2024
June
18
Tuesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

June 18, 2024
Loading the player...

TODAY’S INTRO

The best kind of sequel

Ask a reader to describe the Monitor, and one word you’ll often hear is “hope.” Today’s review of “Inside Out 2” by Cameron Pugh and Troy Aidan Sambajon gives me hope that, just maybe, Pixar can get back to its best. 

From “Toy Story” to “Ratatouille,” Pixar did something more than reinvent animation. It produced films of stunning depth, packaged as children’s fare but more likely to leave adults bawling. They reminded us of the power of all those things we most need – innocence, goodness, love, and, yes, hope. 

A renewal of those years would be a very welcome sequel.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.

The Explainer

Biden’s immigration announcement explained in 3 questions

U.S. President Joe Biden faces criticism on immigration from a divided public. Back-to-back executive actions appear designed to thread a needle – to make him be seen as both tough and humane.

Evan Vucci/AP
Javier Quiroz Castro introduces President Joe Biden at an event marking the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, at the White House, June 18, 2024.
  • Quick Read
  • Deep Read ( 6 Min. )

For the second time this month, President Joe Biden has flown solo on immigration policy.

On Tuesday, the president announced his administration would make it easier for unauthorized immigrants who have married U.S. citizens to legalize their status. This follows an action earlier this month that limits access to asylum at the U.S. southern border. 

The new process announced Tuesday could make about half a million “noncitizen spouses” eligible for legalized status, estimates the Department of Homeland Security. That’s fewer than 5% of the more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants estimated to live in the United States. 

“I think it’s historic,” says Cori Alonso-Yoder, a law professor at George Washington University. The White House may be “counting on this being seen as a commonsense fix to a broken immigration system that Congress hasn’t stepped in to make more humane,” she says.

The changes won’t take effect immediately. Additional measures around employment-based visas might land soon. 

The Biden administration is using a “carrot-and-stick approach,” says Ms. Alonso-Yoder.

Biden’s immigration announcement explained in 3 questions

Collapse

For the second time this month, President Joe Biden has flown solo on immigration policy. 

On Tuesday, the president announced his administration would make it easier for unauthorized immigrants who have married U.S. citizens to legalize their status. This follows an action earlier this month that limits access to asylum at the U.S. southern border. 

The alternating scorn and praise for these new measures fall largely along ideological lines. Yet as the election looms less than half a year away, the president has signaled a willingness to act – and risk litigation – while lawmakers remain stalemated over deeper reform.

“We can both secure the border and provide legal pathways to citizenship,” said President Biden at a White House event Tuesday. Under his administration, illegal crossings at the southern border have soared to historic highs – more than 2 million for each of the past two fiscal years.

The new process makes it easier for certain unauthorized immigrants to earn lawful permanent residence, through their families. Some half a million “noncitizen spouses” could be eligible, estimates the Department of Homeland Security. That’s fewer than 5% of the more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants estimated to live in the United States.

“I think it’s historic,” says Cori Alonso-Yoder, a law professor at George Washington University. The White House may be “counting on this being seen as a commonsense fix to a broken immigration system that Congress hasn’t stepped in to make more humane,” she says.

The changes won’t take effect immediately. Additional measures announced today involve employment-based visas. Here’s what we know so far.

What changes is Biden making?

Unauthorized immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens – and have lived here for at least 10 years – will have an easier time applying to become a lawful permanent resident. That’s another way to say green-card holder. The process is expected to roll out sometime this summer.

Immigrants without a lawful status can already apply for a green card through their U.S. citizen spouse, under current law. However, applying often requires the applicant to leave the U.S. and wait out the process for years abroad – an indefinite separation period from their American family. The new process would offer a permission called “parole in place” as a steppingstone to securing a green card without having to exit the country.

Susan Walsh/AP
President Joe Biden speaks during an event marking the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 18, 2024. President Biden also discussed his administration's plans to make it easier for unauthorized immigrants who have married U.S. citizens to legalize their status.

For Marisol, a U.S. citizen in Colorado, and her husband, who crossed into the U.S. illegally two decades ago, eligibility would relieve substantial mental health and financial tolls. 

Marisol, an immigrant housing advocate who asked that only her first name be used for privacy, says they’ve pursued an expensive, yearslong process of trying to secure her husband’s green card amid immigration court proceedings. Unable to reenter the U.S. easily if he were to depart now, her husband has sacrificed seeing his family in Guatemala for 17 years. He recently missed the death of his father. 

The looming question of his future in the U.S. has also complicated their plans to build a family, says Marisol, who says she’s always wanted children. “If we were to have children right now, and then he gets deported ... Am I going to be able to raise a child on my own?” 

