Newsletter Archive

It’s make or break time. This Monday, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meet for their first presidential debate. Historically, these verbal sparring contests have sometimes played a pivotal role in helping Americans decide who to vote for. A small mistake or negative impression during a presidential debate can be a game changer.

The refugee rush is on. The U.S. refugee program expects to reach the target of 85,000 arrivals by the end of this month. September is often a peak time for arrivals, with the federal government closing out its budget for the year, and the refugee program trying to hit the designated ceiling for new refugees before time runs out.

INFOGRAPHIC: Speaking of refugees, where exactly are they being settled in the United States? How did they get here? Where did they come from? What is the ceiling for refugee acceptance? Has the U.S. hit that ceiling yet? This nifty graphic answers all of those questions.

VIDEO: African-Americans have led the way — through their protest methods and strategies — assisting other groups seeking social justice. This rich, textured and often painful history, from slavery to the civil rights movement to the election of our first black president, is explored at the Smithsonian’s newest offering: the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

What I did on my North Korean vacation. An international human rights group is slamming a popular British travel blogger for posting a fun and positive review of his recent visit to North Korea. The blogger posted videos of him at a water park, surfing and sightseeing throughout the country, while downplaying that North Korean government officials limited the group to approved people and places, and ignoring the country’s widespread poverty and repression.

Russian and Syria deny they had anything to do with an attack on a humanitarian aid convoy near Aleppo earlier this week. The incident prompted a suspension of all U.N. aid to Syria. Survivors and emergency responders say the 31-truck convoy came under missile fire for two hours.

When a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer noticed a woman on a bus collecting money for her son’s medical care in Costa Rica, an idea hit him—Why wasn’t there a website that made it easy for people like that woman to raise money for healthcare they couldn’t afford? So he created one and has raised millions for patient care.