The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast
The editors of The Christian Science Monitor take you beyond the headlines with the ideas driving progress in this 10-minute news briefing. The Monitor Daily Podcast is available each Monday through Friday at 6:15 am ET. For more information on the Daily or The Christian Science Monitor, visit CSMonitor.com. Send your comments, suggestions, or thoughts to podcast@csmonitor.com.
Thursday, February 27, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
While much of Europe is wrestling with resurgent far-right politics, Serbia stands apart thanks to a student-led mass movement against corruption and its strongman president.
Also: today’s stories, including a look at the University of Austin’s radical free speech experiment; how the Pasadena Community Job Center has become a refuge for those impacted by the Los Angeles fires; and an effort to save Yemen’s migratory birds amidst war.
Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield for today's news.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
In the wake of the Syrian civil war, exchanges between Alawites, Shiites, and Christians are often fierce. Taylor Luck reports on how they still manage to break bread together, and how religious minorities there have found encouragement as they probe for answers.
Also: today’s stories, including Chinese rights groups that are packing up as U.S. financial aid is withdrawn, the expensive, complicated, and slow process that stands in the way of European military self-sufficiency, and how New York appears to be fast preparing to move on without Eric Adams. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
James Madison called it “the extent and proper structure” of the United States. The Monitor’s Linda Feldmann looks at how now, a U.S. president is upending the country’s centuries-old balance of power. Also: today’s stories, including how German centrists barely fended off the populist tide, how the legacy of the Greensboro sit-ins are carried on today, and how theater troupe in Ukraine is finding that puppets have a special ability to comfort and inspire, even to rehabilitate. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
Monday, February 24, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
While Americans differ on how taxpayer dollars should be spent, you might expect them to rally around keeping those dollars away from fraudsters. But what if an unconventional anti-fraud effort – entrepreneurial and fast – fails to gain public trust by pursuing partisan goals?
Also: today’s stories, including worries over press freedom during the Trump administration; what may come next from the Israeli government in the Gaza ceasefire; and acts of everyday defiance in Ukraine against Russian advancement.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
Friday, February 21, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
Is he a co-president? An adviser? A modern-day Rasputin? Elon Musk’s role may be undefined, but the Monitor's Simon Montlake looks at how his influence and impact seem to be growing by the day. Also: today’s stories, including the German "firewall" meant to keep far-right the Alternative for Germany party out of power, a justice reporter talks about the busiest beat in news, and how “Severance,” the Apple TV+ show about workplace drudgery, may be the greatest exploration of work-life imbalance ever filmed. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield for today's news.
Thursday, February 20, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
A wave of Justice Department resignations in recent days, prompted by the president’s demand to dismiss a pending case against New York City’s mayor, may signal that politics is creeping into the justice system. Today’s stories also include USAID cuts threatening America’s most successful global health campaign, Trump calling Mexican cartels ‘terrorists,’ and how our essayist kindles the light within during the dark days of winter. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
In the past few days, assumptions about the postwar international security order have been upended. Three of today’s stories offer a global take. They include Trump aides casting doubt on shared values with Europe, Europe beginning to reassess its relations with the U.S., and Putin counting on Trump to open world doors. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan for today's news.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
From Ukraine’s battle zones to its cities, war fatigue is real, three years after Russia’s incursion. So is resilience, our reporter found.
Also: today’s stories, including Trump “border czar” Tom Homan’s outlook on immigration; a look at Nova Scotia’s Black community, then and now; and one Monitor writer’s thoughts on “Captain America: Brave New World,” which introduces a Black Captain America to the big screen.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
Friday, February 14, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
President Donald Trump’s plan to take over Gaza and expel its residents received a warm reception in Israel. Dina Kraft looks into why many Israelis embrace a Trump plan for Gaza once seen as taboo. Also: today’s stories, including what, if anything, can be saved from the wreckage of USAID, a dive into America’s nuclear weapons and the U.S. Air Force missileers that manage it, and a delicious history of chocolate. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield for today's news.
Thursday, February 13, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
As courts weigh the legality of actions taken by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, the response from American voters is also starting to take shape. Will the same people who support pruning a bloated federal government, in the abstract, feel differently as those cuts ripple through their own communities?
Also: today’s stories, including Indian-U.S. immigration amid recent deportations from the U.S.; how the Justice Department will define anti-Christian bias; and worries in Europe over Russia’s “shadow fleet” of aging oil tankers.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
