusalem working on Palestinian issues and agencies in Washington.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of Everything
The former senator from Florida is now the head of four government bodies. He has outdone Henry Kissinger and even Xi Jinping, China’s leader, who has only three titles.
How Trump Plays Into Putin’s Hands, From Ukraine to Slashing U.S. Institutions
Many of President Trump’s actions have been seen as benefiting Russia either directly or indirectly, so much so that Russian officials have celebrated some of his moves.
Fired U.S.A.I.D. Workers to Keep Government-Issued Phones and Computers
The devices will be remotely wiped “to simplify processes and to reduce burden” of terminating thousands of federal workers before the agency is closed.
Critics Call Rubio’s Overhaul Plan a Blow to U.S. Values
A proposed reorganization of the State Department would eliminate an office whose official goal is to build “more democratic, secure, stable, and just societies.”