As the impeachment trial gets underway, security in the US Capitol is on high alert
As prosecutors from the US House made their case for the impeachment of former President Donald Trump, security was on high alert in Washington. There are more police and National Guard and access to the Capitol building is tight — but how long will this continue? And, opposition activists and lawmakers are demanding that Haitian President Jovenel Moïse step down. Also, an ancient conch shell t...
48m Feb 10, 2021
48m
A global lens on Trump’s second impeachment trial
As the second historic impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump begins in Washington, The World explores the question: What do the trial and the siege of Capitol Hill have in common with the rise of right-wing, populist politics in some eastern European countries? And, a report about how to reconcile the French and Algerian people, commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron, has...
49m Feb 09, 2021
49m
(Special episode) Duluth, not as cold as you think!
Darlene Turner is an Inupiaq Eskimo living on a battle line. Not the military kind, the climate change kind. With less sea ice to buffer storms, the ocean is washing away chunks of her village and its residents have made a difficult decision to relocate. “Would you relocate?” she asks. Experts believe stories like Turner’s are just a precursor to a massive migratory trend that could have milli...
28m Feb 09, 2021
28m
Myanmar demonstrators protest military rule following coup
A week ago, Myanmar's military ended the country's brief experiment with democracy, leading a coup and taking full control over the government. But in recent days, crowds of protesters have taken to the streets to say otherwise. And, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says lifting sanctions is a prerequisite to getting back to the negotiation table with the US on the nuclear deal. Als...
49m Feb 08, 2021
49m
In US foreign policy reset, Biden advocates for diplomacy
US President Joe Biden delivered what many viewed as a morale boost to the foreign service on Thursday. In his first major foreign policy speech as president, Biden declared that "diplomacy is back." And, the world is witnessing the biggest vaccine campaign in history. Now, eight weeks since the first COVID-19 shots arrived, where are we with vaccine rollout? Also, an all-female rowing team bas...
48m Feb 05, 2021
48m
Reuniting families after Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy
It's been over three years since the Trump administration began separating families at the US-Mexico border as part of a zero-tolerance policy. This week, President Joe Biden announced a task force to reunite families, but some people have already been doing the arduous work searching for parents. And, almost a year into the pandemic, societies around the world are faced with immense contradict...
49m Feb 04, 2021
49m
Farmers’ protests in India garner celebrity support
The protests led by farmers in India are entering their third month with no sign of ending. Now, global celebrities are weighing in on the standoff including Rihanna and Greta Thunberg. And, the people helping manage vaccine shortages and rising cases of the coronavirus in populations across African countries are some of the best equipped for responding to infectious diseases and the pandemic. ...
47m Feb 03, 2021
47m
Military coup in Myanmar raises alarms at home and abroad
In Myanmar, a military coup has outraged citizens. Some of their elected leaders have been detained and cut off from the world and no one knows if the army will lock up even more civilians. And, Tuesday, President Biden signed three executive orders to alter US immigration policies. Also, a new study published by the Lancet shows that Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is nearly 92% effective against C...
48m Feb 02, 2021
48m
A second weekend of widespread protests across Russia
For a second weekend in a row, demonstrators across Russia came out to the streets to call for the release of opposition politician Alexei Navalny from jail. And, Myanmar’s military has seized power in a coup. The takeover happened before dawn on Monday with politicians taken from their homes and detained. Also, while concerns are growing over the limited supplies of approved COVID-19 vaccines,...
48m Feb 01, 2021
48m
The race to vaccinate as new coronavirus variants emerge
The global race toward the mass vaccination of populations continues to face hurdles around the world just as new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus are identified. And, the United Kingdom, with one of the highest COVID-19 mortality rates per capita in the world, has a new way to stop the spread of the coronavirus by putting people in hotels to quarantine. Also, long before Wuhan beca...
48m Jan 29, 2021
48m
Immigration among priorities for new Biden administration
The Biden administration has been undoing several controversial policies of the last four years including former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. And, with less than six months until the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to take place, officials are still finalizing plans for how to keep athletes safe from the coronavirus. Also, cleaning, cooking and taking care of children is work...
49m Jan 28, 2021
49m
Biden’s pick for US ambassador to the United Nations faces Senate hearing
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday held a confirmation hearing for President Joe Biden's nominee to represent the US at the United Nations, veteran diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Also, a new study suggests that the global economy will take a major hit if low- and middle-income countries aren’t able to vaccinate their populations. And, more and more Arab women are becoming pr...
