Pompeo Begins Mission with NATO Meeting in Brussels

New U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a powerful signal to NATO allies, traveling to Brussels for Friday's ministerial meeting just hours after being confirmed. "I hopped straight on a plane and came straight here," Pompeo told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Mike Pompeo narrowly confirmed to be secretary of state

The Senate narrowly confirmed Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state on Thursday, clearing the path for him to take over as the top U.S. diplomat just as President Donald Trump faces high-risk moments on Iran and North Korea. Pompeo, the outgoing CIA director, secured support from 57 senators, with 42 voting no - one of the slimmest margins for the job in recent history.

Why Japan doesn’t want South Korea serving Kim Jong-un a map mousse

Amid hurried preparations for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's meetings with the president of South Korea on Friday, even the dessert menu is making Japan nervous. Upon learning of plans to serve Kim a mango mousse decorated with a map of the Korean Peninsula that includes islands over which Tokyo claims sovereignty, Japan's Foreign Ministry lodged an official complaint with its neighbour.

Iranian official puts Trump on notice about nuclear deal

President Donald Trump and Iran's top diplomat have traded sharp warnings, with Trump threatening "bigger problems" than ever if Tehran restarts its nuclear program. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif put the president on notice, telling The Associated Press if the U.S. pulls out of the nuclear deal, Iran "mostly likely" would abandon it, too.

Senate committee paves way for Pompeo to become top U.S. diplomat

A U.S. Senate committee approved the nomination of President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, on Monday after a Republican senator who had been opposed threw his support behind the CIA director in the face of party pressure. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the nomination on a party-line vote, with all 11 Republicans backing him, nine Democrats opposed and one Democrat, Chris Coons, voting "present" because one Republican was at a funeral out of town.

Macron, Merkel expected to push Trump on keeping US in Iran nuclear deal

French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived at the White House Monday evening to the pomp and circumstance typical of a state visit, the choreography of which he is expected to balance against a delicate diplomatic effort to persuade President Donald Trump to remain in the Iran nuclear deal. Macron, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel are making back-to-back visits with the president this week in a last-minute lobbying push to prevent the president from potentially sabotaging the agreement.

Trump says North Korea agreed to denuclearize. It hasn’t.

Trump is claiming that North Korea has agreed to "denuclearization" before his potential meeting with Kim, but that's not the case. President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed North Korea has agreed to "denuclearization" before his potential meeting with Kim Jong Un.

Trump says US has not ‘given up anything’ in North Korea talks

President Donald Trump declared Sunday morning the United States has not "given up anything" in negotiations with North Korea in response to criticism that Pyongyang is getting more out of the talks than Washington. "Wow, we haven't given up anything & they have agreed to denuclearization , site closure, & no more testing!" he tweeted.

Trump: We are still ‘a long way’ from North Korea meeting with Kim Jong Un

President Trump said Sunday he is still hoping for an unprecedented meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but many details remain and it may not happen. "We are a long way from conclusion on North Korea, maybe things will work out, and maybe they won't - only time will tell," Trump tweeted about efforts to get North Korea to give up nuclear weapons.

Schumer: Trump on ‘Right Path’ on Trade With China

President Donald Trump on Sunday got key support for his punitive trade tactics with China from fellow New Yorker and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. In an interview with radio host and businessman John Catsimatidis on "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y., the New York Democrat said "I'm closer to his view of trade."

News | Whitcomb: Brainy Brown; Stoned with Second-Hand Smoke;…

"Poets in other climes may rhapsodize about the vagaries of April weather, its laughter 1and tears, but in New England the month has inspired few local bards to lyric praise of the region's early spring weather.' Best wishes to Rhode Island Public Radio on its 20th birthday! The station, along with other relatively new media such as GoLocal24, have filled some of the gaps left by the decline of "legacy media'' in general and newspapers in particular.

Kim Jong-un’s abrupt shift leaves skeptics unsettled

Washington: As North Korea's reclusive ruler, Kim Jong-un, prepares for a landmark meeting with President Donald Trump, he has seized the diplomatic high ground, making conciliatory gestures on nuclear testing and US troops that have buoyed hopes in South Korea and won praise from Trump himself, who called it "big progress". But Kim's audacious moves are unsettling officials in the United States, Japan and China.