President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric ran high in the run up to the US midterm elections. He called the migrant caravan making its way north through Mexico an invasion. He even sent troops to the southern border between the US and Mexico to keep out the migrants. But now that the Democrats are in control of the House of Representatives, President Trump may not have as much power as he used to in executing his immigration policies.

Also: Maria Mendoza and Eusebio Sanchez were deported from the US to Mexico, leaving their four children behind. Now their eldest daughter, Vianney, is looking after her siblings; Jose Antonio Vargas talks about his life in the US as an undocumented immigrant; Terrell Jermaine Starr on the difficulties of being a black reporter in Ukraine; Plus, why some passports are more valuable than others.

(Members of a family reunited through the border wall between Mexico and United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico. Credit: Herika Martinez/Getty Images)

Most of the town of Paradise, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, has been obliterated by raging wildfires. Dozens of people are known to have lost their lives and hundreds are still missing. Ellen VandenBerg recounts how she managed to escape the blaze with her 5-month-old son and her dog in tow.

Also: Professor Glen MacDonald from the University of California, Los Angeles explains the connection between climate change and wildfires; We learn about the effect that hurricane Maria had on Puerto Rico's tropical Rainforest; Fall foliage is big business in New England, with tourist visiting from around the globe, but climate change might change that; Fadi BouKaram is visiting all 47 cities and towns in the US named Lebanon, his mission: plant as many cedar trees as possible.

(Sacramento Metropolitan firefighters battle the Camp Fire in Magalia, California. Credit: Karl Mondon/Getty Images)

In November of 1969, a group of Native Americans occupied the notorious prison island of Alcatraz to protest about federal policies that discriminated against their people. The movement gained momentum on Thanksgiving when hundreds of Native American activists joined the occupation. To this day, every Thanksgiving, Native American groups hold an event on the island that they call Unthanksgiving Day.

Also: We tell the real story of Squanto, the Native American at the centre of the Thanksgiving legend; We look into the history of Native Americans being forcefully separated from their families; We recount the ongoing case of the indigenous Sinixt, a tribe that the Canadian government says doesn’t exist; Finally, we dive deep into a story about the lost language of the Miami tribe.

(The welcome sign at the entrance to Alcatraz Island, in San Francisco Bay Credit: Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images)

The history of the US auto industry goes back more than a century, and Americans take a lot of pride in it. It’s part of the American psyche. So when this past week, General Motors announced that it is shutting down 5 North American factories and ending much of its passenger car production, that was big news and auto workers aren’t happy.

Also: A Spanish property developer has plans for the Packard auto Plant in Detroit, abandoned more than 60 years ago; then we check out Boston’s City hall, the archetype of brutalism; plus we visit a bagpipe factory, right here in New England.

(A woman holds a sign during a press conference with union leaders at in Oshawa, Ontario. In a massive restructuring, US auto giant General Motors announced it will cut 15 percent of its workforce to save $6 billion and adapt to 'changing market conditions.' Credit: Lars Hagberg/Getty Images)

President Trump has been determined that the migrant caravan not be allowed to enter the US. Now his administration has extended the deployment of more than 5,000 troops on the US-Mexico border to the end of January, 2019. Many of the migrants are now waiting in the Mexican border town of Tijuana for a chance to seek asylum in the US. We find out what life is like for them.

Also: A group of gay and transgender migrants find safety in numbers as they wait to seek asylum in the US; we find out how the US government is using biometric data to gather intelligence on members of the migrant caravan; we hear the story behind the now-iconic photo of a mother and her two daughters running away from tear gas on the US-Mexico border; also we learn about the tiny American town where tear gas is big business; Plus, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Sonia Nazario shares her thoughts about possible solutions to the Central American migrant crisis.

(Central American migrants rest after being relocated to a new temporary shelter in east Tijuana, Mexico. Credit: Guillermo Arias/Getty Images)

"Brain Drain" is what happens to a country when its best and brightest minds leave and don't return. The flip side of this is called "Brain Gain." But even when countries benefit from new arrivals, they don’t always make it easy for them.

