World

• Iraqis hope for an era of peace. Their neighbors hold the key.

  Iraqi territory has often been a proxy field for others’ battles. But as Turkey talks with the Kurds, and the U.S. engages Iran, Iraqi leaders and citizens are daring to look to an era of progress and stability.
• Key to US tariff war with Beijing: The value China places on ‘face’

  The concept of “face,” key to social relations in China, will play a large part in helping or hindering Washington in its trade dispute with Beijing.
• Myanmar’s war will soon enter its fifth year. Here’s why peace isn’t in sight.

  In Myanmar, rebel forces, led by ethnic minorities, are capturing more territory and wearing the military junta down. How long will they take to win?
• The ExplainerItaly’s Meloni talks tariffs with Trump. How much can she do for the EU?

  Europe will need to negotiate tariffs with President Donald Trump. But is the best way to do that through one-on-one talks or by bargaining as a bloc?
• Slapped with tariffs, some US trade partners lean toward Beijing

  To maximize the impact of tariffs, Washington wants to ensure China cannot trade more with other countries. But Beijing is a tempting trade partner.

USA

• First LookJD Vance visits the Vatican for Easter after papal rebuke over Trump's migrant crackdown

  U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with the Vatican’s No. 2 official after a remarkable papal rebuke of the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants.
• Amid deportation dispute, Trump and courts square off on who has last word

  The Trump administration is ignoring court orders to bring back a Maryland man sent in error to a Salvadoran prison. Courts’ ability to enforce the orders is being directly tested.
• Remember the opioid crisis? 46 states recorded a decline in overdose deaths.

  After years of epidemic, the good news on overdose deaths is both pronounced and widespread. Not only did 46 states report a decline, the total number of deaths dropped by more than 27,000 in one year.
• How Donald Trump is upending American culture

  President Trump’s cultural agenda is reminiscent of a Stalin-esque playbook to some. Others say it’s a needed correction to “woke-ism.” Can he succeed in reshaping U.S. culture? 
• Trump seeks record military budget, but the search is on for spending cuts, too

  U.S. military branches are being told to find budget cuts to offset the proposed $50 billion increase in defense spending. One challenge is that identifying some unnecessary spending requires leaders to predict what the military may be needed for in the future.

Commentary

• The Monitor's ViewWhy Iraq gives Syria a hand

  By welcoming Syria’s new leader – a former Al Qaeda terrorist – Iraq shows a generosity born of its own violent past to lift a neighbor emerging from conflict.
• The Monitor's ViewThe art of emancipation in Paris

  An exhibit at the Centre Pompidou displays the creativity of Black artists from Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States, who flocked to the French capital after 1945 for mental liberation from stereotypes.
• The Monitor's ViewLebanon digs deep for its identity

  Torn by war and a once-dominant Hezbollah militia, the country looks to shared culture and other bonding ways to heal sectarian divides.
• The Monitor's ViewHow social trust propels Ivory Coast

  Better cohesion among a diverse population has helped Ivory Coast become a model in economic progress. Now it may do the same in politics if a new generation takes over.
• The Monitor's ViewWhy Iran and US need Oman

  The wisdom of Oman as a patient, listening go-between will be essential for negotiating a new deal over Iran’s nuclear program and its proxy militias.

Economy

• California designs a trade plan to blunt tariffs. Be careful, China expert says.

  California Gov. Gavin Newsom says that to protect its economy from tariffs, the state can make its own trade deals with China. Orville Schell, director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society, says California has to step carefully to avoid working against federal government interests.
• Why Trump’s ‘madman theory’ tactics could run aground amid trade reversals

  Is there a method behind the Trump administration’s madness? Yes, on both negotiation tactics and long-term economic strategy. But the path to get there is not only rocky; it’s full of pitfalls.
• Tariff chaos tests the status of Treasury bonds as a haven of safety

  The normally staid bond market's latest gyrations suggest that foreign governments, banks, and investors are losing confidence in the U.S. – and upset over President Trump's tariff program. 
• From cellphones to cars, some shoppers stock up before tariffs inflate prices

  Many Americans are cutting back on services and focusing on buying goods that may get more expensive with tariffs. 
• What do tariffs mean for carmaking and US communities? Clues from one Georgia town.

  A new Hyundai plant hints at how foreign carmakers may look to expand U.S. operations to soften President Trump’s tariffs, and how local economies may adapt.

Environment

• There’s one rare earths mine in the US. How that might change soon.

  The U.S. relies on China for about 70% of its rare earth imports. New Chinese restrictions on exports of the key minerals highlight why presidents from both parties have been trying to kickstart domestic production.
• Points of ProgressGo with the flow: How to squeeze water from fog, and why to remove a dam

  Progress roundup: Small dams across the U.S. are being removed for safety, water quality, and wildlife. And a desert in Chile yields water from fog.
• A tree grows in Altadena: LA community tries to save its fire-damaged canopy

  In a California community where wildfires displaced thousands of residents, arborists and locals are trying to save the area’s unique canopy of trees.
• Florida manatees find warmth at power plants. They may need a new solution.

  Development has cut off many springs that manatees need to survive winter. Warm water now draws them to power plants, but decarbonization means that a more fundamental – and difficult – fix may be called for.
• Points of ProgressThe rights of animals and the environment, from Mexico to Nepal

  Progress roundup: Nepal’s Supreme Court disallowed development in protected areas. And in Mexico, Congress put animal welfare in the constitution.

Technology

• First LookGeorgia 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. 
• First LookCellphone 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.
• 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 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.
• First Look‘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

• From retail to the military, ‘intelligent connectivity’ raises ethical dilemmas

  Artificial 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 dandelions

  Paleontologist Riley Black traces the cooperation among plants, animals, and ecosystems in “When the Earth Was Green.”

Culture

• ‘As Panamanian as you can get.’ How dim sum became a national treasure.

  Chinese food is a national tradition in Panama, adorning earrings and helping to fill eateries. Diners talk with a reporter about why, amid recent debate about who controls the popular canal, dim sum is part of their culture.
• Gear up for a costumed joyride through Tuscany – handlebar mustache optional

  When I learned about L’Eroica, an annual cycling event in Tuscany, I knew where I could find people who would understand me.
• Focus250 years of Revolution: What has ‘the shot heard round the world’ wrought?

  On April 19, Massachusetts will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. We asked reenactors, historians, and museum directors what lessons Americans can take from the founders.
• Lessons from the suburbs: Good garden shears make good neighbors

  I loved the privacy of my green fortress. Until we hacked the hedge and opened up our world.
• Mario Vargas Llosa ‘put Peru on the world’s literary map’

  Mario Vargas Llosa, who died April 13, helped ignite intellectual fervor in Peru, while his writings stoked the imagination of the world.

Books

• America’s 13 Colonies didn’t fight the Revolution by themselves

  In “Shots Heard Round the World,” John Ferling argues that substantial – and secret – aid from France helped the colonists triumph over Britain.
• Skulduggery among the heirloom tomatoes in ‘The Fact Checker’

  A madcap mystery novel riffs on two New York institutions: the fact-checking department of a New Yorker-like magazine and the city’s farmers markets.
• Mario Vargas Llosa ‘put Peru on the world’s literary map’

  Mario Vargas Llosa, who died April 13, helped ignite intellectual fervor in Peru, while his writings stoked the imagination of the world.
• Spring’s great reads have sprung! Here are April’s 10 best.

  April’s 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
• Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.

  For National Poetry Month, we talk with Richard Blanco, whose “One Today” poem was read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.