Those eligible under the new policy need to be approved by the Department of Homeland Security and can receive work authorization for up to three years, along with protection from deportation. Green-card holders can apply for citizenship after five years. 

The announcement comes two weeks after the White House limited access to asylum along the southern border. Immigrant rights groups have sued, claiming the policies conflict with the right under U.S. law to seek asylum – even if a migrant entered the country illegally.

The June 4 border action “can be understood as the stick in the Biden administration’s use of this carrot-and-stick approach,” says Ms. Alonso-Yoder.

Has this type of immigration relief been offered before? 

Yes. As is often the case in immigration, the new Biden policies aren’t entirely new, but rather are new uses of old tools. Again, an unauthorized immigrant can already try to legalize their status through their American spouse under current law, but the process can lead to family separation. 

Parole, a temporary permission to enter the U.S., has been one tool available to presidents since the Cold War. Mr. Biden has used parole more expansively than the Trump administration and has framed it as an orderly alternative to illegal border crossings based on humanitarian need. His administration has allowed in more than a million immigrants under this provision who may have been otherwise unable to enter.

Republican-led states sued to stop a parole process he created for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, alleging the president had breached the bounds of his authority. A Trump-appointed judge this year threw out that lawsuit based on the plaintiffs’ lack of standing to bring the case.

“Parole in place,” the process used in Tuesday’s announcement, is a different application of parole. It refers to an option for unauthorized immigrants who are already in the country – not seeking entry at an official port. For instance, U.S. military members and veterans have been able to pursue this process to legalize the status of family members at risk of deportation.

Many Americans “incorrectly believe that once you marry a U.S. citizen, you’re just automatically given a green card or automatically given citizenship,” says Theresa Cardinal Brown, senior adviser for immigration and border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “That is absolutely not the case. It is a multistep process.” 

While the new policy “won’t cure everything,” she adds, it is a leg up for people who entered without permission and have been living in the U.S. free of criminal records and national security concerns.

The president’s June 18 announcement comes on the heels of the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Currently entangled in federal litigation, DACA offers work permits and deportation protections to people brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Some of these “Dreamers” with U.S. spouses may benefit from the new policy.

What are the politics of this? 

It’s unclear how Mr. Biden’s recent actions on immigration will help or hurt him politically. Polling suggests that a growing share of Americans think unauthorized immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to stay in the country, though about 6 in 10 registered voters do support a way for them to stay.

So far, responses to Tuesday’s news fall along typical ideological divides.

The new benefits for unauthorized immigrants, many of whom already qualify, is a welcome step forward, says Jennie Murray, president of the National Immigration Forum, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit. “It’s seeking to take a pragmatic step forward to support folks who have been here and contributing,” says Ms. Murray, adding that the focus on family unity presents a “solution that could bring everyone together.”

Critics of the administration reiterate national security concerns, and what they see as oversteps of the president’s immigration authority.

“This is going to send a message to the whole world: It’s OK to enter this country illegally,” said Tom Homan, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, on a call with reporters. 

“This is nothing but a political ploy. This administration hasn’t done anything in 3 1/2 years” to secure the border, added Mr. Homan, an acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Trump administration.

Today’s news briefs

• Thailand marriage bill: Thailand’s Senate votes overwhelmingly to approve a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The country would become the first in Southeast Asia to enact such a law.
• U.S. heat wave: Extreme heat from Iowa to Maine is forecast to continue until at least Friday as cities including Chicago break records.
• Putin to North Korea: Russian President Vladimir Putin vows to support North Korea against the United States, as he headed to the reclusive nuclear-armed country for the first time in 24 years.
• School cellphones: The Los Angeles Unified School District will consider banning smartphones for its 429,000 students.

Read these news briefs.

If the far right wins France’s elections, what would that actually mean?

Emmanuel Macron’s call for snap elections has flustered the French public, as the prospect of a far-right grip on the government is now very real. But it’s important to understand what’s really at stake in the coming votes.

  • Quick Read
  • Deep Read ( 5 Min. )

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron took the ultimate political risk: He announced snap elections at the end of the month. This, after his center-right party finished a distant second in the European Union elections to the far-right National Rally (RN) party.

If RN wins an outright majority after the second round of voting on July 7, Mr. Macron would be obligated to name RN leader Jordan Bardella as his prime minister. But in doing so, the president would be stripped of much of his power.

Mr. Macron would still control France’s use of nuclear weapons and be in charge of international dossiers, like Russia’s war in Ukraine. But he would have minimal power over the military, and would also lose his ability to set domestic policy. A far-right parliament might overturn the current budget bill, reverse Mr. Macron’s pension reform, and tighten immigration and security laws.

