Marco Rubio

Aug. 13 (UPI) — The U.S. State Department on Wednesday imposed visa restrictions on foreign government officials accused of assisting the Cuban regime in a scheme exploiting medical professionals.

Officials from several African nations, Cuba Grenada were sanctioned in a State Department news release. Then later Wednesday, several Brazilian government officials and former Pan American Health Organization officials were targeted for their work with Brazil’s More Doctors program. In all situations, their family members are also affected.

“We are committed to ending this practice,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X after the African and Grenadian officials were sanctioned. “Countries who are complicit in this exploitative practice should think twice.”

After Brazilians were named, Marco wrote on X: “Mais Médicos [Spanish for More Doctors] was an unconscionable diplomatic scam of foreign ‘medical missions.'”

Cuba is accused of sending the workers to some 50 countries for little or no pay for long hours, keeping their passports, confiscating medical credentials, and subjecting them to surveillance and curfews. Many of them reported being sexually abused by their supervisors. If they left the program, they faced repercussions.

Rubio said “several” African nations were sanctioned. Marco and the news release didn’t name that continent’s countries or the officials involved there, as well as Cuba and Grenada.

But the release about Brazil named: Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and Alberto Kleiman, who worked in the nation’s Ministry of Health, played a role in planning and implementing the New Doctors program.

These officials used PAHO as an intermediary with the Cuban regime to implement the program “without following Brazilian constitutional requirements, dodging U.S. sanctions on Cuba, and knowingly paying the Cuban regime what was owed to Cuban medical workers,” according to the release.

In the described scheme, they were complicit with the Cuban government, in which medical professionals were “rented” by other countries at higher prices, with most of the revenue kept by the Cuban authorities, the State Department alleged.

They were involved in “depriving the Cubans of essential care,” the State Department said.

“The United States continues to engage governments, and will take action as needed, to bring an end to such forced labor,” the first release said. “We urge governments to pay the doctors directly for their services, not the regime slave masters.”

The federal agency urged governments to end this method of forced labor.

In June, the U.S. agency imposed visa restrictions on unspecified Central American government officials for being involved in the medical mission program.

Rubio at the time described a similar scheme in which “officials responsible for Cuban medical missions programs that include elements of forced labor and the exploitation of Cuban workers.”

In June, Havana’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, said the visa restrictions were “based on falsehoods and coercion.”

In late May, the State Department suspended the applications for J-1 visas, which allow people to come to the United States for exchange visitor programs. One week later, the department resumed visa interviews, but people seeking the visas were required to make their social media accounts public.

This year, more than 6,600 non-U.S. citizen doctors were accepted into residency programs, according to the National Resident Matching Program. Many residents go into underserved communities because they are less popular among U.S. applicants.

Medical professionals comprised 75% of Cuba’s exported workforce, generating $4.9 billion of its total $7 billion in 2022, according to the State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report.

“Traffickers exploit Cuban citizens in sex trafficking and forced labor in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Latin America and the United States,” the report said.”

Simultaneously, the U.S. government has fully restricted and limited people from 12 foreign countries in June. Cuba was among seven nations with restricted and limited entry.

“These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants,” the order states about the two designations,” a proclamation by President Donald Trump reads.

Trump issued the ban on nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Also partial restricted were those form Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Aug. 11 (UPI) — The United States on Monday designated the Pakistan-based separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army and its Majeed Brigade suicide attack unit as foreign terrorist organizations.

The designations from the State Department come years after it designated the BLA as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019. The move on Monday also includes designating the Majeed Brigade as an SDGT.

The BLA is primarily located in Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan, and seeks independence from Islamabad, while the Majeed Brigade is a unit of the BLA that conducts suicide attacks on its behalf.

According to West Point’s Terrorism Center, the Baloch insurgency has intensified this year. On March 11, the BLA hijacked a Jaffar Express passenger train, kidnapping 400 people and resulting in the deaths of at least 26 hostages.

In the past year, it has claimed responsibility for suicide attacks near the Karachi airport and the Gwadar Port Authority Complex.

Often targets of the Majeed Brigade are Chinese workers or enterprises as the BLA opposes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The State Department blacklisted the BLA in 2019, following several terrorist attacks in the preceding year, including the targeting of Chinese engineers in Balochistan and the Chinese consulate in Karachi in November 2018.

“Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday in a statement.

The new terrorist designation is broader than the previous SDGT, and bars U.S. citizens from supporting the BLA.

It also comes nearly a month after the State Department designated The Resistance Front, which it called a front and proxy group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.

Aug. 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to meet Friday in Alaska and might invite Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky to join them.

It will be the first in-person meeting between Trump and Putin since the G20 summit in Japan in 2019 during Trump’s first term.

Zelensky initially was not invited, a source told The Washington Post, but Trump is considering inviting him, NBC News and The Hill reported on Saturday.

Putin on Thursday said he opposed meeting with Zelensky, saying “for this to happen, certain conditions must be created. Unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”

Trump announced the meeting on Friday night on Truth Social.

