The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

The U.S. has entered a new age of political violence, evidenced by the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Those who work in conflict resolution say Americans need to engage in the hard work of seeing those we disagree with as fully human and worthy of respect. Also: today's stories, including how the U.K. is grappling with the controversial public display of St. George's flag; how Moscow is ignoring war in favor of nonstop celebration this summer; and how one essayist chooses to cherish September. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Inflation posted a 2.9% annual rate in August, up from 2.3% in April. Job creation has slowed sharply. These key indicators put pressure on Republicans as the party in power – even as they push blame toward the Federal Reserve and Democrats. Also: today's stories, including how gruesome footage of the killings of Charlie Kirk and a Ukrainian refugee has renewed debate about safeguards for online content; whether Israel and Syria can find common ground on border issues; and how the U.S. Department of War will differ from the Defense Department. Join the Monitor's Cameron Pugh for today's news.

Chinese students and scholars have long made up the largest foreign scientific community in America, a major talent pool. The Trump administration has not made them feel welcome; can Beijing tempt them to return home? Also: today's stories, including whether Gaza peace talks are possible after a failed Israeli Hamas assassination; how residents of Gaza City are struggling to find places to go after an Israeli evacuation order; and our film critic's guide to the Toronto International Film Festival. Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news.

Rather than replacing workers, AI is making humans more productive, the evidence so far suggests. In today's stories, we look at the Trump administration's plan to downsize the State Department, the potential U.S. government shutdown, and how New England states are dealing with a Canadian travel boycott. Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

Reading and math skills among U.S. high school seniors have fallen to their lowest levels on record, according to an upcoming report. “If we are serious about helping kids to learn … we need to carve out the time for it,” an advocate of science and math learning tells the Monitor. In today's stories, we also look into the U.S. missile attack against an alleged crime boat, the lives of Ukraine's front-line medics, and the horror film boom in Indonesia. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

A sizable number of teens and young adults in the U.S. are not in school, employed, or in job training. Civic leaders want to reconnect them to a path toward productive adulthood. Also: today's stories, including how grand juries in Los Angeles and Washington, DC, are pushing back against indictments; how a vote of confidence in French Prime Minister François Bayrou reveal a nation at political loggerheads; and how young Americans are seeking more in-person connection through team sports from softball to kickball. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Both parties agree in principle that health policy should be driven by facts and science, not by politics. But translating science into policy involves human judgments. And an uproar this week around vaccines shows rising tension over public health. Also: today's stories, including how some Latin Americans are embracing U.S. intervention amid record violence; whether current laws designed to stop potential gun violence by people deemed a threat to themselves or others could have prevented a recent shooting in Minnesota; and how Lebanon's government is facing a new test in disarming a weakened Hezbollah. Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news.

Vladimir Putin and other world leaders alienated by the West gathered in China this week – first for an economic summit in Tianjin and then a military parade in Beijing. The meetings offer a glimpse of what Chinese leader Xi Jinping's New World Order might look like. Also: today's stories, including how U.S. President Donald Trump's normalizing armed troops patrolling Washington absent a security crisis could impact how Americans are governed in years to come; concerns over President Trump's executive order to create a “quick reaction force” using National Guard units; and how one grassroots organization in India is fighting for women's legal rights against human traffickers. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Funding for the federal government runs out at month's end. To prevent a shutdown, bipartisanship will be required. The good news is that talks might be in the offing. Also, today's stories: how the National Guard court ruling affects President Trump's plans for other cities; whether President Trump's gains among Latinos will stick; and how a new statue aims to revitalize Massachusetts' oldest neighborhood. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

The tragic shooting of children at Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota comes after the assassination of a state legislator earlier this summer. The incidents have revealed divides over how to reduce gun violence – as well as a universal desire to emerge from the turbulence stronger. Also: today's stories, including how some religious leaders and volunteers are standing with immigrants at court hearings; how the U.S. and China are racing to build humanoid robots capable of performing many daily tasks; and how the end of tax exemptions for small parcels entering the U.S. is affecting the Indian diaspora. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis was the third such tragedy involving a Christian school in as many years. Security has long been top of mind at Jewish and Muslim schools; now there are growing efforts within Christian school communities to fortify their institutions. Also: today's stories, including how sending a U.S. naval force off the coast of Venezuela has revived regional anxiety over U.S. militarism, how laws protecting asylum-seekers in Europe are under fire from the public, and what changes Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' will bring to colleges and students. Join the Monitor's Harry Bruinius for today's news.

