Hezbollah has long assured its Shiite Lebanese base that when the time came, it would robustly defend Lebanon and punish Israel. Now, amid another destructive war, many supporters are losing faith. Can it win them back?

Mexico City’s chinampas, artificial islands first built by the Aztecs, are under threat from spreading urbanization. But a small collection of farmers on the islands are banding together to protect ancient farming practices.

Progress roundup: Galleries marry disciplines to spark creativity, the benefits of greener playgrounds spread to the community, and Oslo, Norway, spreads budget responsibilities.

President Maia Sandu won a second term in a runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in a race that was overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud, and intimidation in the European Union candidate country.

Just as the Spanish women’s national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.

Many Americans say they’re concerned about law and order. That often favors Republicans, but voters in the swing state of Georgia show how the issue has extra complexities this year.

A St. Louis Democrat who lived through the Cold War and a Hillsdale College sophomore voting in his first presidential election hold deep – but different – concerns.

Quincy Jones, who passed away Nov. 3, is remembered for a career that ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to prize-winning film scores. Born in Chicago in 1933, he overcame racial barriers to become a successful, pioneering Black executive.

A federal jury Nov. 1 found a former Kentucky police officer guilty of using excessive force on Breonna Taylor. This is the first conviction of a police officer who was involved in the deadly raid that sparked national protests in 2020.

Since the chaotic 2020 election, the system has been strengthened. But a narrow victory by Kamala Harris could still lead to a drawn-out battle.

A shift in power after 58 years marks a turn toward valuing ordinary citizens as a source of economic diversity and renewal.

Local celebrations of the election process help remind Americans of democracy’s resiliency while boosting their well-being.

An acute electricity crisis in the island nation may be stirring accountability and transparency.

Armenia, surrounded by bigger countries, tries to make itself indispensable by becoming a Silicon Valley in a precarious region.

Beyond the national divisions of the presidential race, civility and neighborly trust largely reign in local government.

The stock market isn’t panicking amid the tumult of the Harris-Trump presidential race. Still, the Trump tariff proposals draw warnings.

Affordable housing shortages have become a huge voter concern in swing states like Nevada and beyond. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump contrast sharply on their policies in response.

As U.S. consumers grapple with high costs, the Social Security Administration is increasing its monthly checks by more than $50 on average starting in 2025. At the same time, the social insurance plan faces a severe financial shortfall in the coming years.

The Trump and Harris campaigns both feature low taxes for average Americans. The similarities largely end there.

School cafeterias going cashless has an unexpected consequence. Families who can load only a limited amount of money at a time end up paying transaction fees more often. 

Progress roundup: Galleries marry disciplines to spark creativity, the benefits of greener playgrounds spread to the community, and Oslo, Norway, spreads budget responsibilities.

Since Hurricane Katrina recovery, FEMA has grown more nimble. But the agency faces criticism and distrust as it responds to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Progress roundup: Resources like water in the desert and gold trapped in e-waste are recovered in new ways. And globally, more children are in school.

Two weeks after a hurricane roared into the Appalachian Mountains, how a wrecked region recovers will depend on local resilience. And it’s there.

Hurricane Milton unleashed destructive and deadly tornadoes that touched down in several Florida counties. There have been 38 eyewitness reports of tornadoes in Florida since the night of Oct. 9, in a state that normally sees 50 tornadoes in one year. 

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 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.

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.

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.

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. 

One week after Tesla unveiled prototype robotaxis and promised fully autonomous vehicles by 2026, the company is once again under investigation. Tesla has twice recalled its “Full Self-Driving” system in the past after cars ignored stop signs and hurt pedestrians.

Planetary geologist Erin Leonard of NASA talks about the Europa Clipper mission – and how to see if the icy moon of Jupiter has conditions required to support life. 

SpaceX achieved a first Sunday by returning its Super Heavy booster rocket safely to rest in the launch tower. Among Texas locals, concerns about environmental impacts are matched by enthusiasm for space industry innovation.

A Canadian and American researcher jointly won the Nobel Prize for physics by building the foundation of modern AI study. Geoffrey Hinton lauded the potential benefits of AI, predicting another “Industrial Revolution,” but still has worries.

Emerging from the hatch into the cold vacuum of space, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman joined an elite group of professional astronauts from a dozen countries. He tested SpaceX’s new spacesuits, clinging to a spacecraft going farther than any since 1972.

Just as the Spanish women’s national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.

The beautiful thing about the full-circle moments experienced this week by sports stars Freddie Freeman and LeBron James is what’s at the center of them, writes the Monitor’s cultural commentator – pure and abiding love.

“A Real Pain,” written by, directed by, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg, is the kind of movie that creeps up on you, says film critic Peter Rainer. It has a way of seeing that, in its own modest way, owes something to the Yiddish sensibility that informed storytellers like Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Celebrating fall: The riot of russet tones, the brisk air, the crunchy leaves. The answer to what ails us? It’s often as simple as stepping outside.

With “Son of a Broken Man,” Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito tackles his relationship with his father, and considers how to overcome the darkness in our lives.

Immersive books for young readers include Kate DiCamillo’s “The Hotel Balzaar,” Katherine Rundell’s “Imaginary Creatures,” and four others.

David Greenberg’s “John Lewis: A Life” follows the civil rights leader from the Selma march to the halls of Congress. Lewis kept faith with the practice of nonviolence.

Biographer Max Boot charts the course of a politician who was famously affable and pragmatic, but who also resorted to racist dog whistles and played loose with facts. 

America First was a rallying cry of isolationists in the 1930s. Charles Lindbergh, a spokesman for the movement, clashed with President Franklin D. Roosevelt over U.S. involvement.   

In “Bringing Ben Home,” Barbara Bradley Hagerty explores the long road toward exonerating Ben Spencer, a Black man imprisoned for a murder he didn’t commit.