The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

The economic uncertainty caused by the Trump administration's tariffs – many of which were ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in a May 28 ruling that is on hold pending an appeal – has eclipsed any uptick in manufacturing. But some U.S. manufacturing workers are holding onto hope for a domestic manufacturing revival. Also: today's stories, including how the flow of migrants from Latin America to the U.S. is reversing back home, challenging the region's political, economic, and humanitarian crises; how South Korea, experiencing a momentous election, is without any female presidential candidates for the first time in 18 years; and how one Boston bookstore is changing the lives of youth facing social barriers. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

U.S. President Donald Trump has presented a vision of the Western Hemisphere that hearkens back to a 19th-century spheres-of-influence approach to international affairs: the regions of North, Central, and South America should be exclusively the United States' economic, diplomatic, and military domain. This approach disrupts a postwar global order and historical alliances — we looked at historical precedents, and at what's different today. Also: today's stories, including a look at an organization led by Palestinians and Israelis seeking peace; what's to come with Russia-Ukraine peace talks; and how Trump's efforts to end state EV mandates is changing the rules of the road. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Texas provided a border-enforcement blueprint for President Trump. Now people in the Eagle Pass area, which was once an immigration epicenter, live with a new, quieter reality. Also: today's stories, including how the Trump administration may handle diplomatic efforts to curtail Iran's nuclear program; how some Israelis are reevaluating the moral authority of their home country; and how Zimbabwe is still reckoning with its infamous seizures of white-owned farms 25 years ago. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

In today's issue, we look at the state of humanitarian aid for Gaza, a hidden provision in Trump's 'big bill,' the US-EU trade war, and what it's like being an eighth grader in the post-pandemic world. Join the Monitor's Kurt Schillinger for today's news.

In today's issue, we look at the state of humanitarian aid for Gaza, a hidden provision in Trump's 'big bill,' the US-EU trade war, and what it's like being an eighth grader in the post-pandemic world. Join the Monitor's Kurt Schillinger for today's news.

The Trump administration is seeking to fast-track deportations. One tactic: Lawyers for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement terminate people's cases in immigration court. Then ICE officers arrest them there. Today's stories also include more Filipinas choosing to be child-free, a Nigerian nonprofit bringing former foes together, and U.S. student loan borrowers facing turmoil. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

A new regional alignment of in the Middle East, signalling a shift in power away from Iran's weakened Axis of Resistance. Moderate Sunnis now have friendly governments in Beirut, Damascus, and Baghdad, creating an “Axis of Cooperation.” Also: today's stories, including a look at current strains on and shortages faced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); how USAID cuts have affected governments in Central America; and why some teachers are once again turning to blue books in the classroom. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Aid groups are unloading food and other critical supplies in the Gaza Strip, after a monthslong blockade that has put children at risk of famine. Also: today's stories, including a deadlocked Supreme Court rejecting religious charter schools, the Harvard community rallying despite Trump funding cuts, and the 10 best books of May. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Fourteen years of civil war and five decades of dictatorship left Syria cut off from the global financial system. The Monitor's Taylor Luck reports on how, as the Middle Eastern country is taking its first meaningful steps toward a more democratic form of governance, an economic spring is starting to bloom. Also: today's stories, including French cinema beginning to reconcile with its decades-long problem of ignoring sexual violence, how the Department of Justice is seeking friendly courtrooms in its pursuit of President Donald Trump's deportation goals, and how the end of the academic year has brought a crescendo of laws in the U.S. aimed at restricting cellphone use in K-12 schools. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

In its newly intensified Gaza operation, is Israel aiming for territorial conquest or to apply political pressure on Hamas? The Monitor's Dina Kraft reports on how the goals of Israel's renewed Gaza offensive are unclear, even to Israelis. Also: today's stories, including how Indigenous groups in Brazil are using virtual reality to reclaim their stories, an interview with George Floyd's family lawyer, and how technology and teamwork are showing promise for the few remaining North Atlantic right whales. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