Still, if Mr. Bardella is elected prime minister, “it would be in his best interest to exercise moderation,” says researcher Gilles Ivaldi. “His supporters expect radical change on buying power and immigration. But he also needs to prove that he can effectively lead the country as he looks to pursue a presidential bid in 2027.”

If the far right wins France’s elections, what would that actually mean?

Collapse
Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron waves as he waits for a guest at the Élysée Palace in Paris, June 17, 2024.

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said that the greatest amount of happiness comes from living life with a maximum amount of danger and risk.

French President Emmanuel Macron seems to have taken that advice to heart. Last week, Mr. Macron took the ultimate political risk, announcing the dissolution of parliament and snap elections at the end of the month. This, after his center-right Renaissance party finished a distant second in the European Union elections to the far-right National Rally (RN) party, fronted by 28-year-old Jordan Bardella.

Now, France is looking at a potential “co-habitation” – a power-sharing government run by two opposing camps. If RN wins an outright majority after the second round of voting on July 7, Mr. Macron would be obligated to name Mr. Bardella as his prime minister.

But in doing so, the president would be stripped of much of his power, stuck in only the fourth co-habitation in French history and the first ever parliamentary leadership for the far right.

Mr. Macron is banking on the hope that if he forces the French to choose between him and the far right, they will choose him. But his popularity has plummeted since his election in 2017, from his handling of the Yellow Vest protests to his defiant implementation of a highly unpopular pension reform bill. Some observers are calling his latest move political suicide.

With so much running against him, why is Mr. Macron risking it all, and what is at stake if his strategy fails?

“The situation in France is dramatic,” says Roger Sue, a professor emeritus of sociology at Université Paris Cité. “Whether it’s the right or left that wins, we don’t know, but it’s almost a guarantee that Macron’s party will not win a majority. So he’s gambled with his own team’s future while he gets to remain at the center of the game. I find that rather unforgivable.”

Benoit Tessier/Reuters
Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally party, talks with a farmer while campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary elections, in Chuelles, France, June 14, 2024.

Checks and balances

The results of last Sunday’s European elections saw RN leading with 31% of the vote, and Mr. Macron’s Renaissance party trailing at 14%. The Socialists, with the charismatic Raphaël Glucksmann at the helm, pulled in 13% percent.

But even as reactions from the political class came pouring in, the results were no surprise – least of all to Mr. Macron. Pre-election polling had predicted a strong result by RN, leaving the president ample time to strategize. So while his announcement shocked the French public, observers say it’s all part of a carefully hedged plan, and one that keeps him in a relative power position.

“Mr. Macron did this for two reasons: for the general interest of the French people and for his own personal interests,” says Thomas Guénolé, a French political scientist. “If he wins, his party has the majority and can pass laws. If [the far right] wins, he can still block bills. ... In any case, he’s probably thinking his risk is minimal: he is still the president until 2027.”

In practical terms, if the far right succeeds in winning an outright majority in parliament, Mr. Bardella and his government will hold most of the cards.

Mr. Macron would still control France’s use of nuclear weapons and be in charge of international dossiers, like Russia’s war in Ukraine. But he would have minimal power over the military, and would not be able to dissolve the parliament again for another year.

Stephane Mahe/Reuters/File
Socialist leader Raphaël Glucksmann attends a campaign meeting ahead of European elections in Nantes, April 13, 2024. Mr. Glucksmann is backing a leftist coalition in the upcoming French elections.

Mr. Macron would also lose his ability to set domestic policy. A far-right parliament could be expected to overturn the current budget bill, which looks to cut $25 billion in public spending to address the country’s spiraling deficit. It also could reverse bills like Mr. Macron’s pension reform – moving the retirement age from 64 back down to 60 – as well as tighten immigration and security laws.

While technically Mr. Macron could refuse to sign RN bills into law, the prime minister holds a trump card: a procedure set out by Article 49, clause 3 of the French Constitution (aka “49.3”) which allows the government to elevate a bill straight into law, bypassing a parliamentary vote. Using 49.3, Mr. Bardella would be able to overcome Mr. Macron’s attempts to stop a bill from becoming law.

Still, the French government is subject to checks and balances – if fewer than a less centralized governmental system like the United States. There is a cap on the number of times a prime minister can use 49.3, and the government can be removed if the president calls for – and wins – a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament.

In 1997, President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin were forced to work together during their five year-long co-habitation. Despite their differences and predictions of political paralysis, Mr. Jospin avoided any moves that would have spurred Mr. Chirac to dissolve the Assembly and win back parliament.

