World

• Can Syria heal? For many, Step 1 is learning the difficult truth.

  As Syrians seek to recover from decades of a brutal dictatorship, they want to learn what happened to missing loved ones. For many, the first stop is a notorious prison.
• Waste not that broken vacuum. Berlin will pay you to repair your stuff.

  The city of Berlin pays half the cost if you repair electronics and don't throw them away. That sounds better than it worked out in practice.
• In Syria, what remains of Iran’s regional ‘Axis’ is rubble and resentment

  First Hamas, then Hezbollah, now Syria. As key components of Iran’s anti-Israel/anti-U.S. “Axis of Resistance” are sidelined or incapacitated, what is left of Tehran’s regional strategy?
• Post Office scandal, the musical? In the UK, news and entertainment blur.

  Recent dramatizations about the British Post Office scandal are making it seem that entertainment is a better way to relay news than reported stories.
• Points of ProgressGondolas solve a last-mile problem in Mexico City, and the fixer-uppers of Scotland

  Progress roundup: Electric gondolas bring commuters closer to the center of Mexico City, Scotland’s abandoned homes get makeovers, and more.

USA

• First LookCongress passes funding bill, averting a government shutdown

  Congress has pushed through final passage of a bipartisan plan to fund federal operations and prevent a government shutdown. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to quickly sign it into law.
• First LookFueled by enormous wealth, Elon Musk rockets into the spheres of political influence

  Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man, is proving his outsized influence on American politics. His railings against Congress’ bipartisan budget deal contributed to killing the stopgap measure designed to prevent a partial government shutdown.
• First LookTrump and Musk helped derail a bipartisan spending deal. What comes next?

  A new spending plan put forth by Donald Trump, and pushed by Elon Musk, was resoundingly rejected by House Democrats and a few dozen Republicans. The debate in the House chamber grew heated as lawmakers blamed each other for the mess.
• The ExplainerBiden promised to transform the federal judiciary. Did he succeed?

  President Biden has appointed 233 federal judges, more than any one-term president since Jimmy Carter. Some 60% are women, and 60% are people of color.
• First LookAnother Trump indictment falters as Fani Willis is removed from Georgia election case

  Donald Trump’s team has long cited prosecutor Fani Willis’ romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade as a conflict of interest. The ruling follows a string of other cases against Mr. Trump that have been put on hold or abandoned.

Commentary

• The Monitor's ViewChristmas in China, the people’s way

  Despite the secular trappings of an imported holiday, the Chinese have devised a type of giving that captures the Christmas spirit.
• CommentaryWhen a holiday chore becomes a treasure

  Family traditions that feel more of a burden than a gift sometimes take time to reveal their magic.
• The Monitor's ViewFreedom in Iran unveiled

  A bill that would impose new restrictions on women’s rights has rekindled demands for equality – causing even hard-liners to pause.
• The Monitor's ViewThe role model for Syria’s unity

  The public’s post-liberation praise for a famed rescue outfit called The White Helmets reflects a desire for impartial leaders who save all and don’t play to divisions.
• The Monitor's ViewChristmas light for Gaza

  Christian leaders in Jerusalem set a message of light in a region seeking its way out of war.

Economy

• First LookAmazon workers are on strike. Will your gifts arrive on time?

  The strike – spanning seven facilities across the United States – is the largest against Amazon in U.S. history, according to the Teamsters. More are “prepared to join,” says the union, which represents nearly 10,000 workers at the online retailer.
• First LookJapanese automakers want to fend off China. But Nissan and Honda deny merger rumors.

  Nissan and Honda said they are considering collaboration but denied rumors of a merger. The Japanese automakers announced in August that they, along with Mitsubishi, will share components for electric vehicles as Chinese EVs cut into their market share.
• The ExplainerWhy is the US in a housing crisis, and what can be done about it?

  More people are seeking homes than there are places to buy or rent, which contributes to high prices. Here’s what led to the housing crisis, and some potential solutions.
• In UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing, industry frustration crowds out empathy

  The shooting of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has put a spotlight on frustrations over medical debt and lack of security for threatened executives.
• First LookBitcoin just crossed the $100,000 mark. Why did its value explode in the last month?