After George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, many Americans started to reexamine their communities and themselves. In Kansas City, Missouri, residents still confront a wall of racial separation, but haven't given up on progress. Also: today's stories, including a gang-member-turned-tour-guide in Nairobi, military parents suing over a DEI purge at their kids' schools, and Pakistan's Islamic boarding schools under scrutiny. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

After George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020, many Americans started to reexamine their communities and themselves. In Kansas City, Missouri, residents still confront a wall of racial separation, but haven't given up on progress. Also: today's stories, including a gang-member-turned-tour-guide in Nairobi, military parents suing over a DEI purge at their kids' schools, and Pakistan's Islamic boarding schools under scrutiny. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Previous presidents have called the military to the southern border of the United States to support immigration agencies. The Monitor's Sarah Matusek and Riley Robinson report on how the Trump administration's expansion of the military's role at the border raises a mixture of hope, distrust, and uncertainty. Also: today's stories, including what could emerge from foreign influence as frustration rises in Syria's Daraa Province, Bangladesh's efforts to protect minority rights amid sectarian divides, and an exploration of Malcolm X's legacy of inspiration ahead of his 100th birthday commemoration. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Today's Monitor episode features a report from President Trump's Mideast trip, a look at how students are helping rebuild Bangladesh, and more. Join Managing Editor Kurt Shillinger for this episode.

On the front lines of the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers have little faith in the diplomatic peace process. Dominique Soguel looks at how they feel it is up to them to safeguard their country. Also: today's stories, including how American universities are increasingly turning to tuition-free models and income-based plans, how Donald Trump's unpredictability is worrying Israel's leadership, and how California inmates are trying to improve mental health, peer-to-peer. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

The scope of abuse at France's Notre-Dame de Bétharram school has shocked the public. But the survivors of the violence are taking the opportunity to reclaim their agency and force change in the private school system. Today's stories also cover Florida's ‘army' of immigration enforcers, South Africa's ‘soccer grannies,' and an environmental crisis in an Alabama county that fought for civil rights. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

A full-on crisis around U.S.-China trade has eased for now, as both sides can proceed to the less spectacular work of negotiating an agreement. Also: how some Congress members are considering new rules barring politicians from using or sponsoring cryptocurrencies; how the German government has opened the door to outlawing the nation's second-most-popular party, the far-right Alternative for Germany; and how some young voters in Senegal feel disillusioned with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye's administration. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

It isn't always intentional that the stories we bring together in our daily newsletter draw connections. But here's an interesting commonality between a story by Erika Page about artificial intelligence and the Viewfinder image of pigeons: According to studies from the University of Iowa, the birds that flock our public squares can learn to identify patterns the same way large language models do. Today's stories also include U.S. agencies pushing back on DOGE and whether US students can help solve Florence's tourist problem. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

The Monitor spoke with a dozen experts who have spent their careers studying, and working to defend, democratic institutions, from Hungary to Colombia to El Salvador. They were nearly unanimous that President Donald Trump is making moves characteristic of burgeoning autocracies. Also: today's stories, including a look at what may be a step towards lowering economic tensions between U.S. and China; how Houthi rebels in Yemen remain undeterred despite a ceasefire with the U.S.; and how legal threats to same-sex marriage have spurred some same-sex couples to tie the knot. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

India and Pakistan are inching toward war. Fahad Shah reports on how this is the worst escalation between the neighboring nuclear powers since 2019. Also: today's stories, including Israel's plan to occupy Gaza indefinitely and the weariness more conflict is causing amongst Israelis, why senior government officials, since Obama's administration, keep using commercial services to transmit highly classified information, and the consequences of the proposed funding cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Connecting with a human face behind the headlines can bring news home. In today's Daily, you'll meet the family trying to rebuild after being driven from its village last year by M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our stories also cover Canada's leverage in US trade talks, a woman who never made it past fifth grade running a roadside library, and a Chicago crossing guard marking 50 years. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