We meet Maria Merza, working hard to overcome bureaucratic and social obstacles standing in the way of her education. Also: We visit a school in California that provides classes for parents as they drop their children off in the morning; We look at new training programmes for skilled trade jobs, aimed at immigrants; Also, Francenette SaintLouis Défonce was a nurse in Haiti, but the US won’t recognise her qualifications or experience; Finally, Harvard University student Jin Park pushes the boundaries of who can become a Rhodes Scholar.

(Ayat Alfares, left, is a “super senior” at Grace M. Davis High School in Modesto, California. Sarah Yousif, right, graduated from the school when she was 21 years old. Both students came to the US as teenagers and began high school later than most of their classmates. Credit: Maria Merza/The World)

The US opioid epidemic is a major public health crisis that has affected many communities across the United States. We’ll hear from an expert in addiction psychiatry who thinks that doctors bear much of the blame.

Also: What do you do if opioid drugs don't stop the pain? Acupuncture may be the answer; We look at how supervised injection is already saving the lives of heroin users; the Toronto police department launched a social media campaign, reminding people that marijuana is legal in Canada and not a cause for emergency calls; the US and Mexico join forces to crack down on the illicit drug trade; and the story of Steve Hupp's transformation from bank robber to shaman.

(Boston Calling producer Daniel Ofman stands next to a bus stop advertisement of Naloxone, a nasal spray that can counteract and potentially save someone from an opioid overdose. Credit: Diego Lopez/The World)

The fate of the Amazon is in jeopardy. Logging, cattle ranching, and soya bean farming are threatening its very existence. But the threat doesn’t end there; carbon dioxide coming from cities thousands of miles away is altering tropical forests and the climate on a much larger scale. In this special edition we travel to Brazil to find out why the fate Amazon is more consequential than ever and meet some of the people fighting to preserve it.

(Claudio da Silva and the Guajajara Guardians of the Forest ride up the Caru River to investigate a report of illegal cutting on Guajajara land. Credit: Sam Eaton/The World)

El Salvador is one of just a handful of countries where abortion is banned in all circumstances. The ban is so comprehensive, that every miscarriage is considered suspicious and at least a dozen Salvadoran women who say they suffered a miscarriage are serving lengthy jail terms. Professor Michelle Oberman, a leading scholar on legal issues around pregnancy, tells the story of two such women who had recently been freed from prison.

Also: The story of two Somali girls in Boston who formed a friendship through writing poetry together; the tale of an unlikely bond between a guard and a prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp; We hear from a Syrian superfan of the 90s hit TV programme ‘Friends’; and Marco Werman visits a local school in Boston to hear from some very young news consumers.

(Teodora Vasquez hugs her parents shortly after being released from the women's Readaptation Centre, in Ilopango, El Salvador where she was serving a sentence since 2008. Credit: Marvin Recinos/Getty Images)

The next couple of years will be crucial for governments to take action on climate change. In this edition we hear why and what’s being done about it.

We meet Hilda Heine, a global leader on climate change and President of the Marshall Islands; we’ll look at how Americans recycle and find out why it’s not good enough for China; Economist Michael Greenstone explains how air pollution shaves two years off of the average life expectancy; A team of Israeli students create a new variation of falafel with spirulina, a kind of microalgae, that could be a sustainable food solution of the future; and we check out the environmentally friendly sounds of the Colombian band, Bomba Estereo.

(Photo: The leaves of a Russian River Valley pinot noir vineyard begin to turn colour near Sebastopol, California. A cool spring and mild summer have contributed to a later-than-usual harvest and a bumper crop of premium wine grapes throughout the state of California. Credit: George Rose/Getty Images)

Ada Hegerberg is a professional football player from Norway. In December Hergerberg won the first Ballon d'Or for women, one of football's most prestigious awards. Hergerberg sees this moment as an opportunity to encourage young girls all over the world.

Also we’ll hear from Japanese student Kazuna Yamamoto about her petition that forced a tabloid magazine to apologize for a sexist article; In Afghanistan we visit filmmaker and activist Sahar Fetrat; we meet a ballet dancer bringing a much needed change to ballet slippers; plus we take a trip down memory lane to ‘Soul Alley’, a hangout spot for African-American GI's during the Vietnam war.