“The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska,” Trump posted.

The presidents also considered meeting in the United Arab Emirates and Rome.

Because the United States does not recognize the International Criminal Court, it does not have to abide by a warrant issued in 2023 for Putin’s arrest on allegations he was involved in the abduction of children from Ukraine during the war. Had the meeting been held in Rome, there were concerns officials would attempt to arrest Putin.

On chances for a deal, Trump told reporters this week that he thinks “we have a shot at” achieving a deal and refused to call the meeting a last chance.

“I don’t like using the term ‘last chance,” he said.

Trump has floated the idea that a peace deal with Ukraine may require the European nation to give up territory — something Zelensky and many European leaders oppose.

“You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for 3½ years with — you know, a lot of Russians have died, a lot of Ukrainians have died,” Trump said. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”

Ukraine currently controls around 4 square miles of Russian land in the western Kursk region, while Russia has one-fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory — including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Enerhodar, which is the largest generating station in Europe.

Ukraine had also seized around 500 square miles in August 2024 but later retreated.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and four other regions in eastern Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — and Putin has proposed Crimea be formally recognized as Russian sovereign territory.

“We’re looking at that, but we’re actually looking to get some back and some swapping. It’s complicated. It’s actually nothing easy, [and] it’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump told reporters when asked if Ukraine will need to give up territory in a peace deal.

Trump also said that the self-imposed deadline for Putin to agree to a cease-fire or face “secondary sanctions” against nations that buy oil from Russia would “be up to him. We’re going to see what he has to say — it’s up to him.”

On Wednesday, he signed an executive order that doubled the tariff against India to 50% over the Asian nation’s imports of Russian oil. The order followed a 50-day ultimatum Trump gave to Putin to reach a truce with Ukraine, and later moved the deadline up to 10 days.

After a three-hour meeting with Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, Putin said told Witkoff that he would agree to a cease-fire if Ukraine withdrew from the Donbas region.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Putin for the first time provided “concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war.”

On Saturday, Zelensky reiterated his opposition to giving up land.

“Ukrainians are defending their own. Even those who are with Russia know that it is doing evil. Of course, we will not give Russia awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace. But all partners must understand what a worthy peace is. This war must be ended, and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, not listening to any deadlines, and this is the problem, not something else,” he said in Ukrainian in a video posted on Instagram.

He also “Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not achieve anything,” Zelensky added in a post on X.

Zelensky also said he spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday and he was “grateful for his support.”

He said they both see the danger of “Russia’s plan to reduce everything to a discussion of the impossible.”

The meeting between Trump and Putin was confirmed by Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin official.

“The economic interests of our countries intersect in Alaska and the Arctic, and there are prospects for implementing large-scale, mutually beneficial projects,” he told reporters, according to state-run TASS. “But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.”

Saturday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance will attend a summit of national security advisers in Britain that includes Ukraine and other European allies.

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (UPI) — The top diplomats of the United States and South Korea reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and the enforcement of international sanctions against Pyongyang during a meeting in Washington on Thursday, both governments said.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held their first talks since the election of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung last month. Their meeting took place one day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a tariff deal with Seoul and said that he would host a summit with Lee at the White House within two weeks.

The two diplomats “reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization of the DPRK [and] the full implementation of international sanctions,” State Dept. spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a readout Thursday.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

They also “expressed serious concerns about North Korea’s increasing military cooperation with Russia,” Bruce said.

North Korea has deployed troops, artillery and weapons to Russia to aid in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and is believed to be receiving much-needed financial support and advanced military technology for its own weapons programs in return.

The diplomats “both welcomed the announcement of a full and complete trade deal and the forthcoming visit of ROK President Lee Jae Myung to Washington,” Bruce added, using the official acronym for South Korea.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a readout of the meeting on Friday, saying Rubio and Cho “agreed to maintain a robust combined defense posture and firmly uphold the goal of North Korea’s complete denuclearization.”

Cho also revisited President Lee’s invitation for Trump to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which will be held in Gyeongju from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1. Rubio said Washington “is well aware of this and will actively consider it,” according to the ministry.

On Tuesday, North Korea dismissed the notion of engaging in nuclear negotiations with President Trump.

“Any attempt to deny the position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state … will be thoroughly rejected,” Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said in a statement carried by official media.

“The recognition of the irreversible position of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state … should be a prerequisite for predicting and thinking everything in the future,” she said

July 28 (UPI) — Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez was convicted Monday of bribing a witness and procedural fraud, following several hours of sentencing in a case that spanned more than a decade.

He is the first former head of state in Colombia to face a criminal conviction.

“It can be concluded, based on the prosecution’s findings, that the criminal offense of bribery was sufficiently proven,” Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia said as she read the verdict.

During his presidency, Uribe implemented a policy known as “Democratic Security,” which reduced kidnapping and homicide rates and supported the demobilization of paramilitary and guerrilla forces.

