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What Japan and the U.S. hope to get from holding bilateral trade talks

Sep 27, 2018
Japan has agreed to start talking to the United States about trade on a bilateral basis. That’s the word from both countries after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with President Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. Japan, up until this point, has favored pursuing multilateral trade deals including the […]

As Trump prepares for NATO summit, we ask: What’s our NATO ROI?

Jul 9, 2018
President Donald Trump frequently complains about NATO. Just this morning he was tweeting about how NATO allies aren’t spending enough; that the U.S. pays an unfair share. It’s true that NATO members are supposed to spend 2 percent of their GDP on their military. It’s also true that only about eight of NATO’s 29 members […]

U.S. officials tout cleaner fossil fuels, nuclear power at international talks

Nov 14, 2017
At the United Nations climate talks in Germany, White House officials are talking about plans to make fossil fuels cleaner or more efficient, and to expand nuclear power, as approaches to reducing emissions. While the rest of the world may be more into discussing renewable energy, the focus of the current U.S. delegation would reduce […]

New leaders want to add their states to carbon trading program

Nov 9, 2017
As the United Nations climate change talks continue in Germany, the U.S. could see an increase in commitments to the cause — from states, not federal programs. The governors-elect of Virginia and New Jersey want to add their states to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The cap-and-trade program includes nine states already, and the addition […]

Global hunger is on the rise

Sep 15, 2017
A UN report says violence and climate change contribute to growing food shortages around the world, affecting millions of people who don’t have enough to eat. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Looking at North Korea across a "gulf of misperception"

Sep 14, 2017
Things aren’t getting better between North Korea and the rest of the world. The United Nations imposed another round of sanctions this week. In response, North Korea said it would “sink” Japan using nuclear weapons and reduce the United States to “ashes and darkness.” Evan Osnos is a staff writer at the New Yorker and […]

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Wastewater: our most overlooked water source?

Mar 22, 2017
March 22 is World Water Day, and this year’s theme is wastewater. The United Nations is hoping to shed light on the value of all the water we literally flush down the toilet. Other countries use wastewater, but the idea hasn’t taken hold in the U.S. Click the audio player above to hear the full […]

The U.S. spends a lot less on foreign aid than you think

Mar 17, 2017
Besides goodwill, there are other advantages to giving.
A general view shows a Sudanes worker sitting on the USA flagged bulk carrier.
ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images

How rural poverty is fueling the refugee crisis

Jan 27, 2017
The head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development says there's been a lack of investment in rural areas.
Julian Mokagihana (L), 63, and her family prepare for their evening meal at their rural home, located about 70 kilometers south of Kigali, Rwanda. 
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images