Madam Secretary: Season 3

Elizabeth pushes Conrad to acknowledge the threat of climate change and adjust American foreign policy, which breaks with the party's stance. At the primary debate, Conrad's statements endorse Elizabeth's advocacy, and the party nominates Governor Evans, his opponent. Elizabeth and Conrad negotiate with the foreign minister of Tunisia to establish a base there to replace the one in Bahrain that had been devastated by a cyclone. Henry discovers photographs of their children in his backpack, with

The US diplomat who had arranged for the dictatorial president of Algeria to step down to assuage the country's insurgents dies suddenly. The Algerian president reneges on the agreement and hangs the man who was to have taken his place. Elizabeth negotiates with the chief of Algeria's military forces to replace the president. Henry unsuccessfully attempts to save a monastery in Algeria from being destroyed by the terrorist group. A swatting at Jason's school and an ominous note left in his locke

A group of young activists land on an atoll in the South China Sea to make a video protesting China's devastating construction there and are captured by the Chinese military. Elizabeth and Conrad visit Vietnam to discuss providing them with additional military hardware. Chinese fighter jets start flying too close to US naval ships in the South China Sea. When one of the planes misjudges the distance and hits a ship's tower, killing three sailors, Elizabeth convinces Conrad to talk directly with

Members of the Bureau of African Affairs issue a dissent memo, disagreeing with the State Department's policies regarding corruption in the presidential election in Angola. Elizabeth works with the CEO of a messaging app to counteract the Angolan president's shutdown of the internet. His opponent is elected. Henry's team tries to locate the terrorist group by tracking sales of looted antiquities. They send in a US agent to impersonate a French archeologist who is involved in selling artifacts to

Diplomatic difficulties arise when France takes an American agent into custody just before a US state dinner for the French. Elizabeth is ultimately able to smooth things over by inviting France to join Five Eyes. With cooperation from French intelligence, the US attacks a site in Algeria where the terrorist leader and his lieutenants from different regions are meeting and is able to take into custody multiple terrorists, as well as their computers and other electronics. Elizabeth's office in th

A radicalized Muslim blows himself up in an Illinois coffee shop, killing multiple other people as well. Elizabeth learns that the person who funded the suicide bomber's training is highly placed in the Saudi government. She attempts to pressure the Saudi ambassador to take action but fails. The media learn that her speechwriter, Matt, had donated money to the mosque that the suicide bomber attended in Illinois, and Conrad's opponents for president capitalize on that to anger their voter bases.

A major earthquake devastates Venezuela. The president and the others in line for the presidency are all killed. An international non-profit group of medical personnel fly into Venezuela to render aid and are taken prisoner by a gang. The dead president's son contacts the US, claiming the presidency and offering to free the hostages if the US will recognize his claim. Conrad and his presidential opponents record a fake news broadcast of Conrad recognizing the son's claim and his opponents critic

The election is over: none of the presidential candidates have enough electoral college votes, so the election will be decided by the House of Representatives. Elizabeth learns that Russia may be expanding their nuclear program, but then finds out that a rogue Russian is shipping a nuclear centrifuge to Iran. The Navy stops the ships and recoups the centrifuge. UN inspectors fly in to Iran to inspect their facilities and are stopped by Iranian soldiers.

After Iran turns away the inspectors, Elizabeth scrambles to get the votes of the permanent members of the UN Security Council to reestablish the sanctions on Iran. From the Iranians being held by Russia, they learn that it was a dissenting member of the Iranian government who was trying to reestablish Iran's nuclear program. The Iranian ambassador tells Elizabeth that they will allow the inspectors in if Sam Evans takes back his claim that he intends to destroy the peace deal as soon as he take

Russell is rushed into surgery for a bypass. Iran fires missiles at Israel; Israel counters by decimating an Iranian military base. Iran takes the Israeli minister of defence hostage. Israel sends planes to bomb a nuclear facility in Iran, but the US prevents it by using a cyberattack to take their navigational satellite offline. Elizabeth and Conrad manage to get Iran and Israel to discussions. Conrad gives a rousing speech, after which the president of Iran and prime minister of Israel shake h

The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals agrees to hear Sam Evans's case against Conrad's inclusion on the Ohio ballot. Elizabeth receives a horse from Mongolia as an inauguration gift. China calls it a bribe and accuses the U.S. of taking sides in an upcoming referendum in Mongolia. Russia hacks a U.S. animal organization's website to leak the information that the horse, which Elizabeth cannot accept, will be killed if returned to Mongolia. Russell tells Evans that if he does not retract the suit, he w