  Donald Trump’s potential SEC commissioner, as well as his campaign promises, have encouraged investors to put more money in the cryptocurrency. Though the value of bitcoin more than doubled this year, some experts continue to warn of investment risks.

Environment

• Points of ProgressGondolas solve a last-mile problem in Mexico City, and the fixer-uppers of Scotland

  Progress roundup: Electric gondolas bring commuters closer to the center of Mexico City, Scotland’s abandoned homes get makeovers, and more.
• Why Florida and almost half of US states are enshrining a right to hunt and fish

  Showing a shift in conservation values, Florida voters recently approved a right-to-hunt amendment on the same ballot where marijuana rights failed.
• The Climate Generation: Our landmark series, one year later

  The Monitor's Climate Generation series featured a host of youth-driven solutions. Our team checks back in, finding triumphs and setbacks.
• First LookAs wildfires threatened Malibu, the Pepperdine students didn’t panic. They had a plan.

  Wildfires are threatening Southern California again, this time near Malibu. One college in the Santa Monica Mountains lay directly in the path of the Franklin Fire, but extensive safety plans have saved buildings from burning down and students from getting hurt.
• Points of ProgressSquat lobsters and filtering fungi: Discoveries from the ocean deep to an African lab

  In our progress roundup, an underwater mountain in the Southern Pacific yields new species and South Africa researchers grow fungi to fight river pollution.

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

• Solar panels in space show potential for liftoff, despite cost concerns

  Technological advances mean space-based solar panels are edging closer to reality. Cost is the biggest hurdle.
• First LookAre the Boeing astronauts actually stuck in space? Nope. ‘Living in space is super fun.’

  Boeing’s new Starliner astronauts have had to combat rumors about their health and saftey after a forced extended stay on the International Space Station. However, the pair has taken the challenge in stride. “Mindset does go a long way,” said Butch Wilmore.
• Cover StoryMoody chickens? Playful bumblebees? Science decodes the rich inner lives of animals.

  New science shows that farm animals and other creatures exhibit signs of conscious experience. How should this make us see them – and ourselves?
• First LookA week ago, Tesla showcased futuristic robotaxis. Then a pedestrian got hit.

  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.
• NASA launches its biggest space probe to find if life can exist on Jupiter moon

  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. 

Culture

• Chillax! Here’s your guide to conversing through the winter holidays.

  A guide to what you might hear from millennials and Generation Zers while you eat dinner, binge holiday movies, and laze around the fireplace.
• Yes, Chalamet can sing. But can ‘A Complete Unknown’ capture Bob Dylan?

  The filmmakers of “A Complete Unknown” were faced with a daunting task, our critic writes: How do you get behind the mask of a willfully enigmatic artist like Bob Dylan?
• Cover StoryOur writers recall their most memorable Christmas gifts – and the people who gave them

  As our writers unwrap their favorite memories of childhood holiday gifts, something else comes into focus: the giver.
• Post Office scandal, the musical? In the UK, news and entertainment blur.

  Recent dramatizations about the British Post Office scandal are making it seem that entertainment is a better way to relay news than reported stories.
• Say cheese! Wallace and Gromit return in ‘Vengeance Most Fowl.’

  “Vengeance Most Fowl” encapsulates everything that makes “Wallace & Gromit” movies such a joy for children and adults.

Books

• How Handel brought ‘The Messiah’ to life in bleak times

  In ”Every Valley,” Charles King compellingly recounts how the composer, in a mere three weeks, wrote the soaring music for which he is best known today. 
• Why J. Edgar Hoover’s biographer worries about Kash Patel running the FBI

  An author who studied J. Edgar Hoover’s complicated legacy at the FBI says she sees warning signs in the overt political statements by Trump nominee Kash Patel.
• Why J. Edgar Hoover’s biographer worries about Kash Patel running the FBI

  An author who studied J. Edgar Hoover’s complicated legacy at the FBI says she sees warning signs in the overt political statements by Trump nominee Kash Patel.
• A year of plentiful prose: The best books of 2024

  The year’s best books include the novel “James” by Percival Everett and a memoir by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.
• The ‘Voltaire of the Arabs’ is lionized in France, but imprisoned in Algeria

  The detention of Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria shows how the shadows of colonialism continue to haunt the world of French letters.