However, Uribe also faced sharp criticism over alleged human rights violations and the demobilization of paramilitary groups with impunity. His presidency was further overshadowed by the “false positives” scandal, in which thousands of civilians were killed by the military and falsely labeled as guerrilla fighters killed in combat.

According to the investigation, between 2012 and 2018, imprisoned paramilitaries were paid and pressured to change their testimony linking Uribe to illegal armed groups.

Sergio Escobar, executive director of the Medellín Global Center for Strategic International Studies, said the ruling is “the result of a series of legal missteps by the former president himself and comes amid an increasingly politicized climate. Now that he’s been convicted, an appeal will follow, which takes us into October — when the statute of limitations on this case expires. Regardless, he will no longer be able to claim he is innocent.”

The case began in 2012, when then-Sen. Álvaro Uribe filed a complaint against Sen. Iván Cepeda Castro, accusing him of witness tampering in an effort to link Uribe to illegal armed groups. But the investigation soon took an unexpected turn.

The Supreme Court of Justice, which initially investigated Cepeda, found evidence that individuals close to Uribe had offered financial, legal and administrative benefits to former paramilitaries and guerrilla fighters in exchange for testimony against Cepeda.

In that context, Uribe was charged with manipulating evidence and misleading the justice system to influence judges and secure rulings favorable to his interests — in the very investigation he had initiated against Cepeda.

“This conviction is a blow to his political career. At the same time, it sends a strong message about equality before the law — even for the most powerful figures in the country,” said José Francisco Salvo, an attorney and member of the NGO Derechos Ciudadanos.

He added that political polarization continues to shape the national response. “Some see the conviction as a victory for justice, while Uribe’s supporters view it as political persecution and an attack by the left,” Salvo said.

On Monday afternoon in a post on Twitter, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried the conviction.

“Former Colombian President Uribe’s only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland,” Rubio tweeted. “The weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent.”

July 28 (UPI) — Cambodia and Thailand reached a cease-fire agreement to end fighting over their disputed border after meeting for negotiations in Malaysia on Monday.

The agreement is set to come into effect at midnight local time as Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a social media post that the two sides “agreed to end their hostilities.”

“I express my sincere appreciation to Thailand and Cambodia for choosing the path of diplomacy, and to President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping for their constructive support in advancing this peace initiative,” Ibrahim said.

The meeting came as fighting had continued between the Asian neighbors and after U.S. President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that they had agreed to “immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE.”

He added that China would also be participating.

“The United States applauds the ceasefire declaration between Cambodia and Thailand announced today in Kuala Lumpur,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Monday.

“We urge all parities to follow through on their commitments. The United States will remain committed to and engaged in the U.S.-Malaysia organized process to end this conflict.”

The cease-fire comes after days of deadly fighting over their disputed border.

Rubio confirmed late Sunday that his staff was “on the ground in Malaysia to assist in the peace efforts.”

The fighting began Thursday, with each side blaming the other for renewing a decades-old conflict over their disputed border.

Thailand has said that at least 14 civilians have been killed, and that it has returned the bodies of 12 slain Cambodians to their native country. Reports state at least 34 people have been killed in the fighting.

According to a Monday statement from the Cambodian Ministry of Defense, more than 134,707 people have been displaced by the fighting and nearly 400,000 Cambodian workers in Thailand have returned to their native country in the past five days.

July 24 (UPI) — U.S. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are calling for a special counsel to investigate allegations against former President Barack Obama.

The senators said they want the truth about Obama’s alleged “manipulation” before the 2016 election.

“For the good of the country, Senator @JohnCornyn and I urge Attorney General (Pam) Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome,” Graham posted on X.

A special counsel is someone brought from outside to investigate independently.

“As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case,” Fox News reported Graham and Cornyn said.

This call comes one day after Director of Homeland Security Tulsi Gabbard released a second formerly classified document alleging wrongdoing by Obama. The Department of Justice created a “strike force” to investigate the evidence.

The document cast doubts on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to help Trump beat Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. It backed up the argument that Russia wanted to interfere in the election.

It was part of a House Intelligence Committee report from Sept. 18, 2020, when Republicans controlled the House. Though it doesn’t dispute that Moscow interfered in the election, it shows the Obama administration’s handling of Russian activity.

Last week, Gabbard released a document that accused Obama and his Cabinet of manufacturing an intelligence report to falsely accuse Russia of acting to ensure Trump defeated Clinton during the 2016 election.

Obama’s team responded to last week’s report.

“Nothing in that document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a prepared statement on Tuesday.

“These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”

“With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama administration to subvert the will of the American people,” Graham and Cornyn said.

Trump earlier in the day accused Obama of “trying to lead a coup” with Hillary Clinton.

July 23 (UPI) — The White House unveiled its new AI action plan Wednesday to make the United States a global leader in the technology.

