Canada's closer to having a U.S. ambassador — 2 years later
CBC
This item is part of Watching Washington, a regular dispatch from CBC News correspondents reporting on U.S. politics and developments that affect Canadians.
The United States is one step closer to sending a new ambassador to Canada — finally. It's been an unusually long delay of more than two years since the U.S. had a top envoy in place in Ottawa.
A key committee of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday advanced dozens of nominations, including that of telecom executive David Cohen, to be ambassador to Canada.
Cohen was a top fundraiser for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, and his nomination received little opposition when the vote came up at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
No Republican explicitly objected to his nomination, and Republicans rejected few of the names on the list in general; Sen. Marco Rubio, however, objected to every name presented and Sen. Ted Cruz objected to several.
The Democratic committee head lamented that nominations were taking so long. He blamed Republicans for dragging out the process, including by not participating in hearings.
"There are still nominees that have been pending for months and need to get hearings," said the chair, Bob Menendez of New Jersey.
"Unfortunately we have been unable to move forward with a number of nomination hearings."
The U.S. hasn't had an official ambassador at its Ottawa embassy since the departure of Kelly Craft in early 2019, when she was appointed by Donald Trump to represent the U.S. at the United Nations.
It's partly a result of the U.S.'s bitter domestic politics spilling into international affairs.
Trump actually did name a replacement for Craft: Aldona Wos. But her confirmation never advanced. She's married to Louis DeJoy, the Trump-named head of the U.S. Postal Service, who was embroiled in controversy over delays in mail delivery during the 2020 presidential election.
Biden's nominees are now being consistently blocked by some Republicans, notably Cruz and Sen. Josh Hawley.
Cohen had his confirmation hearing last month where he said the U.S. is waiting to hear what Canada's broad strategy is for dealing with China.
Cohen's nomination will become official if it's approved in a vote by the full Senate. Based on Tuesday's vote at the committee, it appears he'd likely be confirmed by the Senate.
U.S. President Donald Trump may delay his China trip due to the Iran war, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday it's not to pressure Beijing on the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump is urging other countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as Iran targets ships in the vital oil route, but so far there are few firm commitments.
Arab Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Iran threatened to widen its campaign as the war in the Middle East entered its third week.
The former secretary general of NATO says he doesn't think allies will be pulled further into the conflict in the Middle East, but he's concerned the ongoing war with Iran will benefit Russia's economy and take the world's attention away from the invasion of Ukraine.
As American and Israeli strikes pound Iran — while it attacks shipping and energy infrastructure across the Persian Gulf — U.S. President Donald Trump made a new threat to Tehran's leaders.
The armed man who rammed his vehicle into one of the largest Reform synagogues in the U.S. Thursday has been identified as a 41-year-old naturalized citizen born in Lebanon, according to federal officials.
With jagged cliffs rising from the Arabian Sea, the Strait of Hormuz is striking in its scenery — and these days, its emptiness. This resource superhighway, which normally hosts more than a hundred of the world’s largest oil and liquid natural gas (LNG) tankers every day, has seen no more than a handful all week.
The Canadian government said Tuesday it is alarmed by the escalation of violence and attacks in Lebanon, as the war in the Middle East expands.
In a resounding victory that is guaranteed to reshape Nepal's politics, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah appeared headed for a landslide win in the South Asian country's first polls since youth-led protests toppled the previous government last fall.
China’s latest blueprint for driving growth in its economy was largely written before the U.S. and Israel instigated the most far-reaching war in the Middle East in decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump's firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday overshadowed the announcement of his plans to nominate Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her successor.
The truck carrying Nepali prime ministerial candidate Balendra Shah was swarmed by cheering supporters in the capital, Kathmandu, on Saturday, unable to inch forward as the former rapper, wearing sunglasses and a sleek black suit, danced on top of the roof.