Brazil has the world's second-largest rare earth reserves. The country is trying to rewrite the rules of global extractive industries. In today's stories, we also write about in-person summer schools in Ukraine, a job-creating but environmentally risky project in Spain, and we share our favorite books of August. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Among all the shortages in war-ravaged Gaza, clean water is one of the most critical. Already facing the perils of famine and a new Israeli military offensive, families must engage in a daily hunt for water that often is barely usable. Also: today's stories, including the latest on U.S. President Donald Trump's attempt to oust Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board; how a Syrian comedy renaissance is blooming in Damascus; and how some states are attempting to impose campaign spending limits. Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news.

A lawsuit by the Trump Department of Justice is unprecedented in that it sues all the federal District Court judges in Maryland at once. At stake is a case involving deportation, rights of habeas corpus, and the Constitution's separation of powers. Also: today's stories, including how the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) might spur an international aid response in Gaza, how a Boston neighborhood and a college cope with a housing crisis, and a ballet school showing Kenyans that dance is for everyone. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina threatened to snuff out the spirit of New Orleans. Two decades later, our reporter and photographer chronicle the city's healing journey. Also: today's stories, including how carmakers like Ford are focusing on EVs; how Syrian seamstresses are bringing an ancient craft to life; and our columnist's visit with his son to the Equal Justice Initiative's sculpture park in the wake of President Donald Trump's order to review America's museums. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Beyond wrangling over whether sending thousands of federal troops to Washington, D.C., is needed or even legal, residents and crime experts say real community investment – not a show of force – is the better anti-crime strategy. Also: today's stories, including why some Russian observers believe Russia is content to wait out a peace deal with Ukraine; how foreign leaders are adjusting their diplomatic strategies to a more personal approach when dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump; and how one social media influencer tries to shed light on deportation - and showcase the unexpected joys of making a fresh start. Join the Monitor's April Austin for today's news.

An era of abundant low-cost imports faces a reckoning – but not necessarily an end – as the Trump tariffs take hold. America's long pivot from thrift toward consumption is deeply engrained. So is the economics of global supply chains. Also: today's stories, including how film can bring together India and Pakistan, how two historic Black churches share one vision of freedom and a review of Alix Morris' book “A Year with the Seals: Unlocking the Secrets of the Sea's Most Charismatic and Controversial Creatures.” Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

School meal debt has been rising. Now, changes to SNAP and Medicaid could reduce automatic eligibility for free and reduced price meals. How are schools responding to prevent hunger and save their budgets? Also: today's stories, including how the demise of USAID has fractured communities, how a female Hindu priest is defying norms, and how the end of Assad's leadership allows Syrians to read previously banned books. Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked into the Oval Office on Monday to confront an essential question: Will his country, Ukraine, remain Ukrainian? In today's stories, we also look into Trump's crime crackdown in D.C., massive anti-war protests in Israel, and the worries of Afghan asylum seekers in the U.S. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Since the fall of Kabul four years ago, about 200,000 Afghans have arrived in the United States, many of whom supported U.S. war efforts. Now, some Afghans are questioning whether their status in the U.S. is secure, while they also try to bring more family here. Also: today's stories, including how ‘docufiction' helped director Kate Beecroft capture wild horses, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee's reunion in their new film “Highest 2 Lowest,” and our essayist's birding journey. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for his summit with President Donald Trump on Friday, his refusal to countenance a ceasefire in Ukraine before peace talks could pose a stumbling block to negotiations. Also: today's stories, including how the current political fight in Texas over redistricting is a sign that hard-nosed politics are now the norm; why some Pakistanis aren't thrilled with a budding U.S.-Pakistan friendship; and how one artist is painting New Orleans' many contrasts, from struggle to rebirth. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

