World
Top Stories:- Strike, counterstrike: What Israel just learned about Iran’s red lines
In war, outdated assessments and untested assumptions about one’s adversary can lead to hazardous miscalculations.
- Spain election reveals independence is no longer a priority for Catalonians
The Socialist Party is angling to build a coalition to take control of Catalonia’s government after its first regional election win on May 12. The race saw pro-independence parties lose their majority and their hold on power in the region.
- Israel orders more evacuations in Rafah and strikes northern Gaza
Israel prepared to expand its military operation in defiance of growing pressure from close ally the United States, which on Friday said there was “reasonable” evidence Israel had breached international law protecting civilians.
- Ukrainian civilians flee as Russia says it has captured 5 villages
Russia's renewed assault on the Kharkiv region, which Ukraine says has forced more than 1,700 civilians residing in settlements near the fighting to flee, seeks to exploit ammunition shortages before Western supplies promised to Ukraine can reach the front line.
- We tried to get these people out of Afghanistan. They’re still there.
Media scrambled to get Afghan colleagues out after the Taliban takeover. The Monitor had some success, but some remain. This is their story.
USA
Top Stories:- Michael Cohen testifies Trump approved hush money payment
Michael Cohen testified Monday that Donald Trump approved hush money payments with the goal of influencing the 2016 election. Mr. Cohen’s veracity is now a key issue.
- As Democratic split widens on Israel, politics grow treacherous for Biden
A longtime supporter of Israel, President Biden is now contending with pro-Palestinian protesters – and images creating a broader sense of disarray.
- A landmark settlement protecting children at the border is set to roll back
For 27 years, the landmark Flores agreement has curbed the mistreatment of child migrants traveling alone. The Biden administration, tackling heavier immigration enforcement, is now seeking to undo parts of the mandate.
- This retired Marine pilot aims to be the role model she never had in Afghanistan
Retired Marine helicopter pilot Alexis Federico is helping an aviation museum take flight in Orange County, California. She hopes it inspires interest in STEM careers.
- College class of 2024: Shaped by crisis, seeking community
From pandemic to protests, these college seniors have faced unusual challenges. Many long for community – and have learned something about building it.
Commentary
Top Stories:- Respecting enemies to protect civilians
The rising humanitarian toll of global conflicts masks a quieter trend of nurturing peace among foes through empathy.
- Field notes: How one Monitor photographer focuses on the big picture
On a police ride-along, a photographer has to get creative to illustrate the scene while protecting the privacy of the people seen through her viewfinder. The result is all the more interesting.
- Eurovision shapes the Continent’s identity
The annual singing contest endures geopolitical winds by focusing on the values that help build the European project.
- Civic joy in South Africa’s vote
A watershed election reveals youthful determination to sweeten democracy with compassion and unity.
- The idea factory in artificial intelligence
Economists find that AI’s potential in boosting productivity may lie in the notion of an infinite supply of ideas.
Economy
Top Stories:- In this Spanish town, capitalism actually works for the workers
Mondragón, Spain, is the home of an innovative cooperative that uses capitalism to provide a different and more equitable vision of economic success.
- AI may take away jobs – but it’s creating some, too
The impact of AI on America’s economy is more limited than previously thought. Some now say it could help low-skill workers be more productive.
- ‘Divest from Israel’: Easy slogan, challenging for universities
Getting universities to divest from companies that support Israel is not as simple as many student protesters hope.
- Shell corporations? Hawaiian farmers push a plan to counter island macadamia posers.
Hundreds of small Hawaii farmers rely on the lucrative macadamia crop. But, like maple syrup producers in Vermont and distilleries in Champagne, France, they’re starting to face the imposition of nuts grown off the islands and sold with Hawaiian branding.
- Tennessee win for UAW could open road for labor in South
For the first time the UAW has successfully organized a foreign-owned auto plant in the South – a move that helps change the image of labor in decline.
Environment
Top Stories:- Wildfire season in Canada has begun, after drought-fueled record blazes in 2023
Authorities are ordering people to evacuate as wildfires rage across British Columbia. In 2023, intense Canadian fires sent smoke drifting into cities across the northeastern United States.
- Michigan gets its first-ever tornado emergency as massive hail batters Southeast
Tornadoes have touched down in a handful of states across the U.S. this week, including three in Michigan. Severe storms and massive hail have caused three deaths, dozens of injuries, extensive property damage, and left 135,000 without power.
