World
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Bolivia's Evo Morales says 'adiós' to USAID
Morales has made other important policy announcements on May Day in the past, like nationalizing Bolivia's oil and gas industry. This is not the first time tensions have run high with the US.
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UK tallies the costs of an independent Scotland
Britain's international reputation – and its nuclear deterrent – are two of the concerns raised by members of Parliament , should Scotland vote for independence next year.
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Another BRIC in the wall: Brazil stakes its claim in Africa
With its cultural and linguistic ties to Africa, Brazil may have key advantages over fellow BRIC China.
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Irish bill brings more clarity – and more heat – to abortion debate
The Protection of Life in Pregnancy Bill spells out the terms where women could obtain abortions, which are currently illegal. Ireland's prime minister vows it will be law by summer.
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New Kenyan lawmakers vote themselves free luxury car perk, worth $60,000
Before elections in March, salaries for politicians in the East African nation were agreed to be pruned as a matter of national contrition. That didn't last long.
USA
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Ted Cruz presidential race 2016: Whose worst nightmare?
Some conservative leaders reportedly are urging Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to run for president in 2016. That could be a nightmare for either Democrats, other Republicans, or even Cruz himself.
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Could Gabriel Gomez pull a 'Scott Brown' and win Massachusetts Senate race?
Massachusetts Democrats are resolved not to repeat the mistakes of 2010, which allowed a GOP moderate with a fresh face and some charisma to prevail in a solid blue state. But GOP candidate Gabriel Gomez, like Scott Brown before him, is generating buzz.
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Why nobody is happy with FDA ruling on Plan B
The FDA has lowered the age restriction on buying Plan B One-Step, a type of morning-after pill, without a prescription from 17 to 15. Some groups want no limits on access; others want bigger barriers.
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Gabriel Gomez, GOP candidate for Sen., rejects 'people's pledge'
Gabriel Gomez said Markey has spent decades in Congress building up a campaign war chest of special-interest money. Gomez said it's the 'height of hypocrisy' for Markey to talk about a pledge to limit spending.
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May snowstorm dumps nearly a foot on Wyo. and Colo.
Cheyenne received 10 inches by sunrise Wednesday with another 2 to 4 inches of snow predicted. Up to 14 inches was measured in areas west of Cheyenne where a winter storm warning was in effect.
Commentary
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Immigration bill and Obama's trip to Mexico: Why the two are linked
President Obama's trip to Mexico will help better integrate the two economies. And a piece of the Senate immigration-reform bill focuses on integrating the mainly Mexican population of undocumented immigrants. Each country must respect the other's sensitivities on these two integrations.
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A blueprint for women architects to overcome doubt, discrimination
An online campaign to have the work of architect Denise Scott Brown recognized by the Pritzker Architecture Prize committee has shed light on the ongoing struggles of women in architecture. Women must push themselves to 'lean in' more to fight internal and external obstacles.
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Six ways to boost electric vehicles
Getting more American drivers into electric vehicles carries both environmental and national security benefits. But to get Americans to really buy EVs, the Obama administration needs to learn from the past and plan better today.
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Progress report: How the Monitor is doing
The start of a new fiscal year finds The Christian Science Monitor reaching more readers than ever, in its strongest financial position in more than half a century, and continuing to pursue meaningful news around the world.
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Revenge, or fear of it, must not lead Syria to chemical warfare
President Obama and other world leaders must speak directly to both Assad and rebel leader about avoiding revenge killings. That is necessary to prevent escalation of the war with chemical weapons.
Business
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Electric car company Coda files for bankruptcy
Electric-car startup Coda Automotive has filed for bankruptcy. In the end, Coda failed to capture the imagination of the motoring public, Read writes, which is exactly what an electric-car startup must do if it wants consumers to switch from pumps to plugs.
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Cheap Fed money isn't helping the economy
Easy money from the Fed can’t get the economy out of first gear when the rest of government is in reverse, Reich writes.
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ADP: Private staffers add 119,000 jobs in April
The latest ADP report shows that private employment in the US improved in April as private employers added 119,000 jobs. Total employment was 1.57 percent above the level seen in April 2012, according to ADP.
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Tsarnaev $100K benefits? Family's public assistance under investigation.
Tsarnaev family's benefits, perhaps totaling over $100K, are being investigated by state lawmakers. The suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing received benefits as children when the Tsarnaev family was in America, and suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, his wife, and toddler received welfare until last year.
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Five free tools to organize your life
Hamm offers five free tools that can play a tremendous role in keeping your life organized.
Energy/Environment
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Light bulbs and the pitfalls of 'green' marketing
A recent study on the effect of 'green' marketing on light bulb purchases underscores the role ideology plays in energy efficiency. To sell more energy efficient products, companies should rethink eco-advertising.
