Washington, DC -  Thank you Deputy Vice Chancellor Vilakazi for the introduction.  I’m grateful to you and to everyone at Wits University and the African Centre for the Study of the United States for hosting today’s event.

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of Croatia as you celebrate your Statehood Day.

Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "Yesterday, Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a drone attack on the Abha airport in Saudi Arabia for the second time in less than two weeks. Initial reports suggest one person was killed and twenty-one were wounded. These Iranian-backed attacks are unacceptable, and all the more reprehensible given that they targeted innocent civilians. They also put Americans living, working, and transiting through Saudi Arabia at risk.

Washington, DC - Within a twelve-month span, from June 2018 to June 2019, the U.S. Department of States Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, worked with local authorities to support the apprehension and return of 13 fugitives wanted for crimes ranging from drug trafficking, rape of minors, sexual assault, cybercrime, money laundering, passport fraud, identity theft, tax evasion, and wire fraud. DSS worked with U.S. and Thai law enforcement and immigration authorities to return these fugitives to face justice in the United States.

Sacramento, California - A new USDA report finds that farmers are likely to see returns from planting cover crops within three years if the practice is used to deal with herbicide-resistant weeds, to graze livestock or to reverse soil degradation. The report is based on an analysis of five years of survey data from about 500 farms — the largest multiyear data set that has ever been compiled showing how growers’ yields respond to cover crops, said lead author Rob Myers of the University of Missouri.

Washington, DC - Technology and Power in China’s Geopolitical Ambitions: