Trump

The State Department plans to slash the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to come to the United States. The almost 50 U.S. embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications in Africa will be reduced to 20 “hubs” in the coming weeks. That's according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. The move is part of the Trump administration's effort to crack down on issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas as part of its broader aim to limit immigration to the U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he is optimistic about the potential for a resumption in nuclear talks with Iran despite a shaky ceasefire in the war looking increasingly in doubt. Rubio told lawmakers Tuesday that the Iranians have agreed to negotiate on nuclear points they had not been willing to address in the past. He would not offer an assessment on what those talks might produce and added that it was no guarantee they would produce an acceptable deal. His optimism is running into two semiofficial Iranian news agencies reporting that Iran has stopped communicating with mediators after Israel threatened to bomb Beirut as it fights the Hezbollah militant group.