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.
Saturday, November 22, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
General stores are a lifeline to many rural communities. But in Vermont, towns are fighting to keep their general stores alive.
In today’s issue, we also look at the EPA’s new clean-water rules, the toll of Sudan’s civil war on women, and why an Indiana state senator is resisting pressure to redraw the state’s congressional map.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
Friday, November 21, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
The public falling-out between U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Donald Trump has brought splits in the MAGA movement into the open. In Ms. Greene’s solidly Republican district, voters are weighing their populist allegiances.
Also: today’s stories, including how members of traditionally unionist Protestant communities in Northern Ireland are starting to look toward the republic; how realistic a unified Ireland is, both politically and practically; and how, in one of President Donald Trump’s most high-profile prosecution efforts against a perceived political enemy, a series of government missteps means the case may collapse.
Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.
Thursday, November 20, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
Richard Nixon’s “war on drugs” has always entailed a degree of U.S. pressure on foreign allies. But the Trump administration’s strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats off Venezuela charts a new course of non-cooperation.
Also: today’s stories, including how a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand is falling apart — and possibly pushing Bangkok closer to China; how gerrymandering in the U.S. has evolved; and our Q&A with Representative Jim Clyburn on his new book, “The First Eight.”
Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news.
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
Despite Israel’s war with Hamas and Iran, its economy grew, if modestly, due mostly to its strong tech sector. But calls to boycott Israel over the conduct of its war in Gaza appear to have hit some exports. Will that rage subside if the ceasefire holds?
Also: today’s stories, including how, after the deadliest fire in 100 years of U.S. history, people of Lahaina are trying to rebuild their buildings and culture; how girls marrying before age 18 was prohibited in Bolivia this year, but the cultural norms and attitudes that drive the practice remain; and how President Donald Trump is pressuring cities and states to end cashless bail.
Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
The House is set to pass a bill calling to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. President Donald Trump’s last-minute support helps mask the first major rebuke of the president in the House since he returned to office in January. This comes amid other challenges facing Mr. Trump and Republicans.
Also: today’s stories, including a teacher in Gaza and his determination to teach music amidst war, what China’s reaction is to Japan's Prime Minister’s consideration of an attack on Taiwan, and how the U.S. Border Patrol is taking a leading role in immigration enforcement.
Saturday, November 15, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
Four years of leftist rule have not rid Chile of social inequalities, but worries about a crime wave blamed on immigrants appear to give a right-wing presidential candidate an edge in Sunday's election.
Also: today’s stories, including how Syria is facing new tension with Israel, how Boston’s struggling subway system got back on track, and how one Monitor writer learned the power of kindness through helping a stranger buy bread.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
Friday, November 14, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
As the COP30 climate conference gathers in Brazil, Beijing and Washington have taken opposing positions on climate change. Donald Trump calls it a “con.” Xi Jinping has invested billions this year on green tech. Whose view will prove more prescient?
Also: today’s stories, including how one digital initiative in Kashmir expands nomadic children’s sense of their own possibilities; how a female soccer coach has become an unlikely savior for boys caught up in gang violence in the Nigerian city of Kano; and our Monitor film critic’s review of Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague.”
Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.
Thursday, November 13, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
With the U.S. government shutdown drawing to a close, the next steps come into view: Turning the federal government back on after six weeks may not be easy. Or instantaneous. The shutdown was felt across the country, from airport delays to missed paychecks from America’s largest employer. And politically, Washington may find itself more divided than before the shutdown.
Also: today’s stories, including how Ukrainians are staying motivated after more than 3.5 years of war with Russia; how California is reconsidering its oil reserves and policies; and how scholars at Howard University are fighting to preserve Black newspapers.
Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
After eight senators crossed the aisle to break the shutdown impasse, the House is poised to vote Wednesday to reopen the federal government. Also: today’s stories, including why many experts remain skeptical of the Trump administration’s killings of alleged “narcoterrorists”; a look at protests in the Philippines over the government’s alleged misuse of money meant for flood-control efforts; and how an increase of Bible sales in the U.S. are leaving many faith leaders and communities hopeful for a religious revival.
Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today’s news.
Saturday, November 8, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily
As South Africa gets ready to host the first Group of 20 gathering on African soil, it is struggling to reclaim the world-inspiring ideals of its post-apartheid founding. In this essay, a longtime resident observer in Johannesburg traces what went wrong.
Also: today’s stories, including how Hamas is drawing closer to rival Palestinian factions; how U.S. football is becoming big overseas; and how the Insurrection Act, meant to stifle rebellions, gives the president greater leeway but comes with restrictions, and its use could draw lawsuits.
Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.