(Olympique Lyonnais' Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg brandishes her trophy after receiving the 2018 Women's Ballon d'Or award for best player of the year. Credit: Franck Fife/Getty Images)

Four hundred years ago pirates brought enslaved Africans to Virginia’s shores.

Your social media timelines are filled with influencers; people with huge numbers of fans and followers who are sometimes paid to promote products. Influencers haven’t always been transparent about paid content but new guidelines could change that.

Also, plogging, the fitness trend that’s making streets cleaner all over the world; Durian, the fruit that’s all the rage in South-East Asia but to Westerners smells like old socks; Plus, Lucas Hixson the man who saves dogs from danger zones; and from the beaches of Southern California the story of a Senegalese Olympic hopeful and her trainer.

(Logos of the Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, Instagram and LinkedIn applications are displayed on the screen of an Apple iPhone. Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images)

For Dora Crespin, the United States is a lonely place. She’s happy living in El Salvador where she has her friends, familiar food, and most importantly her family. But Dora is moving to the US anyway, leaving her son behind in the hope that someday they will have a better life together.

Also, Ana Chavarin was only 13 years old when her mother made her drop out of school to work at a factory, now she’s in college, together with her son; an American priest raises funds for Cuba’s first new Catholic church in 60 years; plus, Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk who's credited with bringing Buddhism to the west; and with his power washer in hand, Corey Fleisher is on a mission to eliminate hate-filled graffiti.

(A couple hold hands as they ride a merry-go-round at the Theresienwiese fair ground of the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, Germany. Credit: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Getty Images)

It’s been 40 years since the Islamic revolution in Iran. In 1979, many Iranians felt a strong sense of hope as change was sweeping through their country. Ayatollah Khomeini’s return to Iran from exile was one of the most significant moments of the revolution. Now, 40 years later, we’re hearing more of what was going on behind the scenes.

Also, we hear from two Iranians born after the revolution, who are so frustrated with conditions inside Iran, that they want to leave; we’ll look at how US sanctions on Iran are impacting American businesses; plus, the story of an Iranian-American navy veteran who grew up in revolutionary Iran; and Iranian women’s rights advocate, Masih Alinejad, explains how political hair can be in Iran.

(Revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini leaving the Air France Boeing 747 jumbo that flew him back from exile in France to Tehran. Credit: Gabriel Duval/Getty Images)

Vladi was just 15 years old when he joined a migrant caravan, travelling all the way from El Salvador, to Tijuana on the US-Mexico border. He arrived there last autumn with his grandmother. But by November, Vladi, was on his own. His grandmother needed to return to El Salvador, and Vladi remained at a youth shelter for other unaccompanied migrants like him. Many were hoping to seek asylum in the United States. So was Vladi. But ahead of them is the hostility of the Trump administration. The story of one family in America’s migrant crisis.

(Vladi, center, is from El Salvador. He says the gangs try to recruit you when you turn 14 or 15. He's 15. He says instead of joining a gang, he joined the migrant "caravan" headed toward the United States. Credit: Erin Siegal McIntyre/Frontline)

Martina Navratilova made some controversial statements about transgender athletes. She said that it’s cheating when transgender women compete in women’s sports. But many activists disagree with her and are pushing back.

Also, find out why NBA basketball Enes Kanter fears going back home to Turkey; we have the harrowing story of Eritrean runner Teklit Michael’s near death experience; next the directors of the Oscar winning film ‘Free Solo’ describe how they captured Alex Honnald’s solo climb up El Capitan summit; and the French Fencing Federation has officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport.

(Martina Navratilova participates in the 28th Annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic at Delray Beach Tennis Center. Credit: Johnny Louis/Getty Images)

We join a group of American tourists on an organised trip across the border to find out what life there is really like.

Also, a trilingual interpreter tells us about the challenges of interpreting for asylum seekers who only speak indigenous languages; A group of American exchange students in Italy meet African migrants who risked their lives to make it to Europe; Why Chinese Sci-Fi is gaining in popularity around the world; And Kenyan musician JS Ondara on how Bob Dylan changed his life and inspired his journey to America.

