Donald Trump seemed poised to inherit a relatively strong economy when he begins a second term in January, but things may be changing. And during the first Trump administration tariffs on China proved to be a boon for Vietnam. Will that happen again?

Thousands of Syrians gathered Friday in Damascus' historic main mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since the ouster of President Bashar Assad, while giant crowds celebrated in the capital's largest square. We spoke with Paul Salem, vice president for international engagement with the Middle East Institute. While Syria, Ukraine, the Middle East are taking most of the world’s attention, Sudan has been ranked as the world's single biggest humanitarian crisis ever. Michelle Gavin, Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations provides insights into the crisis.

TikTok edged closer to being banned in the United States after it lost an appeal on Friday against a law requiring the video-sharing app to divest from its Chinese parent company by January 19. UN talks on plastic pollution concluded in Busan, South Korea Monday without reaching an agreement. This was supposed to be the fifth and final round to produce the first legally binding treaty to tackle the exponential problem by the end of 2024.

There's relief over a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, but the Lebanese are now facing the realization of the challenges that lie ahead. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement raises multiple questions. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday pledged big tariffs on the United States' three largest trading partners - Canada, Mexico and China.

It’s expected that the new U.S. Trump administration may force Russia and Ukraine to sit down and negotiate. In anticipation of that, both sides escalated their war efforts this past week. We speak with Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow in the Center for a New American Security Transatlantic Security Program. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Leila Sadat, Washington University Professor of International Criminal Law and Special Advisor on Crimes Against Humanity to the ICC Prosecutor help us understand what it means.

Donald Trump wins a second term as president. Are there parallels from the founding fathers of our country? We speak with author and presidential historian Lindsey Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, whose latest book is Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic. Also, this week, clashes between climate activists and big oil at the UN climate conference in Azerbaijan. We talk with correspondent in Chermaine Lee, who is at the conference in Azerbaijan.

What will a Donald Trump presidency look like in terms of foreign affairs. He has summarized his approach as peace through strength, remains critical of NATO and has repeatedly praised authoritarians. Could his approach help end the war in Ukraine, bring peace to the middle east and help the U.S. as the world realigns? The pre-election polls indicated it was a tight race, giving Kamala Harris a slight edge. But in the end, American voters chose Donald Trump. A look at what led to Trump’s decisive win.

As election day approaches, U.S. officials issue warnings about potential violence from domestic extremists. The concerns go beyond election day into January and the inauguration. Also, as America continues to become more ethnically diverse as divisions over immigration and the nation’s division deepen. It’s become a major theme in the presidential campaign.

An ominous report from the UN paints a dire picture about the direction the planet is heading without immediate climate action. The report says if the current pace continues it will result in global warming of more than 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Will abortion play a role in the U.S. presidential election? Former President Donald Trump takes credit for overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision which guaranteed the right to abortions in the U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has promised to reinstate a national abortion protection law.

South Korea’s spy agency says North Korea has sent 1,500 special forces troops to Russia for training and likely deployment for combat in the war in Ukraine. The allegation comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed 10,000 North Korean soldiers could join the war, based on intelligence information. The U.S. expresses concern. We talk with VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin and Naoko Aoki, a political scientist at RAND.