The FBI learns that the man who built the bomb for the suicide bomber was a member of the Covenant of John cult and has built a second bomb. Henry is brought in to speak to him. The FBI begin interviewing surviving members of the cult. Elizabeth, on a trip to African nations, discovers that Foreign Minister Chen from China is ahead of them throughout their itinerary, and that he is convincing other countries to give their power contracts to China. She and her team are grounded in Togo by a plane

Elizabeth hosts representatives from Israel and Iran at Camp David to move forward with the peace negotiations, but talks fall apart when Iran reneges on its previous agreement to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. Henry mentors an ex-military ATF agent who will go undercover with the Covenant of John cult. Jay has marital troubles. An Israeli fanatic explodes a bomb, killing 25 people, including the rabbi who had negotiated a goodwill soccer game between Iranian and Israeli youth. Jordan refu

The government of Colombia and a left-wing rebel group it has been fighting for 50 years are prepared to agree to a peace treaty, largely influenced by the Romeo and Juliet-like romance between the president's son and the rebel leader's daughter. As a result, the US is about to enact a memorandum of understanding with several South American countries. The agreement falls apart when the rebel leader's daughter disappears, leaving a Dear John letter for her fiance. Elizabeth convinces the daughter

The newly elected president of the Philippines has a busted nose after touching Elizabeth inappropriately. The US learns that he has been taking payments from China. Elizabeth uses those secret payments to convince him to reaffirm the relationship between the Philippines and the US. Henry's asset Ian survives the baptism. He is unable to find the bomb but discovers that the military group has a military drone. When he is discovered in the shed with the drone, Ian is forced to kill one of the mil

Henry's team fakes the manner of the militia member's death to take suspicion off Ian. Their attempt is successful and Ian is made a member of the Council of Elders. Elizabeth meets with the Dalai Lama, who tells her he is dying. His visit angers China, who threaten the failure of the proposed climate agreement. India also balks at the agreement until Elizabeth offers an amendment that will help India bring electricity to rural citizens. Conrad intimidates a junior senator who is trying to scutt

With information that Ian provides, Henry is able to connect the militia's drone to the same arms smuggler that Elizabeth is trying to track down. Trap software helps the FBI locate the State Department employee who is altering the manifests for planes carrying the stolen weapons. Just as the mole is about to tell Elizabeth who hired him, his lawyer shows up and ends the interrogation. Elizabeth's team puts together a plan to reduce the market for rhino horns by advertising Viagra in Vietnam, ho

An investigation into sex trafficking is stymied by the lack of cooperation from the president of Kyrgyzstan. Elizabeth convinces him to help with the investigation by getting a young actress that he admires to travel to Kyrgyzstan for his birthday party. The investigation is able to rescue emprisoned women in several countries, but they discover a large group of women in an abandoned truck in Kyrgyzstan in which all of the women had suffocated, including an American missionary who had been kidn

The family anxiously awaits news on which college accepts Ally and whether Stevie gets into Harvard Law. A severe drought in Somalia is exacerbated by violence between two opposing rebel groups who are both claiming the last arable land in the region. An ex-State Department employee who now works for an NGO delivering food to the area tries to broker a ceasefire between the two groups and is taken hostage. Elizabeth makes a deal with an arms dealer to get a ceasefire so that the region can recei

The U.S. freezes the assets of the Georgian arms deal that they suspect of stealing American weapons and in retaliation he takes Jay hostage while Jay is meeting with a Russian accountant who has information about the arms dealer. Further investigation leads Elizabeth to believe that they suspect the wrong man. She convinces the arms dealer to release Jay, promising that the U.S. will not pursue him any further. A group of Americans track down and assassinate the arms dealer, but the CIA assures

Daisy reveals that she is pregnant. Jay sleeps with a Brazilian reporter. Mike B. continues to pursue Nadine. The State Department has to figure out how to get Sudan to release an American reporter whom they have held prisoner for years. Elizabeth tasks Matt with writing an inspiring speech to put pressure on Sudan, and also on China, as they believe that Sudan arrested the reporter initially at China's behest. The journalist is freed.

Intelligence learns that the remaining militia members and their Al-Qaeda companions are attempting to cross into Israel by tunnel with the military drone and biological weapon. When watchers radio the terrorists that Israeli forces are blocking the tunnel exit, the Al-Queda members shoot the militia members and flee with the weapons. In Jerusalem, Henry interrogates the militia member who survived the shooting and learns that the new target might be in Rome. Elizabeth and Conrad are in Rome for

Russia invades Bulgaria. Elizabeth's attempt to invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty is blocked by France. With Dmitri's help, Henry obtains proof that France's recently elected president secretly took money from Russia. The second attempt to obtain agreement to take military action to repel Russia's incursion succeeds. Elizabeth convinces Russia to return the remains of an American who was killed in Ukraine and mistakenly buried in Russia.