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The U.S. completed retaliatory strikes against Iran Tuesday. After the downing of an Apache helicopter, followed by the rescue of its two crew members, President Trump yesterday said that Iran was responsible for the crash and that the U.S. 鈥渕ust, of necessity, respond.鈥� The U.S. hit Iranian air defenses and radar sites with 鈥減recision munitions鈥� in a 鈥減roportional response,鈥� according to a U.S. military statement. Iran early Wednesday launched missiles and drones at U.S. bases in the region in salvos that, official said, were largely intercepted.

Congress passed its reconciliation bill. The House passed a $70 billion reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement for the rest of President Trump's term by a vote of 214-212. The Senate passed the bill last week after delays spurred by disputes over the Trump administration鈥檚 anti-weaponization fund and ballroom funding. The party-line bill will likely make Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection immune from future shutdowns or funding battles for the next three years.

The Philippines protested 鈥渋llegal鈥� Chinese raft in its maritime zone. Manila took 鈥渁ppropriate diplomatic action鈥� with China鈥檚 government over the 6-by-6-meter floating structure (about 390 square feet), equipped with what appears to be an antenna, in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. China鈥檚 foreign ministry dismissed the protest as 鈥渉ype.鈥� In recent years, China has built and militarized atolls and clashed with forces of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. Beijing鈥檚 sweeping claims to most of the South China Sea were ruled invalid by a 2016 tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

A roundup of U.S. election primary results. Among the important races:聽Democrat Graham Platner, who is challenging Susan Collins for the Maine seat in the U.S. Senate, advanced to the general election despite recent controversies over sexually explicit texting. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Trump, won his primary in South Carolina. In California, results from last week were at last confirmed. Republican Steven Hilton will face Democrat Xavier Becerra in the governor鈥檚 race, while Democrats Nithya Raman and Karen Bass will contest the Los Angeles mayor鈥檚 race.
Our coverage: California is still counting votes from June 2. Is distrust in elections the result?

OpenAI took a step toward becoming public. The company announced Monday it had filed for an initial public offering, a week after its competitor Anthropic did the same. The company says it hasn鈥檛 yet decided on timing for when it will go public. Elon Musk鈥檚 Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is expected to hit the public market later this week. The public debuts of these three defining technology companies puts them on track to raise massive amounts of money from investors, and will allow for a clearer look at the companies鈥� financial data.

Interstate conflicts at highest level since World War II. After decades when civil wars dominated global conflict, conflicts between states reached their highest level since 1946, according to the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Eight interstate conflicts were recorded worldwide. The report recorded 245,000 battle-related deaths in 2025, largely driven by Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine and violence in the Middle East. 鈥淭he return of interstate conflict at this scale is deeply worrying,鈥� said the institute鈥檚 research director, Siri Aas Rustad.

鈥撀�Compiled by Monitor writers around the world

Decades of dictatorship culminated in 15 years of war and turmoil in Syria, making the country a focal point of hardship in the Middle East. But with the region torn asunder by the U.S.-Iran war, a relatively peaceful Syria is now an outpost of progress and hope.

Artificial intelligence in the United States has so far been met with a largely hands-off regulatory approach. That approach is changing, raising questions about who sets and implements AI policy.

The U.S. government has been unable to stanch the flow of guns purchased in American stores then handed over to Mexican drug cartels. But since President Donald Trump declared cartels foreign terrorist organizations, prosecutors have a tool that some believe could make gun dealers more careful about who they sell to.聽

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, wary of growing ties between North Korea and Russia, turned on the charm in Pyongyang this week. For North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the summit was about influence. For Mr. Xi, it was about stability.

This year鈥檚 World Cup is the biggest ever, with more hosts, more teams, and more newcomers to the tournament. As a result, the competition may not look quite the same as it has in years past.

Cutting hair is not the point of the mentoring at Abdulmajid Bala鈥檚 shop in Kano, Nigeria. Instead, the real lessons are structure and a reason to be somewhere.

The handful of U.S. firms that dominate global tech and artificial intelligence has almost universal name recognition. And it鈥檚 quite widely known that they rely on semiconductors manufactured in East Asia, mainly Taiwan.

But it鈥檚 safe to say that very, very few people realize that the world鈥檚 only maker of the complex lithography machines 鈥� used by Asian firms to fabricate the chips that power American tech advances 鈥� is headquartered in ... Europe. (The Netherlands, to be precise.)

Not knowing this little factoid is about more than industry trivia. It points to long-standing, and not entirely merited, views of the continent as an economic has-been, held back by red tape, capital constraints, and innovation inertia.

In fact, the European Union is making quiet, consistent progress in undoing both limiting perceptions and policies 鈥� even as global markets are more focused on multitrillion-dollar Wall Street listings (SpaceX this week, OpenAI and Anthropic up soon).

鈥淓urope is no musty backwater,鈥� The Economist stated in April. 鈥淚t has the talent, resources and incentive to lead. It should start to think, and act, like it.鈥�

And it is, especially after growing differences with its longtime trade and defense ally, the United States. These have arisen over U.S. tariffs, its talk of taking over Greenland, and its declining support for Ukraine鈥檚 efforts to combat Russian aggression.

In April, the EU updated its regulations to allow large-scale mergers. This past weekend, French mobile carrier SFR moved forward on a $23.5 billion sale to a consortium of telecom operators. A satellite joint venture and a banking merger are in the works, too.

The EU is also moving to harmonize regulations so European firms can operate under consistent rules anywhere on the continent. These include online registration within 48 hours for 鈧�100 (about $115.) (In the U.S., that process can take a couple of weeks and cost up to $300, depending on the state.)

鈥淓nough gloom,鈥� venture capitalist Suranga Chandratillake declared in The London Times recently. Europe鈥檚 tech sector, he noted, is worth almost $7 trillion and accounts for 15% of its gross domestic product.

Coordinating among 27 member countries, while upholding citizens鈥� values around the environment and social welfare, means the EU doesn鈥檛 exactly 鈥渕ove fast and break things,鈥� as in Silicon Valley. But the EU鈥檚 caution might be an asset that is underrated.

鈥淧atient capital, deep technical expertise and regulatory rigor are European strengths,鈥� according to Arturo Bris, a finance professor and competitiveness expert. 鈥淓urope鈥檚 innovation model prioritizes long-term stability ... and is particularly strong in areas where technology intersects with social need,鈥� such as pharmaceuticals and renewable energy, he wrote in Observer, an online platform.

As the continent slowly charts its own path toward both unity and innovation in a rapidly changing world, other countries and competitors might learn a thing or two from Europe.