World

In his address to the top U.S. military officials in Virginia earlier this week, War Secretary Pete Hegseth let it be known that the Trump administration is "done with that shit." He was referring to the so-called "woke culture" that he said had infiltrated the military. That a curse word would be used so intentionally and publicly by such a senior political figure is something that would have seemed out of place not too long ago. But such colourful language among U.S. politicians, particularly during the Trump administrations, seems more commonplace. Trump himself, who may have toned down his public cursing since entering the presidential race a decade ago, still can let some expletives fly. Indeed, he made political history in June when he became the first president to p...

An American man who had been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since December 2024 has been released, the US State Department announced Sunday. Amir Amiry, 36, was released Sunday after months of negotiations led by Qatari and US mediators and is now headed back to the United States, according to the State Department and a diplomatic source with knowledge of the release. Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Qatar in a statement, saying the country’s “strong partnership and tireless diplomatic efforts were vital to securing his release.” “President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home,” he added. “This release today is a significant step by the administration in Kabul to effect that goal.” Amiry is the latest American to have been released

(Washington, DC) – United States President Donald Trump’s September 25, 2025, memorandum directing law enforcement to investigate a sprawling, imaginary conspiracy to foment political violence in the United States is a serious threat to human rights and democratic institutions, Human Rights Watch said today. President Trump has ordered federal agencies to search actively for connections tying philanthropic funders and activist groups to a vaguely described effort to foment violence, intimidation, and suppression of political activity.  “President Trump’s order mobilizing federal law enforcement to investigate perceived opponents of his administration turns reality on its head,” said Federico Borello, acting executive director of Human Rights Watch. “It fabricates a n

Not long ago, I was haunting the alleys downtown and noting all the infrastructure you don’t see from the storefronts. The utility poles and power lines and electric meters reminded me of the work of R. Crumb, the underground cartoonist most famous for the anthropomorphic, sexually charged “Fritz the Cat” comics. It wasn’t an oversexed feline I was thinking about but Crumb’s urban drawings, especially “The History of America,” that render in painful detail the things we have trained ourselves not to see, such as the web of power lines strung from utility poles overhead. One alley in the center of Emporia is packed with such infrastructure, including “One Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs and Dumpsters and pooled rainwater and about a billion feathers from the pigeons that make their ho