50m Jan 27, 2021
50m
Farmer protesters in India demand to be seen and heard
Thousands of farmers took to the streets of India’s capital on Tuesday as part of monthslong protests against agricultural laws that farmers say put their livelihoods at risk. Vishavjit Singh, a Sikh American artist and activist, suggests there’s an important similarity between the farmers in India and minorities in the US: the need to be seen and heard. And, President Joe Biden’s longtime conf...
48m Jan 26, 2021
48m
Things That Go Boom: A forward-looking foreign policy
Just after President Dwight D. Eisenhower assumed office on Jan. 20, 1953, deep in the middle of the Cold War, his greatest adversary died. The speech that followed is considered one of his best, though not his most well-known. Today, it’s not hard to imagine Eisenhower standing up before us and making the same case he did almost 70 years ago. In this episode of "Things That Go Boom," The World...
26m Jan 26, 2021
26m
Mexican President López Obrador tests positive for the coronavirus
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — known to flout wearing a mask — said Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was receiving treatment for mild symptoms. And, civil rights groups are raising concerns about moves by the US Congress to strengthen laws to investigate and charge domestic terrorists suggesting it could result in the targeting of Black and other diverse comm...
48m Jan 25, 2021
48m
Biden ends controversial travel ban on majority-Muslim countries
The Biden administration announced plans to overturn former President Donald Trump’s travel ban on refugees and travelers from many Muslim-majority countries. And, as President Biden and his foreign policy team get to work, one country presents some big challenges: China. Also, the rumor mill heated up on Thursday after a London newspaper reported the Summer Olympics would be called off. But of...
48m Jan 22, 2021
48m
A year later after the coronavirus lockdown in Wuhan
A year after the first lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, there are two different narratives: one of heroism and teamwork, and another about loss and pain. And, after four years of the US reneging on international agreements and rolling back domestic environmental regulations, what does the Biden-Harris administration have to do to regain trust and lead the world...
47m Jan 21, 2021
47m
Coronavirus Conversations: Schools disrupted amid the pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has forced school systems around the world to piece together patchworks of in-person, remote and hybrid learning programs. What’s the latest science on children and COVID-19? As part of The World's regular series of conversations on the pandemic with Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health and as a special in our podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discu...
39m Jan 21, 2021
39m
US President Joe Biden sends a message to the world
US President Joe Biden used his inaugural address to send a message to the world, taking the opportunity to directly repudiate Trump's “America First” policy. And, Biden outlined his top priorities on Wednesday including the environment, calling climate change one of the "cascading crises" America faces as he takes office. Also, in stark contrast to former President Trump's policies and approac...
50m Jan 20, 2021
50m
Confrontation with migrants in Guatemala part of a Trump administration policy
Guatemalan soldiers forcefully prevented a large group of migrants who were attempting to walk across the country and eventually reach the US. The tough stand taken by Guatemala at its border is in large part because of policies put in place during the Trump administration. Also, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday that the Chinese Communist Party has “committed genocide” agains...
48m Jan 19, 2021
48m
Uganda’s Museveni reelected president amid calls of election fraud
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner of the recent election and will begin his sixth term in office. But, the main opposition candidate is calling the election fraudulent. And, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s work and activism profoundly shaped the US, but it also has had a huge global impact. Also, Italian authorities are calling for proposals of a new, historically ac...
49m Jan 18, 2021
49m
Millions under lockdown in China after new coronavirus outbreak
China, which had no deaths from COVID-19 on its mainland for eight months, has responded to reports of 500 new cases by locking down 28 million people. Also, for the first time in its 30-year history, an Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, has called Israel an "apartheid regime" in a new report. And, the first place many of us go answers about any given subject is Wikipedia. The online encycl...
49m Jan 15, 2021
49m
Cleaning up the US Capitol after the riot
A now-viral photo shows New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim cleaning up the Capitol rotunda after the mob rampage. Rep. Kim speaks with The World’s Marco Werman. Also, China is the biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, but at the same time, it's at the forefront of renewable energy innovation and has some of the world's largest conservation projects. And, a group of artists in Istanbul turned an ab...
48m Jan 14, 2021
48m
Trump impeached in historic second time
Donald Trump was impeached for a second time Wednesday as the House of Representatives debated whether to remove the US president. And, Canadian authorities are considering designating the Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist group founded by a Canadian, as a terrorist organization in the wake of the crisis at the US Capitol. Also, the European Union's Food Safety Authority said on Wednesday that...
48m Jan 13, 2021
48m
Cuba again listed as a state sponsor of terrorism
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that Cuba will be re-designated a state sponsor of terrorism. And, on Thursday, millions of Ugandans will go to the polls to vote for president in an election that has been marked by violence and the arrest of opposition figures. Also, so-called “‘edible public spaces” can come in a lot of different shapes and sizes, ranging from a community garde...