(Andres Vega pours beer for American visitors on a gastronomic tour of Nogales with the Arizona nonprofit, Border Community Alliance. Credit: Katherine Davis-Young/The World)

At 30, Suraj Yengde has earned multiple degrees. He has done graduate and post-graduate research at the prestigious Harvard University. But when he travels to India, his socio-economic background doesn’t matter. He remains a so called “untouchable.” Yengde is not alone, many lower caste members struggle to break out of the system, even when they create new lives for themselves in the US.

(Suraj Yengde in his neighborhood, encouraging Dalit women to try to continue their education, in spite of institutional barriers. Credit: Phillip Martin/WGBH News)

Patricia Okoumou does not shy away from action. Last year, on 4 July, Ms Okoumou climbed up the Statue of Liberty to protest against the detention of children arriving at the US-Mexico border. Now she is facing the legal consequences, yet she remains undeterred from her risky style of activism.

Also, immigrant activists draw attention to the stories of immigrants facing deportation by turning themselves in to be detained themselves. We also hear from Claudio Rojas, an unauthorised immigrant whose deportation date is just days away. Plus school children here in Boston have joined a global movement - they are skipping classes on Fridays to demand that adults take action on climate change. And the harrowing story of how former US Marine Ken Kraus saved more than 20 lives 40 years ago, as Iran was on the brink of revolution.

(Photo: Patricia Okoumou, climbed the Statue of Liberty in protest of the Trump administration's immigration policy. This week, she appeared in court after her arrest in Austin, Texas where she climbed on a building which houses immigrant children separated from their parents. Credit: Gabriele Holtermann/Getty Images)

The legacy of racial segregation and institutionalized racism still persists in the US. Wesleyan College in Georgia was once a whites-only school, now most of its new students are non-white and they have been raising big questions about some school traditions.

Also, in the wake of the documentary, ‘Leaving Neverland’,, a popular museum in Germany is not cancelling its Michael Jackson exhibit, the museum director tells us why; we look back at the career of Ichiro Suzuki the greatest Japanese baseball player of all time; we compare some of the biggest politicians in the US to Roman emperors; and we try out a new millennial version of the popular Latin American board game,‘Loteria’.

(A crowd of over 250 fill a CSULB ballroom to voice concerns over what many groups feel is racism on campus in Long Beach, CA on March 23, 2016. Credit: Scott Varley/Getty Images)

In 1976, 13 year-old Benny Davidson was on a flight bound for Paris when two Palestinians and two Germans hijacked his plane and forced it to fly to Entebbe in Uganda. There, he and other Israeli passengers were held hostage for a week before an Israeli commando raid brought the stand-off to end. Benny still stays in touch with many of his fellow hostages. Recently the captain of that flight, Michel Bacos, died at the age of 95. For Benny and many of the other hostages, Michel represented the meaning of true courage and outstanding leadership.

Also, a traveller says she was sexually assaulted by a tour guide in East Africa. We hear what happened when she tried to warn others; travelling solo can be liberating, but it's not as easy for women. We hear from female solo travelers about their experiences; also women motorcyclists are staging a global relay to unite female bikers ; and what does it sound like to travel? Musicians Cosmo Pyke and Frank Ulwenya are all about capturing that vibe.

(An Israeli hostage is greeted on her return to Israel after Operation Entebbe on July 3, 1976. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

These days the majority of migrants crossing the US border with Mexico are from Central America. But that wasn’t always the case. For decades, the majority of people crossing the border were Mexicans, seeking jobs and opportunity in the US. Many would stay, without official permission, have families and build new lives. Author Ana Raquel Minian tells us how tighter border regulations had the unintended consequence of encouraging Mexicans to stay.

Also, the city of New Orleans is apologizing for the lynching of eleven Italians in the city in 1891. We hear from Michael Santo, a lawyer who pushed for the city to set the record straight;plus, how records of ritual scarring could help some Americans of African descent learn a little more about their family histories; also the story of Barney, a former slave who was granted freedom by joining the British army in the American revolution; and researchers learn that Casimir Pulaski, the man known as the 'Father of the American Cavalry,' was intersex. It’s a story of gender and identity for the history books.

