World
Top Stories:- Why El Salvador’s Bukele is doubling down on repressionEl Salvador’s president escalated crackdowns on protest and civil society in May, prompting the question “Why now?”
- Trump’s pivot to Asia is a turn away from EuropeDonald Trump makes the Indo-Pacific the U.S. military’s top priority in his “America First” foreign policy, but Asian allies are unsettled by Washington’s tariff war.
- First LookMāori lawmakers performed Haka in the New Zealand parliament. Now they are suspended.New Zealand legislators suspended three Māori lawmakers on June 5 after they performed a Haka, a chanting dance of challenge. The lawmakers aimed to protest a bill that could endanger Indigenous rights.
- Lee won South Korea elections, but concerns over his integrity narrowed the raceAfter a tighter-than-expected presidential election, Lee Jae-myung aims to restore stability to a nation wracked by months of political upheaval. But issues of trust remain.
- How Iran has gone from ‘Death to America’ to nuclear talks with TrumpEven as the United States and Iran grapple with each other’s nuclear red lines, the simple fact of engagement underscores a pragmatic turn for Tehran regarding President Donald Trump.
USA
Top Stories:- As power shifts toward the executive branch, presidents matter more than everThe U.S. president can seem like a “chairman of the board,” atop a massive bureaucracy that often runs itself. But the Trump and Biden administrations, in different ways, have shown how much the person with the highest executive power matters.
- The ExplainerTrump’s ‘Golden Dome’ defense plan: Would it work? Is it worth it?New U.S. defenses against potential missile strikes are seen by some experts as “absolutely necessary.” They also come with big costs and geopolitical risks.
- Trump revives a travel ban. Could it be legal this time?President Donald Trump’s new travel ban draws on lessons from his first term. He cites national security justification for the restrictions, while critics point to legal and moral problems.
- What’s behind Trump’s assault on Harvard and crown-jewel US universities?Decadeslong suspicion of elite universities has evolved under President Donald Trump into a full-scale war – punctuated this week by curbs on the flow of international students to Harvard.
- First LookTrump travel ban blocks citizens from 12 countries. What does that mean?A sweeping travel ban issued by the Trump administration will prohibit individuals from Sudan to Myanmar from entering the United States. International aid groups and refugee resettlement organizations roundly condemned the new ban.
Commentary
Top Stories:- The Monitor's ViewIn a parched Syria, a path to plentySix months after liberation from a dictator, Syrians not only are aiming for democracy, but also must find solutions for a severe drought. That crisis may be a unifying moment.
- The Monitor's ViewAfrica’s tech comes of ageThe world’s youngest continent finds that its adaptation skills and curiosity create entrepreneurs who can be globally competitive.
- The Monitor's ViewMongolia’s young people right the shipProtests against corruption fell a prime minister and reveal a generation shaping accountable, transparent governance.
- The Monitor's ViewSmall-town values speak to young AmericansAn accelerating trend of leaving large cities points to new possibilities for strengthening community and connection – and reinvigorating local economies.
- The Monitor's ViewWhat Europeans hold dearA survey finds rule of law so popular in the European Union that it ranks higher than climate action – and justifies sanctions on errant EU states like Hungary.
Economy
Top Stories:- 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.
- This Illinois town aims for economic revival – but will Trump tariffs help?President Donald Trump’s tariffs aim to revive U.S. manufacturing and the cities where it happens. But in Belvidere, Illinois, the reality is complicated.
- Message in US-China trade deal: Neither side wants a sudden breakupAfter initiating a trade war, President Donald Trump has apparently blinked. His massive recent tariffs on China are now on pause after threatening major economic disruption.
Environment
Top Stories:- First LookIt’s huge, stinky, and brown. Record amounts of seaweed are baffling scientists.Caribbean beaches are being engulfed by tons of sargassum seaweed just as tourism season arrives. Scientists think warming waters and agricultural runoff may be contributing to the increasing amount of seaweed washing ashore each year.
- Points of ProgressThe benefits of living with bears and letting nature take its courseProgress roundup: Antarctica’s newest research base lowers fossil fuel use, a medieval Italian village welcomes its bears, and more.
- The ExplainerHow Trump’s push to end California EV mandates may change rules of the roadPresident Trump says he’ll sign legislation revoking California’s ability to mandate its own shift toward electric vehicles. Here’s a look at what that could mean for the auto market in the state and beyond.
- First LookA Peruvian farmer took on a German energy giant. Who won?A decade-long legal battle between a Peruvian farmer and German energy giant resulted in the court throwing out the case. Still, environmentalists hail it as an “unprecedented victory.”
- First LookWill it be another record-breaking summer? Scientists say yes.Higher global temperatures have become the new normal. Following boosts from El Niño years, scientists say temperatures haven’t fallen back down after upward swings.
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:- For the world’s children, play is serious business. And failure is part of the fun.Play isn’t always joyful. It can be messy, frustrating, and full of setbacks. But determination is the point.
- Does Boulder attack on Jews mark new front in ‘war on free speech’?Some 80% of Americans agree at least slightly with the statement that “Words can be violence,” and a growing number believe that violence can be justified to silence ideas they find dangerous. What will that mean for freedom of speech?
- Dancers showcase their grace at the largest student ballet scholarship competitionYouth America Grand Prix dancers project a maturity beyond their years as they twirl, leap, and extend their legs beyond what seems humanly possible.
- How a seaweed harvesting collective sustains a village in ZanzibarWhen the tides are right, the collective known as Pania Uchupe gets to work.
- One more ‘Mission’ – should you choose to accept itIs this really the end for “Mission: Impossible”? Our reviewer isn’t so sure, but he says the eighth and perhaps final installment of the franchise that began in 1996 has something indispensable going for it: the fearlessness of its Hollywood star.
Books
Top Stories:- 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.
- ‘The Spinach King’ tosses together a tale of greed and greensNew Yorker staff writer John Seabrook recounts his family’s history of innovation and exploitation, creativity and excess, in “The Spinach King.”
- ‘A sense of belonging.’ How this Boston bookstore changes lives.More Than Words is a bookstore, but one that does more than sell $3.8 million worth of merchandise a year. It serves young people who are dealing with homelessness or legal challenges and gives them a place where they belong.
- This thriller about a musical prodigy delivers a virtuoso performanceIn witness protection, a budding cellist and his family must develop new talents in Brendan Slocumb’s “The Dark Maestro.”
- Blowing their cover: A dossier on the Russian spies who lived next doorShaun Walker interviewed former Soviet agents for “The Illegals,” a highly readable account of Russian operatives and their missions in the West.