Global Affairs

Black woman in camouflage jacket with fist raised next to Brown man in white t-shirt next to person with paper covering their face in front of crowd and brown and grey apartment buildings and blue sky
Sameer Rao  May 1, 2017 3:02PM EDT

#MayDay Actions in 7 Scenes

Advocacy groups and activists are gathering in cities across the world to demand an end to oppressive systems of power. Here, some video from actions helmed by groups of color in the United States. 
A windmill is seen during 2016 Stagecoach California's Country Music Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 30, 2016, in Indio, California.
Yessenia Funes  Apr 14, 2017 3:25PM EDT

STUDY: Countries Need to Transition to Renewables Sooner to Meet Paris Climate Goal

If nations stay on their current course, global temperatures will rise more than a degree higher than the agreement’s goal. 
Surveillance cameras stand above the U.S.-Mexican border fence at Playas de Tijuana on January 27, 2017, in Tijuana, Mexico.
Yessenia Funes  Apr 12, 2017 3:01PM EDT

Environmental Group First to Sue Trump Administration for Border Wall

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ): “Trump’s wall … will do little more than perpetuate human suffering while irrevocably damaging our public lands and the wildlife that depend on them.”
President Donald Trump speaks about his Energy Independence Executive Order on March 28, 2017, at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Yessenia Funes  Mar 28, 2017 2:30PM EDT

Trump Signs Executive Order to Repeal Clean Power Plan

This is an early step in what will likely be an uphill battle between the administration and environmental groups. 
Colorlines screenshot of World Meteorological Organization report, taken on March 22, 2017.
Yessenia Funes  Mar 22, 2017 2:47PM EDT

REPORT: '2016 Was the Warmest Year on Record' and More

The World Meteorological Organization’s annual report had a clear—and sobering—message.  
President Donald Trump looks on during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the White House on March 17, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
Yessenia Funes  Mar 21, 2017 3:23PM EDT

Trump Policies Hamper U.S. Ability to Meet Paris Climate Goals

A transition away from fossil fuels could boost the world economy by $19 trillion.
Defense Secretary James Mattis attends a joint briefing with his South Korean counterpart Han Min-Koo at the headquarters of the Defense Ministry on February 3, 2017, in Seoul, South Korea.
Yessenia Funes  Mar 15, 2017 11:01AM EDT

Defense Secretary: 'Climate Change Can Be a Driver of Instability'

James Mattis says climate change poses a national security risk—in sharp contrast to the administration’s general stance on the issue.
Purple and green sign featuring the names of music in our survey incentive
Colorlines Staff  Feb 22, 2017 6:00PM EST

Take the 2017 Colorlines Reader Survey. Then Get Free Stuff!

Please take our first reader survey in many years. There’s good music in it for you.
Black man in navy, green and grey uniform speaks into black microphone against blue background with gray, blue and green team logo
Sameer Rao  Feb 16, 2017 12:00PM EST

NFL Stars Boycott State-Sponsored Trip to Israel

Seattle Seahawks player Michael Bennett cited John Carlos and Muhammad Ali in his statement explaining why he skipped the trip.
Sitting at his desk, Donald Trump holds up an executive order he signed on his first full day as president
Deepa Iyer  Jan 23, 2017 12:39PM EST

Trump's First Week Begins With Executive Orders on Trade, Reproductive Rights and Federal Hiring

He’s also suspended a cut in Federal Housing Aministration mortgage premiums and moved to repeal Obamacare.
President Barack Obama waves to local people cheering for him after attending a service event for Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Jobs Have Priority Naylor Road Family Shelter January 16, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
Yessenia Funes  Jan 18, 2017 1:00PM EST

President Obama Transfers Half a Billion Into Climate Fund

The $500 million will help developing nations brace for and adapt to climate change.
Flag with blue and white stripes, red triangle and white star flies at half staff with blue sky, green and brown palm trees and brown-gray building in the background
Sameer Rao  Jan 13, 2017 11:16AM EST

President Obama Ends 'Wet Foot, Dry Foot' Policy for Cuban Immigrants

The decades-old policy allowed most Cuban immigrants to remain in the U.S., regardless of how they entered the country.
Tina Johnson walks alongside Charlleen Charles, on horseback, and Ricky Mckenzie and Celine Desiree Jade Charles, with her fist raised as they make their way to Standing Rock, North Dakota, from Saskatchewan, Canada.
Yessenia Funes  Jan 11, 2017 10:36AM EST

Canadian Native Youth Arrive at Standing Rock After Walking for Almost a Month

Buffalo greeted the youth as they arrived at the #NoDAPL camp site.
Brown hands exchange green dollar bills with Brown person in pink shirt behind grey counter with grey-brown scale, black cash register and clear container of off-white garlic cloves
Sameer Rao  Jan 10, 2017 1:41PM EST

UN Report: Puerto Rico Debt-Fighting Measures Must Not Impact Human Rights

“The population in Puerto Rico cannot be held hostage to past irresponsible borrowing and lending.”
A Black woman protester wearing a black coat is pushed out of a Senate office building by a White policeman
Deepa Iyer  Jan 10, 2017 12:49PM EST

When and Where to Watch Senate Confirmation Hearings for Trump's Cabinet Picks

A flurry of Senate confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet nominees are happening this week. Here’s when and where to watch.
Chris McGrath/Getty
Yessenia Funes  Jan 4, 2017 10:45AM EST

Record Number of Floods Hit U.S. in 2016, Racking Up Global Natural Disaster Costs

The price marks a new high since records began in 1980.
U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke delivers a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2016, in Cleveland, Ohio. President-elect Donald Trump has offered him the interior secretary position.
Yessenia Funes  Dec 14, 2016 11:33AM EST

Trump Picks a Pro-Coal Congressman to Head the Department of the Interior

Rep. Ryan Zinke has worked closely with Native communities in Montana, to varying outcomes for different tribes.  
In his signature green military fatigues Fidel Castro makes a speech at a Havana podium in 2004.
Sheriden M. Booker  Nov 29, 2016 8:00PM EST

Why I'm Neither Celebrating Nor Mourning the Passing of Fidel Castro

Sheriden M. Booker, an African-American scholar with deep ties to Cuba through her studies, relationships and religion, explains why she’s ambivalent about Fidel Castro’s legacy. 
Mark Wilson/Getty
Yessenia Funes  Nov 18, 2016 10:54AM EST

Largest Bank in Norway Pulls $3M from Dakota Access Pipeline

This is a major win for water protectors, who have been advocating to target the project’s financial interests.
Erin Wise (C) of Cannon Ball, North Dakota, leads a protest march from the Army Corps of Engineers to the White House to demonstration against the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline November 15, 2016, in Washington, DC.
Yessenia Funes  Nov 17, 2016 10:48AM EST

Support for Standing Rock Grows as Courts Look to 2017 for Pipeline Decision

Until a decision is made, pipeline developers will not know if they can finish construction.