World

• Why Myanmar’s ‘smokescreen’ elections could still matter

  Myanmar’s junta-backed party has secured an overwhelming victory in the country’s first elections since the military seized power in 2021. While the exercise was widely denounced as a sham, some in Myanmar hope it will inch the war-torn country closer toward democratic norms.
• US immigration crackdown has Europeans rethinking ‘America’

  The immigration crackdown in Minnesota is hastening the erosion of Europeans’ esteem for their long-time ally under President Donald Trump.
• The toppling of General Zhang is ‘a Shakespearean moment’ for China

  For years, China has been working to tackle widespread corruption within its massive army. But with the toppling of a popular general and former ally, Chinese leader Xi Jinping may be sacrificing military readiness to bolster his own power.
• As US forces build in Middle East, Trump and Iran are locked in a staredown

  Amassing military forces and bolstered by Iran’s perceived vulnerability, President Donald Trump says “time is running out.” Replying with threats of its own, the Islamic Republic is trying to restore its deterrence.
• A US-backed Israel-Syria deal seems close. Why Israel has lingering concerns.

  President Donald Trump is pushing hard for a security deal between longtime U.S. ally Israel and emerging partner Syria. But Israeli suspicions, and concerns for Syria’s Druze and Kurds, are complications.

USA

• Largest batch yet of Epstein files released. They may not satisfy.

  A new tranche of files on millionaire financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released Friday have revealed some details of his communications with wealthy and powerful contacts. 
• First LookGovernment shutdown may be short, but with immigration enforcement talks ahead

  A partial government shutdown that began Saturday is expected to be brief, but it sets the stage for a debate over immigration enforcement policies and funding.
• Minneapolis inspires protest songs, from The Boss to Billy Bragg

  Billy Bragg, who just wrote and released the song “City of Heroes,” talks with the Monitor about the impact of protest songs.
• Trump taps Kevin Warsh, a Fed insider and outsider, to lead central bank

  President Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to head the Federal Reserve calmed markets, but the former member of the board of governors could also set the Fed on a new course.
• Monitor BreakfastWhat’s a ‘Yinzer’? Our reporters’ roundtable with Gov. Josh Shapiro.

  Josh Shapiro’s book tour may be laying the groundwork for a presidential run. At an event with reporters, the governor also showed his Pennsylvania roots.

Editorials

• The Monitor's ViewThe audacity of Trump’s choice as Fed chief

  The Senate needs to probe Kevin Warsh, the nominee to head the central bank, on his ideas about the creative role of Americans in fighting inflation. By probing nominee Kevin Warsh on his views about tapping the ingenuity of Americans to fight inflation, the Senate may uncover new thinking on a bold approach.
• The Monitor's ViewAmid big-power politics, small nations forge bonds

  From the Caribbean to West Africa to Southeast Asia, lesser powers build bridges to not “allow fear and insecurity to define us.”
• EditorialsA consequential American moment

  Americans are grappling with a highly polarized political environment. The Monitor’s approach is not to tell you what to think – it’s to serve you with fair-minded reporting.
• EditorialsWhat national anniversaries can show us

  Twenty-five years ago, Zohran Mamdani's mayoral victory in New York City may have seemed culturally and politically impossible. His rise to leadership reflects an evolution of thought among New Yorkers
• The Monitor's ViewA Europe grateful for reproofs

  Amid criticism from friendly leaders, the EU holds an emergency summit to find ways to boost innovation and productivity. Its leaders even thank the continent’s bashers.

Economy

• How profits and resources drive foreign policy in the Trump era

  Responding in part to Chinese competition, President Trump is more aggressively leveraging economic tools in foreign policy, from Venezuela to Greenland.
• The Trump economy: No recession, but no boom either

  So far, predictions that President Trump’s tariffs would drive up inflation have not been borne out. But expect to hear more political debate about affordability this year.
• Powell pushes back on Fed probe as Trump denies intimidation charge

  Fed Chair Jerome Powell, backed by past chairs and bipartisan lawmakers, accuses the Trump administration of using a DOJ criminal probe to force lower interest rates.
• 2026 could be a ‘defining’ year for AI, from shopping to electricity

  Artificial intelligence impacts grew in 2025. Experts say the technology is poised to become an even greater part of people’s daily lives in 2026.
• Trump wants US companies to produce Venezuelan oil. But will they?

