The Latest Breaking News from State Department

Most of the world’s population is breathing dirty air: Report

IQAir study finds that Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the dirtiest air.

Al Jazeera · Mar 11, 2025

How Trump’s foreign aid and diplomatic cuts will make it harder for the US to wield soft power to maintain its friendships and win new ones

The Trump administration has proposed shuttering USAID and cutting some of the State Department’s critical diplomatic programs; it has also announced tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China. As scholar Borja Santos Porras has noted, these measures may lead to modest savings, however, the long-term damage to the reputation…

The Conversation · Mar 11, 2025

State Department official boosted fake rumor about Rubio’s sexuality and called him ‘low IQ’ in since-deleted tweets

Conservative Darren Beattie was appointed by Rubio last month to be the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs

The Independent UK · Mar 10, 2025

ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests, his lawyer says

A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead last spring's protests at Columbia University has been arrested by federal immigration agents

The Independent UK · Mar 9, 2025

Rubio Heads To Saudi Arabia To Gauge If Ukraine Has Shifted

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to head Sunday to Saudi Arabia for talks with Ukraine as President Donald Trump decides whether to relent on an aid freeze to the wartime partner.

International Business Times · Mar 9, 2025

Musk reportedly sneers that Marco Rubio is ‘good on TV’ as top diplomat airs grievances about DOGE cuts at explosive meeting

Rubio had been privately furious with Musk for weeks, ever since the billionaire’s DOGE team dismantled USAID, the New York Times reported.

Fortune · Mar 8, 2025

Marco Rubio unleashes his fury on Elon Musk in heated cabinet meeting, report says

Trump silently watched much of the exchange between his Secretary of State and DOGE leader, the report says

The Independent UK · Mar 7, 2025

Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration To Expedite Partial Repayment Of $2B USAID Debts

A deadline has been set for Monday to repay the amounts owed to at least nine aid groups that filed a lawsuit after President Donald Trump halted all U.S. foreign assistance.

International Business Times · Mar 7, 2025

US says multiple offers were made to resettle Uyghurs before Thailand deported them back to China

The State Department says the United States and other countries made repeated offers to Thailand to resettle more than three dozen Uyghur men before they were deported back to China, where rights groups fear they may face torture and other abuse

The Independent UK · Mar 7, 2025

Marco Rubio Plans to Use AI to 'Revoke' Visas of Students Who Appear 'Pro-Hamas' on Social Media

Marco Rubio is spearheading a new initiative, dubbed "Catch and Revoke," aimed at canceling visas for foreign nationals who express support for Hamas online.

Latin Times · Mar 7, 2025