
Rubio's first trip could include stop in Panama, sources say
CBSN
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is preparing to travel to Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala and other Central American and Caribbean nations in the coming weeks, multiple sources confirmed to CBS News.
The trip, expected to be his first overseas as the top U.S. envoy, is poised to include a stop in Panama to meet with leaders there as President Trump is calling for the U.S. to retake operational control of the Panama Canal. His stops in other Central American counties are likely to focus on establishing formal agreements with those countries to take back nationals deported from the U.S. as part of new Trump administration immigration policy that is expected to result in a significant uptick in deportations. Several Latin American governments, including Guatemala, have signaled they are open to establish new agreements.
Rubio's confirmation this week as the first Latino Secretary of State has been closely tracked across the hemisphere by governments intrigued by his ascension and eager to earn more attention from American officials, especially its top diplomat with a personal connection to the region and a long work history of public criticism towards communist and socialist governments.

The threat of tornadoes moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, a day after a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up dust storms that caused deadly crashes and fanned more than 100 wildfires in several central states. Fatalities were reported in Missouri and Texas.

A Canadian woman who had appeared in an "American Pie" movie was detained for several days by U.S. immigration officials while attempting to cross the border from Mexico to the U.S. to renew her work visa, according to her mother. The woman's father expects his daughter to be able to return to Canada as early as Friday.

When the Environmental Protection Agency was formed in 1970, its mission was to protect the environment and human health. Since then, scientists, health experts and advocates have worked to implement regulations aimed at protecting and cleaning the air we breathe and the water we drink. Many of these regulations, which were aimed at cleaning up the air, also helped reduce carbon emissions, which can contribute to climate change – so it was a win for our bodies and the planet.