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The optics were awful. Even as VIPs in Jerusalem dedicated the relocated US Embassy, Israeli soldiers killed dozens of Palestinian protesters in Gaza. But beyond the timing, the partisan nature of the move has broader implications for Mideast peace and US diplomacy.

Immigration has long been one of the most intractable issues in Congress. But our reporter sees signs of movement. Facing tough reelection battles, some moderate House Republicans are trying to force legislative action to help "Dreamers."

Land is often associated with stability. But the residents of Hawaii have long known that their relationship with Mother Nature is dynamic. Many are responding to the latest volcanic eruption with grace, resilience, and respect.

Health-care workers are by definition service oriented. So, a hospital strike 鈥� withholding care 鈥� presents inherent ethical challenges for them. But in Nigeria, the situation is in desperate need of improvement.

For many women, especially women judges and lawyers, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is more than just a role model. She's "Notorious RBG." But the emergence of justices as pop political icons, some say, could weaken the judicial system.

If you鈥檙e reading this with a critical eye, welcome to the crowd. In recent years, more American high schools have begun to teach 鈥渕edia literacy,鈥� especially during an era of 鈥渇ake news.鈥� More news outlets now offer truth checks on public statements. And as the United States heads into an election, voters will be reminded of how Russia manipulated social media in an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Yet for all the training and advice given to news consumers, how much do they really end up becoming earnest truth-seekers?

One 2003 study of an 11th-grade class on media literacy found students were better able to recognize 鈥渢he complex blurring鈥� of information and entertainment in nonfiction media. But there was a problem. The effects of the training wore off after a year. Media literacy is still a work in progress.

Perhaps the best lab to test such training is Ukraine, which has long been a target of fake news and is on the front line of the information wars.聽

Since 2014, when a popular revolution overthrew a pro-Kremlin regime, Russia has conducted a massive disinformation campaign in its neighboring state, probably to sow division and steer Ukraine from joining Western organizations or becoming a showcase for democracy.

Many journalists in Ukraine have tried to counter the falsehoods. But that may not be working. Only 1 in 4 Ukrainians trusts the media. The alternative is to train Ukrainians to become long-term discerners of media accuracy and manipulation.

In an experiment funded by Canada, more than 15,000 Ukrainians participated in workshops in 2015-16 that trained them to 鈥渂etter identify fake news stories and actively seek out high-quality news and information.鈥� The course was particularly focused on recognizing deliberate efforts to manipulate people鈥檚 emotions through misleading content. To measure the impact of the training, researchers from the nonprofit IREX used a control group. And they relied on trainers embedded in their local organizations or community.

The results, released May 15, are encouraging.

Participants in the training program, called Learn to Discern, were 13 percent better than peers at identifying and analyzing fake news stories 鈥� even 1-1/2 years after completing the program.聽In addition, 25 percent were more likely to check multiple sources.

Participants rated themselves as more proficient in three ways:

• When I am misinformed by the news media, I can do something about it.
• If I pay attention to multiple sources of information, I can avoid being misinformed.
• If I take the right actions, I can stay informed.

The course was so successful that IREX is now piloting the approach in Arizona and New Jersey.

One result really stood out. Those who took the course were eager to share their new skills with others. Researchers estimate that more than 90,000 people indirectly benefited.

This finding fits with what the late Swedish researcher Hans Rosling calls 鈥渇actfulness,鈥� or the practice of perceiving what qualifies as news over the course of time. News discernment, he once wrote, is 鈥渦nderstanding as a source of mental peace.鈥�

With the right training in media literacy, perhaps more people can gain that peace.