The World

As Hurricane Dorian endangers the US East Coast, the full extent of the devastation in the Bahamas is emerging. Plus, former US Ambassador Ryan Crocker explains the complications surrounding peace talks in Afghanistan between the US and the Taliban. And the verdict is in for a French rooster that's been on trial all summer for crowing too loudly: not guilty.

Prepping a fallout shelter might sound like an exercise from an era of soda fountains and hula hoops. But for Ron Hubbard, president of Atlas Survival Shelters, business is, well … booming. Ron says he sold a shelter a month when he started out in 2011. Now he sells about one a day — from a barebones hideout to a luxury model that doubles as a wine cellar. So, why are 60s-style underground fallout shelters no longer so, well, underground? On this bonus episode from The World's partners at the podcast, Things That Go Boom, Host Laicie Heeley speaks with nuclear expert Sharon Squassoni who says the threat of nuclear war is as grave now as the darkest days of the Cold War. One reason for the heightened concern is President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran Nuclear Deal. But that decision also tells us a lot about how US foreign policy is shifting. Could the decision to withdraw render the US irrelevant? Did it make us safer? Or should we all be building fallout shelters in our backyards?

The latest on the rescue efforts in the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic. Plus, maneuvers in Brexit politics have ruptured Britain's Conservative Party. Also, an Iranian-born author and immigrant dismantles stereotypes and expectations of refugees in her book "The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You."

We take a break from our usual way of doing things at The World, and take a 40-minute, 1,000-mile journey down the Mississippi with reporter Jason Margolis. The Mississippi is a critical trade corridor that delivers US goods and commodities to the rest of the world and brings goods into the US from abroad. But up and down the Mississippi, new pressures are being put on America’s inland hydro highway, a strain that's only becoming more acute with the impacts of climate change. Also, we're following the latest developments on Brexit and protests in Hong Kong. And, what are the links between Hurricane Dorian and climate change?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise move on Wednesday to suspend parliament. Some critics are calling it "constitutional outrage." What could this mean as Britain moves faster toward a "no-deal" Brexit? And, a US peace deal with the Taliban is reportedly close to completion. Also, a visit to a village in northern Thailand, where a settlement started by Chinese anti-Communist nationalists ended up as a hip tourist destination.

As Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to feud with world leaders, fires in the Amazon continue to destroy large swathes of the rainforest. Plus, European nations are approaching the threat of opioid addiction. And, as another big storm heads toward Puerto Rico, memories are still fresh of the poor response by government agencies after Hurricane Maria in 2017. We check with people on the island about how they're preparing right now.

Israel has been bombing Syria for several years. But recent airstrikes appear to be a different issue. Also, how indigenous leaders in the Brazilian Amazon deal with the threat of wildfires. Plus, it's been a hot summer for many people around the globe — including Japan where air conditioning is viewed differently than in the US.