If Mr. Bardella is elected prime minister, “it would be in his best interest to exercise moderation,” says Gilles Ivaldi, a researcher on the far right at Sciences Po’s CEVIPOV. “He’s in a complicated position. His supporters expect radical change on buying power and immigration. But he also needs to prove that he can effectively lead the country as he looks to pursue a presidential bid in 2027.”

Fired-up parties

That excitement about a future Bardella presidency could incite more far-right supporters – who historically enjoy stronger voter turnout than their more moderate counterparts – to head to the polls.

But the French left has been inspired to fight, too. Since Mr. Macron’s shock announcement, left-wing leaders like Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Socialist leader Mr. Glucksmann have banded together to create a united coalition, in hopes of fending off a far-right win.

Meanwhile, some conservative members of parliament have followed their party leader, Eric Ciotti, into an alliance with the RN, breaking a hitherto strict taboo on aligning with the extreme right.

Voters may, in the end, choose the vote utile (useful vote) – by selecting whichever party they see as the lesser of two evils.

“Macron knows he’s not popular but for him, it’s the elections that count,” says Mr. Guénolé. “There is a big difference between how people say they will vote and how they actually do. … Macron is gambling on the fact that if pushed up against a wall, the French will make the right decision.”

French athletes avoided talking politics. The rise of the far right changed that.

The prospect of a far-right victory in upcoming elections is rippling though French society in different ways. For many athletes, it has meant breaking longstanding traditions and speaking out politically. 

Hassan Ammar/AP
France's Kylian Mbappé controls the ball during a training session for the Euro soccer championship. His public expression of political opinions broke with tradition.
  • Quick Read
  • Deep Read ( 3 Min. )

Kylian Mbappé, France’s star soccer captain and arguably the best player in the world, is in the news again. And not just because he broke his nose Monday night.

Mr. Mbappé seized the spotlight by making a dramatic and highly unusual public intervention in French politics, pleading with young people to get out and vote against the far right in the upcoming snap legislative elections. France was “at a crucial moment” in its history, he said, calling on his fans to reject “extremists.”

It is highly unusual for French athletes to express political opinions. Professional contracts and sponsorship deals typically bind athletes to silence.

Mr. Mbappé’s political stand is a reminder that professional athletes, like other cultural stars, can sway the collective consciousness.

Coincidentally, a pioneer in this field was in Paris last week. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, U.S. sprinter Tommie Smith raised his fist on the victory podium in a Black Power salute, alongside fellow athlete John Carlos, to protest racial injustice in the United States.

Mr. Smith, now 80 years old, said that despite the backlash he faced in the aftermath of his controversial gesture, he never regretted it. Asked if he’d do it again today, he said, simply, “I do it every day.”

French athletes avoided talking politics. The rise of the far right changed that.

Collapse

France’s soccer captain and arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappé, is in the news again.

And not just because he sustained an injury to his nose Monday night that might stop him from playing any more games in the Euro 2024 soccer championship, denting French hopes of glory.

Mr. Mbappé seized the spotlight before the tournament began, making a dramatic and highly unusual public intervention in French politics.

Through the media, he pleaded with France’s young people to get out and vote against the far right in the upcoming snap legislative elections.

The National Rally (RN), led by Marine Le Pen, stands a realistic chance of winning a parliamentary majority in the vote July 7. That would put France under its first hard-right government since World War II, when the country was under German control.

Mr. Mbappé told voters that France was “at a crucial moment” in its history and called on his fans to reject “extremists.”

His comments came a day after teammate Marcus Thuram urged the French to “fight so that the RN does not get through.” The sports newspaper L’Équipe published an open letter signed by 200 athletes and sports personalities calling on readers to vote against the National Rally.

This outbreak of efforts by French sporting royalty to use their collective voice for political ends is highly uncommon. Professional contracts and sponsorship deals typically bind athletes to silence. But even the French Football Federation (FFF), which has squirmed in the past over questions of secularism and LGBTQ+ issues in sports, says Mr. Mbappé and other players have the right to express themselves.

With the Paris Olympics opening in just over a month, Mr. Mbappé’s political stand is a reminder that – despite the pressures of sponsors and sporting federations – professional athletes, like other cultural stars, can sway the collective consciousness.

Thibault Camus/AP
Former American sprinter Tommie Smith, visiting the U.S. base camp for the Paris Olympics, raises his fist in the Black Power salute he made as victor in the 1968 Olympic 200-meter race.

Coincidentally, a pioneer in this field, and perhaps its most famous practitioner, was in Paris last week. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, U.S. sprinter Tommie Smith raised his fist on the victory podium in a Black Power salute, alongside fellow athlete John Carlos, to protest racial injustice in the United States.

