海角大神

U.S. Senators chase a deadline.聽Republicans in the upper chamber of Congress were still trying to pass President聽Donald Trump's聽sweeping tax-cut and spending bill聽early on Tuesday morning, despite divisions within the party about its expected $3.3 trillion hit to the nation鈥檚 debt pile. Senators voted through the night on amendments by Republicans and the minority Democrats. Mr. Trump said he wanted the legislation on his desk by July 4. 鈥� Reuters

Elon Musk promised a new political party if Trump鈥檚 spending bill passes. He vowed Monday to unseat lawmakers who backed the legislation after campaigning on limiting government spending and called for a new 鈥淎merica Party.鈥� The tech mogul has repeatedly expressed frustration with what he sees as bipartisan indifference to ballooning government debt. 鈥� Reuters
Our coverage: We looked last month at why Mr. Musk鈥檚 efforts to transform the government fizzled out.

An Israeli airstrike hit a seaside cafe in Gaza. One of the few businesses to continue operating during the 20-month war, the cafe was a gathering spot for residents seeking internet access and a place to charge their phones. Monday strikes reportedly killed at least 60 people across Gaza in some of the heaviest attacks in weeks, as Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by President Donald Trump. 鈥� The Associated Press, Reuters

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Los Angeles聽for being a 鈥渟anctuary city.鈥� The , filed Monday, targets the city, City Council, and Mayor Karen Bass, stating that their refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities violates federal law. It also states that the policy contributed to recent 鈥渓awlessness, rioting, looting and vandalism,鈥� necessitating the deployment of the National Guard and Marines. The city is considering filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to force it to stop unconstitutional stops and arrests of LA residents. 鈥� Staff

Nations gathered in Spain to tackle global poverty.聽In an effort to close the gap between rich and poor nations, over 70 world leaders adopted the so-called Seville Commitment on Monday at a UN conference on financing for development. It calls for a tripling of lending by multilateral development banks, scaling up of private financing in areas like infrastructure, and reforms to help countries deal with rising debt, among other measures. The United States pulled out of the process earlier this month. 鈥� AP

The Trump administration found Harvard failed to protect Jewish students. The administration on Monday intensified its battle with Harvard University, formally finding the school tolerated antisemitism 鈥� a step that could jeopardize all of Harvard鈥檚 federal funding, including federal student aid. In a statement, Harvard said it strongly disagrees with the findings and is committed to fighting bias. 鈥� AP

The U.S. lifted sanctions on Syria.聽President Trump signed an executive order on Monday terminating a sanctions program on Syria, allowing an end to the country鈥檚 isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington鈥檚 pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war. The move allows the U.S. to maintain some sanctions, such as those on Syria鈥檚 ousted former president Bashar al-Assad, human rights abusers, and the Islamic State. 鈥� Reuters

For the 17 years he spent as an officer in the United States Agency for International Development, William Bradley鈥檚 life was a series of assignments: Build latrines in Benin. Help farmers in Afghanistan. Oversee agriculture projects in Cambodia, Guinea, and Senegal. On Friday, he sat at his kitchen table in Minneapolis and, as instructed,聽he punched two holes on the bottom of the diplomatic passport that he's had for roughly two decades. He photographed those holes on his cellphone. Then, he emailed the government proof that his career was over. The Monitor followed him as he tried to figure out next steps.

With his stunning rise in New York politics, Zohran Mamdani demonstrated a remarkable crossover appeal for a democratic socialist. It鈥檚 too early to say whether the race will portend a fundamental reordering of the Democratic Party similar to the Republican tea party revolt in the 2010s. But with charisma, a masterful use of video, and a message that emphasized New Yorkers鈥� economic insecurities, Mr. Mamdani 鈥� who could become the city鈥檚 first Muslim mayor 鈥� won large majorities of voters, from Latino neighborhoods to conservative outer boroughs with sizable Asian populations.

In northwestern Spain, where the Celtic sounds of Galician pipers evoke ancient trade routes, a run-of-the-mill town grapples with a new era of human movement. Last fall, 130 young men arrived from Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria seeking asylum from war and persecution. At first they were welcomed by the residents of Monterroso. But as time goes on, the town is becoming a microcosm of the tensions brewing across Europe over immigration.聽

A cross section of U.S. progressive and conservative groups is raising alarms about a record-low U.S. birth rate and promoting policies to encourage childbearing. A challenge is unlocking why people are having fewer children than they say they want. Some 73% idealize having two or three children, but the fertility rate is just 1.6. President Donald Trump鈥檚 budget bill, which passed the U.S. House and was pending in the Senate on Monday, includes measures to support parents 鈥� including a boost to the child tax credit.

The conflict in Sudan, now in its third year, is 鈥渢he largest and most devastating displacement, humanitarian and protection crisis in the world today,鈥� according to the United Nations. The fighting parties have used hunger as a weapon of war by blocking and looting international aid. Drought and locusts have intensified food scarcity. Yet in a village in the Nuba Mountains, recently, despair gave way to joyful ululating as a wedding revived a community.

Our progress roundup this week ranges from agricultural transformation in Brazil to increased asset ownership across Africa. We also look at how Orange County, California, is a leader in eliminating PFAS 鈥渇orever chemicals鈥� from its drinking water; how a women-staffed hotel is creating jobs in Sri Lanka, a country where women hold only 10% of jobs in the tourism industry; and how an oil-eating marine microbe makes its own detergent.

A series of events in recent days offers insights into how societies might be squaring their obligations toward children.

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring age verification to access websites with largely adult content. On the same day, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a deal to end a violent conflict in which children as young as 10 years old have been forced into combat.

On Sunday, a French law banning smoking in specified public areas came into effect shortly before summer school holidays. And on June 24, Thailand became the first Asian country to reverse legalization of marijuana, largely out of concern for young people.

A common thread among these disparate situations is the priority of and possibilities for protecting the safety, dignity, and innocence of those under 18 years of age. As France鈥檚 Health Minister Catherine Vautrin declared to the newspaper Ouest-France, the freedom to smoke 鈥渆nds where children鈥檚 right to breathe clean air begins.鈥�

The world has made much progress in safeguarding young people since the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child 鈥� the most rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history. That pact enjoined adults and governments to act in the best interests of each child. Now, more than 35 years later, online connectivity and legalization of recreational drugs present new challenges to childhood. Many young people recognize that and are calling for help. In Thailand, for example, the Youth Network Against Cannabis sent a petition to the government last year with some 200,000 signatures asking for marijuana to be reclassified as an outlawed narcotic.

In the United Kingdom, a requirement for robust age checks on adult websites goes into force in late July. The impetus comes from the urging of British youth themselves 鈥� 鈥�70% of children (increasing to 75% of 16-17-year-olds) ... think that social media platforms should enforce minimum age requirements,鈥� a survey by the Office of the Children鈥檚 Commissioner found.

Listening to such requests can nudge societies toward responses that go beyond paternalism to a protection that respects a child鈥檚 inherent capacity to discern and seek good. In some cases, adults can learn to find that good as well.