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Lauren Toms

lmeier@washingtontimes.com

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

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., arrives for a briefing on last week's targeted killing of Iran's senior military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) ** FILE **

House Democrats block McCarthy measure supporting Iranian protesters

House Democrats on Tuesday blocked a vote on a resolution introduced by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, that expressed support of anti-government protesters in Iran and condemned Iran's role in the downing of a Ukrainian civilian aircraft last week.

January 14, 2020
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., heads to a briefing by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and other national security officials on the details of the threat that prompted the U.S. to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Mitch McConnell opposes Iran war resolution, says Senate debate coming

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday said he expects the Senate will soon take up a resolution that would further assert Congress' authority to declare war and would require President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces engaged in military activity against Iran within 30 days unless the U.S. is acting in response to an "imminent" threat.

January 13, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefs reporters about additional sanctions placed on Iran, at the White House, Friday, Jan. 10, 2019, in Washington with and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Mike Pompeo rebuffs Hill invite to testify on Iran, Soleimani strike

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has declined to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday to testify about the U.S. strike that killed a top Iranian general. The panel's Democratic chairman said Mr. Pompeo's decision not to testify leaves him "disappointed and frustrated."

January 13, 2020
Rep. Doug Collins, R-Georgia, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, does a tv news interview just outside the House chamber, Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, at the Capitol in Washington. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has not yet relayed the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial three weeks since President Donald Trump was impeached on charges of abuse and obstruction. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Doug Collins apologizes for saying Democrats ‘love terrorists’

Georgia Republican Rep. Doug Collins on Friday issued an apology for saying Democrats "love terrorists," saying he spoke in the heat of the moment in the midst of a debate over President Trump's authority to strike back at the Iranian regime and the mission that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

January 10, 2020
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefs reporters about additional sanctions placed on Iran, at the White House, Friday, Jan. 10, 2019, in Washington with and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Trump administration curbs charter flights in new move against Cuba

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday announced the U.S. will suspend public charter flights from the U.S. to nine Cuban airports outside of Havana in the Trump administration's latest move to scale back relations with the Communist regime in Havana.

January 10, 2020
The U.S. Capitol building, center, is seen next to the bottom part of the Washington Monument, left, before sunrise on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, a day after the U.S. House voted to impeach President Donald Trump on two charges, abuse of power and obstructing Congress. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

House passes symbolic measure to curb Trump moves on Iran

The House on Thursday approved a resolution designed to block President Trump's ability to conduct a war with Iran, moving to reassert congressional power but bringing warnings from Republicans that lawmakers were undercutting the commander in chief at a critical moment in the Middle East.

January 9, 2020
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, has blasted as "inadequate" a Jan. 8, 2020 briefing by Trump administration officials regarding the Jan. 3 strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Mr. Lee says he is now ready to support a Democratic bill to curb the president's war-fighting authority. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Lee takes on Rubio, steps up criticism of Iran briefing

Republican Senator Mike Lee on Thursday stepped up his criticism of a closed-door intelligence briefing on the fatal airstrike last week that killed the commander of a key Iranian military force, calling the meeting with top Trump administration security officials "an unmitigated disaster."

January 9, 2020
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, has blasted as "inadequate" a Jan. 8, 2020 briefing by Trump administration officials regarding the Jan. 3 strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Mr. Lee says he is now ready to support a Democratic bill to curb the president's war-fighting authority. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Trump administration makes case for Iran airstrike to Capitol Hill lawmakers

Lawmakers on Wednesday emerged from closed-door Capitol Hill briefings by leading military and intelligence officials breaking down along largely partisan lines on the justification for President Trump's decision to order the fatal airstrike last week that killed the commander of a key Iranian military force.

January 8, 2020
The Capitol is seen in Washington, early Monday, Jan. 6, 2020, as Congress returns to Washington to face the challenge of fallout from President Donald Trump's military strike in Iraq that killed Iranian official, Gen. Qassem Soleimani. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats, Republicans sharply divided on Iran strike

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are sharply divided ahead of a vote on legislation that would effectively tell President Trump to go no further in the brewing confrontation with Iran, with Congress likely again to fall short in trying to clip the president's war-making powers.

January 7, 2020
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waves as he arrives at the National Constituent Assembly's building during the celebration rally of the 20th anniversary of the Venezuelan Constitution in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) **FILE**

U.S. envoy hints at new sanctions on Venezuela’s Maduro

U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams said on Monday that Washington is considering hitting the country with additional sanctions after the country's ruling socialist party, led by Nicolas Maduro, moved to undermine the opposition-dominated national legislature.

January 6, 2020
A Saudi Arabian court this week sentenced five people to death for their roles in the 2018 killing of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

‘Mixed bag’ leaves rights groups critical of Trump approach

Rights groups say the administration's record has been a mixed bag, with President Trump and his aides speaking out against China's treatment of its Uighur minority and Venezuela's political crackdown while giving unprecedented new focus on religious freedom abroad. But too often, critics say, human rights have taken a back seat to political, economic and security concerns under Mr. Trump.

December 31, 2019
The Afghan government's cease-fire with the Taliban is expected to last a week and up to 10 days, according to a news report. (Associated Press)

Taliban agree to cease-fire in Afghanistan

Leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban movement on Sunday said they have agreed to a temporary cease-fire, reopening a window for a peace deal after President Trump abruptly broke off talks in September aimed at ending the longest war in U.S. history.

December 30, 2019