Newsletter Archive

President Trump is living up to his pledge to be a political disrupter in Washington. Supporters say the president isn’t playing by the usual rules, which is what he promised on the campaign trail. But Americans are divided on whether Trump’s approach helps or harms the country.

Rohingya in the US frantically wait for word from loved ones in the conflict zone as the Rohingya crisis unfolds in Myanmar. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Muslim Rohingya have fled tor neighboring Bangladesh, pushed out of their homes in what the UN calls ‘textbook ethnic cleansing.’ Some of their US-based family and supporters are taking their case directly to the US government.

Does an undocumented teenager have the right to choose? A federal judge says she does. The court ruled that the illegal immigrant teen, who is being detained in Texas, should be allowed to get an abortion. The 17-year-old, who was apprehended at the US-Mexico border on September 11, received permission from a state judge to carry out the abortion, but the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) refused to let her leave the detention center to get the abortion.

Squeezed by sanctions, North Korea finds creative ways to bring in cash, often through smuggling under the cover of diplomacy. A new report finds Pyongyang’s illicit trade network has hit Africa’s elephants and rhinos, which are targeted by poachers trying to satisfy the Asian market’s demand for ivory and rhino horn products. But the will to stop illegal trade by diplomats often seems to be absent.

Senegal’s presidency is getting into the fact-checking business. In an effort to combat fake news, President Macky Sall’s administration is asking social media users to flag questionable posts regarding the presidency. Spreading false information, defamation and insulting the head of state can get you jail time in Senegal, which is why the new #STOPFAKENEWS initiative worries some rights groups. 

VIDEO EXPLAINER: The so-called green card lottery is one US visa program that has a lot to do with luck. What’s officially known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program grants permanent US residency to people born in countries with a low rate of immigration to the US.