Mr. Smith, now 80 years old, said that despite the backlash he faced in the aftermath of his controversial gesture – he was banned by the U.S. Olympic Committee from competing again – he never regretted it. Asked if, given the chance, he’d do it again today, he said, “I do it every day.”

“Politics are not just part of sports,” he said during a conversation with journalists at the National History of Immigration Museum. “Politics are sports.”

Regarding his injury, FFF officials have not said when Mr. Mbappé might return to the Euro championship soccer pitch; there is talk of his wearing a protective mask during matches.

But when it comes to expressing his political views, Mr. Mbappé has taken the mask off.

“In this country, we value diversity, tolerance, and respect,” he said in his plea to fans. “I hope we can make the right decision and that I can remain proud to wear the French team jersey on July 7.”

Points of Progress

What's going right

From museums to monasteries, saving art amid climate change

In our progress roundup, caretakers of the world’s art treasures are changing the way they work to preserve cultural heritage, from Los Angeles to Nepal. And the “Yosemite of South America” is sold for $63 million to conservationists.  

From museums to monasteries, saving art amid climate change

Collapse
Staff

Museums are raising the temperature on their air-conditioning thermostats 

Museums typically maintain strict controls to protect collections, but research suggests that slowly acclimating to a wider range of conditions can be safe, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In Los Angeles, the Getty Center launched its Climate Impact Program, a regional initiative that helps participating institutions share knowledge about minimizing their environmental impact.

Contemporary art museums that don’t house antiques, including the Hammer Museum in LA, will test expanded temperature and humidity ranges. “Breath(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice” is their September 2024 exhibit that will explore ethical questions related to climate justice.

Ian L. Sitren/Zuma/Newscom/File
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles is part of the Getty’s climate program.

Other museums around the world, such as the Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, are also working on ways to reduce energy use.
Sources: Los Angeles Times, The New York Times

Environmentalists in Chile bought 508 square miles of land for conservation

The Hacienda Pucheguin, known as the “Yosemite of South America,” is a critical ecological corridor in the Patagonia region. Its private owner, Chilean businessman Roberto Hagemann, had spent years purchasing 200 small parcels until he owned the entire stretch.

A wildlife guide, Rodrigo Condeza, learned that Mr. Hagemann planned to build a hydroelectric facility, so Mr. Condeza started the nonprofit Puelo Patagonia in 2013. The group successfully sued to stop the project, and the land was offered for sale at $150 million.

After years of the two parties being adversaries, Mr. Hagemann agreed to sell the property to Puelo Patagonia for $63 million. “A long process of mutual knowledge and respectful dialogue began, that allowed us to reach mutual understanding and respect,” Mr. Hagemann said.

Puelo Patagonia has raised $15 million for the purchase and has two years to raise the rest. Preserving the land would link a string of national parks and 4,000 miles of wilderness.
Source: The New York Times

Dancing in sync can promote feelings of belonging and togetherness

In silent discos, people dance while listening to music through headphones. Researchers in the United Kingdom and Finland used that concept and manipulated the timing of the sound to participants’ headphones to evaluate the benefits of hearing and dancing synchronously. They found that dancers preferred hearing the music in time with their partner, and also seemed to like each other more.

Matej Leskovsek/Reuters/File
Festivalgoers dance at the silent disco during the Open’er Festival in Gdynia, Poland, 2017. Silent discos gained popularity in the 1970s as a way to evade noise complaints.

Previous studies point to the importance of synchronicity in social interactions. One investigation found that participants remembered people better if they danced in sync. Another study during the pandemic concluded that more social connection was facilitated by livestreamed concerts than by recorded ones. And a paper on “Zoom fatigue” suggested that video-chatting can feel exhausting, in part because of the slight lag between responses.

With 17% of Americans reporting feeling lonely in a recent Gallup poll, researchers note the importance of understanding how social connections are made and maintained. One 2020 study found that music can act as a “social surrogate” and improve well-being.
Sources: The Conversation; Gallup; Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research

Residents restore 14th-century Tibetan monasteries to adapt them to climate change

In the Upper Mustang region of Nepal, increasingly intense rainstorms are damaging the Loba people's ancient centers of Buddhist culture and religion.

Two decades ago, residents began training with art conservationists to waterproof the rammed-earth structures with round timbers, stones, and clay. The 45-person team has also restored intricate paintings and artifacts. Most of the restorers are women, who have found empowerment by learning new skills, earning a wage, and strengthening their religious practice.