(The U.S.-Mexico border barrier in Tijuana, Mexico. Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Migrant families are being released to communities around the US. They often have no money and no support. Volunteers are stepping in to help. Also: the White House is considering a plan that would send immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities; climate refugees arrive in a small city in the state of Georgia; a peek inside a KGB Spy Museum in New York City, and the Turkish embassy in Washington DC was once a place to hear jazz legends. (Image: A sign welcomes arrivals at the Refugee Coffee Shop in Clarkston, Georgia. Credit:Jason Margolis)

The US Department of Homeland Security is turning to facial recognition technology to keep track of people leaving and entering the US, but privacy advocates have serious concerns. Now, the Electronic Privacy Information Center has obtained documents from US Customs and Border Protection that backup their fears. Also, we visit a hair salon in Boston strictly for women who wear hijab; Thando Hopa makes history by being the first model with albinism on the cover of Vogue magazine; the phenomenon of blackface persists around the globe; and Orthodox Jewish women in New York observe an old tradition in a very modern way.

(Image: A facial recognition program is demonstrated during the 2004 Biometrics exhibition and conference in London. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

Seattle, Washington, is widely seen as a pro-immigrant city. So many residents were shocked to learn that a nearby airport has been used to deport some 34,000 people in the last eight years. Now King County, where the airport is located, is signalling its opposition to those deportations. We also learn about a subversive hand sign adopted from Hollywood and used in Thailand; we visit a radio program whose signals connect families split between central California and southern Mexico; we meet a teacher who’s helping kids feel proud to communicate in their native tongues; we hear from a man who learned how to deal with a misreading of his name; and we hear the music of a man who won’t yield to pressure to spell it all out.

(Detainees are loaded onto a Swift Air charter flight at King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in Seattle, WA, for a February 26 ICE Air flight. Credit: Still image from video by Alex Montalvo and Wadii Boughdir for the University of Washington Center for Human Rights)

A ban went into effect this week on athletes with high testosterone competing in women’s track events. South African runner Caster Semenya last week lost her challenge to a new rule by the International Association of Athletics Federations that keeps her out of women’s competitions because of her hormone levels. Many athletes have expressed opposition to the latest ruling, but we hear from a transgender runner who is happy with the ban. We also speak with the author of a graphic memoir trying to make sense of skin colour and identity; we hear about efforts in California to make police more sensitive to indigenous people; we visit a street in New Jersey City named in honour of an Indian human rights campaigner; and we hear the music of a self-described intergalactic feminist.

(Image: South Africa's Caster Semenya celebrates after winning the women's 800m during the IAAF Diamond League competition on May 3, 2019 in Doha. Credit: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images)

The amount of weaponry Saudi Arabia buys from the US has risen dramatically over the past decade or so. We take the latest arms sales data and present it as an audio experience. Also, the human cost behind seemingly ordinary groceries; some states in the US are tightening abortion laws, leading some women to buy abortion pills online; a US fast-food chain introduces a new meat-free burger; and why burping cows are causing climate change.

(Image: Supporters of Houthis gather at Babul Yemen street to protest the US government's sale of $1.29 billion in smart bombs to Saudi Arabia, in Sanaa, Yemen on November 20, 2015. (Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Immigrants and refugees from Syria and Iraq lead tours at Philadelphia’s Penn Museum. They help visitors understand where the museum’s artefacts come from and add historical context to the objects. Also, “voluntourism” is a growing part of the travel industry, but critics say there’s sometimes a human cost for volunteer’s good deeds; we meet Terry Tickhill Terrell, who in 1969 became one of the first women to join a US scientific expedition to Antarctica; a long, lost manuscript and its connection to Christopher Columbus; and a restaurant in Casablanca inspired by the classic Hollywood film.

(Image: Abdulhadi Al-Karfawi, a Global Guide at the Penn Museum, talks about an ornate headdress, which was found with the body of Queen Puabi in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, on a Sunday afternoon tour of the Middle East Galleries in 2018. Photo by Raffi Berberian, Penn Museum.)

The United States census gets underway next year and the Trump administration wants to ask everyone if they're a US citizen. Critics say the question will discourage some immigrants from participating and lead to an inaccurate census. The Supreme Court will rule on the matter later this month. Also, a same-sex married couple has two sons ; one gets US citizenship while his brother does not; immigrants in New York find it harder to win asylum; a Russian grandmother becomes a US citizen; and a Brazilian-born musician took the oath of allegiance a year ago and now calls Texas home.

