Inside the Americas

This week, the governor of California decisively defeated a Republican campaign to remove him from office. Gavin Newsom easily survived the recall election, leaving dozens of challengers far behind. The victory sends a strong message that California voters are still behind Newsom and the traditional polices of the deeply Democratic state. We take a closer look at the recall mechanism.

Twenty years ago, two passenger planes slammed into both towers of the World Trade Center in New York. It was the worst terrorist attack in US history, watched live around the world. In this special show, we try to understand how the consequences are still being felt today. We talk to first responders who now suffer from devastating health issues. We also see how security measures were stepped up in the wake of the attacks and how education has adapted to a new generation that wasn't born during 9/11.

This week, America put an end to its 20-year war in Afghanistan. In addition to taking control of the country, the Taliban have also recuperated huge quantities of US military equipment left behind. Much of it was originally meant to be used by Afghan armed forces to defend themselves. Pictures of Taliban soldiers in full US army gear have now got many people worried. Our tech editor Peter O'Brien tells us more about the Taliban's military capabilities.

As a series of destructive wildfires make headlines, why is the western part of North America so prone to wildfires and how is climate change making them worse? We take a closer look.

Cuba is grappling with its largest protests since the era of Fidel Castro. The demonstrations come as the country is facing its worst surge in Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. But it's the economic crisis, and a shortage of food and medicine, that has drawn so many to the streets as the government blames the US for its economic sanctions.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is known by many for his Tesla vehicles and his exploits in outer space. But he's also causing quite a stir on Earth – in a tiny town in southern Texas, to be precise. Many residents in Boca Chica Village say they're being pushed out as Musk's company SpaceX constructs its launch site and rocket production facility there. We take a closer look.

Dozens of people have died in Canada since last week due to record high temperatures which have hit highs of over 46°C. According to the Met Office, the ongoing heatwave is a result of a pressure system which isn't moving. We take a closer look at the phenomenon known as a heat dome.

NFL player Carl Nassib has taken to Instagram to come out as gay. The move is being called a watershed moment for American football, the country's most popular sport. Nassib's announcement comes as he enters his sixth season in the league and during Pride Month. We take a closer look.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden sat down with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for their first face-to-face talks as leaders. Both men went into the meeting not agreeing on much, except the fact that relations between their two countries are at an all-time low. We take a look back at Putin's relations with successive US presidents.

The FBI says it's recouped most of the ransom money that was paid to a hacker group after it attacked a massive fuel pipeline. The internet criminals installed ransomware on the Colonial Pipeline in May and were paid over $4 million in cryptocurrency by the oil company to stop the attack. We take a closer look.