TheRepublic.com - U.S. Department of State News

Hillary Clinton accepts humanitarian award in NYC

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:22:04 -0400

NEW YORK - Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton touted the efforts of a group combatting malnutrition and blindness during an awards speech in New York City.

McKeon: State didn't ask for help before Benghazi

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:18:26 -0400

WASHINGTON - A senior House Republican says U.S. military forces weren't in a position to help those under attack at a U.S. diplomatic post in Libya because the State Department had failed to ask the Pentagon for help in securing the compound before the raid.

Deal on bin Laden evidence in WikiLeaks case

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:02:31 -0400

FORT MEADE, Maryland - Lawyers in the court-martial of an Army private who sent more than 700,000 classified U.S. documents to WikiLeaks said Tuesday they have reached a deal that may eliminate the need for testimony from a member of the military team that killed Osama bin Laden. Prosecutors also agreed to accept Pfc. Bradley Manning's guilty plea to a lesser version of one of the 22 counts he faces.

Feds halt data cull for State Dept terror report

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:47:50 -0400

WASHINGTON - The federal government has given the job of compiling statistics used by the State Department to analyze trends in global terrorism to an academic group, a move that may complicate accurate unclassified assessments of patterns of terrorist activity for years to come.

Death in Zimbabwe results in unusual US charge

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:20:09 -0400

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia - The facts laid out by prosecutors are plain: In 2008, a U.S. government employee on assignment in Zimbabwe drove through the capital of Harare in his government-issued Toyota Land Cruiser and struck and killed a 34-year-old Zimbabwe man.

Gov't presses ahead on another leak case

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:01:02 -0400

WASHINGTON - In another case of the Obama administration investigating classified information improperly disclosed to reporters, the government is prosecuting a State Department expert on North Korea in a probe that appears to step into uncharted territory - by declaring that a journalist is committing a crime in disclosing leaked information.

State Dept: Reports of anti-Semitism increase

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:02:41 -0400

WASHINGTON - The State Department appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism Monday as a new report documents a global increase in incidents of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

Kerry challenges Congress on diplomats' security

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:14:15 -0400

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John Kerry challenged Congress on Monday to go beyond its investigations of embassy security and help ensure that U.S. embassies and consulates abroad have the resources they need for appropriate security. His comments come as the Republicans continue to press for answers about the Obama administration's handling of last year's deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

Dalai Lama's Ind.-born nephew hopes for free Tibet

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:30:08 -0400

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - Kunga Norbu grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, half a world away from the native Tibetan village of his father and world-famous uncle, the Dalai Lama.

Turkish PM talks Syria with Obama at White House

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:33:17 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. and Turkey will keep ramping up pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, but there's "no magic formula" to stop his violence.

Heads of Benghazi review board say they'll testify

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:06:20 -0400

WASHINGTON - The leaders of the panel that independently reviewed last year's deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, said Tuesday they were prepared to testify publicly before Congress to counter what they consider unfounded criticism of their work.

Trio of troubles threatening Obama's second term

Tue, 14 May 2013 21:04:45 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama seemed to lose control of his second-term agenda even before he was sworn in, when a school massacre led him to lift gun control to the fore. Now, as he tries to pivot from a stinging defeat on that issue and push forward on others, the president finds himself rocked by multiple controversies that are demoralizing his allies, emboldening his political foes and posing huge distractions for all.

AP IMPACT: Honduran criminals missing after arrest

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:58:05 -0400

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - At least five times in the last few months, members of a Honduras street gang were killed or went missing just after run-ins with the U.S.-supported national police, The Associated Press has determined, feeding accusations that they were victims of federal death squads.

Shaheen hosts discussion on export controls reform

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:39:27 -0400

CONCORD, New Hampshire - Overhauling outdated restrictions on military exports will help New Hampshire businesses continue to increase their activity overseas, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Monday.

Boston police join State Department program

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:11:18 -0400

BOSTON - The Boston Police Department has signed on to a U.S. State Department program that sends officers to foreign nations to help train their police and form partnerships to fight international crime.

Emanuel says he'll seek 2nd term as Chicago mayor

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:14:14 -0400

CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to seek re-election in 2015 and says he's not interested in higher office, telling a newspaper he intends to fulfill his obligations should voters give him a second four-year term.

GOP ready to push Benghazi case into 2014, beyond

Sat, 11 May 2013 10:19:59 -0400

WASHINGTON - Steady drips of information about a horrific night in Libya are fueling Republican arguments and ads designed to fire up the conservative base and undercut the Democrats' early favorite for president in 2016.

Hillary Clinton to speak at upstate NY college

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:53:09 -0400

CLINTON, New York - Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will speak at an upstate New York college this fall.

Arizona senators: Border sewage pipeline at risk

Tue, 07 May 2013 21:11:24 -0400

NOGALES, Arizona - Arizona's senators are warning the State Department about risks posed by the deterioration of a pipeline that carries more than 10 million gallons of raw sewage daily from Mexico into the U.S. for treatment.

Clinton: Too much focus on Hillary's future

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:03:57 -0400

WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton says endless speculation about his wife's political future is a waste of time right now and the nation should be more focused on the "grimy details" of fixing its problems.

Diplomat: US team stopped from going to Benghazi

Mon, 06 May 2013 22:06:47 -0400

WASHINGTON - Four members of Army special forces ready to head to Benghazi, Libya, after the deadly assault on the American diplomatic mission had ended were told not to go, according to a former top diplomat.

Clinton announces Latin America initiative

Mon, 06 May 2013 18:49:47 -0400

NEW YORK - The Clinton Global Initiative is taking its formula of a powerhouse gathering of global leaders to a new part of the world.

Italy's ex-premier Giulio Andreotti dies at 94

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:42:06 -0400

ROME - Giulio Andreotti personified the nation he helped shape, the good and the bad.

Malaysian elections expose worrying social schisms

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:32:59 -0400

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - It was hardly the look of the victorious. Wearing a bright blue shirt and a grim expression, Prime Minister Najib Razak appeared before the media on Monday to somberly acknowledge that his coalition had won general elections for the 13th time in a row.

State Dept. sends Minn. hip-hop artist to Africa

Sat, 04 May 2013 07:07:35 -0400

ST. PAUL, Minnesota - The U.S. State Department is sending a Minnesota hip-hop artist to Africa as part of a cultural exchange program.