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Lauren Toms

Lauren Toms is a national security reporter for The Washington Times, covering national security committees on Capitol Hill, foreign affairs, defense, and diplomacy. She began covering politics at CNN during the 2016 presidential election, working closely with the national security and justice teams, and later joined Axios as an editor specializing in international and military coverage.
Lauren holds a master's degree in U.S. law from Washington University in St. Louis school of law, and a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communications from the George Washington University school of media and public affairs. She can be reached at ltoms@washingtontimes.com.

Articles by Lauren Toms

Pompeo justly declared emergency but failed to consider civilian risks in weapons deal, IG finds

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appropriately declared an "emergency" last year to push forward an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but the department failed to fully consider the risk the deal posed to civilian casualties, a new State Department inspector general report found.

August 12, 2020

Air Force helicopter shot at in Virginia, forced to make emergency landing

A U.S. Air Force helicopter had to make an emergency landing in Virginia Monday after a person had shot at the aircraft and injured a crew member.

August 12, 2020

Bipartisan group of lawmakers urges Trump to extend coverage for National Guard COVID-19 response

Bipartisan opposition to cutting federal funds for the National Guard's domestic COVID-19 response is growing among lawmakers who argue the move could lead to a reduction in Guard members if states can't make up the funding difference.

August 12, 2020

‘Simply unacceptable’: Top Dems hit back at Trump’s National Guard funding cut

The top Democrats on the House and Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday slammed a recent announcement from the White House that it will slash federal funding for National Guard deployments across the U.S. to assist with COVID-19 response.

August 11, 2020

Trump foreign policy moves at stake in election

President Trump wants to dramatically reshuffle U.S. forces in Europe to chastise Germany for not spending enough on defense, but that and a range of other foreign policy pushes by the president are likely to fall by the wayside if presumptive Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden wins the White House in November.

August 10, 2020

China deploys fighter jets ahead of Alex Azar visit with Taiwanese president

China on Monday briefly deployed two fighter jets across the midline of the Taiwan Strait shortly ahead of a visit between U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's government said.

August 10, 2020

China sanctions 11 US politicians, heads of organizations

China announced sanctions Monday against several Republican lawmakers and a slate of human rights experts who've spoken out against the harsh new national security law that Beijing's recently imposed on Hong Kong.

August 10, 2020

Mike Pompeo: Rejecting Iran arms embargo extension would ‘mock’ UN Security Council mission

The United Nations Security Council will "make a mockery of its mission" if it rejects a U.S.-led push to renew an arms embargo on Iran that expires in October, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.

August 9, 2020

Mark Esper: U.S. to reduce troops in Afghanistan to ‘less than 5,000’ by end of November

The U.S. will reduce the number of troops stationed in Afghanistan to under 5,000 over the next four months, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday.

August 9, 2020

Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker: U.S. tops 5 million cases

There have been more than 5 million cases of COVID-19 reported in the U.S. as of Sunday, according to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker.

August 9, 2020

Alex Azar lands in Taiwan, escalating tensions with China

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, marking the highest-level visit to the island by a U.S. official since 1979.

August 9, 2020

Iran FM spokesman: U.S. policy advisers have ‘bitten off more than they could chew’

Iran is brushing off the newest change to the U.S.' top Iran policy expert as a senior adviser said there is "no difference" between the outgoing special representative for Iran Brian Hook and the incoming envoy Elliot Abrams.

August 7, 2020

State Department lifts highest travel warning, advises travelers to ‘exercise caution’

The State Department on Thursday lifted its highest level travel warning for U.S. citizens traveling internationally amid the COVID-19 pandemic but advised Americans to "exercise caution" when heading abroad.

August 6, 2020

‘No definitive cause’ for Beirut explosion, Pentagon says

There has not yet been a definitive cause for the massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon earlier this week that claimed the lives of over 100 people and injured thousands more, Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said Thursday.

August 6, 2020

Brian Hook to resign as top U.S. adviser for Iran

Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran, is stepping down from his role after four years, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday.

August 6, 2020

U.S. negotiating historic sale of sophisticated drones to Taiwan: Report

U.S. officials are reportedly negotiating the sale of at least four large sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan in a precedent-breaking purchase that is all but set to add to heightened tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its territory.

August 6, 2020

Nearly a third of Afghanistan population believed to have contracted COVID-19: Health minister

Nearly a third of the population in Afghanistan is likely to have contracted COVID-19, according to new estimates by the country's health ministry.

August 6, 2020

U.S. COVID-19 response ranked among worse in the world: Report

The government response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. and China have both been placed among the worst in the world, a new report by FP Analytics concluded.

August 6, 2020

Planned Taiwan visit escalates tensions between U.S., China

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar is gearing up for a trip to Taiwan that will mark the highest-level visit to the island by a U.S. official since 1979 -- and in the process add fuel to already white-hot tensions between Washington and Beijing.

August 5, 2020

Iran arms embargo resolution at U.N. Security Council to come next week, Pompeo says

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday said that the U.S. will offer a resolution next week to the U.N. Security Council that would extend the arms embargo on Iran, which is set to expire in October.

August 5, 2020

WATCH: Ranked choice voting is coming to D.C. — here’s how it works

LISTEN: Robots and the U.S.-China competition Threat Status podcast

WATCH: The Sitdown With Alex Swoyer Monica Crowley on a year of historic diplomacy

Lauren Toms

Articles by Lauren Toms

Pompeo justly declared emergency but failed to consider civilian risks in weapons deal, IG finds

Air Force helicopter shot at in Virginia, forced to make emergency landing

Bipartisan group of lawmakers urges Trump to extend coverage for National Guard COVID-19 response

‘Simply unacceptable’: Top Dems hit back at Trump’s National Guard funding cut

Trump foreign policy moves at stake in election

China deploys fighter jets ahead of Alex Azar visit with Taiwanese president

China sanctions 11 US politicians, heads of organizations

Mike Pompeo: Rejecting Iran arms embargo extension would ‘mock’ UN Security Council mission

Mark Esper: U.S. to reduce troops in Afghanistan to ‘less than 5,000’ by end of November

Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker: U.S. tops 5 million cases

Alex Azar lands in Taiwan, escalating tensions with China

Iran FM spokesman: U.S. policy advisers have ‘bitten off more than they could chew’

State Department lifts highest travel warning, advises travelers to ‘exercise caution’

‘No definitive cause’ for Beirut explosion, Pentagon says

Brian Hook to resign as top U.S. adviser for Iran

U.S. negotiating historic sale of sophisticated drones to Taiwan: Report

Nearly a third of Afghanistan population believed to have contracted COVID-19: Health minister

U.S. COVID-19 response ranked among worse in the world: Report

Planned Taiwan visit escalates tensions between U.S., China

Iran arms embargo resolution at U.N. Security Council to come next week, Pompeo says