Michele Kelemen
Stories
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Hundreds laid off in State Department overhaul
The State Department is slashing hundreds of jobs in what's being called its biggest shake-up in decades — drawing sharp criticism from former diplomats who say the cuts risk gutting America's diplomatic muscle.
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State Department staff brace for layoffs after Supreme Court decision
Hundreds of State Department staff are bracing for layoffs after a Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for sweeping federal cuts — and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slashing deep.
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Rwanda and DRC sign a U.S.-brokered peace deal, but questions remain
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have signed what President Trump is calling a peace deal. But the text leaves lots of questions in a complicated war in a mineral rich region of Africa.
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Dealing with Iran's nuclear program requires tricky diplomacy. But there's low trust
President Trump says U.S. and Israeli forces destroyed Iran's nuclear program. Analysts say Iran may have moved its uranium stockpiles. There's little trust, by all sides, in diplomacy.
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Diplomats shift into high gear to try to revive nuclear negotiations with Iran
European diplomats are working to revive nuclear negotiations with Iran to find a peaceful end to a war that President Trump has said the U.S. could join to support Israel against Iran.
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U.S. and Israel are at odds with the UN over new aid program for Gaza
The U.N. Security Council meets on Gaza, as the U.S. backs a new aid group and dismisses concerns by the U.N. that aid is being "politicized."
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Secretary Marco Rubio clashes with Democrats in the committee where he once served
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had some testy exchanges with Democrats in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He defended big cuts and the Trump administration's decision to dismantle USAID.
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Marco Rubio defends foreign affairs cuts and Trump's Russia talks in Senate hearing
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending major cuts in the foreign affairs budget as he testifies on Tuesday before the Senate committee where he used to serve.
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Senate foreign relations to grill Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares for some tough questions ahead of his appearance in front of the senate foreign relations committee on Tuesday.
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How three key cabinet departments are functioning amid layoffs and cuts
NPR correspondents recap how funding cuts, layoffs and leadership and policy changes in the second Trump administration are affecting the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services.
