World

• The ExplainerEnd of dollar dominance? Trump tariffs are decreasing trust in US currency.

  The turmoil around President Donald Trump’s tariffs caused investors to flee U.S. Treasury bonds – which didn’t happen even in recent economic crises.
• Trump reignites South African debate over white farmers: Persecuted or privileged?

  The Trump administration promises to resettle South Africa’s white Afrikaner community as refugees in the U.S. Many in South Africa wonder why.
• Trump and Xi test rival styles of strongman leadership in tariff war

  The U.S.-China trade war could be decided by leaders’ differing styles. Mr. Trump acts on impulse, Mr. Xi prefers the pursuit of strategic goals.
• Offering hope and community, soccer helps Somalis heal from war

  In Somalia, amputee soccer is giving young people with disabilities a new lease on life. 
• Difference MakerPakistani women stitch a new future for themselves while shattering barriers

  The Behbud Association teaches women to sew and embroider so that they can lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

USA

• Some decry Trump disruptions. These voters exult in them.

  Just as President Trump’s vision for America has intensified in his second stint in Washington, so, too, has his strongest supporters’ admiration.
• How a deportation case is turning into a tussle over presidential authority

  The leaders of the United States and El Salvador say they can't be forced to return a man deported in error from the U.S., setting up a struggle between the executive branch and the courts. 
• First LookExplained: The legal fight to stop Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation

  Mr. Khalil, detained last month under a protest crackdown, remains in custody in Louisiana as his attorneys appeal his deportation and consider an asylum claim. 
• To speed deportations, Trump revives rarely used laws

  President Trump has tapped existing but rarely used laws to aid his immigration actions. Supporters see pragmatism, while critics warn of overreach.
• After Gaza protests, more colleges try out an old-fashioned ideal: Civility

  Everyone has read about the protests and encampments on campuses in response to the war in Gaza. What hasn’t gotten headlines are the more than 100 universities that have launched civility initiatives in their wake.

Commentary

• The Monitor's ViewLebanon digs deep for its identity

  Torn by war and a once-dominant Hezbollah militia, the country looks to shared culture and other bonding ways to heal sectarian divides.
• The Monitor's ViewHow social trust propels Ivory Coast

  Better cohesion among a diverse population has helped Ivory Coast become a model in economic progress. Now it may do the same in politics if a new generation takes over.
• The Monitor's ViewWhy Iran and US need Oman

  The wisdom of Oman as a patient, listening go-between will be essential for negotiating a new deal over Iran’s nuclear program and its proxy militias.
• The Monitor's ViewIn tariff tiffs, the art of compromise

  Europe’s calm and measured response to the Trump tariffs takes the long view and relies on patient deliberation.
• The Monitor's ViewWhat a Jewish-Muslim bond can do

  Azerbaijan, a largely Muslim nation that lives in harmony with its Jewish minority, helps mediate between Israel and Turkey over their sparring in Syria.

Economy

• Why Trump’s ‘madman theory’ tactics could run aground amid trade reversals

  Is there a method behind the Trump administration’s madness? Yes, on both negotiation tactics and long-term economic strategy. But the path to get there is not only rocky; it’s full of pitfalls.
• Tariff chaos tests the status of Treasury bonds as a haven of safety

  The normally staid bond market's latest gyrations suggest that foreign governments, banks, and investors are losing confidence in the U.S. – and upset over President Trump's tariff program. 
• From cellphones to cars, some shoppers stock up before tariffs inflate prices

  Many Americans are cutting back on services and focusing on buying goods that may get more expensive with tariffs. 
• What do tariffs mean for carmaking and US communities? Clues from one Georgia town.

  A new Hyundai plant hints at how foreign carmakers may look to expand U.S. operations to soften President Trump’s tariffs, and how local economies may adapt.
• The ExplainerMarkets are reeling over Trump tariffs. Why it’s hard to win a trade war.

