International

Trump's Taxpayer-Funded “Final Battle” Ad Draws Bipartisan Fire Ahead of Midterms

Background

The White House this weekend aired a new taxpayer-funded television advertisement featuring President Donald Trump warning of a “final battle” for the country's future, the second such government-funded spot to run in barely a week and the latest escalation in a fight over whether the administration is using…

Ghana's Post-Restructuring Rebound

Gold, debt relief and fiscal discipline are reshaping West Africa's comeback economy

A Default Recedes Into the Rear-View Mirror

Three years ago, Ghana was the cautionary tale of West African public finance: a sovereign default in December 2022, an external debt load north of $30 billion, and a…

Venezuela Frees Dozens More Political Prisoners After Trump-Rodríguez Talks, But No Election Date Yet

Background

Venezuela's government freed dozens of political prisoners over the past several days, the latest release in a nine-month-long, US-pressured process that began after President Nicolás Maduro's removal from power and has become the central bellwether of whether the country's post-Maduro transition will…

Guinea-Bissau's Junta Wins Referendum Expanding Presidential Power, Setting Up a Contested December Election

Bissau, Guinea-Bissau  

Ten months after soldiers overthrew Guinea-Bissau's elected government, the country's military-led transition has cleared its most consequential political hurdle yet: voters have approved a new constitution that dramatically expands presidential power and shrinks…

Tanzania's Treason Trial of Opposition Leader Tundu Lissu Nears a Verdict That Could Reshape the Country's Politics

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 

A Tanzanian High Court panel is now weighing a verdict that could send the country's best-known opposition figure to the gallows or set him free, after final submissions concluded last week in the treason trial of Chadema party leader Tundu Lissu — a case that has become the clearest…

One Vote Short of Chaos: The Supreme Court Blocks a Trump-Backed Missouri Gerrymander for a Third Time

Background

Missouri's fight over its congressional map is one front in a much larger, nationally coordinated redistricting arms race that has defined the run-up to the 2026 midterms. It began in earnest last summer when Texas Republicans, at President Trump's urging, redrew their congressional map to create five…