• Gabbard confirmation hearing: Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, faced sharp criticism from Democrats and Republicans Jan. 30 during a fiery confirmation hearing.
  • Related Monitor story: An eventful week of congressional hearings featured Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard. We wrap up the developments. 
• Jet crash investigations: Officials investigating the fatal collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight said Jan. 30 that they scrutinized the actions of the military pilot and reported that control tower staffing was “not normal.”
  • Related Monitor story: The midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport comes amid a long-term trend of improving air safety, but may point to gaps that need to be addressed.
• U.S. economy: The United States economy ended 2024 on a solid note, with consumer spending continuing to drive growth.
• Mountain given legal personhood: A mountain in New Zealand considered an ancestor by Indigenous people was recognized as a legal person Jan. 30 after a new law granted it all the rights and responsibilities of a human being.

Is it possible for the United States to move back toward some semblance of civility and respect? Research shows that when politics is more civil, it gets more things – and bigger things – done. But vulgarity and crudeness are often rewarded as signs of authenticity. The answer might be not to move back to old models of civility, but to forge new ones.

The release of hostages is riveting Israel, and Hamas is choreographing it to show the world it is still in power. But that might play into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hands. Members of his coalition largely abhor the full military withdrawal from Gaza. Images of a still-strong Hamas might support a claim that the military job is not yet done.

Elon Musk is openly supporting extreme right-wing politicians in Europe on his social media platform, X. European authorities are not pleased. They worry he could bring the toxicity seen in American politics across the Atlantic. The European Union has laws to defend against that, but will they hold? Strengthening those defenses is quickly becoming a top priority.

To many congregations, offering refuge to the vulnerable is central to their faith practice. Seven faiths signed a letter asking the Trump administration to reconsider its directive that houses of worship no longer be considered protected areas. Courts have strengthened the rights of religious groups in recent years. But the legal outcomes here are not clear. We explore the arguments.

In southern Africa, many are disillusioned with the political parties that brought freedom from colonial power. Now, these parties are entrenched themselves and have governed for a generation. But Botswana offers a different picture. Voters delivered a commanding message last year, ousting the party that had ruled them since independence and electing someone who represents young people’s hope for the future.

The activities, the obligations, and the cars to transport the kids began to stack up for the author of this essay for The Home Forum. Life is like an iPhone, he came to realize. When you can do more things, you naturally gravitate toward doing them. And that can lead to overload. But it also revealed a central truth: Limits can be liberating.

By some estimates, the ongoing street protests in Serbia that began two months ago are now the largest in Europe in more than half a century. This week, they even forced out the prime minister and the mayor of the second-largest city. President Aleksandar Vučić, who is close to Russia, appears on the ropes.

Yet the size of the demonstrations does not really capture their significance. Rather, the way they are run – as a model for a new society – shows why the protests have inspired so many to join in.  Others, such as farmers, shopkeepers, and therapists, provide assistance. Eventually they might overturn a heavy-handed autocratic government and reverse Serbia’s reputation as a trouble spot for Europe.

The student-led uprising was sparked Nov. 1, 2024, after the collapse of a railway station’s outdoor roof canopy that killed 15 people. Only 2 years old, the shoddy construction was widely blamed on endemic government corruption. While public anger has grown, so has the goal of operating the protests along democratic values, like a prototype mini-state.

The protests are peaceful and organized largely without leaders. Decisions are made through long sessions on university campuses in the spirit of equality and freedom of thought. Protesters stay apolitical by not working with opposition parties, which are seen as part of a corrupt system. After each protest, people clean up debris.

“This is a fight that is sincere, starts from the heart and it is impossible to stop it that way,” one activist, Ivan Bjelic, told the Danas newspaper.

Fear and anger are being supplanted by a vision of an open and hopeful community. “We’re changing this situation in our country for young people so that they can grow up in this country and work in this country, not having to move to Europe,” Jovan Stikić, a University of Belgrade student, told The Guardian. Out-migration and low birth rates have caused Serbia to have one of the world’s fastest-shrinking populations.

“The students have done their homework: there are no divisive statements, no nationalistic symbols or flags, and they’re not allowing opposition members to hijack their struggle for political gain,” wrote Gresa Hasa, an Austria-based analyst, in a blog for the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group. “This is the generation of TikTok and Instagram, interconnected on a global scale, following their international peers and their struggles in democratic countries, demanding the same equality, justice, freedom, and dignity of life.”

Protests ignited by anger have quickly united around shared ideals. Or as one sign by a protesting art student stated, “The system needs a redesign.”