State Department to recommend Keystone XL pipeline approval

A depot used to store pipes for Transcanada Corp.'s planned Keystone XL oil pipeline is seen Nov. 14, 2014, in Gascoyne, North Dakota. (Andrew Cullen/Reuters)

More Stories

People hug each other after a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

2 killed in Mormon church parking lot in Utah

ICE officer kills a Minneapolis driver in a deadly start to Trump’s latest immigration operation

Mickey Rourke shows his wet hands after he left his prints in wet cement in the famed forecourt ...

Mickey Rourke rejects $100K pledged by fans as manager explains eviction backstory

Elon Musk attends the Saudi Investment Forum at the Kennedy Center, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, i ...

Grok AI chatbot faces global backlash over sexualized images of women and children

By Matthew Lee and Josh Lederman The Associated Press

March 23, 2017 - 11:01 am

Updated March 23, 2017 - 3:41 pm

WASHINGTON — Senior U.S. officials say the State Department will recommend approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, clearing the way for the White House to formally approve it.

Two officials say Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon will issue the recommendation Friday. A 60-day deadline to complete a Trump administration review is set to expire next Monday.

The pipeline requires a presidential permit. The officials say the White House would announce the permit’s issuance after the State Department recommendation. The officials weren’t authorized to comment publicly ahead of the announcement and requested anonymity.

Shannon is making the recommendation because Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has recused himself from the matter. Tillerson is the former CEO of Exxon Mobil.

The Obama administration had rejected the pipeline.

2 killed in Mormon church parking lot in Utah

By Hannah Schoenbaum The Associated Press

January 7, 2026 - 10:18 pm

A shooting outside a church building in Salt Lake City killed two people and injured six others, police said.

ICE officer kills a Minneapolis driver in a deadly start to Trump’s latest immigration operation

By Tim Sullivan and Giovanna Dell’Orto The Associated Press

January 7, 2026 - 1:49 pm

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have been on edge since DHS announced Tuesday that it had launched the operation.

Mickey Rourke rejects $100K pledged by fans as manager explains eviction backstory

Christie D’Zurilla, Los Angeles Times

January 7, 2026 - 9:15 am

Mickey Rourke alleged in a video posted on Instagram that he didn’t know who set up a GoFundMe campaign on his behalf over the weekend.

Grok AI chatbot faces global backlash over sexualized images of women and children

By Kelvin Chan Associated Press

January 6, 2026 - 2:23 pm

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is facing a backlash from governments around the world after a recent surge in sexualized images of women and children generated without consent by the artificial intelligence-powered tool.

Hilton, Minnesota hotel apologize for email canceling immigration agents’ rooms

By Sarah Raza Associated Press

January 6, 2026 - 5:56 am

The Department of Homeland Security had accused the global Hilton hotel chain of a “coordinated” effort to refuse service to its employees.

US drops the number of vaccines it recommends for every child

By Ali Swenson The Associated Press

January 5, 2026 - 11:51 am

Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move.

FILE - Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., refutes efforts by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretar ...

Hegseth censures Kelly after Democrats’ video urging troops to resist unlawful orders

By Konstantin Toropin and Meg Kinnard The Associated Press

January 5, 2026 - 11:29 am

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that he censured Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the former Navy pilot’s participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.

An armored vehicle carrying Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores arriv ...

Maduro says ‘I was captured’ as he pleads not guilty to drug trafficking charges

By Michael R. Sisak, Larry Neumeister and Eric Tucker The Associated Press

January 5, 2026 - 10:55 am

The criminal case in Manhattan is unfolding against the diplomatic backdrop of an audacious U.S.-engineered regime change that President Donald Trump has said will enable his administration to “run” the South American country.

Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. ...

Trump’s plan to seize and revitalize Venezuela’s oil industry faces major hurdles

By Josh Funk Associated Press

January 4, 2026 - 8:29 am

President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of Venezuela’s oil industry and ask American companies to revitalize it after capturing President Nicolás Maduro in a raid isn’t likely to have a significant immediate impact on oil prices.

Owner Alix Molina sits amid customers in her Viva las Arepas Venezuelan restaurant on Saturday, ...

‘We’re not certain what’s going on right now’: Nevada’s Venezuelan community, elected officials react

By Bryan Horwath / RJ

January 3, 2026 - 3:04 pm

In Las Vegas and throughout Nevada, members of the Venezuelan community as well as elected officials, leaders and other observers were reacting to the news that the United States had captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.