49m Jan 12, 2021
49m
World on edge after attack on US Capitol
US President Donald Trump’s remaining days in office have the nation, and the world, on edge. And, even with all the available images of the storming of the US Capitol, it's still hard to comprehend. Many are asking how the attack was even possible? Also, The Guinness World Records has confirmed that Stig Severinsen has broken the world distance record for swimming with fins with just one breath.
48m Jan 11, 2021
48m
Attack on US Capitol raises national security concerns
The attack on US Capitol building Wednesday by a mob of pro-Trump extremists has raised new questions about US national security. And, the top infectious disease doctor in the US and incoming medical adviser to President-elect Joe Biden, Dr. Anthony Fauci, discusses the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, lessons from the past, and what changes to expect in the US response as Biden takes office. Als...
49m Jan 08, 2021
49m
A lens on the US after violence on Capitol Hill 
The US has presented itself as a beacon of democracy around the world. How have the events of this week impacted the US’ image? And, among those who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday were supporters of QAnon, a dangerous conspiracy theory that has grown internationally. Also, host Carol Hills speaks with Sri Lankan writer Indi Samarajiva who shares his experience living through the recent coup i...
48m Jan 07, 2021
48m
US on edge during transition of power
The peaceful transition of power is a democratic principle that for the most part hasn't been challenged here in the US. But this year, after this election, many Americans are nervous as angry supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday. And, in contrast to other vaccination programs, in Israel, health officials have been vaccinating about 1.5% of the population eve...
47m Jan 06, 2021
47m
India begins ambitious COVID-19 vaccination campaign
Health professionals in India are gearing up to begin the world’s most ambitious vaccination campaign after officials there approved the emergency use of two COVID-19 vaccines. And, one of the main issues the US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration will be dealing with when it enters the White House is the war in Afghanistan. Also, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain have ended their 3-year-ol...
47m Jan 05, 2021
47m
Tensions high one year after US attack that killed Iran’s Soleimani
It’s been one year since the US killed Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone attack in Iraq. And, on the campaign trail, Democratic candidate Joe Biden said he would end a Trump administration program that makes asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border wait out their court cases in Mexico. President-elect Biden has walked back the timeline of his promise. So what’s next? Also, ...
50m Jan 04, 2021
50m
Brexit ends as the UK and EU formally separate
Britain has finally severed ties with the European Union ending the Brexit saga. Leaving the EU also marked the end of the Erasmus exchange program, which allowed students to live and study in any other EU country for a year. And, there's a lot of hope riding on 2021. What are the important trends that will shape the year ahead? Also, the University of Texas at San Antonio is home to a collecti...
50m Jan 01, 2021
50m
The pop culture that got us through 2020
In 2020, we leaned on videos, music and books more than ever to keep us sane and connected. The World's correspondents check in on the global pop culture trends that captured our lives on lockdown, from Iceland to Kenya to Mexico. And, the 1918 flu pandemic was overshadowed by the destruction of World War I but it still left a lasting cultural legacy — including zombie literature and Ouija boar...
51m Dec 31, 2020
51m
Why is the UK approving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine now?
Why is the UK approving the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine now? And, with dosing details changing over time, what exactly, have they approved? As money from the $900 billion US pandemic relief package starts landing in Americans’ bank accounts, we take a comparative look at how other countries have handled economic stimulus during the pandemic. And Argentina's Senate voted to legalize abortions up ...
49m Dec 30, 2020
49m
Colombia to refuse coronavirus vaccines for undocumented immigrants
Colombian President Iván Duque says his administration will not provide vaccines for undocumented immigrants in the country. It's estimated more than 1 million people from Venezuela are living in Colombia without authorization. And, China is building a southern wall along its border with Myanmar, which is struggling to control the spread of COVID-19. Also, Russia on Monday updated its coronavir...
51m Dec 29, 2020
51m
Coronavirus vaccine program begins across the EU
A coordinated effort to vaccinate the population of Europe against the coronavirus got underway on Sunday in what the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described as a "moment of unity" for the continent. And, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says that no civilians were killed during the weeks of military operations in the country’s north. But more than 50,000 Ethiopian refugees wh...
49m Dec 28, 2020
49m
The World's favorite stories from 2020
Host Marco Werman hits pause on 2020 negativity and revisits some fun stories from a year we'd just as soon forget. Sourdough baking, virtual living, and Norwegian tips to get you through the cold. How people around the globe got through the year. --- We’re only 288 people away from reaching our goal of 1,000 donors! When you give $100 or more to support the show, you’ll not only receive an i...
