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Since Hurricane Katrina recovery, FEMA has grown more nimble. But the agency faces criticism and distrust as it responds to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump contrast sharply on Ukraine and the Middle East. That hints at broader a divide over worldviews on national security.

One week after Tesla unveiled prototype robotaxis and promised fully autonomous vehicles by 2026, the company is once again under investigation. Tesla has twice recalled its “Full Self-Driving” system in the past after cars ignored stop signs and hurt pedestrians.

The Texas Supreme Court halted the Oct. 17 execution of a man who would have been the first person put to death for a murder charge tied to shaken baby syndrome. Weeks of public pressure and legal challenges led up to the late-night ruling.

A South Korean spy agency said North Korea has already sent 1,500 special forces to Russia and plans to send a total of 12,000 troops. Citing North Korea’s outdated equipment and lack of battle experience, experts question how useful a deployment might be.

Elon Musk is pumping huge sums into a last-minute effort to boost Trump turnout. But get-out-the-vote efforts aren’t the rocket science he’s used to.

In “Love in the Time of Self-Publishing,” researcher Christine Larson explores the strength of Romancelandia, the community of mostly women who write romance novels.

“The Message” is a collection of commentaries about African ancestry and identity, political power and polarity, and finally, a damning assessment of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is the heaviest blow the Islamic militant group has endured in a year of war in Gaza. Will it break the stalemate over a cease-fire with Israel?

Election officials have raised concerns about the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver mail-in voting ballots by state deadlines. The Postal Service says it’s taking “extraordinary measures” to ensure successful operations.

In its first elections in a decade, the disputed region between India and Pakistan rejects violence to restore democracy.

Plummeting birth rates point to more immigration as an economic salve, but political opposition complicates the picture.

The war in Gaza, like all surges of violence in the Middle East, has sparked rising antisemitic attacks on Jews in France. They are defending themselves.

People who live on society’s margins aren’t always treated with compassion and sympathy. But the director of “Anora” offers both. “I’ve rarely encountered a scene that moved me as completely and complicatedly as this film’s final moments,” says the Monitor’s critic.

A Georgia judge deemed seven Republican-backed changes to the election code illegal, unconstitutional, and too last-minute to implement effectively. The State Election Board said the rules were aimed at countering potential voter fraud.

El Niño brought below-average rainfall to southern Africa, and warming temperatures worsened the situation. The United Nations’ food agency said droughts have caused the region’s worst hunger crisis in decades.

In Norway, child care programs encourage kids to roam and make independent choices. The model may hold lessons for American schools.

Israel has carried out dozens of targeted strikes to take out senior operatives in Hezbollah and Hamas. Other countries have carried out similar enemy strikes in the past decade. We look at the legal basis for such killings.

As China signals bold moves to revive its economy, all eyes are on its collapsing property market. Can the government restore the confidence of would-be homebuyers?

The diversity of candidates grows with each U.S. election, prompting office seekers and voters to see through gender and ethnicity to universal qualities.

Progress roundup: Resources like water in the desert and gold trapped in e-waste are recovered in new ways. And globally, more children are in school.

Lilly Ledbetter, who passed away Oct. 12, catalyzed key equal pay and wage discrimination legislation. President Barack Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gave workers the right to sue for equal pay for equal work.

Canada expelled India’s top diplomat and five others over the assassination of a Sikh activist as the latest salvo in an escalating conflict since the 2023 crime. India adamantly denies it was involved, and said it will expel six Canadian diplomats.

By law, Norway’s universal child care system must be rooted in values that include forgiveness, equality, solidarity, and respect for human dignity.