World
Top Stories:- Blinken warns China over dual-use sales to Russia, but also praises US-China progress
The United States and China are working hard to repair one of the world’s most consequential relationships. The U.S. secretary of state’s latest visit to Beijing highlighted progress made since last year, and moved the needle forward on key issues.
- Brazilian miners are caught in the crossfires of a war over deforestation
As Brazil cracks down on illegal mining in the Amazon rainforest, villagers are paying a steep price. They want the government to offer them economic alternatives.
- The ANC helped end apartheid. 30 years later, voters might end its majority.
South Africa celebrates 30 years of freedom this week after a historic all-races 1994 election that marked the end of white minority rule. The country approaches a May election that might see the African National Congress voted out of power after 30 years.
- Samuel Paty was murdered, and teaching in France has never been the same
When controversy over a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad led to the killing of teacher Samuel Paty in 2020, colleagues had to learn to trust again.
- Kidnapping relatives and spying? Judges accuse Pakistan army of coercing the courts.
At a pivotal moment for Pakistan, top justices are speaking out against military interference. Is it a sign that the military's grip is weakening?
USA
Top Stories:- Beyond TikTok ban: How one state is grappling with teens and scrolling
Teens and officials recognize social media can have both positive and harmful effects on mental health. New York state is seeking a middle ground on finding solutions.
- Competing pressures of activism, order test US colleges
As calls for campus order and safety rise alongside voices of anti-Israel protest, colleges and their leaders are facing an extraordinary test. The pressures are coming from both inside and outside.
- Trump hush money trial after Week 1: Fees, favors, and a tabloid publisher
The role of David Pecker in Donald Trump’s hush money trial has underscored how much Mr. Trump and tabloid publishing have had in common.
- Trump hush money trial after Week 1: Fees, favors, and a tabloid publisher
The role of David Pecker in Donald Trump’s hush money trial has underscored how much Mr. Trump and tabloid publishing have had in common.
- How a pioneering library pays forward its proud legacy (video)
The revival of a cultural institution means so much more if the community it serves makes use of it. In this companion video to his reported story, the Monitor’s videographer takes us inside Western Library in Louisville, Kentucky, to show both its innovative drive and its public reception.
Commentary
Top Stories:- Why this Olympics feels festive
The pandemic’s impact on the last Games has put many athletes and fans in a grateful, celebratory mood for the Summer Olympics in Paris.
- Opportunity knocks in Central Asia
Russia’s woes and other geopolitical shifts have allowed the heartland of Eurasia to build on the freedom from big-power intervention.
- Commentary on Columbia: History, student protests, and humanity
After arrests at Columbia University and other schools, our commentator considers the legacy of civil disobedience. How and why does society’s lens on protests change over time?
- West Africa’s model of ballots over bullets
Senegal’s peaceful democratic change sets a model for governing with humility and trust in a region beset by military coups and violence.
- Lifting a stigma in China
Badly in need of skilled labor, China is boosting vocational training, starting with a novel way to end prejudice against such a career path.
Economy
Top Stories:- 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.
- Charging – and charging for it: How EV owners could sell power back to the grid
Bidirectional EV charging would expand power grids by allowing cars to store energy at night, then sell it back to utilities during peak daylight hours. That would mostly benefit drivers – but automakers are also eyeing ways to get a cut of the surplus.
- In the wake of high-profile near misses, senators ask: Is Boeing doing enough?
A Boeing engineer told lawmakers the company has been taking manufacturing shortcuts that led to “putting out defective airplanes,” part of a larger suite of allegations in the wake of a 737 Max flight that saw its door plug blow out in midair.
- Pay was starting to outpace US inflation. Can it keep up?
Stubborn inflation is not only upsetting investors who await interest rate cuts. It’s also threatening to undermine the rise in workers’ real wages.
- LA County constantly fights homelessness. How AI helps prevent it.
Millions struggle with housing affordability in Southern California. But Los Angeles County’s experimental tool combines more than 400 factors to identify the residents most at risk of ending up on the streets – and it’s working.
Environment
Top Stories:- New EPA rule sets deadline for coal fired-plants: Clean up or shut down
The Biden administration has taken its most aggressive action yet on cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the private sector. That includes a strict ultimatum for coal-fired power plants.
- Are world’s 200 million pastoral herders a climate threat?
A U.N. report suggests that pastoralism may be part of the global emissions problem. Some researchers see the climate math on herders differently.
- Think red-hot heat’s bad? Just wait until code magenta.
A new warning tool created by the National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aims to respond to the increasing dangers of severe heat. The system offers a seven-day forecast with risks from minimal to extreme.
- Charting the rise of plastic pollution – and solutions
Plastic pollution is a focus of Earth Day and of global treaty talks. Our story and charts show the scale of the problem and possible paths toward solutions.
- How global innovators design a sustainable future
Projects are sprouting up around the globe to build environmentally focused communities. These efforts aim to be practical and inviting, not idealistic.
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:- 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.
- A solar eclipse is coming April 8. Here’s what you need to know.
The total solar eclipse on April 8 will be visible to millions of Americans. Here’s a guide to how and where to watch it and what to expect.
Culture
Top Stories:- Singer Laura Veirs finds creativity everywhere: Bikes, skates, power saws
For some artists, inspiration comes when ideas flow naturally, rather than being demanded. With the release of her latest album, songwriter Laura Veirs reflects on how creativity manifests itself.
- In Kentucky, the oldest Black independent library is still making history
Western Library is the oldest Black library still independently run in the U.S. Its current librarian has made it her mission to share its history with her community.
- Breaking a 92-year barrier, Choctaw artist brings native brilliance to Venice Biennale
A Mississippi Choctaw with Cherokee descent, Jeffrey Gibson is the first Native American to represent the U.S. solo at the Venice Biennale, a celebration of the arts in Italy. He uses color and craft to respond to historical traumas and pursue healing.
- ‘We Grown Now’ review: Amid gritty Chicago reality, two friends embrace childhood
For the Monitor’s reviewer, the young boys in “We Grown Now” exude something that is often difficult to find believable amid tough surroundings: innocence. The new film, he says, honors “just being a kid.”
- OK, she’s worth $1 billion, but can Taylor Swift write poetry? We ask the experts.
Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” will be released on April 19. In advance, we asked poets what they think of the pop star’s wordsmithing.
Books
Top Stories:- In Kentucky, the oldest Black independent library is still making history
Western Library is the oldest Black library still independently run in the U.S. Its current librarian has made it her mission to share its history with her community.
- Slavery isn’t just a Southern story. The North benefited from stolen labor.
“The Stolen Wealth of Slavery” traces the financial profits from enslaved labor, which fueled the rise of Northern banking institutions – some of which still exist.
- Slavery isn’t just a Southern story. The North benefited from stolen labor.
“The Stolen Wealth of Slavery” traces the financial profits from enslaved labor, which fueled the rise of Northern banking institutions – some of which still exist.
- A primer on climate change that tackles both hope and despair
Climate change is a complicated subject. Science writer Elizabeth Kolbert breaks it down in “H Is for Hope,” an illustrated ABC book for adults.
- A primer on climate change that tackles both hope and despair
Climate change is a complicated subject. Science writer Elizabeth Kolbert breaks it down in “H Is for Hope,” an illustrated ABC book for adults.