Rubio Shuts Down De Facto Palestinian Embassy. Plus, the Pulitzers Are Back on Their BS.

State Department glow up: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is shuttering the Biden administration’s Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), “a Biden-era creation that elevated relations with the Palestinian Authority,” our Adam Kredo scoops. The move aims to restore “the Trump administration’s first-term vision for a unified U.S. diplomatic mission in Israel’s capital” and eliminates what critics have described as a de facto Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem.

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Marco Rubio To Close State Department's De Facto Palestinian Embassy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will dissolve the State Department’s Office of Palestinian Affairs (OPA), a Biden-era creation that elevated relations with the Palestinian Authority, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

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Taliban Earning Billions, Giving American Weaponry to Terrorist Groups as Afghanistan Once Again Becomes Jihadi Hotbed: Report

The Taliban took in $3.4 billion in revenue over the last year, boosting its cash supply by 14 percent amid the return of Afghanistan as a central safe haven for terrorist organizations across the Middle East, according to a U.S. government watchdog group.

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HUD Probes Whether Pronoun, Vaccine Police Discriminated Against Christians

The agency, acting on President Trump's executive order, is asking employees to document discriminatory practices in the Biden years.

Ex-State Department crook admits to embezzling $650K from taxpayers



A former Department of State budget analyst pleaded guilty on Wednesday to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported.

Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, admitted to stealing over $650,000 from taxpayers between March 2022 and April 2024, according to the Department of Justice.

'As a result, anyone viewing those entries in the QuickBooks system did not see Ferrer's name as the payee on the checks unless they accessed an audit trail.'

Ferrer was a senior budget analyst for the State Department's Office of the Chief of Protocol. As a part of her role with the federal agency, she had the authority to print and sign checks.

According to prosecutors, Ferrer wrote 60 checks to herself and three checks to an individual with whom she had a personal relationship. Ferrer printed and signed the checks, depositing $657,347.50 into her personal accounts.

She attempted to hide the illegal activity by utilizing a State Department QuickBooks account, where she entered her name as the payee, printed the checks, and then changed the account's listed payee to an agency vendor.

"As a result, anyone viewing those entries in the QuickBooks system did not see Ferrer's name as the payee on the checks unless they accessed an audit trail," the DOJ stated.

As part of her guilty plea, she agreed to pay back the embezzled funds.

Ferrer's sentencing is scheduled for September 18. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

In response to Ferrer's guilty plea, the Diplomatic Security Service, the law enforcement arm of the State Department, said, "At DSS, we're doing our part to ensure accountability and uphold public trust. Thank you to our partners for their work on this case."

President Donald Trump's State Department has made it a top priority to root out government waste.

On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement reflecting on the administration's first 100 days.

He noted that the department "is becoming a leaner machine, eager to deliver for the taxpayers."

"With an impending reorganization that will unleash the Department's talent from the ground up, the State Department is set to continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety, security and prosperity of the American people over the next four years," he stated.

On Tuesday, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture program director, Kirk Perry, pleaded guilty to participating in a kickback scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The DOJ reported that Perry and his nephew, Jamarea Grant, "conspired to bill the government nearly $400,000 for work that Grant did not actually perform."

"Perry also had access to Grant's bank account. As part of the criminal scheme Perry transferred approximately $125,000 of the USDA payments from Grant's account to his own account," the DOJ stated.

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Harvard Law Review Launches Leak Probe

On the hunt: As the Trump administration probes Harvard Law Review over our report on its race-based policies, the journal is launching its own investigation—to identify the leaker of the damning internal documents spelling out those policies.

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State Department To Dismantle Anti-Israel Grantmaking Office in Effort To Rein In ‘Rogue People’ at Agency

A little-known grantmaking entity within the State Department created an anti-Israel program without adequate authorization during the Biden administration. Now, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are shutting it down.

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Trump Admin Targets $500-Million Iranian Smuggling Network in Fresh Batch of Sanctions

The Trump administration announced wide-ranging sanctions Wednesday on a vast Iranian oil smuggling network that has generated "hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit funds for Iran's destabilizing activities," according to information provided by the State Department.

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Trump strips 4,000 student visas over first 100 days — 90% flagged for 'serious' crimes



President Donald Trump's administration revoked roughly 4,000 visas for foreign students over the first 100 days of his second term.

A senior official with the Department of State told the New York Post that 90% of those who had their visas revoked had a "serious" criminal record.

'We established an action working group, which has resulted in thousands of visas being revoked because these individuals broke our laws.'

The foreign students were accused of a list of illegal offenses, including arson, human trafficking, child endangerment, domestic abuse, robbery, and more.

The news outlet reported that 500 of the individuals were accused of assault.

The senior official told the Post, "They came and they were breaking the law with no consequences."

