World
Top Stories:- Trump hopes to buy rare earths from Africa even as he cuts aidPresident Donald Trump has cut aid to Africa and insulted one of its elder statesmen. Will that harm his search for rare earths essential to high-tech goods?
- First Look‘I always felt very protected there’: Austria grapples with rare school shootingHundreds lined the central square in Graz, Austria, for a minute of silence for the 10 people killed in a school shooting on June. In a search of the shooter’s home, investigators found a farewell letter, video, and a non-functional pipe bomb.
- No country recognizes Somaliland’s independence. Why the US might.No country recognizes the sovereignty of Somaliland, a self-governing region of Somalia. The Trump administration might soon change that.
- For divided and threatened Druze, what role in peaceful Syrian future?Syria’s Druze community is divided among those wanting to work with the government, those seeking autonomy, and others looking for outside aid.
- Why London’s hot ticket is a sing-along of school assembly hymnsIn the United Kingdom, millennials are bonding over an unusual shared touchpoint: the hymns they sang in their elementary school assemblies.
USA
Top Stories:- First LookTrump administration ‘meddling’ prompts nearly all Fulbright board members to resignMost of the 13 Fulbright scholarship board members resigned over the Trump administration’s interference with the award selection procedure. Many selected award recipients were denied funding, while others are undergoing an unauthorized review process.
- Immigration has been a winning issue for Trump. This week may be a pivotal test.The LA protests are playing to the president’s strengths around security and law enforcement, and bringing the politics of immigration front and center.
- Outside ‘agitators’ in protests have a long history – in myth and factDonald Trump and others have stirred discussion of whether paid “troublemakers” are trying to foment chaos. But it’s difficult to determine in real time whether actions have been planned by an organized group.
- Outside ‘agitators’ in protests have a long history – in myth and factDonald Trump and others have stirred discussion of whether paid “troublemakers” are trying to foment chaos. But it’s difficult to determine in real time whether actions have been planned by an organized group.
- ‘Did I do enough?’ College grads face a tough job market.It’s not the Great Recession, but with tariffs, hiring freezes, and the advent of artificial intelligence, the job market has college graduates wondering where they fit.
Commentary
Top Stories:- The Monitor's ViewLiberation through music – in prisonWrite an aria? Check. Learn music theory? Check. Master a sound board? Check. Incarcerated individuals are finding the universal language of music provides redemption and key life skills.
- The Monitor's ViewArgentina’s win for clean governanceA high court affirms the sentencing of a former president for corruption, marking another reform boosting public confidence in government accountability.
- The Monitor's ViewA new anchor for ocean protectionSupport rises for a “high seas” treaty to govern marine resources, adding to similar protections for both the land and oceans.
- The Monitor's ViewGentle ways to deal with illegal migrationEven as Los Angeles is now a battleground over migrant issues, the U.S. has joined hands with the United Nations in assisting the voluntary return of unauthorized migrants to their home countries. It’s an opening for consensus.
- CommentaryCultivating self-reliance and cooperationIn New England, the push-pull between independence and interdependence makes for fertile soil for an emerging local food system.
Economy
Top Stories:- First LookAmazon unveils plans for nuclear-powered data centers despite federal scrutinyAmazon plans to spend $20 billion to build two large data centers in Pennsylvania, including one that will draw power from a nearby nuclear plant. The investment will bring lots of construction jobs, but critics raise concerns about energy use and fairness.
- First LookHow rare earths, AI chips, and student visas raise the stakes in the US-China trade warThe United States and China have agreed to a new round of trade talks in London on June 9. In the ongoing trade war, China slowed the export of its “rare earths” as the U.S. issued export control guidelines for AI chips and revoked Chinese student visas.
- Trump promised to bring jobs to the Rust Belt. The Sun Belt may get them instead.Donald Trump was elected partly on the promise of a factory renaissance. Made-in-America may come back, but not necessarily in the places that led U.S. manufacturing 80 years ago.
- Trade disputes threaten US-EU relations, even as courts weigh Trump tariffsCourts are challenging the legality of President Trump’s tariff threats, but longer-term risks of America’s new trade tactics include lost confidence of trusted allies.
- Trump’s budget bill carries costs: Higher deficits and US debtPresident Trump promised to expand tax cuts while also slashing federal spending. So far, the math in Congress looks like a recipe for federal deficits to keep rising.
Environment
Top Stories:- First LookGreenland’s record heat wave adds to sea level concernsA new analysis says climate change drove May’s record heat wave in Greenland and Iceland, prompting Greenland’s ice sheet to melt many times faster than normal. Scientists say the melt could disturb global climate and weather patterns.
