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.
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday launched a formal inquiry into President Trump's decision to freeze funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. remains by far the world's biggest spender on defense, after a 5.3% increase in 2019, but the Pentagon is starting to hear footsteps around the world.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday sent a message of gratitude to workers constructing a tourist zone in the eastern part of the country, state media reported.
The coronavirus outbreak in New Zealand has been "eliminated," officials announced Monday, but they encouraged the population to continue vigilance to resist a resurgence of the virus.
China on Friday sent a team of experts, including several medical professionals, to North Korea to provide guidance on the health condition of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom the U.S. and many in the region consider the country's rightful leader, shot down reports Thursday he and his aides were negotiating with the regime of socialist President Nicolas Maduro on a power-sharing deal that could lead to new elections.
The Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee are urging President Trump to restore funding to the World Health Organization, saying the funding freeze was an attempt to shift blame away from the administration's "failed response" to the coronavirus pandemic within its borders.
The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans to extend a $12.1 million economic aid package to Greenland as part of efforts to boost diplomatic ties and strengthen military presence across the Arctic as China and Russia aim to gain greater access to the region.
A Maryland congressman is calling on the Marine Corps to relax its strict grooming standards during the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to protect both the Marines and the groomers stationed at each base.
China is reportedly readying to purchase over 30 million tonnes (more than 66 billion pounds) of crops for stockpiles across the country in an effort to prevent supply chain disruption from the coronavirus outbreak.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "fully recovering" from COVID-19 symptoms that cost him a stay in the intensive care unit earlier this month, and he is expecting to be back to work soon.
Iran on Thursday hit back at President Trump's declaration to the Pentagon to retaliate against Iranian ships that harass U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf, and said its navy will "destroy" American ships if threatened.
Russia is pushing back against accusations that the coronavirus was created in a Chinese lab, rather than found in nature, calling it "unacceptable" to make such an assumption.
South Africa will deploy more than 70,000 additional troops in an effort to enforce lockdown restrictions mandated by the government to slow the spread of the coronavirus within the country.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said Iran must be held accountable for its latest military satellite launch, which he says could have violated a United Nations resolution.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday told Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to hold off on launching an international investigation into the coronavirus pandemic until the outbreak has settled, as the Australian leader seeks global support for a probe into the virus' origins.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing heat over his government's response to the coronavirus outbreak, nearly two weeks after his battle with the highly contagious virus.