海角大神

President Trump鈥檚 new travel ban takes effect today. The ban on travel to the United States mainly by citizens of African and Middle Eastern countries comes amid rising tension over the president鈥檚 campaign of immigration enforcement. The ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued to U.S. diplomatic missions. 鈥� The Associated Press
Related Monitor stories: Last week we explored how this travel ban differs from previous ones. Today we look at what this weekend鈥檚 protests in Los Angeles mean for wider tensions.

Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat. Israeli forces detained Greta Thunberg and other activists on board, enforcing a longstanding blockade of the Palestinian territory that has been tightened during the war with Hamas. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition had organized the voyage to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and protest Israel鈥檚 blockade and wartime conduct. At least 12 more Palestinians were killed in Gaza Sunday as they headed toward aid distribution points. Israel said it fired warning shots. 鈥� AP
Related Monitor story: We reported from Gaza in late May on the persistent shortcomings of the current aid effort.

The Supreme Court allowed DOGE to access Social Security data. The court鈥檚 majority sided Friday with the Trump administration in its first high court appeal involving the Department of Government Efficiency. The three liberal justices dissented. The decision halted an order from a judge in Maryland restricting the team鈥檚 access to the Social Security Administration under federal privacy laws. The agency holds sensitive data 鈥� including school records, salary details, and medical information 鈥� on millions of Americans. 鈥� AP

Europe said it could sustain Ukraine鈥檚 war effort. German Maj. Gen. 海角大神 Freuding said that NATO鈥檚 European members plus Canada had already exceeded how much U.S. military aid was provided last year to Kyiv, estimated at $20 billion. Ukraine continues to receive weapons deliveries approved during the Biden administration. 鈥� Reuters

The U.S. returned Kilmar Abrego Garcia to face charges.聽Mr. Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, was brought back to the U.S. on Friday. Federal charges allege that he conspired to bring undocumented immigrants to the U.S. from Guatemala, El Salvador, and other countries. 鈥� AP

A new planetarium show helped scientists make a solar system discovery. 鈥淓ncounters in the Milky Way,鈥� which opens today at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, made waves months before its premiere. As scientists were fine-tuning the show, they noticed a spiral in the Oort Cloud, a giant shell of icy material surrounding the sun. Made of billions of comets, the formation was previously unknown to astronomers. Planetary scientist Andr茅 Izidoro told AP it amounted to a 鈥渟triking shift in our understanding of the outer solar system.鈥� 鈥� Staff

Republican moves against California have been mounting since the party took the federal government鈥檚 reins in January. The Trump administration has gone after the state鈥檚 electric vehicle mandate, transgender laws, water policy, and immigration 鈥渟anctuary鈥� status. Weekend protests following a sweep by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Friday turned violent. And in what became a dangerous power play, a few hundred National Guard troops were deployed in Los Angeles Sunday against the governor鈥檚 wishes. A question now: What might this clash mean for larger national divisions?

Elon Musk, the world鈥檚 richest man with a track record of seemingly impossible feats, came to Washington vowing to bring an ethos of innovation. But even before last week鈥檚 blowup with President Donald Trump, Mr. Musk had become bogged down in political, legal, and bureaucratic battles. While Mr. Trump has said the Department of Government Efficiency will continue, that project now faces growing skepticism, including from Republicans. 鈥淚t鈥檚 maybe easier to go to Mars than solve problems in Washington, D.C.,鈥� says Matthew Bartlett, a Republican strategist.

The election of left-leaning President Lee Jae-myung heralds a foreign policy shift for South Korea. He plans to foster friendly relations with China and reduce tensions with North Korea, in contrast with the staunchly pro-U.S. stance of his conservative predecessor. That will require a delicate recalibration, in order to maintain Seoul鈥檚 vital security relationship with the United States.

In 2022, faced with dismal outcomes for students with disabilities and pandemic-related gaps, Nebraska launched a program called 鈥淛ourney to Inclusion.鈥� The state has poured nearly $1 million of its federal COVID-19 aid into efforts to make sure students with disabilities are making academic progress and feeling included. It鈥檚 working. Between 2021 and 2024, the percentage of third grade students with disabilities who were proficient in math increased from . And their graduation rate increased from 65% to 70%.

The Hejaz Railway, an engineering marvel, was built by the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Arab revolutionaries and the British intelligence officer known as Lawrence of Arabia blew up the Hejaz in a revolt against the Ottomans. Now, as Syria emerges from civil war, plans are underway to put the railway back on track. Former conductor Mazen al-Malla can鈥檛 wait. 鈥淕od willing, when the track is repaired, I will be at the wheels of the first train,鈥� he says, standing amid twisted steel.

This basketball season, all was fun and games until my expectations took over. I wanted my son to be an all-star player. It got so bad on one play that he looked at me after making a mistake, shot his hands in the air confused about what I wanted him to do, and looked like he wanted to cry. I was embarrassed and disappointed. I apologized to him for my behavior, and took a timeout for the next couple of games. In the game of parenting, our kids can sometimes call foul. Thankfully, I was able to rebound.

Last week, the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture short-listed 19 projects across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa for its 2025 honors. They range from a refurbished boutique hotel to microlibraries as small as 107 square feet.

The selected structures weave together long-standing cultural and design traditions with current-day adaptations for climate change.

Architects in the world鈥檚 more populous and poorer regions are recognizing and revaluing local skills and resources. They鈥檙e reducing construction鈥檚 carbon footprint by eschewing glass, steel, and cement. They鈥檙e making inventive use of bamboo, mud bricks, and even recycled plastic ice-cream buckets. They鈥檙e keeping things cool with traditional ventilation and heat-reduction techniques that are electricity-free.

Such innovations can protect lives and livelihoods against higher temperatures, droughts, and flooding. Case in point: the khudi bari (small house) designed by Marina Tabassum of Bangladesh. The simple structure on bamboo stilts can be easily taken down and put back together in a safer location. Naming Ms. Tabassum as one of its 100 most influential people of 2024, Time magazine noted that she 鈥減rioritizes local cultures and values, as well as the perils faced by our shared planet.鈥�

Indonesia鈥檚 ambitious microlibraries project does this, too. It aims to get more children reading and provides a refuge from urban noise and heat. Passive climate design offers shade, rain protection, and cross breezes. Giant swings and rooftop gardens add touches of whimsy. And by involving local stakeholders in decisions about site and design, the microlibraries give communities an interest in continued use and care of these spaces.

The Pritzker Architecture Prize 鈥� the Nobel of architecture 鈥� recognized Francis K茅r茅 in 2022 for applying a similar approach in 鈥渓ands where resources are fragile and fellowship is vital.鈥� More than 20 years ago, Mr. K茅r茅 designed a primary school in his home village in Burkina Faso to function in extreme heat and without lighting. Enrollment increased fivefold; teacher housing and a library followed. Since then, he has done designs worldwide.

This emerging architectural ethos isn鈥檛 only about building with less or making do with what鈥檚 available. It鈥檚 also about reclaiming Indigenous knowledge, once considered retrograde. Even when modest materials are used, Mr. K茅r茅 believes, 鈥淓veryone deserves quality ... [and] comfort.鈥� The results, his Pritzker citation noted, embody community and compassion and are 鈥渁 source of ... lasting happiness and joy.鈥