Marco Rubio is taking some serious political risks in pushing the military campaign against Venezeula's Nicolas Maduro. A deep-ish dive by @ebazail.bsky.social and myself: www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Why “intends to”*? Why not do it & announce you already have? That’s the standard process. Unless you’re trying to pressure Nicolas Maduro to negotiate something before then? *In his full statement, Rubio says it takes effect Nov. 24.

It's on: The Trump administration is gunning for Maduro's Venezuela via @ebazail.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Federal court blocks ICE from detaining unaccompanied minors once they turn 18 The ruling comes a day after ICE confirmed it would offer unaccompanied minors money to self-deport to their home countries From @ebazail.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

“Either through a singular, exceptional penetration or through cumulative penetrations, the Chinese may have a major intelligence advantage in the event of a war with Taiwan and, by extension, with the United States" w/ @ebazail.bsky.social www.politico.com/newsletters/...

EXCLUSIVE: US diplomats have officially been directed to screen the social media and online presence of all student visa applicants.

The story has been updated with a bunch more details, including how the department is defining what counts as "onlne presence." Major thanks to @ebazail.bsky.social for crucial help on this. www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

Exclusive: The State Department has told U.S. consulates and embassies to start reviewing the social media accounts of Harvard's student visa applicants for antisemitism.

Here’s the free version. FYI — we will update with this info soon — but this also affects visiting faculty, scholars & more, not just students. And if you set your social media to private or don’t do much social media, the visa officer may hold that against you: www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

SCOOP: The State Dept has begun rolling out its enhanced social media vetting plan. It’s starting with Harvard. We have the cable. Free version of story will post soon, and we will update with details: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

As we gear up for #GUReunion 2025, we're spotlighting SFS alums @ldelevingne.bsky.social, @megkinnardap.bsky.social, @ebazail.bsky.social & Annabelle Timsit who've turned a passion for global affairs into journalism careers. 🗞️🌍 Read more: bit.ly/4dKT4Bl

NEW COLUMN: It's absurd for President Trump and his team to act like they cannot easily free Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador's prisons. But what if we were to play along with this performance? What are Trump's options? My latest: www.politico.com/news/magazin...

NEW: I wrote for POLITICO's Nightly Newsletter about Pope Francis, and the uncertain future facing the Catholic Church in the wake of his passing today. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

1/Hi all. Yes, I’ve seen the document that may be a draft executive order reorganizing the State Department. No, I’m not certain it’s what will reach the president’s desk — if he even chooses to do this through an EO.

A must-read (again) from @nahaltoosi.bsky.social "While the Trump administration is retrenching globally and imposing tariffs all over, no region appears to matter less to the White House than Africa." www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Thanks to my colleagues Robbie Gramer and @ebazail.bsky.social for letting me helm NatSec Daily today and take a look at the massive upheaval for our nation’s cyber defense and intelligence agencies: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

"Japanese and Philippine officials will likely want more information about Musk’s role at the Pentagon given his massive Tesla investments in China and history of pro-Beijing positions on Taiwan’s status" w/ @ebazail.bsky.social www.politico.com/newsletters/...

SCOOP: The Trump team is taking a hatchet to the State Department's annual — and world-renowned — human rights report. www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

SCOOP: USAID's watchdog has yet to release two scathing reports on the consequences of Trump’s dismantling of USAID amid fears of retaliation from the White House, per interviews and documents, my colleagues John Hudson & Lisa Rein report. wapo.st/4h3WxLc

Senior State Department officials are compiling a list of additional exemptions to the aid pause for Ukraine that could give the country access to some frozen economic and security-related assistance. w @nahaltoosi.bsky.social Robbie Gramer and Joe Gould www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

“Half of Europe is asleep, paralyzed into shock and another part is taking security seriously and mobilizing like the Nordic and Baltic countries. But will that be enough?” @apolyakova.bsky.social explains to Robbie Gramer @paulmcleary.bsky.social y & @ebazail.bsky.social at #MSC2025

1/NEW: Trump appointees at State/USAID announce today they’ve set up a Coordination Support Team to help USAID staff overseas get back to the U.S. I’ve seen the cable that lays it out.

New from my colleague @ebazail.bsky.social: Secretary of State Rubio signed a waiver turning the funding back on for US cyber support to Costa Rica during his trip to the country last week, according to Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo André: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

NEW: In new order bashing South Africa, the Trump administration says “the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.