President Donald Trump‘s administration is cutting back AI regulation, making U.S. laws more friendly to Silicon Valley.

According to a statement on the White House’s website, the key policies in the 28-page AI Action Plan include:

Exporting American AI: The Commerce and State departments will partner with industry to deliver secure, full-stack AI export packages — including hardware, models, software, applications, and standards — to America’s friends and allies around the world.

Promoting rapid buildout of data centers: Expediting and modernizing permits for data centers and semiconductor fabs, as well as creating new national initiatives to increase high-demand occupations like electricians and HVAC technicians.

Enabling innovation and adoption: Removing “onerous Federal regulations that hinder AI development and deployment,” and seek private sector input on rules to remove.

Upholding free speech in frontier models: Updating Federal procurement guidelines to ensure that the government-only contracts with frontier large language model developers who ensure their systems are objective and free from top-down ideological bias.

“This plan galvanizes Federal efforts to turbocharge our innovation capacity, build cutting-edge infrastructure, and lead globally, ensuring that American workers and families thrive in the AI era, said White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios in the statement. “We are moving with urgency to make this vision a reality.”

The AI Action Plan also directs the Commerce Department to revise an AI risk framework to remove references to misinformation, climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion. It calls for an update to federal procurement guidelines that only allow contracts to AI systems deemed “objective and free from top-down ideological bias.”

It further calls for making federal land available to build data centers and their power generation infrastructure.

“To win the AI race, the U.S. must lead in innovation, infrastructure, and global partnerships. At the same time, we must center American workers and avoid Orwellian uses of AI. This Action Plan provides a roadmap for doing that,” AI and crypto czar David Sacks said.

“These clear-cut policy goals set expectations for the Federal Government to ensure America sets the technological gold standard worldwide, and that the world continues to run on American technology,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The plan also calls for pushing American AI systems worldwide to counter China’s influence in AI governance.

July 22 (UPI) — Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday to discuss U.S. tariffs and threats from China.

The first such meeting by an Association of Southeast Asian Nations head of state with Trump since his return to the U.S. presidency, Marcos is expected to utilize his nation’s strong relationship with the United States to improve the trade deal between the two countries.

“The purpose of this visit is to further strengthen the Philippines-United States alliance, to proactively engage the U.S. in all aspects of the relations, and seize opportunities for greater security and economic cooperation,” said Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Raquel Solano in a press release.

The Philippines, one of the many countries who face a tariff hike on Aug. 1, will be subject to a 20% levy as per the letter Trump sent out earlier this month.

“We hope, of course, to arrive at a bilateral trade agreement or a deal on reciprocal trade that is mutually acceptable, mutually beneficial for both our countries,” Solano added.

Marcos’ visit has also focused on defense and security, which was discussed Monday as he visited the Pentagon. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Marcos, and in a Defense Department press release, it was stated the two “reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty and discussed shared security concerns in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as recent advances in the long-standing U.S.-Philippines alliance.”

“Our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today,” said Hegseth in the release. “Together, we remain committed to the mutual defense treaty.”

“And this pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard, anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea,” continued Hegseth.

Marcos also met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said in an X post Monday that they discussed “how the [United States] and the Philippines are strengthening our ironclad Alliance to advance our shared safety, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”

As for any meeting with representatives of the American Filipino community, the press release notes Marcos won’t be able to, due to his tight schedule.

July 22 (UPI) — The Trump administration has said it will deport Haitian nationals with permanent resident status in the United States who are accused of supporting or collaborating with gangs the White House has labeled foreign terrorist organizations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement in a statement Monday, saying the actions of these Haitian individuals and their presence in the United States have “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

Neither the identities of the Haitian nationals to be deported nor the number to be expelled from the country were made public, though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday announced the arrest of Haitian national Pierre Reginald Boulos. The Miami Herald reported that Boulos, 69, is an American-born entrepreneur, physician and influential political powerbroker in Haiti.

ICE said Boulos was arrested Thursday for violating the Immigration and Nationality Act for contributing to the destabilization of Haiti.

“Specifically, officials determined that he engaged in a campaign of violence and gang support that contributed to Haiti’s destabilization,” ICE said in the statement.

“Additionally, in his application to become a lawful permanent resident, he failed to disclose his involvement in the formation of a political party in Haiti, Mouvement pour la Transformation et la Valorisation d’Haiti, and that he was referred for prosecution by the Haitian government’s unit for the Fight Against Corruption for misusing loans, supporting an additional ground of removability based on this fraud.”

Rubio’s statement, which was made public following the announcement of Boulos’ arrest, says they have determined some Haitians with permanent resident status have supported or worked with Haitian gang leaders connected to Viv Ansanm, an organization that the State Department declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization in May, calling it “a primary source of instability and violence in Haiti.”

“The United States will not allow individuals to enjoy the benefits of legal status in our country while they are facilitating the actions of violent organizations or supporting criminal terrorist organizations,” Rubio said Monday.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration seeks to conduct mass deportations. As part of its efforts to fulfill the Trump administration’s goal, the State Department has used the Immigration and Nationality Act to impose visa restrictions on foreign nationals and deport others.

