The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

With the approval to expand third country deportations, the Trump administration takes another step toward removing immigrants in the U.S. without authorization. Also: today's stories, including a debate on how much power Congress and the presidency hold in launching a U.S. military offensive, calls for stronger legal punishment in France as victims feel betrayed by the outcome of a sexual assault trial, and how the conflict between Israel and Iran was marked by the absence of Iran's allies. Join the Monitor's April Austin for today's news.

The summit of NATO leaders that opened Tuesday at The Hague began beneath a new cloud of war in Iran. Yet among Europe's architects of shared security, a cautious optimism obtains. Also: today's stories, including an Iranian missile attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, America's largest military installation in the Middle East; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signing a law that would mandate that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public school classrooms; and a book review of “Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America” by Sam Tanenhaus. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

If diplomatic efforts fail and President Donald Trump opts for military action in the Israel-Iran conflict, how difficult would it be to use “bunker busting” bombs in Iran? Anna Mulrine Grobe has been reporting on the challenges that could arise should diplomatic efforts fail and President Trump opts to proceed with military action. Also: today's stories: how Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region is bearing the brunt of Russia's summer offensive; how the mayoral race in New York City is polarizing the Democratic electorate; and nearly half a year after the LA wildfires, residents are asking whether they should return. Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news.

The Trump administration's deportation campaign is starting to be felt in farm fields and factory floors across America. Amid reports of arrests and rumors about impending raids by federal customs agents, even immigrants with legal status are wary of showing up to work. Also: today's stories, including economic worries amidst war in Iran and Israel; this week's Christian Science Monitor Breakfast, which hosted “MAGA influencer” and Trump ally Steve Bannon; and how one village in India combated alcoholism and gambling with chess. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, it is worth considering this question: how are civilians on both sides coping in these times of uncertainty? Also: today's stories, including the power struggle between President Donald Trump and the federal judiciary, how the transformation of Mexico's justice system affects its democracy, and a book review of New Yorker writer John Seabrook's "The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of a Family Dynasty." Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

As the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, it is worth considering this question: how are civilians on both sides coping in these times of uncertainty? Also: today's stories, including the power struggle between President Donald Trump and the federal judiciary, how the transformation of Mexico's justice system affects its democracy, and a book review of New Yorker writer John Seabrook's "The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of a Family Dynasty." Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

With much to lose, Arab states have emerged as the loudest voices calling for diplomacy to end the Israel-Iran conflict. Led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, they are urging President Donald Trump to seek a return to business-friendly regional stability. Also: today's stories, how U.S. states are now more involved in tracking trends that show where problems need addressing, how U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have reached a trade agreement that may offer a reset in their relationship, and how civilian minivans are being converted into makeshift armored ambulances in Ukraine. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

As Israel launches the heaviest attack on Iranian targets in decades, what is the likelihood that the Islamic government might now see a nuclear bomb as its only real deterrent? Also: today's stories, including a bird poacher who made the switch to serving as a tour guide in Indonesia, Palestinians in Gaza who are struggling to find food, and the conflict in Sudan cutting a student-journalist's college short. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

As the United States Army, the linchpin of the military, celebrates its 250th anniversary Saturday, a long-planned military parade in Washington, D.C., has become a lightning rod for concern about the sweep of a president's power. Also: today's stories, including President Donald Trump's confidence that the chill in U.S. political relations with Africa won't hinder his economic and strategic goals in countries there, how Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has emerged as one of the loudest democratic voices sounding the alarm about what he sees as the authoritarian tendencies of the Trump administration, and our film critic's review of writer-director Celine Song's latest film, "Materialists." Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Immigration is Donald Trump's signature issue. The coverage of the president's deployment of armed forces in Los Angeles after isolated anti-immigration enforcement protests and violence may help push forward his agenda. Also: today's stories, including how college graduates are navigating an increasingly challenging environment, how some in Syria's Druze community are calling on international intervention, and how a man born into slavery daringly stole and commandeered a Confederate ship. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

In today's newsletter: the shooting of a Colombian senator and the country's struggle for peace; the debate over mask wearing by ICE agents; President Trump's energy strategy; and a Tunisian judge's work to create libraries for kids. Find these stories, and more, in today's issue.

The story of Hardwick, Vermont, a hamlet in the state's poorest region, is a case study in what it means for a food system to truly “go local” in a world that has leaned on a global supply chain that's now under threat. Today's stories also include a family caught in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack documenting its journey, Coco Gauff finding redemption in Paris, and political parties that were once rivals leading South Africa together. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man with a track record of seemingly impossible feats, came to Washington vowing to bring an ethos of innovation. But even before this week's blowup with President Donald Trump, Elon Musk had become bogged down in political, legal, and bureaucratic battles. Also: today's stories, including the election of left-leaning President Lee Jae-myung in South Korea, Nebraska launching a $100 million program for students with disabilities, and the new government in Syria's plan to rebuild the Hejaz Railway. Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Decadeslong suspicion of elite universities has evolved under President Donald Trump into a full-scale war against institutions deemed to have grown overtly political. At Harvard University, where President Trump has canceled major federal research grants and ordered the suspension of visas for foreign students, it's a high-stakes contest that echoes far beyond higher education. Also: today's stories, including how Trump's tariff war will affect relationships with Asian allies; updates on the Trump administration's travel ban; and recent crackdowns on protests in El Salvador. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

Lee Jae-myung's victory in South Korea's presidential election on June 3 fills a leadership void that was hobbling Asia's fourth-largest economy. It heralds a liberal shift in South Korea's domestic agenda and efforts by Seoul, a key U.S. ally, to ease tensions with China and North Korea. Also: today's stories, including how antisemitism in the United States is reaching generational highs; how rhetoric is yielding to diplomacy as Iran and the United States prepare for a sixth round of nuclear talks; and a book review on Shaun Walker's “The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission To Infiltrate the West.” Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

Ukraine's successful drone strike on air bases deep within Russia marked a radical evolution in modern warfare. It's raised hard questions among military analysts about everything from the future of air defense to the nature of nuclear deterrence. Also: today's stories, including how reports from human rights groups indicate that Russia is targeting Ukrainian civilians via drone warfare; how some states and nonprofits are using DOGE layoffs to their advantage; and how Poland's presidential election this week continued a trend of voters endorsing seesawing visions of its future Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

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.