U.S. Citizens Stranded Abroad

Yemen, one of eight countries targeted by the travel ban, is a war zone. Americans trying to get their families to safety are finding they can get their spouses and children out of Yemen, but are blocked from reuniting with them in the U.S.

Timothy Greenfield Sanders/Harper Collins A former secretary of state, seeing creeping authoritarianism around the world, pens ‘Fascism: A Warning’ It’s personal for Madeleine Albright: She and her family fled Czechoslovakia ahead of the Nazis. Albright, who served as ambassador to the United Nations and as head of the State Department under President Bill Clinton, says she is afraid Americans are taking democracy for granted, allowing opportunists to sow division. One example: the president’s with-us-or-against-us rhetoric. “Everything is somebody else's fault: Countries are taking advantage of us. The Mexicans are sending drug dealers. Countries are not paying their dues.” Todd Tilson/PA Turnpike Commission In one sense, they’re ridiculous: just two goats who got stuck on the side of a bridge. But in another sense, aren’t they all of us? No one knows why the goats climbed onto a beam running underneath a Pennsylvania Turnpike bridge and across the Mahoning River, but a specialist says they were probably buddies who got out of their owner’s yard. And then got stuck. On an 8-inch-wide ledge 100 feet above the ground. Eighteen hours later, a rescue operation was launched. "It was my first goat extraction," says the PDOT civil engineer who clambered into a special crane’s bucket for the mission. Arezou Rezvani/NPR Families torn apart by President Trump’s travel ban, leaving American children in limbo In other circumstances, the refugee children holed up in a Djibouti apartment building would be holding golden tickets — navy blue U.S. passports. But while these Yemenis and their dads are American citizens, their moms aren’t — and their war-torn country is among those targeted by the State Department for exclusion. With the U.S. refusing to let the women in and the men working endless hours to support their families, they may have nowhere to go except back to a war zone. VisualField/Getty Images Everyone wants to live longer, but how many meals are you willing to skip to do it? Many Americans struggle with their weight, which can lead to serious health conditions. A recent study found that cutting caloric intake by 25 percent — more than 30 participants did it for two years — can dramatically slow metabolism and make the body more “energy-efficient,” while keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check. But lowering your metabolism can come with its own health problems. Deadspin/Screenshot by NPR ‘This is extremely dangerous to our democracy’: A media titan’s mandatory warning about ‘fake news’ sets off other alarm bells Sinclair Broadcasting Group owns nearly 200 TV stations across the country, more than any other media company, and is seeking to acquire dozens more. The company has long been criticized for pushing coverage and commentary supportive of President Trump onto local airwaves. That criticism got louder after it forced scores of local anchors to recite a script that one journalism professor called “a corporate piece of propaganda.” You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002