
Stuff YOU Should Know
Cease Fire in Idlib, Syria The deadly civil war in Syria has been going on since 2011, but it feels like forever. Is it possible that it might finally be drawing to a close? Last week, Turkey and Russia agreed to a cease-fire in Syria’s Idlib region–an area where nearly a million people have displaced […]

Stuff YOU Should Know
Washington State Battles Measles Outbreak While most Americans receive vaccinations against measles and other potentially deadly diseases while they are still babies, there are some families who choose not to participate in this program. As a result, there is currently a severe outbreak of measles–a disease which was once officially declared to no longer be […]

Stuff YOU Should Know
Kavanaugh Update Recently, btw brought you a closer look at Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s most recent Supreme Court nominee, and the challenges he faced as he began his week of Senate confirmation hearings. Now that those hearings are finished, however, Congress, as well as the American public, are more divided than ever over Kavanaugh’s nomination. Related […]

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Deadly Earthquake in Japan Last Thursday, a magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck Hokkaido, Japan. It lasted for almost a minute, causing roads to collapse, and leading to deadly landslides that killed at least nine people. An additional seven people died of heart attacks as a result of the earthquake. More than 150 people were injured, and in […]

Who is Maria Butina?
It sounds like something from a movie: Two weeks ago, the Justice Department announced the arrest of a 29-year-old Russian spy named Maria Butina. But this is no movie. Within the overall investigation of the Russian meddling within the United States election, her story is a very important one. Here, btw takes a closer look […]

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New Cycle of Russian Hacking Begins With the 2018 midterm elections less than 100 days away, many people have started wondering about the possibility of another Russian hacking attempt. Now there is new evidence to prove that this is indeed a threat. Claire McCaskill, a Democratic senator from Missouri, is up for reelection this fall. […]

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Trouble at the UN? Last week, the United States butted heads with Russia and China at the United Nations Security Council. The reason? A disagreement over the Council’s policies toward North Korea. A week earlier, the United States submitted a complaint to the Security Council, saying that North Korea had imported more than three times […]

Trouble in Helsinki
On July 16, Donald Trump met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The two hours of closed-door talks between the two leaders was followed by a news conference, which turned out to be one of the most troubling moments of Trump’s presidency so far. Here, btw takes a look at […]