July 19 (UPI) — The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels backed by Rwanda signed a declaration of peace after nearly four years of fighting in Central Africa.

The signing took place in Doha, Qatar, three weeks after Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington, D.C., that didn’t involve the rebels, who emerged in 2012. There have been 30 years of conflict between the two nations.

The BBC obtained a copy of the declaration, which must follow the Washington Accords brokered by the United States.

At the White House, both sides agreed to recognize and respect each other’s territorial borders, committed to not supporting any armed groups and to establish a joint security mechanism to target militias.

And they plan to expand trade and investment opportunities, including U.S. access to critical minerals.

Massad Boulos, the U.S. special envoy for Africa, witnessed Saturday’s agreement.

In the accord brokered by Qatar officials, both sides agreed to “resolve their disputes by peaceful means” by July 9 with a final peace deal by Aug 18.

“The parties acknowledge that peace, security and stability are essential to increase development opportunities, improve living conditions and protect human dignity,” the accord said.

Also, there is a commitment to reinstate state authority in eastern Congo.

The deal took the government’s “red line” into account, including the “non-negotiable withdrawal” of M23 from occupied areas, according to DR Congo spokesman Patrick Muyatya.

But M23 negotiator Benjamin Mbonimpa said in a video the deal didn’t mention a pullout

African Union Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called the declaration a “major milestone in the ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.

Congo Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe appeared at a signing ceremony in the White House’s Oval Office on June 27.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Qatar began negotiations with the two foreign ministers in April. The agreement was announced by the State Department on June 18.

“At least 6 million people were killed during that period of time,” Trump said at signing. “It’s incredible. And somebody said that was actually, it’s the biggest war on the planet since World War II. It’s a shame but we’re going to bring it to an end.”

Around 7 million people have been displaced in Congo, which has a population of 106 million. Rwanda’s population is 14 million. They both gained independence from Belgium in the early 1960s.

Congo has agreed to “neutralize” the rebels in eastern Congo. They are linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide of more than 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus.

In January, M-23 rebels were aided by Rwandan forces in escalating the conflict, according to a United Nations expert panel.

July 19 (UPI) — The U.S. visa of the Brazilian judge overseeing the criminal case against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was revoked Friday, four days after President Donald Trump called the South American nation’s treatment of the former leader a “witch hunt.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement on Friday.

“President Trump made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio said in a statement. “Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.

“I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members effective immediately.”

The visa restriction policy is pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes the secretary of state to not allow anyone whose entry into the United States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

Rubio, in a cable to diplomatic and consular posts on Thursday, said public comments on foreign elections “should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noted shared policy interests,” according to The New York Times, which obtained the memo.

De Moraes doesn’t travel often to the United States, The Washington Post reported.

Friday, de Moraes accused Bolsonaro and his son, Eduardo, of conspiring to incite U.S. hostilities against Brazil, ordering the former president to wear an ankle bracelet. Bolsonaro was also barred from contacting foreign governments, and blocked from using social media.

The judge also is investigating online misinformation, and has ordered the takedown of social media accounts that violate Brazil’s freedom of speech. In 2024, Elon Musk’s X restored service in the country after paying a $5 million fine and appointed a new legal representative there.

Trump’s social media company, The Trump Media & Technology Group, sued de Moraes in February, accusing him of censoring conservative voices on social media.

The judge is on the judicial panel to preside over Bolsonaro’s trial before Brazil’s Supreme Court, who was indicted in February after the alleged coup.

Bolsonaro has been accused of attempting to violently to retain power after his 2022 election loss to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Lula, in a speech Thursday night, condemned Bolsonaro’s supporters, whom he accused of siding with Trump about the “witch hunt.”

“They’re the true traitors of the homeland,” he said. “They don’t care about the economy of the country or the damage caused to our people.”

On Monday, Trump wrote a letter to Lula threatening a 50% tariff on imported goods, because of how Bolsonaro “has been treated” and an “unfair trade relationship.” Unless there is an agreement, the new rate takes effect on Aug. 1, he wrote.

Trump said that “the way Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace. The trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY.”

Trump also noted “Brazil’s insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the Fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.”

Then on Thursday, he posted on Truth Social a letter sent to Bolsonaro about his “terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you,” demanding an immediate trial.

“It is my sincere hope that the Government of Brazil changes course, stops attacking political opponents, and ends their ridiculous censorship regime. I will be watching closely.”

July 12 (UPI) — The State Department on Friday began notifying 1,353 affected workers of their pending job losses as the department reduces its workforce by 15%.

The people losing their jobs amid the downsizing work in positions that are being eliminated or consolidated, a State Department official told media on Thursday, NBC News reported.

