State Department Condemns Iranian Death Sentence for New Age Shiite Preacher
The U.S. State Department on Friday rebuked an Iranian court on Friday for sentencing Mohammad Ali Taheri, the founder of an Iranian spiritual movement, to death.
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State Department Observers Welcome Move to Ditch Special Envoys
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s decision to eliminate or downgrade special envoy positions at the State Department – against the backdrop of still-unfilled jobs and a summer-long spate of resignations – has caused concern that the department is fast becoming a shell of its former shelf.
Read moreWhite House Orders Russia to Close San Francisco Consulate, Other Annexes
The Trump administration on Thursday ordered Russia to close its San Francisco consulate, along with two annex buildings in New York and Washington, all by Saturday.
Read moreTillerson Moves to Close State Dept. Cybersecurity, Climate Offices
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wants to scale back the State Department by removing nearly 70 envoys and other special representatives from a variety of offices tasked with overseeing everything from environmental policy to cybersecurity.
Read moreState Department Science Envoy Resigns Over Trump Attacks on ‘Core Values’
The State Department’s science envoy Daniel Kammen resigned Wednesday, citing President Trump’s attacks on core U.S. values after the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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US Diplomats in Cuba Suffered ‘Mild’ Brain Injuries in 2016 Sonic Attack
U.S and Canadian diplomats in Cuba suffered mild traumatic brain and central nervous system injuries in a fall 2016 incident investigated as a sonic attack, published reports say.
Read moreState Department Ordered to Expand Benghazi Email Hunt
Adding a new wrinkle to litigation over the 2012 U.S. consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya, a federal judge put a spotlight Wednesday on emails sent by three aides to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Read moreAspiring Immigrants from Middle East Sue Over Diversity Visa Denials
Winners of the 2017 diversity visa lottery from among the six countries covered under President Trump’s immigration ban brought a federal complaint against the State Department Thursday over the agency’s refusal to issue their visas.
Read moreUS Begins Formal Process of Pulling Out of Climate Accord
The United States began the formal process of withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement on Friday, informing the United Nations it wants to make the break “as soon as it is eligible to do so.”
Read moreTrump Taps Kansas’ Brownback for At-Large Ambassadorship
Weeks after the Kansas Legislature rejected his long-term tax plan, Gov. Sam Brownback will step down after the White House said Wednesday that President Donald Trump intends to make Brownback “Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom” under the State Department.
Read moreState Department Sets Guidelines for Revised Travel Ban
With the limited travel ban set to go into effect Thursday night, the State Department has issued new guidelines to American embassies and consulates to apply to potential foreign visitors from six predominantly Muslim countries.
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Group Hunting for State Dep’t Records Ordered to Revise Claim
Declining to hold a conservative group to the writing standards of literary giants, a federal judge agreed to let the watchdog tinker with its as-yet unsuccessful government-records demand.
Read moreEndangered Torture Report Sparks Shock, Anger and Suit
Hours after the New York Times uncovered the Trump administration’s steps to hide a Senate investigation into CIA torture, a law professor transformed his “shock and anger” into a lawsuit seeking the secret 6,700-page history.
Read moreKeystone Pipeline Records Stonewall Ignites Lawsuit
Conservationists claim in a federal complaint that the State Department has for five years left them waiting for public documents on the path of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Read moreSyria Hides Executions Via Crematorium, US Claims
The Syrian government built a crematorium at its Sednaya military prison outside Damacus and has been using it to clandestinely dispose of the scores of prisoners it executes each day, the State Department said Monday.
Read moreCindy McCain Eyed for Senior State Dept. Role
Cindy McCain, the wife of Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain, is expected to be offered a prominent role in the Trump administration’s State Department, two individuals familiar with the discussions said Thursday.
Read moreTillerson Eyes Cutting 2,300 Jobs at State Department
Officials say Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is proposing the elimination of 2,300 jobs as part of a large cut to the State Department’s budget for the next fiscal year.
Read moreIran’s Nuclear-Deal Compliance Divides House
President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would cut $10 billion from the State Department. A House Democrat warned fellow lawmakers Wednesday that the 29 percent slash could interfere with the inspections that ensure Iran is not developing nuclear weapons.
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