(Image: Demonstrators rally at the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2019, to protest a proposal to add a citizenship question in the 2020 Census. (Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

The US is reported to have plans for a potential cyber attack that would cripple Iran’s cities. Whether such a plan would be implemented is open to question but it would take cyberwarfare to a whole new level. Also, a doctor in Puerto Rico prepares pregnant women for hurricane season; a plan to change the sound New York City; a NASA scientist is caught up in a clampdown on political dissent in Turkey, with severe consequences for his life back in the US; and Latinos in Texas mix a rite of passage with civic duty.

(Image: A man is seen portraying a hacker with binary code symbols on a laptop in this photo illustration on October 15, 2018 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

It wasn’t easy for Elton John to get producers to keep all the scenes in his new fantasy-biopic, “Rocketman.” He was determined that the Paramount film not gloss over his sexuality or past drug use. Despite his efforts, Russia’s version appears to be missing about five minutes-worth of footage. .

Also, we meet the American singer who teaches Italian kids how to sing like Beyoncé; plus the story of how Lucia Lucas became the first transgender person to sing a lead part in a standard operatic work in the US; why Lincoln, Nebraska is a great place to hear traditional Yazidi music; and Filipina-American musician Ruby Ibarra tells her family story with rap.

(Elton John (R) and David Furnish attend the "Rocketman" UK Premiere at Odeon Leicester Square in London, United Kingdom. Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

The coastal lowlands along Malaysia’s side of the Strait of Malacca are a mostly lush place, studded with fat palms and forest canopies dripping with vines. But over the past year and a half, black pillars of smoke have appeared above the treetops. We investigate how plastic waste American municipalities send for recycling, is piling up in illegal dumps thousands of miles away. Also, tiny plastic pellets, called 'nurdles' are the product of plastics producers, but why are these pellets appearing on the US Gulf Coast?; Americans have few options when it comes to recycled tissue products and that's having a devastating impact on Canada's northern forests; Meal kits are becoming very popular in the US, but are they helping us to reduce waste?

(Plastic waste at an abandoned factory in Jenjarom, a district of Kuala Langat, outside Kuala Lumpur. From grubby packaging engulfing small Southeast Asian communities to waste piling up in plants from the US to Australia, China's ban on accepting the world's used plastic has plunged global recycling into turmoil. Credit: Mohd Rasfan/Getty Images)

When Wajed al-Khalifa and her family arrived in the US as refugees in 2015, everything about the United States seemed foreign. They were now far away from their home in Syria and it was time to acclimate to a new life. It wasn’t long though before they started hitting milestones: Khalifa and her husband got driving licences, their four children excelled in school, quickly overcoming barriers such as English-language instruction and a new education system. Over the past 4 years reporter Monica Campbell has been checking in with the family and their story is still unfolding.

Also, US congresswoman Ilhan Omar tells us about her experience as a refugee from Somalia, and how this informs what she thinks about the US migration crisis.

(Gasem Al Hamad and his children in their new home in Turlock, California. He and his wife fled Syria with their kids after several family members were tortured or killed as the civil war rages on. Al Hamad is now a halal butcher at a nearby slaughterhouse. Credit: Monica Campbell/The World)

In recent months, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other Trump Administration officials have been trying to convince Congress that Iran has ties with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Some say that the Administration is trying to establish this connection because of a law that the US Congress passed three days after the 9/11 attacks. That law gave then President George W. Bush the authority to go to war with al-Qaeda and any related organisation without Congressional approval.

Also, we meet Iranian-Americans who are feeling particularly anxious as tension between the US and Iran escalates; and we find out what possessions people in Tehran are looking to sell, to find out how sanctions are affecting ordinary Iranians.

(President Donald Trump signs an executive order imposing fresh sanctions on Iran in the Oval Office of the White House. Next to Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Credit: Oliver Contreras/Getty Images)

President Trump has backed away from his efforts to include a citizenship question on the 2020 US census. But immigrants still fear being asked that question. Also, there’s an outbreak of measles in two ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City. A nurse there is trying to convince those in the community to get vaccinated; former US Defence Secretary Ash Carter offers his views on current tensions with; and a Venezuelan family divided by distance and politics, a daughter laments.

