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Aug 19, 2026 - World

Questions are being raised about Secretary of State Marco Rubio being sent to the sidelines while President Donald Trump's Iran war drags the administration down.According to a column from MSNBC's Julia Jester, as the nation's supposedly top diplomat, Rubio would normally be the face of efforts to bring the quagmire that Iran has become to a close.As the Iran war persists, the Israel-Hamas has "hit a sizable snag" and the Ukraine-Russia war continues, Rubio has appeared to step back from his role in addressing the most pressing international crises facing the United States.Instead, Rubio has focused his diplomatic efforts on the Western Hemisphere, leading negotiations on Venezuela and Cuba. His work on Cuba is personally significant, given his background as the son of Cuban immigrants.According to the report, "Over the past year, Rubio has waged a maximum pressure campaign on the communist island, crippling its economy with sanctions and publishing a 100-page department report outlining espionage and influence efforts that threaten U.S. national security."Rubio has publicly attached his name to most Cuba-related State Department actions and stood alongside Trump at a press conference following a military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but was notably absent from major public appearances after the joint U.S.-Israel operation against Iran.According to his public schedule, Rubio "attends meetings and briefings at the White House, where he has Trump’s ear. But he’s not always deployed to conduct diplomacy in person on behalf of the U.S. in its most critical quagmires."Former State Department negotiator Aaron David Miller expressed concern about Rubio's apparent absence from the administration's most significant foreign policy challenges."I worked for half a dozen secretaries of state," Miller said. "None of them would ever have agreed, in the face of the gravest and greatest crisis of the Trump administration's foreign policy presidency, to basically be sitting this one out or perceived to be M.I.A."Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, called the decision to have special envoys report directly to Trump rather than through the secretary of state "extraordinary," telling MS NOW, "I think it’s a testament to how dysfunctional this is that the president saw fit to deploy his best friend and his son-in-law to navigate and negotiate three of the most difficult conflicts in the international system, and the results I think are pretty predictable.”

Aug 19, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump backtracked in his strange tariff war with a late-night social media post in which he vowed a controversial project could be "awoken from the grave!"Trump, 80, announced on Truth Social he had paused 50 percent tariffs for Canada, slated to begin Wednesday morning, for three days. "Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!" Trump wrote.Trump provided no detail of any deal, but suggested it was linked to the "great" Keystone XL Pipeline, a 875-mile project to channel oil from Alberta, Canada directly to Steele City, Nebraska that was quashed by President Joe Biden in 2021."The great Keystone XL Pipeline, long ago killed by Sleepy Joe Biden, may be awoken from the grave!" Trump declared. "Thank you for your attention to this matter."The U.S. Trade Representative's office provided more detail with, of course, praise for the president. "Congratulations Mr. President," the office stated on X. "The deal will include comprehensive market access for all American goods, economic security commitments, digital trade alignment, and many important provisions that will continue to protect our market and American workers, along with our Canadian partners."In a statement to NBC, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “Substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done.The 50 percent tariffs would have impacted about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, according to NBC News. "The import taxes would have hit products ranging from hockey sticks to some building materials, liquors and certain kinds of clothing," according to the report.

Nov 21, 2025 - World

The Queen's coffin will lie in state at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday.View Entire Post ›

Sep 20, 2024 - World

The Brazilian “King of Football” had been treated for colon cancer since 2021.View Entire Post ›

Apr 9, 2023 - World

Kanamara Matsuri has been an annual tradition since 1969, and besides being known for its fun, it raises money for a good cause.View Entire Post ›