United States

LAF, Hezbollah and Israel with David Hale

On this week’s episode of This is America, we cover the new OFAC sanctions and the tensions between the US and Venezuela.  We also feature an exclusive interview with David Hale, who shares his insights on the disarming of Hezbollah and the prospects for peace in the region.

America’s Longest Shutdown: A Nation in Uncertainty

As the United States enters its sixth week without an approved budget, the paralysis of the federal government has spread far beyond Washington’s corridors of power. Flights are canceled, public services remain closed, and federal employees go unpaid. The crisis is testing the resilience of the world’s largest economy and raising urgent ...

United States Lifts Sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa

The United States on Friday lifted sanctions imposed on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a day after the United Nations Security Council made a similar decision, ahead of his scheduled meeting next week with U.S. President Donald Trump. According to a notice published on the U.S. Treasury Department’s website, Washington removed the ...

Hezbollah–Israel: Heading Toward “Round 2” of the War?

Things are moving fast in Lebanon, a country now walking a tightrope. In just forty-eight hours, an open letter from Hezbollah, increasingly intense Israeli raids in the south, new U.S. sanctions, and a shaky government response to Hezbollah’s disarmament have reignited fears of a “renewed” conflict. It all (re)started on Thursday morning, ...

North Korea Fires Unidentified Ballistic Missile

North Korea fired a ballistic missile Friday, Seoul's military said, around a week after US President Donald Trump approved South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine. Analysts have said Seoul's plan to construct one of the atomic-driven vessels would likely draw an aggressive response from Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of ...

New U.S. Sanctions Target Hezbollah Financial Intermediaries

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday new sanctions against several individuals accused of transferring tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah in 2025 through Lebanese money exchange houses. According to the Treasury, these networks exploit Lebanon’s largely cash-based and informal financial system to fund the ...

UN Lifts Sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahead of Historic White House Visit

The United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a US resolution on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ahead of his White House visit next week. "(The Council) decides that Ahmed al-Sharaa...and (Interior Minister) Anas Hasan Khattab are delisted from the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List," said the ...

Nancy Pelosi to Retire from Politics in January 2027

Nancy Pelosi, a towering figure in US politics and the first female speaker of the House of Representatives, announced on Thursday that she would be stepping down at the next election. "I will not be seeking reelection to Congress," the 85-year-old Democrat said in a video heavily targeted at her hometown constituents in San Francisco. "With a ...

Putin Says Russia Considers Nuclear Tests Restart after Trump Comments

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would consider resuming nuclear tests if the United States did so, convening a security council meeting after US President Donald Trump's comments on testing. The statement marks the latest episode of nuclear saber-rattling between the world's two largest atomic powers, after ...

Where Things Stand On China-US Trade After Trump and Xi Talk

China and the United States have lowered the temperature in their spiraling trade war, bringing a precarious end to months of back-and-forth measures between the economic and technological powerhouses. The détente—reached at last week's meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea—marks a new phase in a fierce ...

Sudan Defense Minister Says Army to Keep Fighting after US Truce Proposal

Sudan's defense minister said on Tuesday that the army would press on with its fight against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces after the country's security and defense council met to discuss a US proposal for a ceasefire. "We thank the Trump administration for its efforts and proposals to achieve peace," Hassan Kabroun said in a speech ...