The 5,525-mile-long U.S. border with Canada has been overshadowed by an immigration debate that's often focused on the border with Mexico. The Monitor's immigration reporter joined a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont to take a look at how things have changed there under President Donald Trump's policies — and the ripple effects on the communities that call this region home. Also: today's stories, including fears of war along India's Kashmir border with Pakistan; how some U.S. golf courses are becoming nature preserves; and a Q&A with Rachel Cockerell, the author of "Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land.” Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Amid commemorations this week of the 80-year anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, polls show a growing desire among Germans to feel less burdened by the past. The path Germany takes will have profound consequences, from how it leads in a militarizing Europe to whether right-wing extremism might rekindle the kind of nationalism the country has scrupulously avoided. Also: today's stories, including a look at how the effects of President Trump's tariffs may impact U.S. consumers and an already disrupted supply chain; a growing effort to fix the U.S. critical mineral deficit through “biomining”; and how Indonesia's national “Green Islam” movement calls on citizens to become environmental stewards. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

After weeks of speculation about his future within the Trump administration, national security adviser Mike Waltz is on his way out of his current job. The Monitor's Anna Mulrine Grobe dives into how Donald Trump's first major shake-up of top administration officials in his second term signaled his interest in honoring loyalty. Also: today's stories, including the expedited recovery for the thousands displaced by the California wildfires in January, how the growing number of children killed in Gaza is prompting a moral reckoning on the part of some Israelis, and the legacy of University of South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

This is how former Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha, who was awarded the Medal of Honor, describes courage under fire: “You know, we survived that day not because we hated the enemy, but because we loved each other more.” Also: today's stories, including U.S. soybean farmers bracing for tariff impact, rebels trying govern eastern Congo's largest city, and what happens if the Trump administration is charged with ‘contempt.' Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

For generations, Sherpas have been highly sought-after guides for international clients intent on making the world's most difficult climbs. Aakash Hassan reports on one teenage Sherpa, the youngest ever to summit the world's 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters, and his role as a model and a trailblazer for other young people. Also: today's stories, including the growing use Ukrainian instead of Russian in Ukraine's “growing up” as a nation, two U.S. Supreme Court education cases this month that could profoundly change America's public schooling system, and how Gaza's journalists are balancing reporting on the war and surviving it. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield for today's news.

What has President Donald Trump done in his first hundred days of his second term? The Monitor's Washington Bureau Chief gives a rundown. Also: today's stories, including how Ukrainians are holding on amidst Russian air strikes on Kyiv; a historic settlement for thousands abused in LA County juvenile homes; and India's threat to cut off Pakistan's water supply over tourist deaths in Kashmir. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Perceptions of disarray at the Pentagon have grown more urgent as Secretary Hegseth has fired several close advisers. Anna Mulrine Grobe looks at how staffing issues can feed allied nations' concerns about U.S. military readiness to respond in a crisis. Also: today's stories, including the varying ideas of peace in Ukraine on the table, the economic cost of tariffs on everyone who makes the U.S.-China supply flow, and how Canada's Conservative Party hopes to position itself moving forward. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

We all learn from the examples set by others, particularly when we see a courage and compassion that refuses to be quelled. Today's stories include how Pope Francis took stands that others have embraced, a Holocaust survivor on TikTok, and a movement rallying around RFK Jr.'s agenda. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Our story on a dispute over eminent domain in Rhode Island is, at its root, about something deeper – two very different definitions of the American dream. Also: today's stories, including why the European Union isn't more competitive, what USAID cuts mean for coca and gold trafficking in Peru, and local activists refusing to look away from Congo's rape crisis. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

American universities are a powerful engine of scientific research and development. Ira Porter dives into how the sudden untethering of university research and government dollars is likely to have consequences for a generation of scientific advancement. Also: today's stories, including how the Catholic Church in Spain is at the forefront of the country's immigration experience, what being a “sanctuary city” actually entails, and how President Donald Trump's preoccupation with the 2020 election appears to be driving significant presidential actions and policies in ways that could have real implications for U.S. democracy. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

