Crackdowns, far-right trials and rising emissions expose volatile clashes over power, rights and technology.
Courts test youth and trans rights as Trump confronts housing, climate and a vanishing House majority.
Big banks and miners chase deals, cut jobs and brace for another year of choppy stock performance.
Fresh fossils and debates on biodiversity, AI and bias challenge who makes, and benefits from, new knowledge.
A major museum relaunch and polarizing TV, comedy and metal returns spotlight the risks of going big.
Playoff heroics, coaching debates and a 40-year rule fight keep questions of fairness at the center of US sports.
Ancient oceans, the Amazon and modern PFAS traces reveal how invisible chemistry shapes habitability.