“This is the most complicated personnel reorganization that the federal government has ever undertaken,” the official told reporters during a briefing. “It was done so in order to be very focused on looking at the functions that we want to eliminate or consolidate, rather than looking at individuals.”

The State Department notified 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service workers of their pending job losses, CBS News reported.

The department plans to eliminate nearly 3,400 positions, including many who have already accepted voluntary departure offers this year.

The State Department also will close or consolidate many U.S.-based offices as part of the reduction in force that is being done in accordance with a reorganization plan, which members of Congress received in March.

The Trump administration says the downsizing is needed to eliminate redundancy and better enable the State Department to focus on its primary responsibilities.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio created the downsizing plan, which he said is needed due to the department being too costly, ideologically driven and cumbersome, The New York Times reported.

The downsizing isn’t going unchallenged on Capitol Hill.

All Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Friday opposed the downsizing in a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“During a time of increasingly complex and widespread challenges to U.S. national security, this administration should be strengthening our diplomatic corps — an irreplaceable instrument of U.S. power and leadership — not weakening it,” the Democratic Party senators said.

“However, [downsizing] would severely undermine the department’s ability to achieve U.S. foreign policy interests, putting our nation’s security, strength and prosperity at risk.”

The Senate Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee include Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Chris Coons of Delaware, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Tim Kaine of Virginia.

The Senate committee’s other Democratic Party members are Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Jacky Rosen of Nevada.

July 11 (UPI) — Employees of the U.S. State Department could receive a layoff notice via email very soon as part of the Trump administration’s plan to downsize the government, according to an in ternal memo.

The Washington Post reported late Thursday night it had obtained a memo from Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Michael Rigas that informed State Department employees to be on the lookout for an email “in the coming days” in regard to layoffs. CNN reported Thursday that the email would come from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that will say “Soon, the Department will be communicating to individuals affected by the reduction in force,” and that firings could begin as soon as Friday. A draft reduction-in-force notice acquired by CBS News said the objective is “streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” and that the terminations “have been carefully tailored to affect non-core functions.”

The State Department had told Congress in May it planned to fire more than 1,870 people within its domestic workforce of 18,730, and over 1,570 have said they would voluntarily exit.

More than 300 offices and bureaus would be impacted and will include members of the foreign and civil service whose offices are being either retooled or outright eliminated.

Uncertainty over the status of the plan has negatively impacted morale at the department, as workers wait to see if they are to receive the axe, some of which have worked there for years or even decades, The Washington Post reported.

CBS also reported that the department told reporters it intends to conduct the reductions-in-force over a single day.

One State Department employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Washington Post last month that the move showed the department’s leadership “either doesn’t appreciate or just doesn’t care” about its workforce.

“We will continue to move forward with our historic reorganization plan at the State Department, as announced earlier this year,” Rubio said in a X post Tuesday.

“When you reorganize the State Department, there were certain bureaus we wanted to empower, the regional bureaus, and there were certain bureaus, these functional bureaus, that were closed,” he told reporters Thursday.

The State Department officially told Congress in May that it planned to eliminate around 3,400 U.S.-based jobs and will either close or merge nearly half of its domestic offices.

However, those working at overseas posts are reportedly safe from termination.

American Foreign Service Association President Thomas Yazdgerdi told CNN Wednesday that the expected layoffs are coming at “a particularly bad time.”

“There are horrible things that are happening in the world that require a tried-and-true diplomatic workforce that’s able to address that,” he continued. “The ability to maintain a presence in the areas of the world that are incredibly important, dealing with issues like Ukraine, like Gaza, like Iran right now that require great diplomatic attention.”

The plan will also integrate the functions of the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department.

The State Department had told Congress it planned to complete its reorganization by July 1, but those plans were temporarily paused by rulings from a lower court until earlier this week, when the Supreme Court cleared a path for the Trump administration to begin mass firings and changes at 19 departments and agencies.

The lower court had blocked the layoffs, as the administration did not first consult with Congress.

July 11 (UPI) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Friday in his first trip to Asia since his appointment to the cabinet post.

Rubio and Wang spoke for about an hour while at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Rubio told reporters it was a “very constructive, positive meeting” and said there is more the two countries could work on together.

He hinted at a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said the odds for that meeting are high, and “I don’t have a date for you, but I think it’s coming.”

At the meeting, Rubio has been working to try to shore up support for United States policies on trade with China. Wang has been pushing Southeast Asian nations to resist American pressure and lean on Beijing.

During the meeting, Rubio emphasized the importance of keeping channels of communication open, and they agreed to explore areas of potential cooperation, while seeking to manage differences, according to State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

“The Secretary emphasized the need for continued discussion on a range of bilateral issues. The Secretary also raised other issues of regional and global importance,” she said in a press release.

Trump has made new tariff threats on Southeast Asian nations, angering the foreign leaders at the conference, including the host country Malaysia. Japan and South Korea are also facing the threats, which cast doubt on Rubio’s efforts.