Many Lobas have left the rural region for better opportunities. But “if we want to save our culture, we all need to join hands and save the monasteries because everything here spins around religion,” said Dolma Tsering, a restorer.
Source: BBC

The world produced 30% of its electricity using renewable energy last year

According to climate think tank Ember, the world must produce 60% of its electricity with renewables by 2030 to help stave off a global temperature increase of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. In 2000, renewables made up less than 19% of the global power mix.

Costfoto/Nurphoto/Reuters
Solar panels are lined up at the Gaogang Village power base in Yichun, China. China is the world’s largest solar energy producer.

Solar power was the fastest-growing source of electricity for the 19th year in a row. Fossil fuels’ share in the global electricity mix fell from 64.7% in 2000 to 60.6% in 2023. Nuclear power, which produces minimal greenhouse gases but is not a renewable energy source, contributed 9% of low-carbon electricity.

Though electricity demand is set to soar after 2024, Ember predicts that fossil fuel use will continue to fall. European Union members reported that carbon emissions fell by 15.5% in 2023.
Sources: CNN, The Economist, Ember

Staff

Film

‘Inside Out 2’ offers all the feels – and a great time at the movies

“Inside Out 2” doesn’t rise to the heights of Pixar’s greatest classics, like “The Incredibles.” But it’s well worth a trip to a movie theater – a rarity these days. And who couldn’t use a little more Joy in their lives?

Disney/Pixar/AP
Joy (left, voiced by Amy Poehler) has to make room for new emotions, including Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke) in “Inside Out 2.”

‘Inside Out 2’ offers all the feels – and a great time at the movies

Collapse

“Inside Out 2” opens with our protagonist in her natural setting, playing ice hockey with her friends. With the emotions audiences grew familiar with from the first film working in unity, Riley (voiced by Kensington Tallman) is a dazzling talent. But when life becomes more complicated, Riley struggles to cope with the pressure – and a new cast of characters emerges. They’ll be familiar to anyone who has made it through the teenage years.

“Inside Out 2,” which had the biggest opening of any movie since “Barbie,” harkens back to a gold standard for Pixar. After recent direct-to-streaming disappointments like “Luca” (2021) and “Turning Red” (2022), “Inside Out 2” is a welcome return to form. It offers a refreshing perspective on mental health that draws in new audiences while reminding the rest of us why we continue to watch the studio’s films.

The sequel picks back up with Riley, now 13 and a rising high school freshman, prepping for a three-day hockey camp with her two best friends, Grace (Grace Lu) and Bree (Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green). Inside her neurological control center, the colorful crew of Sadness, Disgust, Anger, Fear, and Joy have mastered co-piloting. Then, a brand-new crew of emotions, brought on by puberty, arrives. Meet Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy, and the aloof Ennui.  

In the first movie, 11-year-old Riley faced a series of challenges that were earth-shattering for her, but fairly mundane for the audience: a big move, a disappointing tryout, and a fight with her parents. But in the sequel, the drama doesn’t just play out in the heroine’s head. Riley is breaking into her coach’s office, dyeing her hair, and falling out with her best friends. Some themes, like emotional repression, are familiar chords from the first film. But the follow-up also tackles topics like teenage social dynamics, dealing with change, and self-acceptance.

The new multicolored characters are fun, with hairstyles and clothes that feel true to the emotions they represent. Anxiety (Maya Hawke), for example, has a mess of frizzy hair that makes it easy to imagine she spends her nights planning rather than sleeping. Embarrassment is a gentle giant who hides in his hoodie. And the elusive Ennui is French. 

Disney/Pixar/AP
"Inside Out 2" earned $155 million in the U.S. and Canada in its opening weekend, Pixar’s second-biggest debut in its history.

While en route to hockey camp, Riley learns her two besties are headed to a different high school at the end of summer. The news sends Riley into an anxiety-driven tailspin, pushing her to rebuff her friends to impress a group of popular girls.  

What’s refreshing is that these girls aren’t a repackaging of popular tropes. They aren’t mean girls or bullies who act as foils to Riley’s kind and understanding best friends. They’re perfectly nice. They respect and encourage Riley, and at various moments, even sympathize with her. Riley’s struggle to be cool is an internal one, and it’s familiar for anyone who’s struggled to carve out a place in the vast and intimidating social environment of early adolescence.

A new feature within Riley’s neurological command center is her glowing sense of self, made up of her memories and personal beliefs. As the story unfolds, and Riley’s sense of self changes, Joy (Amy Poehler) and her crew struggle to let go of the version of Riley they’ve worked so hard to build.

This comes with some poignant lessons, both for Riley and her emotional stewards. As the old emotions search the recesses of Riley’s consciousness for her lost sense of self, Joy can’t quite maintain her native optimism. “Maybe that’s what happens when you grow up,” she says. “You feel less joy.” 