There are upwards of 10 million unauthorized immigrants living in the US. Many of those immigrants are children or have children studying in schools throughout the country. For them,fear of deportation and family separation is a constant reality. Students at El Colegio High School in the Midwestern city of Minneapolis know that feeling, so the school has prepared its students and staff for when the immigration agents come knocking.

Also, find out how Trump's hard-line immigration policies build on the history of former US presidents; we meet the teachers of University Open Air where classes are all taught by immigrants; author Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani talks about the legacy of Nigerian slavery and how it affects people’s lives today; and the story of a Uighur family whose members fled China and now own a restaurant in Boston.

(An exterior view of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters is seen in Washington, DC. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Next month, roughly two million Muslims will travel to the holy city of Mecca for one of the most important religious rituals in Islam. As long as they are in good health and can afford it, every Muslim must complete the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. But the Hajj can only be done in Saudi Arabia, which is making some people feel conflicted about making the journey.

Also, Dutton Books is trying to reinvent books for the smartphone generation with something called the ‘Dwarsligger’; Disney is remaking a live action version of the hit film ‘Mulan,’ this time though, they’re paying attention to their Chinese audience; Some women in Argentina are challenging gender roles on the dance floor, taking the macho out of tango; and in their new album, three Israeli sisters pay tribute to a family member going three generations back, from Yemen.

(Every year, millions of Muslims from around the world descend upon Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the hajj. Credit: Shirin Jaafari/The World)

In 1987, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It led to the elimination of more than 2,500 nuclear missile. But as of this week, the INF treaty is no more after the Trump administration announced its withdrawal. Former Secretary of State George Schulz thinks today’s politicians underestimate the threat posed by nuclear weapons.

Also, roughly a year after the US announced that it’s creating a military space force, now France is following suit. It’s a 21st century military version of the space race; how hypersonic missiles could transform the future of war and diplomacy; and the widespread use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam war has consequences beyond Vietnam’s borders.

(U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signing the INF Treaty in the East Room at the White House in 1987. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

The US-China trade war has been going on for almost two years now. Both countries have imposed hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tariffs on each other, and that number has only been growing. Right now, we may be entering a new, potentially dangerous, phase of the dispute: currency warfare.

Also, we’ll take a look at real life consequences that the US-China trade war is already having, both for small businesses and for Chinese-Americans who are now experiencing unwanted scrutiny; and we’ll also explore China’s so called social credit system, and why it’s been mostly misunderstood in the West.

(An aerial view of a port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province. Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The US and the Taliban are reportedly inching closer to a breakthrough in peace talks. But the Afghan government has been notably missing from these negotiations. Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the US, Roya Rahmani, says that the Afghan government's position regarding the talks is that ‘peace is the highest desire.’

Also, we’ll take you Tijuana, Mexico, just south of the US border, where migrants from all over the world are waiting for a chance to enter the US; and long lost relatives reunite and share their family history after being seperated by a legacy of slavery.

(Afghan Ambassador to the United States Roya Rahmani. Credit: Shirin Jaafari/The World)

This month marks 20 years since Vladimir Putin first became prime minister of Russia. Now serving his fourth term as Russia’s president, Putin has increased and consolidated his power over the past two decades. We look back at the events that have shaped his leadership and the course of his nation. Also, we reflect on the past 20 years of diplomacy between the US and Russia; and when Vladimir Putin finishes his fourth term as Russia’s President, what will he do next?

(U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint press conference after their 2018 summit in Helsinki, Finland. Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

This year marks four hundred years since slave traders arrived at the Virginia colony with the first captive Africans to be enslaved in what would become the US. It was the start of something that would come to define and divide America. Ghana has declared 2019 the “Year of Return” for African descendants around the globe. Our reporter, Rupa Shenoy, traveled to Ghana to look at how slavery is entangled in both the past and present lives of people there and in the African diaspora.

(A view inside of Christiansborg Castle, Ghana. Credit: Selase Kove-Seyram/The World)

Melting of Antarctica's massive Thwaites Glacier could add 60 centimetres to global sea level rise in the next 50 to 100 years, and unlock far more in the years beyond. A voyage by an icebreaker to the remote glacier's face laid the groundwork for a 5-year international research effort to try to answer urgent questions about Thwaites' future. Our reporter Carolyn Beeler takes us onboard the expedition, with deep dives into the science and the stakes for our future.

