OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

President Donald Trump told visiting members of the U.N. Security Council on Monday the U.S. would no longer talk with the Taliban after a recent string of deadly attacks in Afghanistan. Trump railed against a series of “atrocities” in Afghanistan and said as a result the U.S. would not engage in any future talks with the Taliban as the administration seeks to end a stalemate in America’s longest war. “Innocent people are being killed left and right. Bombing, in the middle of children, in the middle of families, bombing, killing all over Afghanistan,” Trump said. “So we don’t want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time but it’s going to be a long time.”

Alex Azar has been sworn in as Trump’s second health secretary. The former drug company executive and official in George W. Bush’s administration succeeds former Republican Georgia congressman Tom Price, who resigned last fall after an outcry over his use of costly private charter aircraft for official travel. Azar’s nomination as secretary of Health and Human Services was approved by the Senate last week, largely along party lines.

The Department of Homeland Security is resuming normal processing of refugees from 11 countries that had previously only been admitted on a “case-by-case” basis. But DHS officials say they are working to implement new screening measures for applicants from those high-risk countries after a 90-day review.

Source: Associated Press