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Christian Science Monitor (Last Updated: 2023-09-28)

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World

∙ Will libertarian be Argentina’s next president? Broad discontent fuels rise.Promises of big change from Argentina’s libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei speak to a population disappointed by decades of social and economic woes.

∙ In Maldives presidential election, China and India are on the ballotIn the Maldives, voters have an opportunity to recalibrate their foreign policy by electing either a pro-China or pro-India president.

∙ Schooling the teachers, from California to CambodiaProgress roundup: A pipeline for early childhood education teachers is boosting ranks. In Cambodia, a World Bank program impacted 450,000 students.

∙ To forge bonds, Ukraine tries to bring kids back into schools – safelyAnother academic year is starting amid war in Ukraine, and some students are going back into classrooms. Schools have to fortify their facilities, but educators and parents view the in-person experience as worth the risk.

∙ Armenians flee victorious Azerbaijani troops in Nagorno-KarabakhEthnic Armenians are fleeing their historic homeland in Nagorno-Karabakh, mistrustful of Azerbaijani promises to treat them fairly in the wake of Baku’s military victory.

USA

∙ Poll confirms Black perceptions: US news coverage is racistPew Research Center conducted its first-ever study of Black attitudes toward news coverage. Their findings confirmed broad concerns about negative stereotyping and lack of diversity in portraying different aspects of Black communities.

∙ Biden impeachment probe opens – the evidence so far“I am sitting here with my father,” opens one text message from Hunter Biden to a Chinese businessman. But so far, a Republican impeachment inquiry still awaits firm evidence of impropriety by Joe Biden.

∙ No room in the dorm? California students get creative with housing.Soaring rents and overcrowded dorms are making housing a priority on many U.S. campuses. How is one state trying to ease the burden and help students feel more at home?

∙ Trump fraud verdict: What does the New York ruling mean?A judge in New York has ruled that Donald Trump committed fraud for years while building his real estate empire. If appeals are unsuccessful, some of the former president’s key businesses in the state will be taken out of his control or dissolved entirely.

∙ Consumers rely on Amazon. So why did the FTC file an antitrust suit?In Washington state, Amazon is facing an antitrust lawsuit. The FTC and 17 state attorneys general are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction to prohibit Amazon from engaging in its alleged unlawful conduct and restore marketplace competition.

Commentary

∙ Why do they hate us? Lehane’s latest novel helped me answer that.Often, community involves a sense of belonging. But our contributor sees in Dennis Lehane’s new novel, “Small Mercies,” that belonging can become a trap if not tempered by openness to others.

∙ In India-Canada row, a tug toward faithAs the two nations debate the killing of a Canadian Sikh, Hindus and Sikhs across the Indian state of Punjab help Muslim neighbors erect and restore places for Islamic worship.

∙ Safety for fleeing ArmeniansArmenia’s democratic progress and drift toward Europe are one reason the refugees are exiting the reach of authoritarian Azerbaijan.

∙ Labor pacts that ennobleThe strikes in Hollywood and at car plants reflect how both workers and employers appreciate capacity for individual growth.

∙ Big thanks for a Mideast mediatorA quiet, neutral facilitator of dialogue, Oman played an outsize role in the region’s recent breakthroughs for peace.

Economy

∙ Rebuilding after wildfire: Help is scarcest for those who need it mostAfter a major wildfire, low-income residents are the ones who find insurance and loans hardest to access. That’s a challenge for the whole community.

∙ Workers expand strike against automakers amid dueling visionsStriking U.S. autoworkers say their pay has stagnated while executive compensation has soared. The companies emphasize the uncertainty to be faced in a period of innovation and transition.

∙ Murdoch, controversial media giant, to be succeeded by son at Fox NewsRupert Murdoch, the Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox Corp. and News Corp. His son, Lachlan Murdoch, will control both companies.

∙ Why ‘out of control’ tipping persists – for nowSurveys show Americans are souring on tipping, especially as technology permits more frequent requests, aka “tip creep.”

∙ Historic auto worker strike hits all three Detroit automakersThousands of auto workers walked out at midnight Friday after contract negotiations failed to make progress. The limited strike, which currently affects three Midwest assembly plants, is the first to affect all three Detroit automakers simultaneously.

Environment

∙ Power lines sparked Maui fire. But the area was overgrown for years.Investigators hunting for the origin of last month’s Maui wildfire are focusing on an overgrown gully beneath Hawaiian Electric Co. power lines. The company denies responsibility, though some allege that its right-of-way went untrimmed for years.

∙ Teens to lead Europe's first climate change human rights caseA group of young Portuguese activists plan to take 32 European governments to court for what they say is a failure to adequately address human-caused climate change. It’s the first climate change case to be filed with the European Court of Human Rights.

∙ Miyawaki: A little forest with a towering task (video)A Japanese method of planting fast-growing native forests is spreading worldwide. How it brings “grounded hope” to one of its U.S. practitioners, and nurtures a sense of community around its sites.

Technology

∙ Georgia leads toward a nuclear future with its first operating reactorGeorgia 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.

∙ Cellphone at 50: Its inventor reflects on mobile advances and risksCellphone 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.

∙ What 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.

∙ Internet speech: Supreme Court to weigh who is protected onlineTwo 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.

∙ ‘Tremendous potential’: Why some disability advocates laud ChatGPTChatGPT 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

∙ Spacecraft sends sample from asteroid 50 million miles awayAfter traveling for seven years and 4 billion miles, NASA's spacecraft returns a capsule to earth with a sample of rubble from the asteroid Bennu.

∙ If you map it, they will come: The effort to chart the seafloorJournalist Laura Trethewey plunges into the intense race to map the oceans – and the potential for exploitation of one of the planet’s few remaining frontiers.

∙ Tastes like chicken? ‘Cultured meat’ arrives on menus.“Cultured chicken” is approved for sale in the U.S. Supporters tout environmental benefits, and critics raise concerns over cost and practicality.

∙ In with a bang: The James Webb Space Telescope after one yearIt’s pretty pictures – and so much more. The range and precision of the James Webb Space Telescope are transforming cosmological research.

∙ In Brazil, a scientist’s quest to save endangered ‘hippie monkey’The northern muriqui, a highly endangered monkey species of Brazil, are known as peaceful gardeners who spread seeds through the Amazon forest and collaborate more than they compete. How one scientist has been working for four decades to save it.

Culture

∙ Hollywood writers got their deal. What happens next?The Writers Guild of America is the latest union to score big wins in 2023. But with Hollywood in flux, will writers be able to hold on to a middle-class life long term?

∙ ‘Hair Love’ to heir love: An animated look at Black family“Young Love,” now on Max, is about detangling more than hair. Its portrayal of the Black experience offers a journey into the nature of love.

∙ At this Minnesota food lab, Native culture is on the menuFor many, traditional recipes offer a way of honoring one’s heritage. Meet the Native chefs helping restore that sense of cultural memory at a new food lab in Minnesota.

∙ How a classical pianist reinvents herself in major and minor waysPianist Simone Dinnerstein is returning to the stage on Sept. 23, at a concert presented by Emmanuel Music at Tufts University in Boston.

Books

∙ Truth, forgiveness, and exploration: 10 best September readsIn our favorite books for this month, characters discover much about themselves through their relationships – along with quests for truth.

∙ To explain Jerusalem’s conflicts, she wrote a young adult novelJournalist Ruth Marks Eglash talks about her debut novel, “Parallel Lines,” a poignant account of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict told through the eyes of three teenage girls.

∙ In two memoirs, authors of color meditate on birding and identityTwo authors, one Black and one Native American, explore the complex ways their love for birding is mediated by racial identity.