(The Nathaniel B. Palmer anchored off the Rothera research station near the Antarctic Peninsula. Nearing its destination offshore of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, the ship had to divert back north to the station for a medical emergency. Carolyn Beeler/The World)

How quickly will Antarctica’s massive Thwaites Glacier melt, and what will that mean for global sea levels and coastal cities? Scientists spent several weeks aboard the research ship Nathaniel B Palmer, studying Thwaites as part of a five-year, international effort to try to answer those pressing questions. Our reporter Carolyn Beeler takes us onboard for a deep dive into the science and the stakes for our future.

(An iceberg in the Southern Ocean, is pictured here as the Nathaniel B. Palmer sailed by during its return trip from Antarctica in March 2019. Carolyn Beeler/The World)

The Mississippi river could be called America’s inland hydro highway. It carries US goods and commodities out to the rest of the world and allows trade flows to return. But up and down the Mississippi River, there are new pressures. The strain on the river system is only becoming more acute with the impacts of climate change. Reporter Jason Margolis recently traveled nearly 1800 kilometres down the Mississippi to assess the health of the river, its economy and its people.

(A fish is pulled from the Mississippi River near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Further south, oysters thrive in brackish water, a mix of freshwater and saltwater in coastal Louisiana. Credit: Leyland Cecco/The World)

As the 2020 presidential campaign in America heats up, evangelical Christians will be getting more and more attention in the US news media. They always do during election season as they have long been seen as reliable Republican voters. But people who identify as evangelical or born-again Christians are more than just a voting bloc. Evangelicals make up a huge swath of the US population and they are rapidly becoming more diverse than ever before.

(Jason Petty is shown on stage performing under his spoken word artist and rapper name, Propaganda. Credit: Matthew Bell/The World)

When US presidents get on the phone to speak with foreign leaders, staff are on hand to take diligent notes. But is there a set procedure of how calls with foreign dignitaries are handled? Tom Blanford from the National Security Archives in Washington, DC says that Trump’s style has been very different compared with his predecessors.

Also, TikTok, is one of the most popular social media apps in the world but the company that owns it is based in China, and some say that's leading to censorship; When you think about the Soviet Union, you don’t often think about comedy, Michael Idov’s film ‘The Humorist’ delves into the life of a Soviet comic; the power of comedy is something stand-up comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi is trying to harness in order to start a more honest conversation between Israelis and Palestinians; and the tale of a Russian ship captain whose message in a bottle was recently discovered on a beach in Alaska.

Image: Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump (Credit: Ukraine Presidential Press Service via EPA)

An unauthorized Muslim immigrant from Uzbekistan was offered a deal by the FBI: You can remain in the US, but only if you'll spy on your fellow Muslims. He did, but then he decided he wanted to stop.

Also, the Trump administration declassified thousands of documents that reveal details of Argentina's so called ‘dirty war’; In Northern Thailand, the grandchildren of one-time CIA backed Chinese rebels transformed what used to be a secret hideaway to a tea-drinking tourist haven; and the FBI has had agents dedicated to fighting war crimes, but now that team is being disbanded.

(The J. Edgar Hoover Building of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington, DC. Credit: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images)

In recent years, it’s become fairly common for people to take their own bags when they go grocery shopping. But for the past 18 months, Philippa Robb and her son, Haydn, have also been bringing their own containers, to avoid food packaging and other single-use plastics. Now Philippa’s goal is to have a zero-waste home.

Also, Greta Thunberg is now a household name in environmental activism. Find out how she’s been able to inspire an international youth movement; With a camera strapped to his back, Victor the white-tailed eagle is providing a bird’s eye view of how climate change is melting Alpine glaciers; and China has hundreds of thousands of emissions-free electric buses. Now the US is trying to catch up.

(Philippa Robb and her 16-year-old son, Haydn Robb Harries, stand in their London backyard with one of their three chickens. Robb feeds the chickens leftovers in an attempt to cut down on food waste. Credit: Brenna Daldorph/The World)