From today's stories: Markets falter as Trump attacks the Fed's independence; U.S. Agriculture Department cuts jeopardize small farmers in Massachusetts; a Rwanda genocide survivor promotes peace through education; and a Ukrainian chaplain ministers to his front-line flock. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Rare earth minerals might be the biggest story you haven't heard enough about. An extractive industry with the usual nasty environmental knock-ons, it's also one that feeds green technology. Also: today's stories, including Trump and courts squaring off over fundamental democratic ideals, the value China places on “face,” and how dim sum became a national treasure in Panama. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Weeks after President Donald Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center, the shock to the district's arts world has not subsided. Linda Feldmann reports on how while his cultural agenda may seem minor compared with economic policy or immigration, its influence can be broad. Also: today's stories, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni becoming the first European leader to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, the United States seeing a sudden drop in overdose deaths, and how after being slapped with tariffs, some US trade partners are leaning toward Beijing. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan for today's news.

Saturday marks the 250th anniversary of the first shots fired in a revolution felt round the world. For the men and women preparing to relive the opening choreography of the American Revolution this weekend, bringing history to life has a deep purpose: to honor the stories of real people and the price they paid for freedom. Also: today's stories, including Trump tariffs decreasing trust in US currency, a South African debate over white farmers, and an essayist offering lessons from the suburbs. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Across China, the flow of exports screeched to a halt last Friday, as 145% U.S. tariffs took hold and Beijing announced countermeasures. Ann Scott Tyson looks at how President Donald Trump has set the stage for an epic showdown with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Also: today's stories, including how Somalia's amputee soccer league offers hope and community, how women in Pakistan are making inroads in the paid workforce while also supporting their families, and how President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters see him as a once-in-a-generation visionary. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Local community kitchens and aid groups in Sudan, working where international organizations could not, are facing funding cuts two years into the civil war. But youth-led groups are determined to fill in the gaps. Also: today's stories, including how the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case is the latest showdown between executive and judicial authority under the second Trump term; the reelection of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa; and a look at an innovative network of CO2 detectors enabling the return of tourists and locals to two villages in the Canary Islands after a 2021 volcanic eruption. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

More than a decade after Syria's war began, and months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, small investments – in homes, in businesses – signal hope. Also: today's stories, including President Trump's controversial use of already existing, but rarely used, legislation to enforce immigration actions; a look at Kenya's satellite cities; and how resettlement organizations are operating under the Trump administration's immigration guidelines. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Conservationists in India are celebrating the triumphant resurgence of big cats, but their increase has been mirrored by a surge in violent attacks on people. Michael Benanav dives into the new questions about safety, balance, tolerance, and coexistence. Also: today's stories, including how Syrians are rallying around their new flag, how music fuels Valerie June, her creative journey, and the world, and how collaboration in California between the Army Corps of Engineers, residents, and professional arborists is now leading to new growth after rampant wildfires. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan for today's news.

While the transatlantic relationship frays, Europe may be renewing an old friendship. Britain and France seek a “coalition of the willing” to coordinate defense support following the Trump administration's suspension of military aid to Ukraine. Today's stories also include college conservatives who are no longer silent, more colleges trying out the old-fashioned ideal of civility, and Florida manatees who find warmth at power plants. Join the Monitor's Kurt Schillinger for today's news.