- Tesla news looks grim. But the bigger picture for EVs is a bright one.
Headlines suggest the shift to electric vehicles is hitting roadblocks. Evidence points to an industry that’s continuing to grow and innovate.
- ‘We’re living climate change now.’ Latin Americans bring climate worries to high court.
Victims of climate change in Latin America are bringing their complaints to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The findings of the court could help shape better policy and laws, saving countless lives and bolstering infrastructure.
- Stories of resilience: Bees make a comeback, and how immigrants lift economies
Progress roundup: Bee colonies are on the rise, Venezuelan migrants benefit their adopted countries, and an ancient irrigation system in Oman still works.
Technology
Top Stories:- Georgia leads toward a nuclear future with its first operating reactor
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 at 50: Its inventor reflects on mobile advances and risks
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.
- What 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.
- Internet speech: Supreme Court to weigh who is protected online
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.
- ‘Tremendous potential’: Why some disability advocates laud ChatGPT
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.
Science
Top Stories:- Scientists recorded sperm whales. Their pod-casts offer hints on how they talk.
For years, researchers have tried to link sperm whales’ underwater clicks to the meanings they communicate. A new study of their codas could serve as the basis for future translations of their alphabet.
- Hey now, you’re a dead star. Meet Gaia, the Milky Way’s second-largest black hole.
A black hole named Gaia BH3, 33 times greater in size than the sun, was discovered 2,000 light years from Earth. The only other in our Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius, is 26,000 light years away from Earth and traveling in the opposite direction.
- Some things are worth missing school for. An eclipse road trip, and a search for wonder.
Our reporter, like many parents, wanted his son to experience the wonder of a total solar eclipse. As so often happens with parenting, the one left most in awe by the celestial event was not the fifth grader.
- Howling at the moon on a Monday afternoon. Eclipse brings thousands to Vermont.
In a country seemingly fractured about most things, on Monday, Americans came together under one sky.
- Project ‘Frozen Dumbo’ helps boost dwindling African elephant populations
Factors such as poaching and habitat loss have decimated wild African elephant populations. Operation “Frozen Dumbo” aims to bolster the animals’ numbers in the wild and in zoos.
Culture
Top Stories:- Nemo, Eurovision’s first nonbinary winner, gets a hero’s welcome in Switzerland
Eurovision has long been embraced as a haven for the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s competition struck a particular victory for acceptance, crowning the contest’s first nonbinary winner with an eclectic anthem about being true to oneself.
- A love letter to lilacs and the joys of fleeting pleasure
The mission to capture my lilac’s fleeting scent was a flop. What I gained instead was far greater: a reminder to be present during its brief season.
- In war-torn Haiti, Vodou draws thousands seeking comfort, protection from gangs
As gang violence grips their country, the ancient tradition of Vodou is experiencing a resurgence among Haitians. Followers find links in the religious practice to the nation’s history of resistance and endurance.
- Behind the verse: Six Monitor poets share why they write poetry
It’s no secret that poetry is one of the least lucrative forms of writing. So what keeps poets returning to write poems? We asked six contributors where they draw their inspiration.
- A ‘one-way ticket’ through the Harlem Renaissance
An exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art includes more than 160 works of art – and exudes dignity in its timeless celebration of Black life.
Books
Top Stories:- Welcome to retirement. So, are you ready to catch your first killer?
While catching killers rather than putting together jigsaw puzzles has become the hobby for senior sleuths, these books are also showing people in their 70s and 80s as vibrant, brave, and clever.
- Lithium is key to green technology. Where will the US source it?
“The War Below” examines the global competition for metals like lithium and nickel, which are needed for electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines.
- Audubon’s exquisite bird paintings owe a debt to classical European art
“Audubon as Artist” plunges into John James Audubon’s fascination with classical European art, which influenced his celebrated bird paintings.
- Do diverse police departments use less force? She trained with cops to find out.
After a year training at police academies, sociologist Samantha J. Simon finds that it’s going to take more than diversity initiatives to change police culture.
- Millions of adults need help reading. Why the US needs to change course.
As the U.S. considers how to improve reading instruction for young students, it shouldn't forget grown-ups, our commentator says. How could their hopes be better addressed?