- Republicans say they want energy dominance. But will ‘big bill’ deliver?The Trump administration’s push for “energy dominance” is leaving out an important sector that has also been aiding a manufacturing revival.
- First LookSeasonal heat waves are typical in India, but this year is off to an ‘above normal’ startA scorching heat wave is sweeping through Northern India with temperatures reaching 117 F. Cities are working to cope with an overburdened health system and a power grid struggling to keep things cool.
- Points of ProgressThe surprising resilience of a smiling salamander and some old buried seedsProgress roundup: Captive-bred salamander can survive in the wild, and old fynbos seeds will germinate, sowing science’s hope for habitat restoration.
- First LookOnly 2.7 percent of the ocean is protected. Can the world do more?The top priority of the third U.N. Ocean Conference is to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which would allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters. Without a healthy ocean, experts say, climate goals will remain out of reach.
Technology
Top Stories:- First LookGeorgia leads toward a nuclear future with its first operating reactorGeorgia 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.
- First LookCellphone at 50: Its inventor reflects on mobile advances and risksCellphone 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.
- First LookWhat links toothbrushes and weapons systems? A $52 billion investment.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.
- First LookInternet speech: Supreme Court to weigh who is protected onlineTwo 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.
- First Look‘Tremendous potential’: Why some disability advocates laud ChatGPTChatGPT 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.
Science
Top Stories:- From retail to the military, ‘intelligent connectivity’ raises ethical dilemmasArtificial intelligence, 5G networks, and the Internet of Things are used increasingly often in spaces from retail to the military, raising privacy and ethical considerations.
- The world’s bananas are at risk. A volcanic island might protect them.Cavendish bananas are under threat from a fungus that has wiped out other varieties. The island of La Palma may have the conditions to protect them.
- NASA astronauts’ return is near. Their long, unlikely trip puts focus on resilience.An eight-day mission for two astronauts to the International Space Station turned into nine months. NASA crews work to prepare for unforeseen events like this.
- US science funding was a bipartisan priority. Now it’s a target of federal cuts.The Trump administration aims to overhaul publicly funded science. Critics say cuts could undermine U.S. leadership that has fueled significant advancements.
- Earth’s green evolution gave rise to everything from dinosaurs to dandelionsPaleontologist Riley Black traces the cooperation among plants, animals, and ecosystems in “When the Earth Was Green.”
Culture
Top Stories:- Not quite a rom-com, ‘Materialists’ is messy but enthrallingCeline Song’s follow-up to “Past Lives” is another film that focuses on the nature of love. “Materialists,” our critic observes, poses the question, What kind of life do its people deserve?
- School of Dad: This Father’s Day, 6 writers treasure lessons they’ve learnedThis Father’s Day, 6 writers honor their dads and the lessons they passed down – often by simply living their values.
- Why London’s hot ticket is a sing-along of school assembly hymnsIn the United Kingdom, millennials are bonding over an unusual shared touchpoint: the hymns they sang in their elementary school assemblies.
- Robert Smalls’ Civil War bravery jumps off the page. A new comic captures his legacy.Can a new graphic novel help cement the legacy of Robert Smalls? The little-known Civil War figure caught the attention of a Hollywood writer and producer, who says that telling Smalls’ story could “change lives.”
- Coco Gauff finds redemption in Paris a year after tough OlympicsCoco Gauff became the first U.S. woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.
Books
Top Stories:- Democratic ideals and the rule of law have persisted across nations and erasAmitav Acharya’s “The Once and Future World Order: Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West” examines roots of self-government.
- Robert Smalls’ Civil War bravery jumps off the page. A new comic captures his legacy.Can a new graphic novel help cement the legacy of Robert Smalls? The little-known Civil War figure caught the attention of a Hollywood writer and producer, who says that telling Smalls’ story could “change lives.”
- Robert Smalls’ Civil War bravery jumps off the page. A new comic captures his legacy.Can a new graphic novel help cement the legacy of Robert Smalls? The little-known Civil War figure caught the attention of a Hollywood writer and producer, who says that telling Smalls’ story could “change lives.”
- Difference MakerThis judge grew up with nothing. Now he makes sure that children have books.Judge Omar Weslati helped start a library for students in Bir El Euch, Tunisia. Other libraries soon followed.
- Mollusks and matchmaking combine in this zany mashup of a novelMaria Reva’s novel involves the Ukraine war, matchmaking, nearly extinct gastropods, and a malacologist trying to save them.