Newsletter Archive

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Illinois farmer Gerald Thompson loses sleep over how things are going in Washington. He has confidence in President Trump, who he voted for, but Congress is another story. Yet he’ll have to depend on those very lawmakers to craft the single biggest piece of legislation that impacts his livelihood — a new Farm Bill.

VIDEO EXPLAINER: After testifying in public before the Senate Intelligence Committee today, former FBI director James Comey met in a closed meeting with lawmakers. Just what exactly is a closed session of Congress?

President Trump wants to admit 50,000 refugees this fiscal year, less than half of the 110,000 ceiling set by then-President Barack Obama shortly before the 2016 election. With 16 weeks remaining in this fiscal year, it appears the final refugee tally won’t reflect either presidents’ preferred numbers.  

Who is Christopher Wray? President Trump’s choice to replace fired FBI director James Comey is a former federal prosecutor who switched to defending powerful clients like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Although Wray earns high marks from past associates for his national security experience and legal acumen, he can still expect to face tough questions about his independence, especially after the firing of his predecessor.

Crowning Miss Tibet isn’t just about selecting a beautiful, accomplished young woman. A flight attendant just won the title in Dharamshala, India, home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. She and the other contestants belong to the Tibetan diaspora, which pageant organizers want you to know includes more than just monks, nuns and nomads fighting the Chinese government.

Islamic State seems interested in expanding in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, but Indonesians have other ideas. A recent polls shows almost 93 percent of people there who’ve heard of IS want to ban the group in Indonesia. Although religion plays a major role in Indonesian politics, the country’s inclusive form of Islam could be a bad fit for IS.

Cheetahs are the fastest animal in the world but they weren’t quick enough to escape poachers in Malawi, who killed off the cheetahs’ prey and ultimately the cheetahs themselves. But now, for the first time in 20 years, there are cheetahs in the wild again at a national park in Malawi.