As Ukrainians field swarms of destructive Russian drones, the world is watching modern warfare unfold. Here is what Russia's summer drone blitz in Ukraine says about the future of war. Also: today's stories, including an Israeli women's group protesting war in Gaza; why Democrats' are poorly rated despite President Donald Trump's similarly low approval ratings; and how Trump can negotiate between Russia and Ukraine. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

In Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, a battle is on over national identity, as teens face intense efforts to convince them that their real identity is Russian. In today's package, we also explore how schools are bracing for absenteeism among immigrant children, how China is making gains in the AI race, and why France is cracking down on ‘ultrafast' fashion. Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

President Trump, citing high crime, said Monday that he is placing the District of Columbia police department under federal control and deploying the National Guard. But the move comes as statistics show violent crime in the city at a 30-year low, and is stirring controversy. Also: today's stories, including how a new diploma gives Indiana students the option to earn different “seals” depending on whether they want to go straight to work, serve in the military, or head to college; how abductions have become a weapon in Sudan's civil war; and how one pending federal rule could provide safety guidelines to keep outdoor workers safer in high temperatures. Join the Monitor's Erika Page for today's news.

While Black Lives Matter protests may not have brought lasting reforms nationwide, in Sanford, Florida, the town where Treyvon Martin was killed in 2012, change has taken root. Also in today's stories: the people fighting to keep local news alive, the stand-up comics testing free speech in India, and the role of Monopoly in rescuing POWs from German prison camps. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Russia's military presence on a narrow sandbar controlling a major Black Sea access point has badly disrupted Ukraine's economy. What can Kyiv do about that? Also: today's stories, including how Trump may reach a peace deal between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, why Italy's far-right premier wins plaudits from European neighbors, and an impression of Provence, where the Tour de France took place. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

Japan is the only country in the world to have experienced nuclear war. As the country marks the 80th anniversary of the United States' bombing of Hiroshima, some activists wonder if the city is as committed to disarmament as it once was. Also: today's stories, the Trump administration's tariffs take effect on dozens of nations, our Paris correspondent takes a dip in the Seine, and British painter David Hockney's glorious art book that captures his 60-year career. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

In Florida, National Guard troops were activated to support Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers in nine cities. The move is part of a larger escalation that expands the military's involvement in immigration operations. Also: today's stories, including residents rebuilding after a volcano eruption in the Canary Islands, aid matchmakers filling the gap left by USAID funding cuts, and the wider impact of Corporation for Public Broadcasting's shutdown on the media landscape. Join the Monitor's Yvonne Zipp for today's news.

Famine is threatening tens of thousands in Gaza. To avert it, humanitarian assistance must ramp up fast, experts say. Also in today's stories: why young Indonesians remain discontent with the job market despite a new tariff deal, how sea food arrives on your table, and how young people in Massachusetts are working to protect an endangered turtle species. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

While elite institutions shaped the pandemic response, critics say they sidelined dissenting views, deepening distrust and contributing to Donald Trump's reelection. As the pandemic divided the United States, could a full accounting help the nation heal? Also: today's stories, including European and Arab governments making diplomatic progress towards peace, an artist pulling her work from the National Portrait Gallery, and a national opera house serving as a bomb-shelter cathedral in Ukraine. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

The international community has unified around the question of Palestinian statehood, diverging from the U.S. and Israel. But will it make a difference? Not since the mid-1950s under Dwight Eisenhower has a U.S. president held such sway over Israel. Also: today's stories, including how Sudanese women exiled by war are finding freedom from female genital mutilation; why Europeans have been pushing back on cruise ships; and a photo essay from Massachusetts' famed Brimfield Antique Flea Market. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

