Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Rex Tillerson cleared for confirmation vote in Senate
Former Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson, President Trump's pick to be secretary of state, cleared a key hurdle on Capitol Hill on Monday night as Senate Republicans easily mustered the majority needed to head off a Democratic filibuster and pave the way for his confirmation this week. Published January 30, 2017
Diplomats slam Donald Trump visa and refugee ban with ‘dissent cable’
A draft memo circulating Monday among dozens of State Department officials and career U.S. diplomats slammed President Trump's temporary visa and refugee ban, saying it "stands in opposition" to "core American and constitutional" values." Published January 30, 2017
ISIS airstrike limits in Iraq come under review; James Mattis looks at Mosul
Military advisers close to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis are considering loosening the restrictions on U.S. airstrikes that the Obama administration kept in place in war against the Islamic State in Iraq, according to current and former U.S. officials. Published January 26, 2017
Donald Trump, Theresa May seek common ground in shifting landscape
The meeting of President Trump and British Prime Minister Teresa May on Friday — the first foreign leader the new U.S. president is hosting at the White House — will feature two leaders badly in need of a friend. Published January 26, 2017
Intel committee Democrats outraged over Donald Trump’s torture comments
Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence expressed outrage Thursday over President Trump's suggestion this week that he is considering allowing of U.S. officials to restart a program that used enhanced interrogation techniques tantamount to torture against terrorism suspects. Published January 26, 2017
EDCA deal: Philippines says U.S. base upgrades will proceed
The Philippines' top defense official said Thursday that the U.S. military is cleared to begin upgrading and constructing facilities in the Southeast Asian nation over the coming year -- an apparent reversal of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's outspoken rejection of an American troop presence there. Published January 26, 2017
Trump’s change of course in Asia challenges China, Obama’s pivot
The Trump administration's vow to block Beijing from seizing territory in the South China Sea has sparked outrage among Chinese leaders, and Mr. Trump's rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal has prompted confusion and unease among some key U.S. allies. Published January 25, 2017
North Korea says ICBM test could be imminent
A senior North Korean official claims Pyongyang is capable carrying out its first ever test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile "at any time, at any place," according to a report Wednesday. Published January 25, 2017
Asif Zardari, Pakistan’s former president, urges Donald Trump to send envoy to region
President Trump should quickly appoint a high-level envoy to South Asia to underscore U.S. leadership in the region and seize an opportunity missed by the Obama administration to coordinate a top-level response to the regional terrorist threat, said former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. Published January 23, 2017
Marco Rubio to vote for Rex Tillerson as secretary of state
Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday that he will support former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's to be Secretary of State, likely paving the way toward confirmation of President Trump's nominee after two other key Republican senators threw their weight behind him over the weekend. Published January 23, 2017
Trump inaugural speech makes international waves
President Donald J. Trump's inaugural address, in which he warned "every city in every foreign capital" to heed the message that "from this day forward, it's going to be only America first," triggered a range of reactions among international observers Friday. Published January 20, 2017
Donald Trump’s world views worry global leaders
While Donald Trump's supporters say he's going to make America great again, domestically and internationally, there is little question that the incoming president's penchant for incendiary rhetoric and unpredictable policy swerves have unsettled audiences around the globe. Published January 19, 2017
Sergey Lavrov, Russia’ foreign minister, claims U.S. spies planted $10,000 in diplomat’s car
Russia's foreign minister says U.S. intelligence agencies were so desperate to recruit Russian spies in Washington last year that American officials planted $10,000 in cash inside a Russian diplomat's car, along with a letter asking the official to work with the U.S. government. Published January 17, 2017
Donald Trump’s NATO, EU comments spark fury, fear across Europe
Europe's leading powers responded angrily Monday to President-elect Donald Trump's comments published over the weekend that NATO is "obsolete" and that NATO's European members are failing to pay their fair share to the alliance's budget. Published January 16, 2017
Mike Pompeo promises an apolitical CIA, rejects torture
After a period of extraordinary tension between President-elect Donald Trump and the nation's intelligence community, the president-elect's pick to run the CIA vowed Thursday to uphold the morale of America's career spies and said solid, unbiased intelligence is the "lifeblood" of national security that is "more in demand than ever." Published January 13, 2017
Mike Pompeo says CIA won’t restart torture on his watch
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA said Thursday that he won't push for the agency to use so-called "enhanced interrogation" techniques, such as waterboarding, against terror suspects. Published January 12, 2017
Mike Pompeo says intel is ‘lifeblood’ of national security
In a break from weeks of friction between President-elect Donald Trump and the Obama administration's outgoing intelligence community chiefs, Mr. Trump's nominee to head the CIA said Thursday that intelligence is the "lifeblood" of U.S. national security and "is more in demand than ever." Published January 12, 2017
Lights go out at Pompeo CIA hearing
The confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the CIA was abruptly halted by a power outage just as it was getting under way Thursday morning on Capitol Hill. Published January 12, 2017
Rex Tillerson: U.S. response to Russia Crimea seizure was ‘weak’
Former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, took a tough line on Russian hacking, praised Mexican immigrants and acknowledged the problem posed by global climate change -- drawing repeated accolades from Democrats during his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, but setting up some potentially awkward moments with his future boss. Published January 11, 2017
Rex Tillerson is asked: ‘Is Putin a war criminal?’; Marco Rubio says answer is ‘discouraging’
Sparks flew early in Wednesday's secretary of state nomination hearing for Rex Tillerson when Republican Sen. Marco Rubio ripped the former ExxonMobil CEO for refusing to say outright that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "war criminal." Published January 11, 2017