The world always watches the American presidential election. But this year, the stakes feel much higher – especially for parents around the globe.

Canadian police are preparing for a large number of asylum-seekers crossing the border between official ports of entry. When Donald Trump first came to power in 2017, thousands crossed into Canada to file refugee claims.

When the Berlin Wall fell, East German “stuff” went to landfills. The nostalgia of identity is creating a new market for communist-era goods.

Trump’s election victory heralds a U.S. shift away from coordination with international allies and toward a more isolationist and protectionist stance.

After years of agribusiness expansion under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right government, the Amazon’s deforestation rate plummeted this year. Current President Lula da Silva has prioritized environmental protections.

They gave Kamala Harris full support, but in a backlash, California voters turned tough on crime, turning down progressive criminal justice reforms. 

The prospect of lower taxes and deregulation has pushed stock prices to new records. But mass deportations and tariffs may slow economic growth. 

Donald Trump has now twice defeated a seasoned female candidate for president. For some discouraged women voters, this latest loss raises stark questions about why America hasn’t shattered its highest glass ceiling.

Donald Trump has now twice defeated a seasoned female candidate for president. For some discouraged women voters, this latest loss raises stark questions about why America hasn’t shattered its highest glass ceiling.

Susie Wiles, a political strategist known to curb some of Donald Trump’s worst impulses, has been appointed White House chief of staff by the president-elect. Mr. Trump has publicly praised Ms. Wiles’ leadership of what he said was his “best-run campaign.”

The enclave’s most respected Islamic scholar challenges Hamas for purposely putting innocent people in harm’s way. His religious ruling might hasten peace.

In states and counties, a desire for governing by consensus compels more listening to opponents. 

Exit polls in the U.S. election hint at a strong desire for a balanced economy and civic peace. 

A flood of goodwill from volunteers after a historic rainstorm shows that a society can bond in affection beyond sharp political divisions.

Many Election 2024 voters say they’re feeling anxious about who wins. How do you protect the rights of the losing side? James Madison has an answer.

The stock market isn’t panicking amid the tumult of the Harris-Trump presidential race. Still, the Trump tariff proposals draw warnings.

Affordable housing shortages have become a huge voter concern in swing states like Nevada and beyond. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump contrast sharply on their policies in response.

As U.S. consumers grapple with high costs, the Social Security Administration is increasing its monthly checks by more than $50 on average starting in 2025. At the same time, the social insurance plan faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years.

The Trump and Harris campaigns both feature low taxes for average Americans. The similarities largely end there.

School cafeterias going cashless has an unexpected consequence. Families who can load only a limited amount of money at a time end up paying transaction fees more often. 

Polls show most Americans view climate change as a threat, but they put pocketbook concerns first. A test for the clean energy transition is to succeed by tying it to economic benefits. 

As solar grows as a U.S. energy source, some worry it will take too much agricultural land out of production. In Massachusetts, farmers are finding a solution.

Progress roundup: Galleries marry disciplines to spark creativity, the benefits of greener playgrounds spread to the community, and Oslo, Norway, spreads budget responsibilities.

Since Hurricane Katrina recovery, FEMA has grown more nimble. But the agency faces criticism and distrust as it responds to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Progress roundup: Resources like water in the desert and gold trapped in e-waste are recovered in new ways. And globally, more children are in school.

Georgia Power Co. announced one of its two new reactors reached self-sustaining nuclear fission on Monday. The announcement is a key step toward reaching commercial operation of nuclear energy in the United States. 

Cellphone inventor Martin Cooper, who placed the first mobile call on April 3, 1973, remains hopeful the technology can transform lives, but he’s also concerned about its impact. “We don’t have any privacy anymore,” Mr. Cooper said at a trade show in Spain.

The U.S. government has reached a rare bipartisan agreement to invest $52 billion to develop advanced computer chips. Factories, autos, appliances, electronics, toys, toothbrushes, and weapons systems all depend on semiconductors.

Two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court this week challenge Section 230, a 1996 law that protects tech companies from liability for material posted on their networks. The cases are part of a global trend toward holding social media platforms accountable.

ChatGPT has spurred lively conversations about the role of educational technology. While some colleges and universities are cracking down on ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot, other educators believe ChatGPT could help with assisted learning. 

One week after Tesla unveiled prototype robotaxis and promised fully autonomous vehicles by 2026, the company is once again under investigation. Tesla has twice recalled its “Full Self-Driving” system in the past after cars ignored stop signs and hurt pedestrians.

Planetary geologist Erin Leonard of NASA talks about the Europa Clipper mission – and how to see if the icy moon of Jupiter has conditions required to support life. 

SpaceX achieved a first Sunday by returning its Super Heavy booster rocket safely to rest in the launch tower. Among Texas locals, concerns about environmental impacts are matched by enthusiasm for space industry innovation.

A Canadian and American researcher jointly won the Nobel Prize for physics by building the foundation of modern AI study. Geoffrey Hinton lauded the potential benefits of AI, predicting another “Industrial Revolution,” but still has worries.

Emerging from the hatch into the cold vacuum of space, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman joined an elite group of professional astronauts from a dozen countries. He tested SpaceX’s new spacesuits, clinging to a spacecraft going farther than any since 1972.

“Emilia Pérez” is a feminist musical crime thriller about a transgender cartel boss. Part operetta, part telenovela, it shimmies between the archetypal and the intensely personal, writes Monitor film critic Peter Rainer.

Mexican author Juan Rulfo helped invent magical realism and influenced a generation of beloved Latin American writers. His novel “Pedro Páramo” just received a twisty adaptation on Netflix.

My wife and I have gardened together for years without marital incident – until the great birch tree challenge of 2024. 

With over 350 buildings lovingly restored, the city of Nelson boasts on its website that some call it “the prettiest small town in Canada.” 

Just as the Spanish women’s national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.

Sy Montgomery fell in love with the chickens she raised. In “What the Chicken Knows,” she reflects on their sociability and barnyard smarts. 

Mexican author Juan Rulfo helped invent magical realism and influenced a generation of beloved Latin American writers. His novel “Pedro Páramo” just received a twisty adaptation on Netflix.

Immersive books for young readers include Kate DiCamillo’s “The Hotel Balzaar,” Katherine Rundell’s “Imaginary Creatures,” and four others.

David Greenberg’s “John Lewis: A Life” follows the civil rights leader from the Selma march to the halls of Congress. Lewis kept faith with the practice of nonviolence.

Biographer Max Boot charts the course of a politician who was famously affable and pragmatic, but who also resorted to racist dog whistles and played loose with facts.