52m Dec 25, 2020
52m
EU and UK finally reach a Brexit deal
After five years of negotiation, consternation and debate, the EU and the UK have finally reached a Brexit trade deal. And for the holiday season, we bring you an hour devoted to literature, music and food — like the obsessive ritual of making British Christmas pudding — along with some of our favorite stories from 2020. Also, reporters in Greece, Israel and Mexico tell us how people there cele...
51m Dec 24, 2020
51m
Trump pardons four Blackwater security guards who killed Iraqi civilians
With less than one month left in the White House, President Donald Trump has granted pardons to four Blackwater security guards responsible for the killing of 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007. And with thousands of truck drivers held up since Sunday at Dover port, scuffles ensued with British police when they realized they would not make it home for Christmas. And, we look at how religious rituals an...
50m Dec 23, 2020
50m
The debate over the effectiveness of COVID-19 travel restrictions
The discovery of new variants of the coronavirus in the UK and South Africa have prompted a wave of travel bans around the world. But it's an open question as to whether these measures are actually effective. And, there's a potential humanitarian disaster unfolding along the border between Ethiopia and Sudan as a simmering conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has displaced tens of thou...
50m Dec 22, 2020
50m
Coronavirus Conversations: The year ahead in the pandemic
What will the next year bring in the coronavirus pandemic? As part of our regular series of conversations about COVID-19 and as a special here in The World's podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with epidemiologist Michael Mina from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
46m Dec 22, 2020
46m
Countries ban travel from UK over variant coronavirus fears
Over 40 countries worldwide have now banned travelers from Britain over concerns about the spread of a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus. Also, this past summer, Russian dissident leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned. Over the past two weeks, a joint news investigation is shedding light on many of the missing details about this attack. The "Jurassic Park" film series is the inspirat...
50m Dec 21, 2020
50m
Preparing for the largest vaccination effort in history
The world is readying for the largest vaccination effort in history, amid a pandemic that has killed millions. There is an effort to ensure equitable global, but several countries have already started vaccinations. And, this week the European Union’s top court ruled Hungary's asylum policies breached EU law. Also, a conversation with NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy who spent 196 days in space this...
50m Dec 18, 2020
50m
The Arab uprisings, 10 years later
The World presents a special edition focusing on the start of the Arab uprisings in 2010. The uprisings began in Tunisia, with the self-immolation of fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi, 10 years ago on Thursday, and quickly spread to several Arab countries, leading to the fall of dictators. A decade later, we ask: What is the legacy of the Arab uprisings and how are people remembering the events? ...
50m Dec 17, 2020
50m
Landmark UK ruling finds air pollution among causes of girl’s death
A landmark coroner’s ruling in London has found that 9-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death in 2013 was caused by acute respiratory failure, severe asthma and air pollution exposure. And, new evidence from Chinese government documents and media reports revealed that hundreds of thousands of ethnic minority laborers in Xinjiang are being forced to pick cotton. Also, lab-grown meat will be on the m...
51m Dec 16, 2020
51m
Coronavirus Conversations: Airborne transmission, ventilation, and reopening schools and workplaces
What is the latest scientific guidance on airborne COVID-19 transmission? And how might that shape strategies around reopening schools and workplaces? As part of our regular series of conversations about the coronavirus and as a special episode in The World' podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with and Harvard's healthy buildings expert Joseph Allen.
43m Dec 16, 2020
43m
World marks a milestone with COVID-19 vaccine rollout
From Canada to the UK and the US, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has crossed a major milestone in being deployed in public COVID-19 vaccine programs. But lots of other vaccine efforts are in the works around the globe, with greater and lesser success. And, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden on winning the US election. He was one of the last world leaders to...
50m Dec 15, 2020
50m
EU set to overhaul internet rules
The European Commission is gearing up to unveil a set of major proposals aimed at reigning in big online platforms and marking the first big overhaul of the European Union’s internet rules in decades. And, it's been almost four full years since the start of Brexit negotiations between the United Kingdom and EU. But, the ending of the saga remains uncertain. Also, Franco Belgian cellist Camille ...
50m Dec 14, 2020
50m
What's the future of DACA?
A federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration to reinstate DACA — the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program— to its original form and to start accepting new applications. But the window of time to do so might be short-lived. And, what are the implications of the newly inked deal between Israel and Morocco to normalize relations? Also, with the blessing of Sting, Benin-born ...
51m Dec 11, 2020
51m
Coronavirus Conversations: Surging coronavirus cases and new vaccines
As coronavirus cases spike, the US and other countries are looking to measures such as COVID-19 vaccines and rapid self-testing. But steps such as mask-wearing and social distancing remain critical. As part of our regular series of conversations about the pandemic and as a special episode in The World's podcast feed, reporter Elana Gordon moderated a discussion with Harvard epidemiologist Megan...
41m Dec 11, 2020
41m