Also known as: Secretary of State Marco Rubio · US Secretary of State Marco Rubio · Secretary Rubio · U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio
US Secretary of State who announced visa restrictions on South African nationals and sanctions on Cuban entities in 2026.
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Joy Online
… A number of top administration officials are in attendance, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. …
Trump evacuated after ‘gunshots’ fired at White House Correspondents DinnerThe US and Denmark have announced a deal on Greenland's security following President Trump's threats to seize the territory. Trump said the agreement grants the US "permanent control over security, and all other needs" in the semi-autonomous Danish territory, with no cost to the United States and expected to be signed next week.
19 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The US and Denmark have announced a deal on Greenland's security following President Trump's threats to seize the territory. Trump said the agreement grants the US "permanent control over security, and all other needs" in the semi-autonomous Danish territory, with no cost to the United States and expected to be signed next week.
19 September 2026 · Joy Online →
South Africa on Wednesday criticised new U.S. visa restrictions announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying the measures were driven by fringe groups falsely claiming to represent the country's white minority. South Africa's foreign ministry stated the restrictions mischaracterise the country's domestic policies, calling the measures a matter of sovereign right to address racial injustice.
18 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The Trump administration has announced visa restrictions targeting people accused of discriminating against South Africa's white minority and promoting race-based discrimination, land confiscation without compensation, or inciting violence. South Africa has repeatedly denied allegations of persecuting white people or confiscating land, saying claims of white genocide lack reliable evidence.
16 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado faces uncertainty about when to return home from abroad after the Trump administration privately asked her to delay her homecoming following June earthquakes. Machado has repeatedly promised to return and currently plans to travel to the United States before coming back, focusing on pushing for fair elections in Venezuela.
16 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. is implementing a visa restriction policy targeting foreign nationals from South Africa responsible for or complicit in uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, or incitement of violence against minority ethnic or racial groups. The Trump administration has criticised South Africa over racial inequality policies, land reform, and its genocide case against Israel.
16 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Israel has given Britain a 30-day deadline to close its East Jerusalem consulate in response to sanctions on settlement goods announced by Britain, France, and Canada. Israel has also barred 12 British politicians from entry, ordered British officials and diplomats to leave the West Bank and Gaza coordination centre, and prohibited Britain from training Palestinian security forces.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Iran said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of attacks on shipping by both sides since a six-month-old war began. The attacks sent oil prices surging, with Brent crude breaching $100 a barrel for the first time since July, and the U.S. average retail diesel price hit a fresh all-time high above $5.94 a gallon.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Brent crude climbed past $100 a barrel on Wednesday, driven by fresh US-Iran strikes and continuing Houthi attacks on Saudi facilities and Red Sea tankers. The price reflects the highest level since the Iran-US ceasefire collapsed in late July.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
US Central Command struck five Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island in response to Iranian attacks on an American warship. Tehran then launched 20 missiles at a US base in Jordan, of which Jordan said it shot down 18, with two falling in unpopulated areas.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump announced the US has reached an agreement with Venezuela to control more than 65 billion barrels of its proven oil reserves, which Trump said would more than double American oil reserves and lower gas prices. Secretary of State Rubio said the deal would bring nearly $100 billion in private investment to Venezuela and support thousands of jobs.
29 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A U.S. District Judge ruled that a Trump administration policy suspending immigrant visa issuance to applicants from 75 countries exceeded the Secretary of State's authority and violated federal immigration law. The suspended policy affected applicants from nations in Latin America, the Balkans, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, which the State Department said posed risks of becoming a public charge.
23 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The US has imposed fresh sanctions on nine Cuban state-owned mining, metal and building firms, the Ministry of Construction, and officials connected to the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the targeted figures of exporting Marxism and funding regime repression.
21 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly won their respective Florida gubernatorial primaries and will face off in November, with the contest shaped by their differing positions on Donald Trump. The midterm elections across multiple US states will determine which party controls Congress.
