Do as They Say, Not as They Do
The State Department has advised against all international travel because of the coronavirus, but that didn’t stop Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from flying to Afghanistan this week.
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State Department
Pompeo in Kabul as Peace Process Teeters
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Afghan capital Monday amid a lengthy political crisis, a raging Taliban insurgency and rising coronavirus cases — all of which threaten an already-floundering peace process.
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10,000 Dead Worldwide From Coronavirus
The United States warned Americans to avoid all international travel and told citizens abroad to return now or face an “indefinite” absence, and California’s governor asked all 40 million residents to stay home, to try to slow a pandemic toll that on Friday surpassed 10,000 people worldwide.
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Mexican Border to Be Closed to Nonessential Travel
The United States and Mexico are working on a plan to close their border to nonessential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said Thursday.
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Beijing and Washington Play the Blame Game
Badly strained ties between the United States and China are deteriorating further with the two sides hurling harsh accusations and bitter name-calling over responsibility for the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Read moreTerrorist Reward
John Doe sued the Department of State for $10 million in federal court, claiming he gave it information that “led to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the terrorist organization, Lebanese Hizballah,” and it refused to pay him under its Rewards for Justice program.
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Rights Groups Sound Alarm on Religion-Minded Pompeo Commission
Human rights groups asked a federal judge Friday to shut down a shadowy advisory committee to the Trump administration, saying its uniformly religious focus puts gay rights at risk as well as protections for abortions and birth control.
Read moreClinton Emails
A federal court in Washington ruled that conservative group Judicial Watch may depose former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a lawsuit relating to her use of a private email server during her tenure at the State Department. The court also ruled that the group may subpoena Google for records relating to her emails.
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Pompeo Grilled on Outbreak Readiness as Iran Hearing Goes Afield
As stock markets quake and anxiety over the coronavirus spreads, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo worked in a deeply contentious hearing Friday to assure lawmakers that the Trump administration is capable of handling an outbreak in the U.S.
Read moreTorture
Photojournalist Matthew Schrier sued the State Department in federal court for information it “clearly possesses,” to use in his lawsuit against Qatar Islamic Bank, which he says underwrote his kidnapping, imprisonment and torture in Syria.
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US ‘Reduction in Violence’ in Afghanistan to Start Saturday
A permanent ceasefire between U.S. forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan is on the horizon as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Friday plans to sign a peace accord next week.
Read moreMike Pompeo
American Oversight sued the State Department and CIA for refusing to respond to FOIA requests for “All whistleblower complaints submitted to the CIA Inspector General containing allegations that concern the conduct of former Director Mike Pompeo, or containing any other allegations of unlawful conduct by former Director Pompeo.”
Read moreIn Munich, Frost Thickens on US-Europe Relations
In a speech at an annual gathering in Munich where world leaders and foreign policy experts chew on the state of the world, a tone deaf Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to dispel European misgivings over the trustworthiness of American leadership and dismiss notions that the power of the West is in decline.
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US-Europe Relations to Be Tested at Security Summit
Some of President Trump’s top foreign policy priorities stand at pivotal moments as the secretaries of state and defense head to an annual security forum in Germany. Strains in the trans-Atlantic relationship have cast doubt on whether they can count on much help from European leaders in advancing Trump’s agenda.
Read morePompeo Tells Europe to Beware of China
The countries Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited on a five nation-tour over the past week varied from longtime ally Britain to former Soviet republics in Central Asia. But the message he conveyed stayed the same: Beware of China.
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Pompeo Talks Up Free Press — So Long as It’s Overseas
For four days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been calling for governments in eastern Europe and Central Asia to ease restrictions on press freedom despite criticism for his own treatment of journalists at home.
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Pompeo Visits Ukraine at a Tense Moment
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo opened a visit to Ukraine on Friday facing a delicate balancing act as he tries to boost ties with a critical ally at the heart of the impeachment trial while not providing fodder for Democrats seeking to oust President Trump.
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States Sue Over White House Plans to Loosen 3D-Printed Gun Restrictions
Accusing the Trump administration of jeopardizing public safety to appease gun lobbyists, 21 attorneys general sued the federal government Thursday over new rules that make it easier to distribute blueprints for 3D-printed guns online.
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Fight Over Intersex Passport Marker Lands at 10th Circuit
After five years in court, two remands to the State Department and an order from a federal judge, Dana Alix Zzyym – a U.S. veteran with no criminal history – remains unable to obtain a U.S. passport solely based on gender.
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