Despite a surge in violence , Defense Secretary James Mattis and other top U.S. officials insist President Donald Trump’s South Asia strategy, announced in August 2017, is helping bring the Afghan conflict to an end.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On September 7, 1813, the United States gets its nickname, Uncle Sam. The name reportedly originated with Samuel Wilson, who sold barrels of beef to the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. The barrels were stamped “U.S.” for the United States, but soldiers referred to the beef as “Uncle Sam’s.” The press picked up on the nickname, and it remains a nickname for the U.S. Federal Government.

The decision by Facebook to ban senior military figures in Myanmar from using its platform has opened a debate in the country, with some calling it an attack on freedom of expression, and others praising the social media giant for finally taking the kind of firm action that rights activists have long demanded .

U.S. prosecutors on Thursday announced criminal charges against a North Korean hacker they said was involved in a string of brazen cyberattacks in recent years, including the 2014 invasion on Sony Pictures and a 2016 heist at the central bank of Bangladesh.

VIDEO: U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry sees exporting technologies like carbon capture utilization, so-called “clean coal” technology, to ensure American energy security. In an interview with VOA, Perry called battery development “the Holy Grail” of energy production.

VIDEO: Top officials within the Trump administration , from Vice President Mike Pence to several key Cabinet members, have denied that they authored an anonymous opinion piece in the New York Times critical of President Donald Trump’s leadership. Publication of the column has set off a furious debate in Washington about the Trump presidency and a high-stakes guessing game as to who the mysterious writer may be .