State Department

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Pompeo Controversy Involves Dog Walking, Dry Cleaning

Watchdog was investigating whether secretary of state had aide running errands, say reports

(Newser) - New details are emerging about the controversial firing of a government watchdog, and they are not the stuff of high-stakes political intrigue. Instead, they are the stuff of mundane personal errands, such as dog-walking, picking up dry cleaning, and making dinner reservations. The watchdog who got fired was investigating whether...

Democrats Launch Inquiry Into Latest Trump Firing

President fired State Department inspector general, reportedly at Pompeo's urging

(Newser) - Late Friday, President Trump fired the State Department's inspector general . By Saturday, the New York Times reports, Democrats in the House and Senate had started an investigation into Steve Linick's dismissal. In a letter informing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Trump wrote only that he'd lost confidence in...

For 3rd Time in 2 Months, Trump Fires Government Watchdog

Steve Linick, State Department's inspector general, was said to have been investigating Mike Pompeo

(Newser) - President Trump has fired the State Department's inspector general, and Democrats say the timing of the watchdog's removal is suspect. Per the Wall Street Journal , Trump penned a congressional letter indicating he was taking Steve Linick out of his role in 30 days because he'd lost confidence...

Looking to Get a New Passport? Forget About It for Now

Unless you have 'life-or-death emergency' or are renewing, State Dept. says passports are on hold

(Newser) - The State Department wasn't kidding when it put out its "level four" travel advisory last month urging Americans not to go abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic. CNN reports that on Friday, the department put up a "passport operations" update on its website , and the upshot of that...

Roughly 33K Americans Still Can't Get Home

A traveler in Peru says his case 'was comical at first, I was laughing'

(Newser) - Some 33,000 Americans are still struggling to get back home amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, NBC News reports. Some 15,440 have already returned, but so many are stuck abroad that some are just planning to stay until the pandemic is over. "In some places, people have decided...

US Issues Unprecedented Warning Against Travel Abroad

Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory applies to the entire rest of the world

(Newser) - The Trump administration has upgraded its already dire warning to Americans against all international travel as the coronavirus outbreak spreads, the AP reports. The State Department on Thursday issued a new alert urging Americans not to travel abroad under any circumstances and to return home if they are already abroad...

Marie Yovanovitch Says State Department Is in Trouble

Ousted ambassador says leaders lack 'moral clarity'

(Newser) - In some of her first public remarks since she played a major role in impeachment proceedings, former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch warned that the State Department is in trouble. Yovanovitch, who was ousted after pressure from President Trump's allies last year, spoke about the "hollowing out" of...

Report: Ukraine Wants Money Back From US on 6 More Deals

Kyiv reportedly put down payments on $30M arms, ammo deals held up by US for at least a year

(Newser) - The impeachment of President Trump revolved around a midsummer phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the holdup of almost $400 million in US military aide to the country in its war with Russia. But according to three Ukrainian officials and an ex-US senior official who talked to BuzzFeed...

Pompeo's NPR Feud Continues With a 'Perfect Message'

Secretary of state says barring reporter from trip after dust-up with another reporter is appropriate

(Newser) - After Mike Pompeo berated NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly last month in an expletive-filled rant for turning a discussion about Iran to Ukraine and ex-US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, the State Department took an apparent retaliatory step against one of Kelly's colleagues: Michele Kelemen was barred from the press pool...

Ex-Ambassador to Ukraine Leaves State Department

Impeachment witness had been removed from her post

(Newser) - Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out as US ambassador to Ukraine and became a witness in the House impeachment inquiry, has retired from the State Department. A career diplomat, she was in the foreign service for 33 years, in posts under Democratic and Republican presidents, NPR reports. After being ousted...

US Raises China Travel Warning to Level 4

Americans warned to avoid China altogether

(Newser) - American citizens should not go to China and those already there should consider getting out, the State Department said in a travel advisory issued Thursday night, hours after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that...

NPR Blocked From Pompeo Trip as Squabble Continues
NPR-Pompeo
Brouhaha
Rolls On
Jan 28, 2020 6:32 AM CST

NPR-Pompeo Brouhaha Rolls On

Journalist Michele Kelemen removed from upcoming Pompeo trip in retaliation

(Newser) - An NPR reporter has been blocked from Mike Pompeo's upcoming trip abroad following the secretary of state's testy exchange with another NPR journalist. The State Department Correspondents' Association confirmed NPR correspondent Michele Kelemen would not travel with Pompeo to the UK, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, saying the...

UK Fumes After US Refuses to Extradite Anne Sacoolas

State Dept. rep says doing so would 'set an extraordinarily troubling precedent'

(Newser) - The UK is fuming after the US announced Thursday that it would not extradite the diplomat's wife charged with dangerous driving causing the death of 19-year-old Harry Dunn. While the government "expresses its sincere condolences and sympathy to the Dunn family," Anne Sacoolas' extradition "would render...

Congress Doesn't Get Briefings on Iran After All

State, Defense departments scrap scheduled meetings at the last minute

(Newser) - The State and Defense departments have called off three classified briefings for members of Congress, who have questions about the Iran situation, that were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. House committee members were expecting to hear from State Department officials about embassy security, CNN reports, while a Senate panel was...

Trump Administration Official Put Her Face on Fake Time Cover: Probe

Mina Chang accused of inflating her resume

(Newser) - In April, Mina Chang was appointed deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of Conflict and Stability Operations. But is she qualified for the role? An NBC News investigation finds that Chang not only "embellished her resume," the station says, but went so far as to...

Report: No Refugees Will Be Resettled in the US This Month

Pause on admissions has been extended 3 times

(Newser) - The Trump administration has proposed cutting the cap on refugees admitted to the US for resettlement to its lowest level ever , but in October, the number admitted was the lowest possible. On Tuesday, the State Department extended a pause on admissions for a third time, meaning the US is on...

Clinton Emails: Violations, but No 'Deliberate Mishandling'

State Department wraps up 3-year investigation

(Newser) - A three-year-long internal State Department probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server has wrapped up, and dozens may be facing disciplinary action, though, per the AP , the investigation found "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information." According to a report submitted...

Accused of Intimidation, Pompeo Makes an Admission

Yes, 'I was on the call'

(Newser) - A little more than a week after saying he had just been handed "a report about a IC whistle-blower complaint, none of which I've seen," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Wednesday that he was on the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President...

Trump Cuts Refugee Cap to Lowest Level Ever

Only 18K will be accepted for resettlement in next 12 months

(Newser) - The number of refugees admitted for resettlement in the United States in the next 12 months will be the equivalent of 0.006% of the population, according to new regulations announced by the State Department. The administration says it will admit 18,000 refugees in the next fiscal year, the...

Dogs Were Sent Overseas to Help. A Report Details Their Horrors

State Department probe details serious neglect, terrible conditions for bomb-sniffers in Jordan

(Newser) - A hotline complaint about US bomb-sniffing dogs working overseas jump-started a State Department probe, and the resulting report is a disturbing one. Federal investigators looking into the health and welfare of the canines sent to Jordan—one of several partner nations the US sends specially trained dog to for assistance...

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