Wang met with a Bangladeshi official on Friday and said it was unreasonable and unethical for the U.S. to put 35% tariffs on Bangladesh, which is one of the least developed in the world. China has warned countries that they would face consequences if they worked with the U.S. to impede Chinese exports.

“China has always been the most reliable stabilizing force in a turbulent world and the most reliable partner” for Southeast Asian countries, Wang said on Thursday at a meeting with the region’s diplomats.

July 10 (UPI) — Social media influencer Nick Adams is President Donald Trump‘s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Malaysia.

Trump announced the nomination on Wednesday while Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Malaysia on a diplomatic trip to participate in an Association of Southeast Asian Nations event in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

“Accepting this call of duty should be the easiest decision made by any American,” Adams said in a video, as reported by The Hill.

“It is nothing short of a lifetime honor to take the president’s goodwill and spread it to the great people of Malaysia,” Adams said.

Our country is the land of tremendous opportunity,” he added. “In our new golden age, these opportunities will grow like never before.”

Adams, 40, is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Australia and has been a supporter of Trump’s for many years.

During his first term in office, Trump nominated Adams as a board member of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, NBC News reported.

Adams formerly was the deputy mayor of Ashfield, which is a suburb of Sydney, Australia.

His personal website describes Adams as a critic of illegal immigration, critical race theory and “radical feminism.”

He also says he is a “champion of American exceptionalism.”

Adams in 2016 established the Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness, which is a non-profit that teaches the United States’ founding documents and American values to grade-school students.

He says he earned bachelor’s and graduate degrees from the University of Sydney and has authored several books.

Adams has more than 3 million social media followers.

July 9 (UPI) — The United States has sanctioned an independent investigator of human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, in latest move by the Trump administration targeting critics of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Francesca Paola Albanese, the 48-year-old Italian-born U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, was sanctioned by the State Department on Wednesday.

The sanctions come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington, D.C., and follow the publication of a recent report by Albanese calling for punitive measures to be imposed against Israel over what she describes as its “genocide” of the Palestinian people, while criticizing dozens of businesses for profiting off the conflict.

The State Department issued its secondary sanctions on the grounds of Albanese’s support of the ICC.

The Trump administration sanctioned the ICC last month after the court opened an investigation into the actions of U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on allegations of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in their widespread, systematic assault on Gaza.

Albanese has called on countries to comply with the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said her support of the ICC is “a gross infringement on the sovereignty” of the United States and Israel, as neither party is a member of the international court.

“The United States has repeatedly condemned and objected to the biased and malicious activities of Albanese that have long made her unfit for service as a special rapporteur,” Rubio said in a statement.

He also chastised her recent report for naming dozens of companies that she described as complicit in and profiting from Israel’s war.

“While life in Gaza is being obliterated and the West Bank is under escalating assault, this report shows why Israel’s genocide continues: because it is lucrative for many,” the report states, while urging the ICC to investigate and prosecute corporate executives complicit in the conflict.

Rubio said the report makes “extreme and unfounded accusations.”

“We will not tolerate these campaigns of political and economic warfare, which threaten our national interests and sovereignty,” he said.

“The United States will continue to take whatever actions we deem necessary to respond to lawfare, to check and prevent illegitimate ICC overreach and abuse of power, and to protect our sovereignty and that of our allies.”

Without directly mentioning the sanctions, Albanese said on X that “on this day more than ever: I stand firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done.”

“I come from a country with a tradition of illustrious legal scholars, talented lawyers and courageous judges who have defended justice at great cost and often with their own life. I intend to honor that tradition,” she said.

Amnesty International rebuked the United States’ sanctions as “a shameless and transparent attack on the fundamental principles of international justice.”

“Following the recent sanctions against the International Criminal Court, the measures announced today are a continuation of the Trump administration’s assault on international law and its efforts to protect the Israeli government from accountability at all costs,” Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said in a statement.

“They are the latest in a series of Trump administration policies seeking to intimidate and silence those that dare speak out for Palestinians’ human rights.”

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when the Iran-backed militant group killed 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage during a surprise attack on Israel.

In the 21 months since, Israel has destroyed Gaza and killed more than 57,600 Palestinians and injured more than 137,000 others.

July 10 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Monday named Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to also serve as interim NASA administrator.

Janet Petro, a former leader of the Kennedy Space Center, has been the agency’s acting administrator since Trump became president on Jan. 20. The administrator reports directly to the president.

“Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time. Congratulations, and thank you, Sean.”

Duffy, a lawyer and broadcaster who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010, has no science background.

“Honored to accept this mission,” Duffy posted on X. “Time to take over space. Let’s launch.”

The president hasn’t nominated anyone for the agency after he withdrew billionaire Jared Isaacman’s name to lead NASA, citing a “thorough review of prior associations.”

The nomination was withdrawn on May 31, before the Senate was expected to vote on the nomination of Isaacman, who has twice traveled to space on private missions.

It was withdrawn on the day SpaceX chief Elon Musk left the White House after leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Sunday, said it was “inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life.”