Growing global outrage over the hunger crisis in Gaza has many asking if Israel had a deliberate policy of starving civilians. Israelis say that was never the case, but an ignorance of Palestinian suffering allowed an inconsistent government policy to lead to a calamity. Also: today's stories, including how the president has recently touted a trade deal with the EU, but the overall economic outlook is uncertain, how staff are working to help patrons stay connected to reading, education, and daily life, and how Finland has been ranked the world's happiest country for years. But that doesn't mean Finns are a smiling, perky people. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

President Trump's tariff threats are in some cases turning into tariff deals. The details of the broad agreements are yet to come and may determine whether the U.S. comes out ahead. Also: today's stories, including how Europeans feel in the wake of a new U.S.-EU trade deal; why Argentines are struggling economically despite efforts to tackle inflation; and a look at how volunteerism in Japan has surged in the decades following the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake. Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

The Trump administration faces pressure to release additional files from investigations of sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here's what's known from two decades of lawsuits and what could come from efforts to reveal more. Also: today's stories, including a look at the effects of Syria's drought crisis, the Monitor's Francine Kiefer's farewell letter to readers and a new generation of journalists, and how the ceasefire reached between Thailand and Cambodia could help hundreds of thousands of displaced people return home. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

A spirit of “We're in this together” colored the early days of the pandemic in the United States. But that frayed as debate over what steps to take became increasingly politicized. Also: today's stories, including how a third of the enclave's 2.3 million people are not eating for multiple days in a row, how the truth-telling folk singer Patty Griffin was thinking about hanging up her guitar, and our global progress roundup this week: how California's Yurok tribe doubled its land holdings. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Amid sectarian violence in Syria, in which hundreds of Druze were killed, Israel struck Damascus and issued a warning to the new government. Israeli Druze are mourning the deaths, but are divided over whether Israeli military action is the wisest course. Also: today's stories, including a look at how some communities in the U.S. are grappling with federal cuts for flood preparation; how a populist surge on the right is gaining ground in Japan; and a Q+A with Nigerian Afrobeat artist Mádé Kútì, grandson of Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kútì. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

President Trump's new AI policy, which includes promoting private investment in AI, reflects growing bipartisan concern that China is rapidly eroding America's lead in artificial intelligence. Also: today's stories, including volunteers rallying around Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, a book review about vanilla, and Texas Republicans are meeting this week to redraw the state's congressional map. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

As President Donald Trump pursues his goal of the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history, his administration has tapped an unusual range of government agencies to aid the effort. Also: today's stories, including how President Donald Trump finds himself in the middle of an uproar within his base over his administration's handling of the “Epstein files,” how Arabs and Kurds in Syria are working with one another to secure areas of the country, and how there are now concerns about a return to the days of media owned and dominated by oligarchs, political parties, and the state. Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

The Trump administration argues that the police officer who shot Breonna Taylor should be sentenced to just one day in prison. The recommendation comes amid efforts to reverse policies meant to reduce police violence against minorities. Also in today's stories: how Guatemala's anti-graft president might lose support from Indigenous voters; how soccer is bringing together the West African community; and how the federal government can influence U.S. universities. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Now that the Trump administration has the money to significantly expand its mass deportation efforts, the question is how quickly it can reach its goal of deporting 1 million unauthorized immigrants a year, following historic levels of illegal crossings under former President Joe Biden. Also: today's stories, including how Armenia's government is facing off against its ancient church as the former tries to forge a peace deal with the country's long-time enemy, how artists throughout Baltimore are remembering Freddie Gray through their creative works, and how the nonprofit Greenagers in western Massachusetts employs crews of local high schoolers to help maintain trails. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

By one estimate, 233,000 people, including 19,000 Americans, have lost their jobs either with the U.S. Agency for International Development, as USAID is formally known, or with its contractors. The Monitor looked at two people who found fulfillment serving their country by serving others. Also: today's stories, including how long-distance trains running late is a pivotal test for Germany's new government; how one Maine town is moving away from its Industrial Revolution era dams in favor of healthier New England rivers; and how South Koreans are rushing for one last look inside Seoul's version of the White House: the Blue House. Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

