Diplomacy
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Trump admin removes Syria from State Sponsor of Terrorism list
Secretary of State Marco Rubio notified Congress of its intention to remove the country last month, citing positive changes and counterterrorism actions taken by the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
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Treasury’s ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ delivers warning to China, Iran’s global enablers
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that nations facilitating Tehran’s financial and trade networks must now choose between partnering with the United States or facing economic isolation.
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US cancels another major joint drill with South Korea
Reports of the cancellation come shortly after President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. to scale back its drills with the country, citing his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to support him in the war in Iran.
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Bessent unveils ‘Operation Economic Outcast’ sanctions targeting Iranian regime
The measures, which the Treasury Secretary first teased last week, are designed to punish “enablers” of Iran that purchase its oil and facilitate financial flows.
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Trump shares update that Christian missionary has been reunited with wife after release from Niger
The update was from Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka, who shared photos from the reunion. Rideout was kidnapped in Niger in October of 2025.
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China rejects Trump's 'Economic D-Day' threat against Iranian trading partners
China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, urged both sides to reach a peaceful deal that would end the conflict, stating that “sanctions and pressure tactics are not the solution,” and that sanctions do not "fit the interest of any party.”
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President Trump eyes ‘crushing’ economic blockade to bring Iran to its knees
The Trump administration plans to escalate its strategy to economically isolate the Islamic Republic by targeting its international enablers and financial networks, and sends a warning shot to Beijing.
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Henry Kissinger's wife Nancy Kissinger dies at 92
Her death comes nearly three years after her husband's death in 2023. She is survived by her two step-children, step-daughter Elizabeth Kissinger and step-son David Kissinger, and five step-grandchildren.
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State Department imposes new sanctions on Cuba
The latest sanctions target the leaders of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, which the secretary claimed exploits educational exchange with the goal of “identifying, cultivating, and radicalizing subversives.”
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Five Americans killed in Kenya helicopter crash
All six passengers and the pilot died when the aircraft crashed in the foothills of Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County.
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Rubio announces sanctions against International Criminal Court president, top ICC lawyer
The secretary claimed the ICC was stepping outside its jurisdiction because the United States is not bound by the 2002 Rome Statute, which established the international court to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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U.S.-South Korea spat follows tensions over Seoul’s drift towards China, trade deal speedbumps
President Donald Trump’s decision to reduce U.S. participation in a scheduled military exercise with South Korea follows months of trade tensions and Seoul’s growing cooperation with China.
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State Department ends DEI ideology in the foreign service
The department said that DEI training infected it so much during the previous administration that employees were told to mitigate their “unconscious bias,” and diplomats were urged to discuss DEI and “allyship” in their talks with foreign governments.