  In its takeover of Venezuela, the Trump administration aims to give U.S. Gulf Coast refineries access to the country’s large reserves of heavy oil.

Environment

• A year after LA wildfires, slow recovery but ‘a feeling of hope’

  The Eaton and Palisades wildfires destroyed 13,000 homes, and left thousands more uninhabitable. Some survivors are frustrated at the pace of recovery. 
• EPA’s new clean-water rules: What a farmer, builder, and scientist say

  The EPA proposes to narrow the scope of a key part of the Clean Water Act – a change criticized by environmental groups but welcomed by businesses.
• FocusRegaining a sense of place: People and culture come first after Lahaina wildfire

  After the deadliest fire in 100 years of U.S. history, houses are rising from the ground once again in Hawaii. But the people of Lahaina are trying to do more than rebuild buildings – they are also trying to rebuild their culture.
• Cover StoryMake Oil Great Again? Even California drills as global climate action stalls.

  Gov. Gavin Newsom made green energy a priority. But as President Donald Trump makes oil the focus of U.S. energy policy, even California considers “Drill, baby, drill.”
• The ExplainerClimate money is flowing around the globe. Sometimes, corruption makes it disappear.

  Protesters accuse the Philippine government of misusing billions in climate money. One issue concerns whether such spending reaches the most vulnerable.

Technology

• China’s humanoid robots are gaining ground – but they’re not there yet

  The U.S. and China are racing to build humanoid robots capable of performing many daily tasks – but the complexity of home and business environments makes that challenging. 
• 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.

Science

• Russia sees opportunity in thawing Arctic. But it’s looking for partners, too.

  Russia is ramping up efforts to take advantage of the opening Arctic, both through military and economic means, and through international cooperation.
• Difference Maker‘The tools to imagine solutions’: Science educator inspires Pakistani children

  Science Fuse, a social enterprise, primarily teaches children in impoverished areas, including the Machar Colony slum area in Karachi.
• Trump sees a ‘con’ in climate change. Xi sees cash.

  While President Trump decries climate change as a “con,” China’s Xi Jinping is going all-in on green tech. The latter approach is providing some hope as the COP30 climate conference gathers in Brazil.
• Cover StoryMake Oil Great Again? Even California drills as global climate action stalls.

  Gov. Gavin Newsom made green energy a priority. But as President Donald Trump makes oil the focus of U.S. energy policy, even California considers “Drill, baby, drill.”
• The ExplainerClimate money is flowing around the globe. Sometimes, corruption makes it disappear.

  Protesters accuse the Philippine government of misusing billions in climate money. One issue concerns whether such spending reaches the most vulnerable.

Culture

• Minneapolis inspires protest songs, from The Boss to Billy Bragg

  Billy Bragg, who just wrote and released the song “City of Heroes,” talks with the Monitor about the impact of protest songs.
• Warming up to winter: How I learned to lean into the season

  When the doldrums and darker days of winter descend, embrace the renewal, and exuberance, of the season. 
• In Oscar-nominated ‘One Battle After Another,’ a message for a troubled America?

  In “One Battle After Another,” nominated for best picture, the risks of political extremism come to the fore in a film that might feel uncomfortably close to the current news cycle.
• Southeastern Spain has a dry landscape. Sensor technology is bearing fruit.

  Advances in agricultural tech play a key role in ensuring that crops receive what they need, particularly under extreme environmental conditions. 
• Trash night had something to show me. I just had to look up.

  When the world’s worries threaten to weigh you down, step outside. It’s a welcome reminder of how small we are in this great, big universe.

Books

• How an Iraqi Jewish family grew roots in a new land

  In her memoir “Always Carry Salt,” Samantha Ellis builds “an ark” for the next generation of her family. It involves culture, cuisine, and history.
• Snow day? No better time to dive into January’s 10 best books.

  Our reviewers’ picks for this month include a tribute to winter, a police blotter’s-worth of mysteries, and a real-life spy thriller involving the KGB.
• What trees mean to Russia, through a history of war and peace

  Sophie Pinkham’s “The Oak and the Larch” traces how Russian history and literature have shaped – and been shaped by – its deep forests.
• How Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson ended up pitted against each other

  Author Howard Bryant juxtaposes the politics and power of the two men in “Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America.”
• One man held the keys to KGB records. He turned them over to MI6.

  “The Spy in the Archive” by Gordon Corera spotlights a KGB archivist whose actions led to the biggest counterintelligence bonanza of the postwar period.