But she, and Riley, emerge from the trial more well-rounded and resilient. Joy realizes that she can’t protect Riley from even her most negative emotions, and Riley comes to accept that she can make mistakes, even while striving to be the best version of herself. The message is an important one, though it’s not very surprising. Still, compelling visuals and skillful performances from the voice actors make it heartwarming and effective.

The strongest feature of “Inside Out 2” might just be its relatability. For children and teenagers, the similarities are enough to make you cringe. For parents, Joy’s realization that she can’t protect Riley from everything will tug at the heartstrings. For the rest of us, Riley’s triumphs and pitfalls will inspire many emotions, from delight to heartache. And as we learn from Joy, it’s probably best to let yourself feel them.

“Inside Out” was heralded as an instant classic in 2015, and it’s hard for a sequel to live up to that mantle. The new movie can’t recreate the novelty of getting a peek inside the mind of a preteen.

“Inside Out 2” doesn’t rise to the heights of Pixar’s greatest creations, like “The Incredibles.” And there’s nothing in it that matches the indelible first 10 minutes of “Up.” But it’s well worth a trip to a movie theater – a rarity these days. And who couldn’t use a little more Joy in their lives?

“Inside Out 2” is rated PG for some thematic elements. 

Other headline stories we’re watching

(Get live updates throughout the day.)

The Monitor's View

Safe learning for children in war zones

  • Quick Read
  • Deep Read ( 2 Min. )

A new school that opened last month in Ukraine’s second-largest city is only 18 miles from Russia – with only a five-minute warning of incoming missiles. Yet Kharkiv’s primary school 155 is also on the front line of innovative efforts to ensure that children in crisis-affected countries have safe access to education.

The school is the first of many to come in Ukraine that was built with permanent underground classrooms. On opening day, a gaggle of third graders – who had never been in a physical school during two years of war – walked down 20 feet into windowless but brightly lit rooms to be taught by their teachers. “The children have dreamed of meeting their classmates,” said one father.

Now when air sirens go off, the students will not need to interrupt their studies by running to a bomb shelter. And their bunkerlike school will probably not be destroyed – as nearly 400 schools have been so far by Russian forces.

In the world’s most stressed places, says Education Cannot Wait’s executive director Yasmine Sherif, ensuring a safe education for children allows them to “draw on their resilience, heal from their experiences, develop fully and to prepare their future and unleash their potential.”

Safe learning for children in war zones

Collapse
AP
Girls practice ballet in a bomb shelter in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 18.

A new school that opened last month in Ukraine’s second-largest city is only 18 miles from Russia – with only a five-minute warning of incoming missiles. Yet Kharkiv’s primary school 155 is also on the front line of innovative efforts to ensure that children in crisis-affected countries have safe access to education.

The school is the first of many to come in Ukraine that was built with permanent underground classrooms. On opening day in mid-May, a gaggle of third graders – who had never been in a physical school during two years of war – walked down 20 feet of steps into windowless but brightly lit rooms to be taught by their teachers.

“The children have dreamed of meeting their classmates,” one father told Deutsche Welle news media.

Now when air sirens go off, the students will not need to interrupt their studies by running to a bomb shelter. And their bunkerlike school will probably not be destroyed – as nearly 400 schools have been so far by Russian forces.

Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world, said Nelson Mandela, and Ukraine wants to make sure the next generation is prepared to keep the country strong and independent.

“The Ukraine war isn’t merely about soldiers defending their homeland,” wrote American reporter Tim Mak in the news blog Counteroffensive after visiting a temporary underground school in a Kharkiv subway station. “These kids are what those soldiers are fighting to defend.”

Ukraine’s efforts to offer online schooling for some 900,000 students has been admirable, according to Education Cannot Wait, a fund for providing education in emergencies and protracted crises. From repairing bomb-damaged schools to handing out devices for remote learning, the government has prevented significant learning losses.

“We have a unique chance, with global support, to make courageous choices in creating a new education system – one that is high-quality, innovative, secure, and European,” wrote Dr. Yevhen Kudriavets, first deputy minister in Ukraine’s education ministry, in the Kyiv Post.

In the world’s most stressed places, says Education Cannot Wait’s executive director Yasmine Sherif, ensuring a safe education for children allows them to “draw on their resilience, heal from their experiences, develop fully and to prepare their future and unleash their potential.” That’s especially true inside a solid and sunken bunker in a Ukrainian war zone.

A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication – in its various forms – is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church – The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston – whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

A higher sense of freedom

  • Quick Read
  • Read or Listen ( 3 Min. )

Even when our path seems inharmonious or limited, we can look to God for a spiritual view that uplifts and frees.

