Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas repeatedly argued on Sunday that the United States’ border with Mexico is “closed,” amid a marked increase in immigrant arrivals, particularly of unaccompanied minors. Reports emerged Sunday that the administration has at least 15,500 unaccompanied minors in custody — 10,500 in the care of the Department of Health and Human … Continue reading "As Biden’s immigration policy faces scrutiny, the DHS chief says the border is “closed”"

After months of earthquakes, a long-dormant volcano in the southwest of Iceland erupted on Friday night, leading to dramatic videos and splendid red skies near the country’s capital city. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, the eruption near Mount Fagradalsfjall, about 20 miles southwest of Reykjavik, took place at 8:45 pm. Though considered small, the … Continue reading "A 6,000-year-dormant Icelandic volcano just erupted — and it’s awesome"

As lawmakers consider how to prevent future violence in the vein of January’s attack on the US Capitol, the debate has largely turned on one point: whether the US should create a new criminal law penalizing acts of domestic terrorism. There are existing federal laws that criminalize domestic terrorism. The Patriot Act, which was enacted … Continue reading "Why progressives are lining up against new criminal penalties for domestic terrorism"

If the first meeting between the Biden administration and Chinese officials last week underscored anything, it’s that the US and China are unlikely to be friendly in the years to come. The two sides’ views of how the world should run are diametrically opposed — and competition more than cooperation will guide how Washington and … Continue reading "Don’t expect the US and China to be friendly anytime soon"

North Korea tested its first missiles since President Joe Biden took office, launching two short-range projectiles last weekend off the country’s west coast and into the adjoining Yellow Sea. But you won’t find the Biden administration threatening “fire and fury” any time soon. In fact, two senior US officials waved off suggestions that the test … Continue reading "North Korea tested missiles again. It’s not as scary as it sounds."

A massive container ship stuck sideways in Egypt’s Suez Canal has been blocking one of the world’s busiest waterways for over 24 hours, disrupting global trade and launching a tidal wave of memes on social media. On Tuesday morning local time, the Ever Given, a 1,312-foot-long container ship capable of carrying more than 220,000 tons, … Continue reading "A massive ship is stuck in the Suez Canal, disrupting trade and inspiring hilarious memes"

Tania Aubid began her hunger strike on Valentine’s Day. “Valentine’s Day is about love and having that love for your partner — but for me to have the love, I need to start from the ground up, which is Mother Earth,” Aubid told me. Her hunger strike is in protest of the Line 3 oil … Continue reading "The Indigenous-led fight to stop the Line 3 oil pipeline expansion in Minnesota, explained"

North Korea’s second missile test in a week is increasing the pressure on President Joe Biden to respond, inching the nuclear-armed state further up the administration’s long list of global challenges to address. Officials in the US, South Korea, and Japan announced that North Korea had launched two short-range ballistic missiles at around 7 am … Continue reading "Why North Korea is ramping up missile tests again"

“In Guam, even the dead are dying,” Chamorro author and activist Julian Aguon writes in his new book The Properties of Perpetual Light. Aguon, a human rights lawyer and founder of Blue Ocean Law, has watched with anguish as his home island, along with the rest of the Marianas archipelago, has been environmentally degraded due … Continue reading "The generational grief of colonization"

President Joe Biden all but said during his first formal press conference on Thursday that the United States would likely extend its 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan for at least a few more months beyond the May 1 withdrawal deadline set by the Trump administration’s agreement with the Taliban. That’s his prerogative, of course. But … Continue reading "Biden’s stated rationale for extending America’s war in Afghanistan is weak"