海角大神

Federal agents shot two people during a traffic stop in Portland, a day after ICE agents fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. The Homeland Security Department said the driver was a suspected Venezuelan gang member who tried to run the Border Patrol agents over. The driver and another person were wounded. City officials denounced 鈥渇ederal militarization,鈥� saying it undermines local public safety approaches. See today鈥檚 story on the use of lethal force in immigration enforcement.

The Senate advanced a resolution that would force President Donald Trump to get Congressional approval before taking further military action in Venezuela. The president criticized the five Republican senators who joined Democrats in passing the measure and has pledged to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. A final vote is expected next week. We look at why the move matters despite being largely symbolic.

France will vote against a free trade deal with South American nations more than two decades in the works. President Emmanuel Macron announced the move after protesting farmers arrived in Paris on tractors yesterday, blocking access to parts of the city. They say the Mercosur deal will flood the French market with cheap produce from abroad. 鈥淚f French food is going to remain something we鈥檙e known for,鈥� one farmer told the Monitor, 鈥渨e need to protect it.鈥�

Israeli strikes killed more than a dozen people in Gaza, according to local health officials. Israel鈥檚 army says it targeted Hamas infrastructure and fighters in response to a failed projectile launched by militants. Both sides have accused the other of violating October鈥檚 fragile ceasefire agreement. President Trump is reportedly close to announcing his 鈥淏oard of Peace,鈥� responsible for supervising a new Palestinian technocratic government and the enclave鈥檚 reconstruction.

The Roman Catholic Church in Spain reached an agreement with the government to compensate people who were sexually abused by clergy. The deal covers cases that occurred too long ago for the law to apply or that involve a perpetrator who has since died. It follows complaints of religious leaders inadequately handling some cases. Previously, people applied directly to the Church, which could be a disincentive. Now, a government ombudsman will review each case.

India remains the world鈥檚 fastest-growing economy as the latest forecasts outpace expectations, Reuters reports. The government projected 7.4% growth in the fiscal year that ends in March, despite U.S. tariffs of up to 50% on some goods. The world鈥檚 largest country by population became the fourth-largest economy late last year, surpassing Japan and narrowing the gap with Germany.

鈥� Our Monitor writers around the globe

President Trump鈥檚 aggressive immigration enforcement has roiled cities across the U.S., including Minneapolis, where a federal agent shot and killed a woman. The incident spotlights questions over when use of force is appropriate.

Euphoria often follows the fall of an unpopular leader. But in Venezuela, where the new, U.S.-backed president comes from the same political movement as ousted President Nicol谩s Maduro, residents are unsure if the political rupture will herald true change.

When is a NATO ally not a NATO ally? When听鈥� like Washington has 鈥� it threatens to invade Greenland, the territory of treaty partner Denmark. Flabbergasted European leaders are scrambling to respond to a hitherto unthinkable scenario.

The measure requiring congressional approval for future military operations is essentially symbolic. Still, it hints at new pushback from the GOP-controlled legislative branch toward the Trump administration.

Rural homelessness has increased sharply over the past five years 鈥� the product of failed businesses, stagnant wages, rising inflation, and shrinking housing supply. Individuals and organizations are doing what they can to help 鈥� but they鈥檙e struggling.

鈥淲e can never have enough of Nature,鈥� New England writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau declared in his 1854 work, 鈥淲alden; or, Life in the Woods.鈥�

Given the accelerating discovery of species in recent years, humans are likely to keep having more of nature than Thoreau may have ever imagined. A lot more.

鈥淲e鈥檙e finding new species at a faster rate than ever before,鈥� according to Professor John Wiens, author of a recently published University of Arizona-led study. Between just 2015 and 2020, the study documented an average of more than 16,000 new species identified each year.

This soaring pace is cause for celebration among the professionals who study insects, amphibians, animals 鈥� and even among those who search for new objects in outer space. It is also a tip of the hat to the millions of amateur 鈥渃itizen scientists鈥� expanding the world鈥檚 knowledge and appreciation of nature.

New and easy-to-use technology, such as artificial intelligence, is helping to tap into and amplify human awe over natural wonders, both little and large. For instance, photos from a citizen scientist helped Australian researchers identify an entirely new genus (one classification level above species) of praying mantises in 2023. On the interstellar scale, amateurs scanning mountains of data from NASA鈥檚 Kepler space telescope discovered a system of exoplanets outside Earth鈥檚 solar system.

A multitude of apps are 鈥渉elping to democratize science,鈥� biology Professor Michael Friedman told the site Inside Climate News. They are 鈥渁n equalizer,鈥� he said, giving even those without a college degree 鈥渢he ability to do ... science that鈥檚 publishable鈥� in academic journals.

Users of software such as Merlin (for birds) or the more general iNaturalist can upload sound recordings or images that are initially sorted by AI systems. Data from iNaturalist, with an estimated 3 million users, has reportedly been used in more than 4,000 scientific papers. The state of California is partnering with the site to incorporate the data into decision-making tools for conservation.

Just as important as the scientific and policy implications, said one of iNaturalist鈥檚 early developers, is 鈥渃onnecting people in nature and getting them excited about what鈥檚 in their backyards.鈥�

And perhaps even more important, one might add, is that the same digital technologies driving social isolation and cyberbullying are also demonstrating their positive potential 鈥� to reinvigorate interpersonal connections.

鈥淥ne of iNaturalist鈥檚 great strengths,鈥� a research article noted, 鈥渋s the facilitation of real-time interactions between users from around the globe.鈥� Whether 鈥渆xperts鈥� or 鈥渁mateurs,鈥� people of varied backgrounds can now collaborate in ways that can spark conversations and new discoveries 鈥� about the world and each other. That alone is awesome!

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