海角大神 Daily for April 25, 2026

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Monitor Daily Podcast

April 25, 2026

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Kendra Nordin Beato

Staff editor

Saturday, for the first time in two decades, residents of a central Gaza city are heading to the polls to vote. Municipal elections there are seen as a step toward self-governance and Palestinian unity, symbolically linking the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. And they're an opportunity to turn away from political divisions to address everyday issues such as the water supply and clean streets, and lives centered on peace and stability. Some residents wonder whether a single vote can bring real change to an area still bracing for bombs. But to others, it is a moment of hope amid the rubble. As one candidate says, 鈥淩unning for office is a responsibility and a duty. We are here to serve.鈥�

Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, left, announces an indictment at a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, April 21, 2026. Mr. Blanche claimed the Southern Poverty Law Center was "manufacturing the extremism it purports to oppose" by its reliance on paid informants.

What鈥檚 ethical for undercover operatives? Anti-hate group entered gray zones.

( 7 min. read )

The Trump administration鈥檚 charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center highlight concerns about how informants operate within extremist groups.

By Patrik Jonsson

Ghada Abdulfattah

Children play on a swing under a banner for the "Deir al-Balah Unites Us" slate of candidates at the electoral list鈥檚 headquarters in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, April 22, 2026. The elections, to be held Saturday, mark the first time since 2005 that Gazans anywhere are able to vote.

In Gaza, rare elections put hope, and talk of Palestinian unity, on the ballot

( 6 min. read )

Municipal elections called by the Palestinian Authority and allowed by Hamas are being held Saturday in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, coinciding with voting in the West Bank. It鈥檚 the first time since 2005 that Gazans anywhere are able to vote. Water and sanitation are on the ballot, as is, symbolically, Palestinian national unity.

By Ghada Abdulfattah and Taylor Luck , reporting from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip; and Amman, Jordan

Scott Peterson/Getty Images/海角大神

Lebanese building manager Abdallah Mdeik describes surviving the deadly April 8 Israeli attack on his building in the normally safe Ain al-Mreisseh neighborhood, in Beirut, April 23, 2026.

Amid extended ceasefire, Lebanon assesses high price of Israel-Hezbollah war

( 7 min. read )

In this latest round of Israel-Hezbollah fighting, Lebanese civilians have once again paid a heavy price. Even as the ceasefire in Lebanon is extended, which analysts say U.S. President Donald Trump needs to facilitate talks with Iran, neither combatant is showing any sign of backing down.

By Scott Peterson , reporting from Beirut

Already pressured by Trump, Harvard faces grad student worker strike

( 7 min. read )

Harvard University鈥檚 graduate student union went on strike this week to demand higher wages for all graduate student workers and more protections for immigrant student workers. The university has countered with an offer to raise salaries more modestly.

By Cameron Pugh , reporting from Cambridge, Mass.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP/File

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae listens to President Donald Trump speak to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at an American naval base, in Yokosuka, Japan, Oct. 28, 2025.

As Japan shifts away from postwar pacifism, Takaichi eyes constitutional reform

( 4 min. read )

Constitutional reform is something Japan鈥檚 ruling party has long debated, but never been able to accomplish. Now, the country鈥檚 first female prime minister 鈥� Sanae Takaichi 鈥� is using her popularity to push the matter forward.

By Ann Scott Tyson , reporting from Tokyo