In the message, Trump said he was “saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.”

The proposed 2026 fiscal year budget for NASA is $18.8 billion, which is a 25% reduction on overall funding and the smallest since 1961 when Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

There are 17,000 permanent civil service employees with headquarters in Washington. Major locations are the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Johnson Space Center in Texas, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, the Langley Research Center in Virginia, the Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

NASA relies on SpaceX to send its astronauts to the International Space Center.

The agency also primarily uses private contractors and suppliers to build its rockets and related systems.

The Department of Transportation has 57,000 employees, including the Federal Aviation Administration, safety of commercial motor vehicles and truckers, public transportation, railroads and maritime transport and ports.

Several other political appointees are serving in multiple roles, according to NBC News.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio currently serves as the interim national security adviser and national archivist.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is the acting head of the Library of Congress.

Jamieson Greer is the U.S. trade representative, acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and acting special counsel of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

Russell Vought is director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Richard Grenell, a special U.S.envoy, is president the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

And Daniel Driscoll is secretary of the Army and the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

WASHINGTON — The State Department is warning U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.

The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by the Washington Post.

The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voicemail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with the Associated Press.

“The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,” it said. “The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.”

It declined to comment further due to “security reasons” and the ongoing investigation.

It’s the latest instance of a high-level Trump administration figure targeted by an impersonator, with a similar incident revealed in May involving President Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles. The misuse of AI to deceive people is likely to grow as the technology improves and becomes more widely available, and the FBI warned in the spring about “malicious actors” impersonating senior U.S. government officials in a text and voice messaging campaign.

The hoaxes involving Rubio had been unsuccessful and “not very sophisticated,” one of the officials said. Nonetheless, the second official said the department deemed it “prudent” to advise all employees and foreign governments, particularly as efforts by foreign actors to compromise information security increase.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,” the cable said.

The FBI has warned in a public service announcement about a “malicious” campaign relying on text messages and AI-generated voice messages that purport to come from a senior U.S. official and that aim to dupe other government officials as well as the victim’s associates and contacts.

This is not the first time that Rubio has been impersonated in a deepfake. This spring, someone created a bogus video of him saying he wanted to cut off Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service. Ukraine’s government later rebutted the false claim.

Several potential solutions have been put forward in recent years to the growing misuse of AI for deception, including criminal penalties and improved media literacy. Concerns about deepfakes have also led to a flood of new apps and AI systems designed to spot phonies that could easily fool a human.

The tech companies working on these systems are now in competition against those who would use AI to deceive, according to Siwei Lyu, a professor and computer scientist at the University at Buffalo. He said he’s seen an increase in the number of deepfakes portraying celebrities, politicians and business leaders as the technology improves.

Just a few years ago, fakes contained easy-to-spot flaws — inhuman voices or mistakes such as extra fingers — but now the AI is so good, it’s much harder for a human to spot, giving deepfake makers an advantage.

“The level of realism and quality is increasing,” Lyu said. “It’s an arms race, and right now the generators are getting the upper hand.”

The Rubio hoax comes after text messages and phone calls went to elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures from someone who seemed to have gained access to the contacts in Wiles’ personal cellphone, the Wall Street Journal reported in May.

Some of those who received calls heard a voice that sounded like Wiles’, which may have been generated by AI, according to the newspaper. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles’ number, the report said. The government was investigating.

Lee writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Eric Tucker and David Klepper contributed to this report.

July 8 (UPI) — An unknown party has used artificial intelligence to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and contact several government and foreign officials, the State Department announced.

The State Department on Thursday alerted all diplomatic and consular posts that a Signal account using the display name [email protected] was created in mid-June, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

“The individual contacted at least five non-department individuals, including three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a U.S. member of Congress,” the State Department said in the alert, CBS News reported on Tuesday.

“The actor left voicemails on Signal for at least two targeted individuals and in one instance sent a text message inviting the individual to communicate on Signal.”

Other State Department personnel also were impersonated in the fraudulent email, according to the State Department.

Impersonating a federal worker or officer with the intent to deceive or to gain something is a federal crime.

Such acts do not require extensive knowledge and often succeed due to government officials many times being careless about online security, Hany Farid, a University of California-Berkeley professor in digital forensics, told The Washington Post.

“This is precisely why you shouldn’t use Signal or other insecure channels for official government use,” Farid said.

As little as 15 seconds of audio is enough to enable AI to impersonate a particular individual and make it say whatever is desired to obtain the intended result, Farid added.

The FBI declined to comment on the Rubio impersonation but May warned U.S. officials that “malicious actors” are using AI to impersonate senior U.S. officials as part of an ongoing “malicious text and voice-messaging campaign,” The Washington Post reported.

Signal is the same encrypted app that resulted in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others accidentally included a journalist in a group discussion of plans to strike Houthi targets in Yemen in March.

A second Signal chat included two members of Hegseth’s family.