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Famine must receive more of the world’s attention

As many as 20 million people face the threat of starvation in South Sudan, northeast Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen, according to the United Nations. When the UN declares a famine, it isn’t saying that a crisis looms on the horizon: It means that very bad things are already happening, that many people have already died. Famine is declared only when at least 20 percent of families in a region face extreme food shortages, acute malnutrition exceeds 30 percent of the population, and the daily death rate exceeds two adults out of every 10,000 people, according to the World Food Program.

Supreme Court on Trump's travel ban: Why its tone sounds a bit different

The Supreme Court’s Monday ruling on President Trump’s proposed travel ban was certainly important on substance. Via a nine-to-zero vote, high court justices allowed Mr. Trump to prohibit entry into the US of some (but not all) people from majority-Muslim countries he declares to be dangerous. What it did not say may indicate volumes about the Supreme Court’s approach to this big, defining issue of the early Trump presidency.

Health care: vote delayed, but calls to address costs keep growing

Senate Republicans have been forced into postponing major health care legislation in the United States Senate, and the backdrop is partly the difficult economics of health care: Costs for average Americans are high and rising, and the Senate legislation so far doesn’t appear to offer significant relief. The challenge was highlighted on June 26, as the Congressional Budget Office came out with its score of the Better Care Reconciliation Act released by Senate Republicans. The CBO predicted that premiums would rise faster than under current law, through 2019, for people who aren’t insured through an employer or a government program.

Youth move: Why crown prince may struggle to win over young Saudis

The naming of 31-year-old Mohammed bin Salman as Saudi Arabia's crown prince was more than a power play. For more than half a century, the Saudi throne has been passed down between the increasingly aging sons of state founder Abdulaziz Ibn Saud – transferring power between septuagenarians and octogenarians. Recommended: How much do you know about Saudi Arabia?