A higher sense of freedom

Collapse
Today's Christian Science Perspective audio edition

I once heard the Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian David Hackett Fischer explain that he sees certain countries as each representing an ideal: for instance, New Zealand, a sense of fairness; Canada, diversity; and the United States, freedom.

Centuries before the US was founded, the Apostle Paul thought deeply about the meaning of freedom. We know of Paul’s thoughts and actions from his letters in the Bible’s New Testament as well as from the book of Acts.

As a young man, Paul sought to take away the freedom of those who followed Jesus, because he felt they were corrupting true religious doctrine and practice. Later, after he experienced a spiritual conversion and began to tell people about Christ Jesus and his teachings, he himself was the target of similar persecution and was imprisoned and beaten several times. Once, when arrested by Roman authorities, he informed his captors that he was a Roman citizen and was appealing his case to the emperor. He then traveled under guard to Rome, where even under house arrest he continued to preach.

What impresses me most about Paul and his views on freedom is that he didn’t think of freedom as just doing whatever you want. For Paul, true liberty meant freely committing to loving others and loving God, who is infinite Love. To truly do that requires selflessness.

As I’ve studied Christian Science, I’ve come to see that wherever in the world we may live, freedom is inherent in our nature as children of one entirely good, all-powerful God. In truth, beyond the human appearance of a person being born at a certain time and then evolving materially, the identity of each one of us is entirely spiritual, not born into or defined by matter. It requires spiritual sense to perceive this, but we can actually enjoy this freedom now. To me, this is the meaning of the Bible’s statement that we are created in God’s image and likeness (see Genesis 1:26, 27).

As we come home to this higher sense of ourselves, we increasingly find dominion over discord and limitation. We see more and more that rather than being limited by circumstances, human decisions, or even our own mistakes, we are governed by God’s law of harmony. And in the same way that a good mother could never want anything other than good and harmony for her child, God provides only freedom for us.

To not be a mere abstraction, the absolute truth of our present freedom must be demonstrated in our experience. That often requires soul-searching, reform, sacrifice, and unflagging persistence. Self-knowledge – an awareness of our thoughts and actions as well as an understanding of who we actually are as a child of God – can show us some stern views of who we seem to be. But the pure desire to do better, which has its origin in God, Spirit, and in our own spiritual perfection as God’s reflection, constitutes a powerful prayer that supports growth in grace.

In the Bible there are many other accounts of people expressing grace, displaying a confident sense of who they are and their present, God-given freedom. Joseph, for instance, was sold into slavery by his own brothers and falsely imprisoned, yet he continued to steadfastly follow God, rose to a prominent position, and not only saved the lives of countless others but forgave his brothers (see Genesis, chapters 37, 39-45). He expressed freedom by not thinking of himself but wanting to serve God.

Freedom meant much to the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. She grew up in a time and place where women’s ideas were generally little valued or even ridiculed. Yet, she didn’t let that stop her from valuing herself and treating graciously even critics of her ideas – especially, of her discovery of Christian Science.

In her main work, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” she includes an extended passage on freedom that begins: “Truth brings the elements of liberty. On its banner is the Soul-inspired motto, ‘Slavery is abolished.’ The power of God brings deliverance to the captive. No power can withstand divine Love” (p. 224). She goes on to say, “Love is the liberator” (p. 225).

The teaching of Christian Science that each and every one of us is free inspires us to understand the spiritual basis of true freedom and demonstrate that freedom.

Adapted from an article published in the July 4, 2022, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.

Viewfinder

At long last

Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports NPSTrans TopPic
Boston Celtics center Al Horford celebrates after winning the 2024 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden in Boston June 17. Mr. Horford holds the record for playing the most playoff games in NBA history (186) before winning his first title. He also became the first man ever born in the Dominican Republic to win an NBA championship.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Karen Norris. )

A look ahead

Thank you for joining us today. Tomorrow is the Juneteenth federal holiday in the United States, which means the next Christian Science Monitor Daily will not arrive in your inbox until Thursday. But we’ll have a package of Juneteenth stories to share in a special edition tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that. 

In the meantime, please check out Linda Feldmann’s latest Monitor Breakfast with Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, and Ken Makin’s column on how two young men of character overcame the critics to win the NBA Finals Monday night. 

Lastly, in a bit of housekeeping, we want to correct a spelling mistake in a story from last Friday on India’s new coalition government. The correct name of the party we mentioned is Janata Dal United.

More issues

2024
June
18
Tuesday

Give us your feedback

We want to hear, did we miss an angle we should have covered? Should we come back to this topic? Or just give us a rating for this story. We want to hear from you.