SCOOP with Amy Mackinnon: Trump is considering nominating former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to be U.S. ambassador to Serbia. Blagojevich, whose corruption conviction sentence Trump commuted, chaired a group called Serbians for Trump in the 2024 election. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

Get ready for a smaller, weaker U.S. Agency for International Development focused mostly on food aid and AIDS clinics. That’s assuming the USAID name even exists in a few weeks. Here's what to expect from Trump's version of USAID. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

SCOOP on POLITICO Pro: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) will oppose all of President Donald Trump’s remaining Cabinet nominees, including Commerce Secretary pick Howard Lutnick and U.N. Ambassador pick Elise Stefanik, over the administration’s USAID moves. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

If you read any one story this weekend, read this one by @nahaltoosi.bsky.social Robbie Gramer and Daniel Lippman.

A must-read story from my colleague Sam Skove: www.politico.com/news/2025/01...

Trump’s decision to halt foreign aid abruptly cut U.S. funding to the guards overseeing an ISIS prison in Syria, leading some to stop showing up for work. State Department officials scrambled to rush through an exemption to turn the tap back on www.politico.com/newsletters/...

My colleagues @ebazail.bsky.social & Robbie Gramer really pushed Samantha Power in this great Q&A. Read it all! www.politico.com/news/magazin...

My latest for POLITICO -- Biden removes Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. www.politico.com/news/2025/01...

NEW COLUMN: In which I ask the question that’s on so many people’s minds: Just how long can Marco Rubio last as Donald Trump’s secretary of State? Even I was a bit taken aback at the predictions. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Trump confidant Elon Musk wants NASA to drop its ambitious plans to return to the moon and instead head straight to Mars. Congress is ready to put up a fight www.politico.com/news/2025/01... by Sam Skove for @politico.com

His welcome to the Arctic island was not entirely warm. “People were curious, but some took pictures giving him [the] finger at the airport … Some wrote on Facebook: yankee go home,” the lawmaker said. A transatlantic effort w/ @ebazail.bsky.social and Jack Detsch www.politico.eu/article/dona...

Many thanks to today's @politico.com China Watcher contributors @samuelbickett.bsky.social @ebazail.bsky.social @sebstarcevic.bsky.social www.politico.eu/newsletter/c...

Good news for Beijing: Trump's pick for director of policy planning at the State Department penned a piece for The Federalist titled "Why It's Clearly Not in America's Interest to Go to War Over Taiwan" via @politico.com NatSec Daily w/ @ebazail.bsky.social Robbie Gramer bit.ly/3Blx9C1

NEW: Trump says he'll replace Amb. Roger Carstens, who he appointed hostage envoy in 2020. Carstens played a major role in the swap that freed WNBA player Brittney Griner. He also helped with the 2024 swap that freed WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan.

Former hostage of the Chinese govt @kovrig.bsky.social raises an eyebrow at an aspect of last week's U.S.-China prisoner swap via @politico.com NatSec Daily w/ @ebazail.bsky.social Robbie Gramer bit.ly/3VjLy8E

Very useful @politico.com NatSec Daily this afternoon from @ebazail.bsky.social and Robbie Gramer on the state of Trump's national security team + whisperings of SpecRep for Ukraine Peace Ric Grenell.

In today's NatSec Daily: -- Robbie Gramer on the rising IS terror threat in Africa -- @phelimkine.bsky.social on a Chinese espionage conviction -- @connorobriennh.bsky.social on the push for better benefits for servicemembers www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Cue the journalistic jealousy on this piece. Smart angle, talked to the right people.

Weeks into the transition, Trump's team has still not yet signed the standard ethics/transparency agreements they previously agreed to, meaning they could be taking unlimited $ from donors w conflicts of interest, including foreign governments, and not disclosing it www.politico.com/news/2024/11...

Great article from my colleague @ebazail.bsky.social

NEW: NEW: I went to Louisville, Kentucky last week as a top Ukrainian diplomat made the case that continued U.S. support for Kyiv is in America's interests. The contents of her pitch spoke to the anxieties that Trump could upend U.S. support for Ukraine. www.politico.com/news/2024/11...

This team will kill us all

Is there a Georgetown/Big East basketball community on Bluesky? Figuring out how I’ll divide my expressions of suffering seeing Georgetown botch winnable games

I’m working one one … go.bsky.app/2uhaDr4

In today’s NatSec Daily: — Robbie Gramer Veronika Melkozerova and I on why Kyiv isn’t sweating Trump’s cabinet picks yet — Blinken’s busy travel week — Indonesia prez in DC — Haiti woes continue — Resigners issue Gaza deadline call www.politico.com/newsletters/...

I have my doubts about this strategy … www.politico.com/news/2024/11...