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Trump settlement fund on hold. The Trump administration will pause a $1.8 billion fund established to pay damages to people who say government was 鈥渨eaponized鈥� against them. The Department of Justice it will abide by a federal judge鈥檚 order blocking the fund pending a mid-June hearing. The DOJ said it disagrees with the court鈥檚 decision that 鈥渦nder no circumstances, may the Department of Justice proceed鈥� with the fund. GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Monday the administration should shut the fund down so Republicans can move forward on their immigration bill.

AI startup Anthropic took a step toward becoming public. The company announced Monday it had filed for an initial public offering, putting it ahead of top competitor OpenAI, which is also expected to file this month. An IPO could spur massive investment and allow a clearer look at the company鈥檚 financial data amid market concerns of an AI bubble. The Securities and Exchange Commission is reviewing the filing, which has not yet been released publicly.

An appeals court ruled against the Pentagon鈥檚 ban on transgender military personnel.聽On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld an earlier ruling that barring transgender troops from military service violated the constitutional rights of six plaintiffs. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted injunctions on the ban but did not rule on its constitutionality. The court decision arrived the same day Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced criticism for opposing the promotions of seven Navy officers, including two women and two Black men.

The U.K. barred two influential political commentators from entering the country. Left-wing podcaster Hasan Piker and media commentator Cenk Uygur were barred from traveling to speak at SXSW London. Mr. Piker and Mr. Uygur say it鈥檚 because they鈥檝e been critical of Israel.聽It鈥檚 the latest instance of high-profile figures 鈥� both on the left and the right 鈥� having their visas revoked. Rapper Kanye West, who recently apologized for selling T-shirts featuring swastikas, was recently denied approval to enter the country to headline a festival. In January, Britain also revoked electronic travel authorization for Dutch right-wing, anti-immigration activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek.

Ethiopia鈥檚 ruling party is on track to win another electoral landslide victory. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed鈥檚 Prosperity Party is almost universally expected to return to power, despite simmering anti-government violence in much of the country. Once celebrated for advancing democracy and press freedom in Ethiopia, Mr. Abiy鈥檚 government has curtailed opposition parties and journalists ahead of Monday鈥檚 parliamentary and regional elections. Meanwhile, voters in parts of two regions with large insurgent movements will not cast ballots because of what the government calls 鈥渦nfavorable conditions鈥� there.

Big-screen movies are making a box-office comeback. The horror movie 鈥淥bsession鈥� accomplished a feat not seen since 鈥淓.T. the Extraterrestrial鈥� in 1982: Over three successive weekends it has attracted increasingly larger audiences rather than dropping off. Made for $1 million, it鈥檚 already grossed $106 million. Another low-budget horror movie, 鈥淏ackrooms,鈥� just opened to $81 million. Observers say audiences are responding to the originality of both movies, each made by directors in their 20s. With the overall box office up 10% over last year, Hollywood could net its largest haul since the pandemic, when many predicted the demise of theatergoing.

鈥� Compiled by Monitor writers around the world

Artificial intelligence is viewed with less optimism in the U.S. than in other countries. The reason for that could be related to messaging around the rapidly advancing technology: In America, the focus is on potential job loss; elsewhere, AI is pitched as an economic boon.

The Israeli military is escalating its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese. The ongoing conflict could also complicate U.S. negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran and opening up the Strait of Hormuz.

When Americans tap the buy-now button online, a complex logistical operation begins that can deliver goods faster than ever. In central Illinois, sprawling infrastructure makes that possible聽鈥� and transforms the land and lives of people who live there.聽

Skyrocketing energy costs have the United Kingdom looking for solutions, and many say there鈥檚 an obvious one: more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. But does the data support that? And even if it did, does the public really want to 鈥渄rill, baby, drill鈥�?

Loss does not have to define a life. The widows of Krush毛 e Madhe in western Kosovo are a group bound by grief, survival, and the hard work of rebuilding families that were shattered nearly three decades ago.

More than any other region, Asia has felt the knock-on effects of the Iran war in energy supplies. Before the conflict began in February, some 80% of the oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz went to Asian buyers. In recent weeks, as those supplies have dwindled, the region has endured blackouts, fuel rationing, and dozens of protests, from South Korea to the Philippines to India.

The expectation was that each country would turn inward to protect petroleum supplies.

Not so. With a population of more than half of humanity, Asia has shown a great deal of humanity in tackling the crisis together. 鈥淣ow that they are hostage to events thousands of miles away,鈥� reported The Economist, 鈥渢he squabbles that frequently break out between Asian neighbours no longer look quite such a threat.鈥�

Trust, unlike oil, has not been in short supply. To be sure, each nation has acted quickly to reduce energy demand and seek alternative oil supplies from Russia, the United States, and Africa. In India, office employees were asked to work from home. In the Philippines, air conditioning was limited in public buildings. In Vietnam, many drivers of three-wheeled vehicles (rickshaw) bought electric versions.

On a regional level, however, South Korea, a major source of refined oil products, agreed with a few countries not to limit such exports. Japan offered $10 billion to help Southeast Asia enhance its energy security. Energy ministers from that corner of Asia also agreed to speed up plans to integrate their electric grids and share energy from renewable sources, such as solar and hydropower.

The Asian Development Bank plans to spend $50 billion for a Pan-Asian power grid by 2035.聽 On May 30, seven countries in Asia agreed to secure subsea energy-transmission infrastructure, such as electricity and petroleum lines.

In one example of heightened confidence between nations, Singapore, a key hub of energy trading, agreed not to restrict the flow of refined fuel to New Zealand in exchange for secure food supplies from that agriculture-rich nation. The pact is legally binding.

鈥淚t takes a longstanding trust and it turns it into really practical action, a commitment to keep essential trade flowing in a crisis,鈥� said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

The pact sets a new standard for shared resilience. Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong welcomes other countries to join. 鈥淚t will start to expand a network of trusted partners who can provide similar assurances to one another,鈥� he said. The rest of Asia might be tempted.