19 August 2026 · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump secretly exited Air Force One on 8 July in Turkey via a catering truck to board a different military plane over security concerns involving Iran, while cabinet members including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on the decoy aircraft to maintain the line of succession.
13 August 2026 · Joy Online →
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 28, is stepping down at the end of the month to spend time with her young children. Trump said she will become one of his top outside advisors, while Leavitt cited the demands of the role alongside her responsibilities as a mother of two as her reason for departing.
12 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Two US cabinet members and other officials remained aboard a decoy Air Force One in Turkey last month while President Trump secretly exited via a catering truck to board a separate military aircraft over Iran security concerns, according to CBS News. The officials stayed behind to maintain the line of succession.
12 August 2026 · Joy Online →
US President Donald Trump secretly exited Air Force One in Turkey on July 8 and boarded a different military plane over security concerns involving Iran, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remained on the original aircraft to maintain the presidential line of succession, CBS News reports.
12 August 2026 · Joy Online →
British prosecutors are urging a US court to deny bail for influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan ahead of extradition proceedings. The brothers have been held in Florida since arrest in July and face 59 charges including rape and sex trafficking; prosecutors argue they are a flight risk and may interfere with witnesses.
12 August 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump confirmed he secretly swapped planes while leaving a NATO summit in Turkey in July after US officials detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the aircraft. Trump said he followed Secret Service and military advice to board a different military jet instead of Air Force One, which had been boarded in public view.
12 August 2026 · Joy Online →
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia's Chocó province, killing at least 132 people and injuring more than 480, with a state of emergency declared. The quake damaged buildings across western Colombia, particularly in Pereira and surrounding regions, with many feared trapped under collapsed structures.
10 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The US has revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador to Washington in a reciprocal action after Brazil denied visas to two US State Department officials last month, with Brazil's government claiming the officials sought to meddle in its elections. The cancellation marks the latest escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two countries, which have also involved US tariffs on Brazil and terrorist designations of Brazilian gangs.
6 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Oil prices fell to a three-week low as US officials announced progress in talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz waterway. Brent crude dropped nearly 5% to under $80 a barrel, with US West Texas Intermediate also falling more than 5% to $76, both reaching their lowest levels since 13 July.
5 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Oil prices fell to a three-week low after US officials announced progress in talks with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Brent crude dropping nearly 5% to under $80 a barrel. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said talks had progressed and a deal could be agreed as soon as this week.
4 August 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump said the U.S. will hold off on attacking Iran if a deal can be reached quickly to end Iran's nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, following requests from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries.
2 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The Trump administration unfroze $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds for Gavi, a global alliance helping the world's poorest countries purchase vaccines, after Washington withheld the money over concerns raised by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The State Department said the decision followed Gavi's commitment to transition away from mercury-containing vaccines and expand access to mercury-free alternatives.
30 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, saying they violated a blockade of Saudi ports, while the US carried out its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran. Oil prices surged to $100 per barrel following the escalation.
23 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The US and Saudi Arabia have signed a "peaceful nuclear co-operation agreement" that will allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme and provide American companies access to the Saudi nuclear energy program. The deal reportedly could allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium in the future, which experts say would be a first for the US and carries risks of nuclear proliferation in the region.
22 July 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump threatened that the US would destroy Iranian bridges or power plants, including targets near Tehran, if attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz continue. The threat follows US strikes on Iran for the 11th consecutive night, with Iranian air defences activated and explosions reported in several cities including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, and Bushehr.
22 July 2026 · Joy Online →
The U.S. Department of Defence identified two American service members killed during Iranian strikes in Jordan over the weekend: 19-year-old Army Private Isabella Gonzales of Texas and 25-year-old First Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan of Hawaii. Both were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led mission against the Islamic State.
21 July 2026 · Joy Online →
President Trump said the latest US strikes hit Iran "very hard" in honour of three US soldiers killed in recent days—two in Jordan and one in Iraq. US Central Command launched strikes for the ninth consecutive night targeting Iranian military sites and communications networks.
20 July 2026 · Joy Online →