for breaking the result of the Trump administration's two-month review on North Korea, which established the new U.S. policy of "maximum pressure and engagement." http://apne.ws/2oxebNm
for Semansky’s exclusive photos and video of the tanks that President Donald Trump ordered into Washington for his July 4 celebrations. Baldor passed along a tip from a Pentagon source and Semansky found the small rail yard where the armored vehicles were being held, making AP first to confirm the presence of the military equipment in the capital. https://bit.ly/2S5SMLE
for getting word of a highly classified and highly sensitive U.S. intelligence conclusion that Russia had foreknowledge of Syria's chemical weapons attack. http://apne.ws/2o1Cjs3
for revealing one of the most curious diplomatic deliberations in recent times: U.S. consideration of an offer by billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson to pay for part or all of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. http://bit.ly/2FIv01T
for breaking the news that the U.S. would withhold half of its first scheduled installment of money for the U.N. agency that aids Palestinian refugees. http://bit.ly/2DAVhkY
for breaking the news that Trump would extend sanctions relief to Iran and not pull the U.S. out of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. http://bit.ly/2CZZRcf
The horror tales from Niger – as reported by some of the world’s most reputable media – were gruesome: Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four Americans who died on a mysterious U.S. Army Special Forces mission in early October, had been captured alive, tortured, killed execution-style at close range and his remains had been mutilated.
The details were all erroneous, it turned out.
It took the AP’s Pentagon reporter Lita Baldor to set the record straight with a stunning scoop on an otherwise quiet Washington Sunday in December, revealing the findings of a still confidential Pentagon report.
For an unmatched story that revealed the heroism of an American soldier who died in the line of duty, Baldor wins this week’s Beat of the Week.
for being the first to report that the Trump administration was backtracking on an order for the Palestinians to close their Washington office. http://bit.ly/2BobSCX
for exclusively reporting that U.S. officials would recommend a declaration of "ethnic cleansing" taking place against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims. https://www.apnews.com/a901c08e4c9d4b5da9f5d32dc95...
for breaking the news that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive by the Taliban for half a decade after abandoning his Afghanistan post, would plead guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. http://bit.ly/2gdB8aa
for revealing that a series of mystery illnesses in Cuba had started by hitting undercover CIA agents, and that yet another American had been confirmed as a victim. http://bit.ly/2wO5KlF
for scoring AP’s latest scoop on the unfolding mystery in Cuba by being first to report a series of U.S. actions in retaliation for what are being called health “attacks" on U.S. diplomats. http://bit.ly/2xUd42P
For weeks, the escalating back-and-forth between North Korea and the United States over possible nuclear conflict had made for headlines that were alarming at the least _ and to many, terrifying.
Amid all the bluster came an exclusive report from Matthew Pennington, foreign policy reporter in Washington, revealing that senior U.S. and North Korean diplomats have been maintaining a back-channel communication for the last several months, and that they'd moved on from an early focus on U.S. detainees to address the broader strains in the relationship.
At a time of heightened alert, the story pointed to a possible diplomatic path out of the crisis, and indicated that both U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be more flexible on the idea of negotiations than they are letting on. After days of bombastic threats from both sides, Pennington's reporting, which wins the Beat of the Week, provided a sobering reality check: the enemies aren't on an unavoidable path toward conflict.
for revealing the list of demands by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries on Qatar to resolve a major diplomatic crisis. http://apne.ws/2sxygIL
for getting an exclusive heads-up that the United States would conduct its first-ever test effort to shoot down an intercontinental ballistic missile. http://www.time.com/4796334/pentagon-us-north-kore...
for reporting that U.S. officials expected North Korea to conduct a missile launch from the eastern city of Wonsan. The launch occurred hours later. http://apne.ws/2nzKL2d
continuing her close coverage of developments in the military's ongoing effort to combat sexual misconduct, for being first to report military academy sex assaults rising. https://apnews.com/b1cc781c1d4f48c698150…
for revealing details of General Motors’ behind-the-scenes push to get to state legislators -- some of them recipients of GM donations -- to adopt rules for self-driving cars that would benefit the company and shut out competitors. http://apne.ws/2lzBxlt
for breaking the news that the Obama administration, in its final hours, sent $221 million to the Palestinian Authority, enraging congressional Republicans, who had been holding up the money intended for humanitarian, security and other aid. http://apne.ws/2jRHgEr
for breaking the news that President-elect Donald Trump had quietly shut down some of his companies in the days after the election, including four that appeared connected to a Saudi Arabia business venture. http://on.wsj.com/2gX6IUP