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China: World's largest polluter also leads clean-energy push
China remains the world’s largest polluting nation while leading the fight against climate change, according to a new study. China has made such efforts to reduce its emissions, and reduce growth in electricity demand, that it is far ahead of any targets it set itself, Kennedy writes.
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US oil and gas workers see pay fall. Sign of trouble for energy?
Average compensation for oil and gas professionals in the US fell 4 percent last year, according to a new study. The decline in pay coincides with a slowdown in the energy's industry's growth, but the industry may simply be catching its breath.
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Hurricane Sandy released billions of gallons of sewage
Hurricane Sandy released 11 billion gallons of sewage from East Coast treatment plants into bodies of water from Washington, D.C., to Connecticut. The sewage released by Hurricane Sandy spilled into surrounding waters and even some city streets.
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Prague blast: How big a threat are natural gas explosions? (+video)
An explosion in Prague follows by a day a blast in France, both thought to linked to natural gas. Big natural gas blasts like the one in Prague are rare in the US, but more could be done to avoid them, experts say.
Innovation
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IBM and the world's tiniest film
IBM has created the world's smallest film. "A Boy and His Atom" features, you guessed it, atoms as the main stars.
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Nearly 2,000 Netflix movies to disappear overnight
Almost 2,000 Netflix movies to disappear as contracts expire and new additions roll in. Just what is Netflix doing?
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3-D printers bring new edge to fashion
With 3-D printers, shoes, bikinis, and even platinum wedding rings can be printed out to fit your exact measurements.
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Galaxy Tab 3: Everything you need, but little that you want
The 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 isn't exactly a marvel of modern engineering, but does it need to be?
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Move over, Siri. Google Now is coming to the iPhone, iPad.
Google Now launches this week on iOS, as part of an update to the Google Search app.
Science
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How NASA dodged a derelict Soviet spy satellite
In March 2012, NASA's Fermi space telescope could have collided with a Russian naval signals satellite, were it not for an untested maneuver.
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Zombie worms eat whale bones — with acid
Zombie worms don't actually drill through bone, as was previously believed. Instead, their skin produces enough acid to dissolve the zombie worms' path through bone.
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Was Africa the motherland of dinosaur predecessors?
The ancestors of dinosaurs might have established themselves in present-day Tanzania and Zambia, suggest newly discovered fossils.
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Antimatter might fall up, say physicists
A paper published this week suggests that antimatter could exhibit antigravity, potentially resolving some of physics' biggest mysteries.
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What's a monster hurricane doing on top of Saturn? (+video)
A monster hurricane at Saturn's north pole, spotted by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, has an eye 1,250 miles wide and inner eye wall winds of 330 miles an hour. Its energy source is a mystery.
The Culture
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Tomato barley soup with feta and green onion biscuits
This simple tomato soup is chock-full of veggies and flavors. For a weeknight dinner, this soup demands biscuits. Add feta and green onion to your dough for a savory twist.
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Michelle Obama’s arms are real; arm-lift cosmetic surgery is just skin deep
Michelle Obama's arms — toned and lithely — are inspiring. Unfortunately, they've inspired 15,000 people to undergo arm-lift cosmetic surgery. The whole notion of beauty, twisted again.
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Deanna Durbin dies: Child actress walked away from film career as an adult
Deanna Durbin dies: She starred as a teenager with such actors as Judy Garland in the 1930s. Deanna Durbin, who according to her son died a few days ago, also starred in musicals.
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'Macbeth' movie adaptation will reportedly star Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman
Michael Fassbender will reportedly take on the lead role while Natalie Portman will play his scheming wife in a new adaptation of 'Macbeth' directed by Justin Kurzel. 'Macbeth' could arrive in theaters in 2014 or 2015.
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'The Following': The season finale goes in an unexpected direction
'The Following' finished its first season with a twist. 'The Following' has been renewed by its network, Fox, for a second season.
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A lifetime of giving
A Christian Science perspective.
Books
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Rump
Liesl Shurtliff's spin on the legend of Rumpelstiltskin is a funny, charming debut novel aimed at middle-grade readers.
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Reader recommendation: Joy in the Morning
Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
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Amanda Knox's new memoir reveals a gentler side of the American student
Amanda Knox's memoir is titled 'Waiting to be Heard' and discusses her life from childhood to her time in prison in Italy.
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NY governor Andrew Cuomo will write memoir for 2014
Andrew Cuomo's memoir will be 'a full and frank look at his public and private life,' according to publisher HarperCollins.
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The Blind Man's Garden
Two Pakistani brothers flee to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in this riveting story by Pakistani-British author Nadeem Aslam.
