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U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel meets with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in February 2022. Emanuel has praised the Kishida administration's efforts to boost national and regional security.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 26, 2024

Japan's unlikeliest cheerleader is an American ambassador

U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo Rahm Emanuel showers his host country, and its government, with praise. And in his view, Washington doesn't understand Japan well.
Local residents look at damage at a site of a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
May 2, 2024

U.S. issues hundreds of sanctions targeting Russia and takes aim at Chinese firms

Of the nearly 300 targets onto which the U.S. imposed sanctions, 20 are companies based in China and Hong Kong.
The National Diet building in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
May 4, 2024

Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'

The government said it was "unfortunate that comments not based on an accurate understanding of Japan's policy were made."
U.S. and Philippine Marines fire M198 155mm Howitzer artillery during a live-fire exercise against an imaginary "invasion" force as part of the joint U.S.-Philippines annual Balikatan military drills on a strip of sand dunes in Laoag on Luzon island's northwest coast on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 6, 2024

Philippines and U.S. fire at 'invasion' force in South China Sea war games

Lt. Gen. Michael Cederholm, commander of the U.S. First Marine Expeditionary Force, said the exercise was "to prepare for the worst."
China is likely around two years behind the United States in developing its own AI software.
WORLD / Politics
May 9, 2024

U.S. eyes curbs on China's access to AI software behind apps like ChatGPT

Preliminary plans the Biden administration has include placing guardrails around the most advanced AI Models, the core software of AI systems like ChatGPT.
Employees work at a shoe factory in Hanoi in 2020.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 16, 2024

As U.S. hikes China tariffs, imports soar from China-reliant Vietnam

The surge in China-Vietnam-U.S. trade has vastly widened trade imbalances.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, visit the Capitol Rotunda as the Reverend Billy Graham lay in honor there in February 2018.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2024

Display at Alito’s home renews questions of U.S. Supreme Court’s impartiality

News of a popular “Stop the Steal” symbol on the justice’s front lawn led jurists and politicians to express concerns about coming court decisions.
Self-Defense Forces soldiers walk past a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile unit at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in October 2017.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
May 26, 2024

Evolving drone and missile threats prompting Tokyo to rethink air defense

The low cost of mass-producing tools for modern warfare is pushing the Defense Ministry to find ways to upgrade detection, tracking and interception capabilities.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (center) arrives with his delegation for a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2024

U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs agree on importance of military talks

The meeting marked the first face-to-face talks by the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs in 18 months.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump departs after delivering remarks at Trump Tower in New York on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 2, 2024

Biden's big weakness vs Trump: Voters without college degrees

Such results help set the stage for what national opinion polls show is a tied race between Biden and Trump.
An Israeli soldier stands next to a tank near the Israel-Gaza Border on May 7.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 6, 2024

Hamas leader demands full end to Gaza war be part of cease-fire deal

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's remarks appeared to deliver the group's reply to U.S. President Joe Biden's proposal.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the new missiles are expected to arrive in the coming weeks and should provide Ukraine with capabilities through the remainder of this and the next fiscal year.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 21, 2024

U.S. diverts air defense missiles ordered by allies to Ukraine

The redirection is part of a "difficult but necessary decision” to reprioritize planned deliveries, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Military vehicles carrying DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Tiananmen Square during a military parade in Beijing in October 2019.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 21, 2024

U.S. and China held first informal nuclear talks in five years in March

Beijing's representatives told their U.S. counterparts that they would not resort to atomic threats over Taiwan, according to two American delegates.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the keynote address at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 23, 2024

After conviction, Trump presents himself as a martyr to the Christian right

Trump’s appeals to the evangelicals come at a crucial phase in the presidential campaign.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vietnam President To Lam during a reception in Hanoi on Thursday
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 23, 2024

Putin came to Asia to disrupt, and he succeeded

After stops in Pyongyang, North Korea, and Hanoi, Vietnam, last week that were draped in communist red, Putin left behind a redrawn map of risk in Asia.
The U.S. Supreme Court opened the way for states to ban or strictly limit abortion in 2022
WORLD / Politics
Jun 25, 2024

U.S. Republican push to limit abortion access falters two years after Dobbs

Pro-abortion groups are easily finding support for ballot initiatives, highlighting strong momentum to restore abortion rights.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with graduates of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Putin hints Russia to start making previously banned midrange missiles

Such missiles, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, were previously banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office in Washington. The idea that the U.S.-China hotline can bridge communication gaps during crises rings hollow.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 2, 2024

If a phone rings in a forest and no one answers, is it a hotline?