As we approach the half-year mark into President Donald Trump's second term, it's worth considering this question: Could Americans and U.S. businesses see better times ahead despite the uncertainty and “tax” that Mr. Trump's tariff policies have imposed? Also: today's stories, including Ukrainian mobile anti-drone units as an indispensable defensive line, Elon Musk's announcement of the America Party, and how Ken Griffey, Jr., is restoring the legacy of Black baseball. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

Even as emergency responders continue to comb through debris a week after a flash flood surged on the Guadalupe River north of San Antonio, Texas, an analysis is beginning on how similar tragedies could be avoided in the future. Also: today's stories, including how rebuilding after Syria's civil war is a potentially lethal task, how anyone can make a difference with courage and persistence, and how stories about childhood memories underscore summertime as a season steeped in nostalgia. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Floods, fires, raids, protests, and now lawsuits. Our reporters take a look at how Los Angeles is faring with this drumbeat of challenges, including the recent pressure from the Trump administration, and what the path forward might look like. Also: today's stories, including President Donald Trump's threat to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports; President Trump's increasingly frosty signals to Russian President Vladimir Putin over peace efforts; and a look at how Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is selling himself to the Israeli public as “Mr. Security.” Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

As Texas experiences torrential floods leaving more than 100 dead, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's ability to provide timely aid to states is essential. Just weeks earlier, President Donald Trump pledged to eliminate the agency. Also: today's stories, including the impact of Israeli buffer zones on Gazan lives, Canada is ramping up efforts to bolster safety in the Arctic, and efforts to protect one of the most poached animals, pangolins, are underway in central Zambia. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Nations have until August 1st to make trade deals with the United States, the Trump administration says. But having heard President Donald Trump's bark before, some world leaders may be losing their fear of his bite. Also: today's stories, including how Brazil's push for global cooperation butts up against new Trump tariffs; a historic agreement between NATO members to more than double their defense spending; and how one restaurant owner in New Mexico is collecting artifacts scattered across his property by migrants in an art project for empathy. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

As Texans continue to process one of the deadliest natural disasters in state history, the unity around a will to recover remains unquestioned. Also: today's stories, including unity between Trump and Netanyahu despite differences on Gaza and Iran, the work of a Pakistani non-profit to normalize reporting child abuse, and how the new “Superman” movie as a story of truth, justice, and immigration is holding a mirror to U.S. society. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

In March of 1925, the state of Tennessee passed a bill banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. A century later, the Scopes “Monkey Trial” still resonates in modern cultural debates over religion, education, and parental rights. Also: today's stories, including questions over the future of nonproliferation after the U.S. and Israel's bombing of Iran; NATO members' agreement to more than double their defense spending; and a look at Ashoura, an annual 10-day religious ceremony among Shia Muslims. Join the Monitor's JJ Wahlberg for today's news.

The Middle East may be on the cusp of historic change. United States President Donald Trump has called for a 60-day truce in the war in Gaza while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to establish diplomatic ties with Syria and Lebanon. Also: today's stories, including how changing eligibility requirements for Medicare could derail those seeking opioid addiction treatment, a reflection on enduring a heat wave in Paris this week without air conditioning, and a culinary tour in Texas during National Hot Dog Month. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

The Middle East may be on the cusp of historic change. United States President Donald Trump has called for a 60-day truce in the war in Gaza while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to establish diplomatic ties with Syria and Lebanon. Also: today's stories, including how changing eligibility requirements for Medicare could derail those seeking opioid addiction treatment, a reflection on enduring a heat wave in Paris this week without air conditioning, and a culinary tour in Texas during National Hot Dog Month. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

President Donald Trump is touting Florida's effort to build an immigration detention facility at an old airfield in the Everglades. The new site points to a wider effort underway to find spaces to hold people involved in the administration's mass deportation campaign. Also: today's stories, including how Finns are pulling out of a treaty because they feel threatened by their extensive border with Russia, how the Dominican Republic is deporting record numbers of Haitians, and how Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra over ethics violations. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.