For a sense of how global the impact of President Donald Trump's second term has been so far, look no further than today's Monitor Daily. Our stories include whether Chinese consumers could take up the export slack as US tariffs rise, Panamanians wondering who profits from their canal, and international students in the U.S. to earn degrees fearing they could be deported without them. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Syria's new leadership faces the daunting task of rebuilding an army from the ruins of sectarianism and foreign intervention. Across the country, commanders are trying to unify a patchwork of former rebels into a cohesive, modern force – without the institutional foundations or resources of a traditional military. But for some, the most important need is a shift in mindset. Also: today's stories, including how Hyundai is charging ahead with a new 7 billion dollar plant for building electric vehicles in Georgia, despite tariffs; how cash transfers in Malawi are uplifting villages; and economic malaise in Israel after 18 months of war. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Months after a failed martial law attempt rattled South Korea, a top court unanimously decided last week to remove the president. With new elections coming up in June, the united court verdict and its acceptance by South Korea's two major political parties stirred hope that the young democracy can turn the page on the martial law fiasco. Also: today's stories, including what clues the vagaries of past trade policy could offer us by way of lessons for today; how the Trump administration has financial ethics watchdogs on alert; and how one wildlife sanctuary in Colorado is helping formerly captive exotic and endangered animals. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

It's easy to start a trade war. It's harder to stop one. And it's almost impossible to win one. The Monitor's Laurent Belsie looks at the trade war that U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated, and how the next phase is more dangerous. Also: today's stories, including why one Canadian family moved to the Russian countryside, a community that has formed over the course of the Israel-Hamas war and of the young lives growing with it, and what due process immigrants are owed. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

In a series of executive orders targeting law firms, the Trump administration says it's seeking accountability to protect national security, public safety, and election integrity. Legal scholars see an attack on fundamental American legal principles. Also: today's stories, including a look at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent rise in popularity amid tense U.S.-Canada relations; how community leaders in Los Angeles are stepping up to help with wildfire damage; and how papier-mâché artisans in Kashmir are finding hope in creative evolution. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Today, we're monitoring two potentially significant moments for President Donald Trump. One is what he calls “Liberation Day,” his expected Rose Garden announcement Wednesday of his tariff strategy. The other: Tuesday's election results for two Florida congressional districts as well as for Wisconsin's state Supreme Court. Our other stories include Bitcoin driving cheap green energy production in Kenya, and why dialogue and science give Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed hope for rebuilding Gaza. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

In Washington, the planned sale of Panama Canal ports to an American-led group is largely cast as a sign of expanding U.S. influence in Central America. The Monitor's Ann Scott Tyson looks at how far China is willing to go to protect its geopolitical leverage. Also: today's stories, including the Trump administration saying it wants to bring back a “warrior ethos” to the Pentagon, France's far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, being barred from public office for the next five years, and domestic workers in Lebanon who are trying to get out of the “kafala,” or sponsor, system. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Syria's Alawite ethnic minority consider March 7 the start of a genocidal campaign. To the Sunni majority, it marked operations to quash a coup. While regaining trust won't be easy, preventing more violence will be a key test for the new Syria. Also: today's stories, including whether Democrats can make inroads in Florida amidst increasing polarization; a look at mass protests and mounting arrests in Turkey's main cities after the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, an opposition leader and a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; and how one volcanic island may save an at-risk banana crop. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

At a time when it seems too easy to pigeonhole people with expectations that are too narrow or just plain wrong, Ken Makin's column on Jackie Robinson is a great example of digging deeper to see a larger wholeness. Today's stories include how a new US manufacturing boom may bring more AI, not more jobs; whether Europe can confront Russia without US help; and, in post-Assad Syria, a new sense of freedom suffusing this Ramadan. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield for today's news.

Senior Trump administration officials used a commercial messaging app to discuss secret military attacks, including sensitive information that could have threatened the lives of troops abroad. Calls for accountability are coming from both sides of the aisle. Also: today's stories, including Israeli protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the rights of animals and the environment, from Mexico to Nepal; and a look into a New York restaurant staffed by a rotating cast of “Nonnas of the World.” Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Yarmouk refugee camp has been called home by displaced Palestinians in Syria since 1957. The Monitor's Taylor Luck shares the story of the part it plays in Syrian Palestinians' sense of belonging to a Palestine they have never seen. Also: today's stories, including the fracturing of South Sudan's power-sharing agreement as unease grows, how the cuts to Social Security operations are challenging Americans' views more broadly of what the government should and can do, and why a Wisconsin state Supreme Court race is shattering records already. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.