May 15 Erdogan visits Trump, amid friction between U.S., Turkey By Josh Lederman and Vivian Salama, Associated Press When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits the White House on Tuesday, the most he and President Donald Trump may be able to do is agree to disagree, and move on. Continue reading
May 10 Nearly 250 migrants are feared dead after Mediterranean shipwrecks By Synclaire Cruel Nearly 250 migrants may have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea since Friday, according to a preliminary report from the United Nations. Continue reading
May 09 Trump administration will arm Syrian Kurds ‘as necessary,’ despite Turkish objections By Robert Burns, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Tuesday it will arm Syria's Kurdish fighters "as necessary" to recapture the key Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, despite intense opposition from NATO ally Turkey, which sees the Kurds as terrorists. Continue reading
May 08 Would ‘safe zones’ help Syria? Defense Secretary Mattis calls for review of Russia proposal By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also said the plan poses many unanswered questions, including whether it would be effective. Continue reading
May 08 Who is fighting in Syria’s civil war? By Zachary Laub, Council on Foreign Relations Syria’s civil war has grown ever more complex in the six years since protesters first challenged the government. The Council on Foreign Relations describes the various warring factions. Continue reading
May 04 Watch News Wrap: Senate approves first spending bill under Trump By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, the Senate approved a $1.1 trillion spending bill in order to keep the government running through September. Also, there’s word the Trump administration is in talks with Iraq about prolonging U.S. military presence in the… Continue watching
May 01 Trump, Putin signal new effort to cooperate on Syria By Julie Pace, Associated Press President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled the prospect of increased cooperation in Syria, in what the White House called a "very good" phone discussion that included a focus on setting up safe zones in the war-torn nation. Continue reading
Apr 27 Watch 4:47 News Wrap: Two U.S. troops killed in Afghan raid By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, two U.S troops were killed while a third was left wounded during an overnight raid in Afghanistan near the Pakistani border. The additional casualties come as the U.S. military continues to battle Islamic State fighters. Continue watching
Apr 27 Watch 11:44 What 100 days of foreign policy says about Trump as a leader By PBS News Hour President Trump's mantra "America First" was a signal that he planned to focus on improving prospects at home. But in his first 100 days, global crises have challenged him with frequent and treacherous tests. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner… Continue watching
Apr 26 Watch 5:36 Sebastian Junger on the consequences of not stepping in on Syria By PBS News Hour A searing new documentary on the Syrian civil war and the rise of the Islamic State group called "Hell on Earth” debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. Hari Sreenivasan talks to journalist and the film’s co-director Sebastian Junger… Continue watching