Hotlines allow states to talk in crisis situations. But China often doesn't pick up when the U.S. calls, raising doubts about the utility of the communications link.
Despite her consistently low approval ratings, a recent poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris to be as formidable an opponent to Donald Trump as U.S. President Joe Biden. In a hypothetical matchup, Trump led Harris by a single percentage point, 43% to 42%.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 5, 2024

Trump allies intensify attacks on Kamala Harris as Biden replacement talk builds

They have little to lose by attacking the vice president now, so that if Harris does emerge as the nominee, she might do so in a weakened state.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris greets the crowd during a rally where President Joe Biden also spoke, at a community center in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 6, 2024

The reintroduction of Kamala Harris

With U.S. President Joe Biden’s candidacy on the line, Democrats are assessing whether his VP pick is up to being the nominee.
Visitors at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 12
WORLD / Politics
Jul 9, 2024

Xi’s efforts to reach to young Americans stumble with scripted moments

Beijing is making its largest outreach yet to U.S. students, but for some, a "curated" atmosphere leaves questions over what's not on show.
World Anti-Doping Age President Witold Banka speaks during an event in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March 2023.
OLYMPICS
Jul 10, 2024

Independent probe clears WADA of favoritism in Chinese swimmers case

WADA President Witold Banka was in fighting form after the executive board had met and endorsed the report that cleared his agency.
University of Texas at Austin Anthropology Professor Craig Campbell leads chants with other university faculty members during a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus in Austin, Texas, on May 5.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 10, 2024

Doxxed, disciplined: U.S. students tally price of Gaza protests

Many protesting students fear they will be penalized academically or professionally as they prepare to enter the workforce or return to classes.
A worker passes a sign for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Friday.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 13, 2024

Republicans to anoint Trump at party convention

The 78-year-old billionaire will be the star of the show as Milwaukee rolls out the red carpet for the Republican National Convention.
Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by bodyguards after he was shot in the ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 14, 2024

How attacks on presidents and candidates have shaped U.S. history

Even before Saturday’s incident, polls showed voters worried about possible violence surrounding this year’s presidential election.
Secret Service agents surround former U.S. President Donald Trump after shots were fired during a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 15, 2024

U.S. Secret Service faces intense scrutiny after attempt on Trump

Blame is already being trained on the agency's director, Kimberly Cheatle, with Republican lawmakers demanding answers from her even as the FBI investigates the shooting.
Ohio Senator JD Vance at Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday
WORLD / Politics
Jul 16, 2024

Trump taps Vance as running mate, picking populist protege

Sen. J.D. Vance’s selection saw Donald Trump bypass many of the senator’s own colleagues, including Tim Scott of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Secret Service agents cover former President Donald Trump immediately after an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The incident highlights America's historical and ongoing political violence.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2024

Trump’s shooting is a legacy of America’s violent past

Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally. The incident highlights America's historical and ongoing political violence.
A commercial district in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, on Sunday. Thomas Crooks, 20, a lifelong resident of the borough, has been identified as the gunman who opened fire during a campaign appearance by former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
WORLD
Jul 18, 2024

Trump gunman Thomas Crooks leaves behind a pile of mysteries

Gunman Thomas Crooks seemed to have a bright future waiting for him after having earned a spot at a college engineering program.
U.S. President Joe Biden disembarks Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 18, 2024

Biden called ‘more receptive’ to hearing pleas to step aside

Biden has not given any indication that he is changing his mind about staying in the race, but has been willing to listen to rundowns of new and worrying polling data.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami