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Iraq’s first census in decades did not reduce citizens to stereotypes of sect or ethnicity. All the better to avoid wars driven by identity politics.

President Donald Trump has sown alarm worldwide by moving to close down USAID, which distributes more foreign aid than any other organization.

Part of President Trump’s remolding of the federal workforce is an in-person work requirement. Already most federal employees aren’t eligible for remote work.

The hard math of fiscal responsibility: Elon Musk’s disruption of entire federal agencies, even if it works, would leave the biggest drivers of federal deficits untouched.

F​rom accessing computers to halting spending and firing workers, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are testing the legal limits of executive branch power.

Whatever becomes of President Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and resettle the Palestinians there, the Arab world is not on board. Many consider the plan a form of what the U.N. terms “ethnic cleansing.” Some say it could lead to war.

Sales of the Bible far surpassed those of other books last year, especially among young people, hinting at an “openness” to spiritual solutions.

New Orleans started the new year with a terror attack that shook the U.S. One month later, 125,000 people are flying in for Super Bowl LIX. The city says it’s ready.

Canadians are worried about the threat of a U.S. trade war. But Donald Trump done something they didn’t expect: bolster their patriotic pride.

While President Trump has ridiculed past U.S. military deployments and nation-building efforts, he has consistently been drawn to Mideast diplomacy. But his proposal to “own” and develop the Gaza Strip and displace its population has many questioning how serious he is.

After President Trump won a second term, the Monitor spoke with parents around the world about their hopes and fears for the future. Here we catch up with one parent – a Venezuelan mother – who made her way to Mexico, but is now preparing a reverse trek south.

Other places hit by wildfires advise Los Angeles to rebuild public spaces that capture the generosity and bonds felt among neighbors.

Wine has been as iconically French as a baguette or the Eiffel Tower. But for many young French, wine has lost its appeal, especially when it is alcoholic.

When it feels like the world has gone to pieces, find solace in your happy place. These blissful escapes can be more than dots on a map.

People ages 18 to 34 who say they drink fell from 73% in the early 2000s to 59% in 2024, according to Gallup. That’s the lowest this century.

President Trump is wrong when he says China controls the Panama Canal. But the U.S. rival does have influence there, and the administration is moving to counter it.

Possible widespread firings of FBI​ agents are raising concerns about ​the agency’s ability to keep the public safe and to be politically independent.

Bonny Reichert’s ”How To Share an Egg” celebrates the survival of her Jewish family, measured in joyous family dinners.

In postponing some threatened tariffs but not others, U.S. President Donald Trump is sowing uncertainty for businesses and consumers in his own country and abroad. His tactics could score some wins, but also carry big risks.

Joyful family reunions that the ceasefire has enabled in Israel are being echoed in the West Bank and Gaza. But few freed Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were jailed for decades, knew much of the Gaza war, or its staggering costs.

A newly liberated people are embracing their diversity in comedy clubs and marketplaces, sending a message to their de facto leader, a former Islamist rebel.

In San Francisco, an approach that gifts cellphones to homeless people – with someone on the other end – helps to forge human connection.

Progress roundup: With safety and well-being in mind, Warsaw’s measures halved traffic fatalities. And Sri Lanka’s capital is restoring wetlands.