海角大神

The Pentagon is engaged in a face-off over AI. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic until Friday to grant the U.S. military unrestricted use of its artificial-intelligence technology. The AI company wants to set limits because it says its standards don鈥檛 allow its technology to be used for mass surveillance of Americans or for the development of autonomous weapons not under human control. The company risks losing a $200 million military contract. Separately this week, Anthropic amended its ethics policy, no longer pledging to pause the training of more powerful AI models if the firm can鈥檛 control them and ensure safety.

Pakistan bombed Kabul and other cities in Afghanistan. The strikes on Friday morning follow months of escalating cross-border clashes. Islamabad accuses its neighbor of failing to rein in militant groups launching attacks in Pakistan. The neighboring states reached a cease-fire last October brokered by Qatar and Turkey. Relations have deteriorated since then. Pakistan鈥檚 defense minister declared that the two countries are now at 鈥渙pen war.鈥� U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on both sides to respect international law.

Hong Kong鈥檚 crackdown on political dissent widened. In a first, an聽activist鈥檚 family was targeted. A聽Hong Kong court invoked the territory鈥檚 sweeping national security law to sentence Kwok Yin-sang 鈥� father of US-based pro-democracy activist Anna Kwok 鈥� to eight months in prison for trying to withdraw funds from her insurance policy. Ms. Kwok鈥檚 organization condemned the decision as 鈥渘aked transnational repression鈥� and retaliation for her advocacy. In another Hong Kong case, prominent activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai had a rare win and was cleared of fraud convictions, but will stay in prison under a 20-year sentence handed down by a national security court.

The U.S. will provide passport services in a West Bank settlement. It is the first time the United States has set up consular services within Israeli settlements, which are considered illegal by the international community. Israel welcomed the announcement of the services, scheduled for Friday in the expanding Efrat settlement. The Palestinian Authority claimed the initiative 鈥渃onstitutes a clear violation of international law.鈥� The services signal a shift in U.S. policy, which has previously avoided legitimizing settlements. A spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy rejected that there has been a change in policy.

South Korea relaunched a panel to investigate its overseas adoption program. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission will review the more than 2,100 unresolved complaints left over from a previous commission, including 311 cases from adoptees in the West. The investigation stems from findings that showed the South Korean government played a role in sending about 200,000 children overseas for adoption from the 1970s to the early 2000s, often in a corrupt or illegal manner. The previous probe elicited an apology from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, whose government announced plans to discontinue foreign adoptions by 2029.

More journalists were killed in 2025 than in any other year on record. A report by the Committee To Protect Journalists found that 129 press members were killed last year, the second year in a row with a record number of deaths. In both 2024 and 2025, Israel was responsible for two-thirds of all press killings, and in 2025, it was responsible for 81% of the 47 鈥渋ntentionally targeted鈥� journalist killings. In a statement, CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said, 鈥淲e are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.鈥� The Israeli military said the CPJ report was 鈥渂ased on general allegations, data of unknown origin and pre-determined conclusions.鈥�

鈥� Compiled by Monitor writers around the world

President Donald Trump has issued orders to tighten rules around voting and demanded states turn over voter rolls. Last month, the FBI raided an election center in Georgia. Most of these moves are being fought over in court, as the fall midterm elections approach.

After anti-regime protests were suppressed with unprecedented lethality, students at more than half a dozen Iranian universities have courageously protested for days, despite the hard-line leadership鈥檚 portrayal of all protesters as 鈥渢errorists鈥� and 鈥渃riminals.鈥�

In politically red Texas, Democrats rarely have hope. But their U.S. Senate primary race features two candidates whose contrasting styles and online reach are giving the party a jolt of energy.

The misconduct investigation into the former Prince Andrew is putting the British monarchy under a harsh glare 鈥� and giving new energy to chronic questions about whether it should still exist. But the institution鈥檚 evolution is already underway.

According to United Nations criteria, Taiwan recently joined the ranks of 鈥渟uper-aged鈥� societies, in which 1 in 5 residents are age 65 or older. A baseball league is keeping older adults active.

A rare case of consensus in Washington is that low-income workers need a nudge to put money into financial markets and build a safe nest egg beyond Social Security. Enter Donald Trump during his State of the Union speech on Tuesday. He is the latest president to find a welcome in Congress for a plan aimed at lowering barriers for individuals to invest in the economy and easily retire after a lifetime of work.

The plan鈥檚 full details are yet to come, but they reflect a centurylong trend to create an equality of opportunity for access to capital markets 鈥� with built-in guardrails for risks of loss. Such plans are based on the idea that every person has the mental worthiness to build financial worth.

Many Americans are already ahead of this latest government project. In 2024, the share of 25-year-olds with investment accounts was 37%, up sixfold from 2015. And the share of families owning publicly traded stock has nearly doubled since 1989, reaching over 60%.

Yet despite this 鈥渄emocratization鈥� in investing, as many as 42% of full-time working adults do not have access to tax-advantaged savings accounts, such as 401(k)s offered by most big employers. For part-time workers, the number is 79%. The Trump plan, like those under Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama as well as in a bipartisan bill in Congress, would offer new incentives for such workers to set aside earnings for retirement.

The president鈥檚 proposal is based on the existing retirement program for federal employees. It would offer up to $1,000 in annual government matching to a self-directed retirement account as a way to end what Mr. Trump calls a 鈥済ross disparity鈥� in access to tax-free savings.

Just how the plan would affect 401(k) accounts, as well as efforts in many states to help low-income workers gain access to retirement plans, remains to be worked out. But Washington now has political momentum to enable financial sovereignty for all individuals in preparing for retirement.

The United States has made progress in equality on many fronts 鈥� gender, race, religion, and disabilities. To take liberties with one of Martin Luther King Jr.鈥檚 famous quotes: The arc toward financial freedom in one鈥檚 golden years is long, but it bends toward equal opportunity.