The source noted that the administration formed "a special action team" to address the issue. The DOS partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to identify foreign students with criminal records.

The senior official noted that those accused of less serious crimes did not have their visas removed.

"There were cases like where it was not a serious thing, like littering, or somebody had charges that were dropped, where we didn't revoke those. Because it should be a serious matter," the official told the Post.

The news outlet reported that many of the foreign students have already left the United States. However, those who remain will soon be targeted by federal immigration officials for deportation.

"Perhaps in the future other visa categories, not just students, will be looked at," the source added.

An analysis from Inside Higher Ed confirmed from local reports and universities that nearly 1,900 students had lost their legal status.

According to its ongoing tracker, more than 170 foreign students attending the University of Texas System had their visas revoked. Over 100 students attending Arizona State University also had their visas pulled.

The UT System's vice chancellor of external relations, Randa Safady, stated, "As of Friday, April 11, the UT System learned that 176 students have been affected by the action."

United Campus Workers of Arizona president Michael Kintscher said, "We've been able to confirm a little over 100 students have their visas revoked at ASU specifically, although we believe the number is much higher, that's just what we've been able to confirm so far."

A senior State Department official told Fox News Digital that Trump has "worked to fix a broken system."

"Our visa system has lacked oversight and accountability," the official said. "Secretary [Marco] Rubio has led the State Department to take a surgical vetting approach to ensure individuals in America as visitors are abiding by our laws."

"We established an action working group, which has resulted in thousands of visas being revoked because these individuals broke our laws. This is what effective governance looks like," the source added.

A State Department spokesperson told the news outlet that the agency "revokes visas every day in order to secure America's borders and keep our communities safe – and will continue to do so."

The spokesperson did not confirm the number of revoked student visas, noting that "the process is ongoing, the number of revocations is dynamic," and that the agency "generally does not provide statistics on visa revocations."

"The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process," the spokesperson added. "Every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes interagency security vetting. Prohibiting entry to the United States by those who might pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety is key to protecting U.S. citizens at home. The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted. "

The wave of visa revocations stems from Trump's January executive order pledging to address anti-Semitism by "deport[ing] Hamas sympathizers," including those holding disruptive and even sometimes violent university protests.

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Rubio to torch 132 State Department offices in historic bloat-slashing overhaul



The Department of State revealed on Tuesday the Trump administration’s plans to slash the agency’s bloat.

Internal documents obtained by the Free Press revealed that the State Department will close 132 agency offices — a 17% reduction. The office terminations also reportedly involve eliminating 700 positions, including civil service and foreign service employees.

'In its current form, the department is bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition.'

The news outlet reported that the offices earmarked for closure include those dedicated to advancing human rights, democracy overseas, and thwarting extremism and war crimes.

The State Departmen's new shake-up will consolidate 137 offices by transferring them to other parts of the agency.

The plans consider terminating the agency’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. Rachel Cauley, a White House budget office spokesperson, told the Free Press that “nobody is really sure what” the office does.

“When I ask them, they seem to not really be sure what they’re supposed to be doing. It’s an office that was created several years ago to look at Afghanistan [issues] and to avoid conflict areas. But we already have other offices within the department that do that,” Cauley said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly coordinating with the Department of Government Efficiency to restructure the federal agency.

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A senior State Department official told the Free Press that the agency’s undersecretaries have also been instructed to present plans to reduce their staff by 15%. While it is unclear how many staffers will be impacted by the directive, the outlet noted that six of the offices employ thousands of individuals.

A second senior State Department official told the news outlet that the cuts will not require Congress’ approval. The source claimed that by July 1, the U.S. Agency for International Development would “cease[] to exist.”

In addition to eliminating and consolidating hundreds of offices, the State Department is opening a post, the Bureau of Emerging Threats, dedicated to monitoring cyber threats, the second official told the Free Press.

“We’re trying to streamline the organization, to centralize functions that should be centralized, and to focus on the big things that support our America First diplomacy out in the field,” the official said.

Rubio told the Free Press, “In its current form, the department is bloated, bureaucratic, and unable to perform its essential diplomatic mission in this new era of great power competition.”

“That is why today I am announcing a comprehensive reorganization plan that will bring the department into the 21st century,” he added.

“This approach will empower the department from the ground up, from the bureaus to the embassies,” Rubio continued. “Region-specific functions will be consolidated to increase functionality, redundant offices will be removed, and non-statutory programs that are misaligned with America’s core national interests will cease to exist.”

Mike Pompeo, the former secretary of state under President Donald Trump’s first administration, told the news outlet that he supports overhauling the agency.

“The State Department is desperately in need of significant reorganization, and there’s much efficiency that can be gained there,” Pompeo said.

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