  President Donald Trump may be igniting a global trade war with big new tariffs. Here’s what it may mean for consumers and the economy.

Environment

• Points of ProgressGo with the flow: How to squeeze water from fog, and why to remove a dam

  Progress roundup: Small dams across the U.S. are being removed for safety, water quality, and wildlife. And a desert in Chile yields water from fog.
• A tree grows in Altadena: LA community tries to save its fire-damaged canopy

  In a California community where wildfires displaced thousands of residents, arborists and locals are trying to save the area’s unique canopy of trees.
• Florida manatees find warmth at power plants. They may need a new solution.

  Development has cut off many springs that manatees need to survive winter. Warm water now draws them to power plants, but decarbonization means that a more fundamental – and difficult – fix may be called for.
• Points of ProgressThe rights of animals and the environment, from Mexico to Nepal

  Progress roundup: Nepal’s Supreme Court disallowed development in protected areas. And in Mexico, Congress put animal welfare in the constitution.
• Waste not, want not? How Massachusetts became the only state to reduce food waste.

  Every year, Americans discard 92 billion pounds of food. Massachusetts is on the leading edge of states trying to capture and divert food waste.

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

• From retail to the military, ‘intelligent connectivity’ raises ethical dilemmas

  Artificial intelligence, 5G networks, and the Internet of Things are used increasingly often in spaces from retail to the military, raising privacy and ethical considerations. 
• The world’s bananas are at risk. A volcanic island might protect them.

  Cavendish bananas are under threat from a fungus that has wiped out other varieties. The island of La Palma may have the conditions to protect them.
• NASA astronauts’ return is near. Their long, unlikely trip puts focus on resilience.

  An eight-day mission for two astronauts to the International Space Station turned into nine months. NASA crews work to prepare for unforeseen events like this.
• US science funding was a bipartisan priority. Now it’s a target of federal cuts.

  The Trump administration aims to overhaul publicly funded science. Critics say cuts could undermine U.S. leadership that has fueled significant advancements.
• Earth’s green evolution gave rise to everything from dinosaurs to dandelions

  Paleontologist Riley Black traces the cooperation among plants, animals, and ecosystems in “When the Earth Was Green.”

Culture

• Lessons from the suburbs: Good garden shears make good neighbors

  I loved the privacy of my green fortress. Until we hacked the hedge and opened up our world.
• Mario Vargas Llosa ‘put Peru on the world’s literary map’

  Mario Vargas Llosa, who died April 13, helped ignite intellectual fervor in Peru, while his writings stoked the imagination of the world.
• Despite victories in court, faith groups struggle to help refugees

  Many religions center “welcoming the stranger” as a mandate. What will come next for faith-based refugee groups as their ability to practice a good Samaritan approach is tested by Trump administration orders halting refugees?
• Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.

  For National Poetry Month, we talk with Richard Blanco, whose “One Today” poem was read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
• Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.

  For National Poetry Month, we talk with Richard Blanco, whose “One Today” poem was read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.

Books

• Skulduggery among the heirloom tomatoes in ‘The Fact Checker’

  A madcap mystery novel riffs on two New York institutions: the fact-checking department of a New Yorker-like magazine and the city’s farmers markets.
• Mario Vargas Llosa ‘put Peru on the world’s literary map’

  Mario Vargas Llosa, who died April 13, helped ignite intellectual fervor in Peru, while his writings stoked the imagination of the world.
• Spring’s great reads have sprung! Here are April’s 10 best.

  April’s 10 best books range from short stories set in LA to a climate-change novel to a reappraisal of the American Revolution and its effects on other countries.
• Richard Blanco turned from civil engineer to poet. Now he builds with words.

  For National Poetry Month, we talk with Richard Blanco, whose “One Today” poem was read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration.
• First LookIn Navy library’s DEI purge, books on feminism, racism, Holocaust

  Maya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” was among nearly 400 volumes removed from the Naval Academy’s library after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office ordered the school to get rid of those promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.