The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

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.

In the New York mayoral election, Zohran Mamdani demonstrated a remarkable crossover appeal for a Democratic Socialist. Mr. Mamdani – who could become the city's first Muslim mayor – won large majorities of voters from conservative outer boroughs to majority Black neighborhoods. Also: today's stories, including how a small Spanish town became a microcosm of the tensions brewing across Europe over immigration; the Trump administration's plan to encourage childbearing; and how a wedding in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan offers hope in a time of despair. Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

On Friday, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump Administration to limit the power of federal judges to issue nationwide procedural rulings. While some see the decision as necessary to curb nationwide injunctions, others are worried it presents an “existential threat to the rule of law.” Also: today's stories, including Iranians in Europe left in limbo following airstrikes from Israel and the U.S.; a look at Yukon's half Indigenous-owned, homegrown airline; and the Monitor's picks for the 10 best books of June. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

The shooting between Iran and Israel may be stopping, for now, but the conflict is far from over. Among key uncertainties is the fate of Iran's stockpile of 400 kilograms (880 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity – a short technical step from weapons-grade – which Iran says it successfully moved before it was attacked. Also: today's stories, including how Gov. Gavin Newsom urges local leaders to “take back the streets and sidewalks”, how officials in suburban Paris have removed benches to promote safety, and a photo essay on the reasons why people feel like dancing. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

In his second term, and in particular over the past two weeks, President Donald Trump has unleashed on friend and foe alike a diplomatic style that jettisons all the norms of traditional diplomacy – dialogue, bargaining, trust-building, and patience – in favor of commands, threats, and shows of force. Our diplomacy correspondent takes a look. Also: today's stories, including two stories that look at the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage; an essay from our Tel Aviv correspondent on watching Iran fire missiles on Israel while visiting New Zealand, her extended family's Holocaust refuge; and our film critic's review of “F1.” Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

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.