The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

When California began experiencing record high temperatures last week, the state wasn’t sure if power would remain in households due to demand on the state’s power grid. A plea issued to all citizens with a cellphone to ‘conserve energy’ proved effective. Millions of Californians worked together to decrease their electricity use and avoid rolling blackouts. “Unity proved possible,” writes the Monitor's Ali Martin. Also: today’s stories, including a look at why China is willing to cooperate on U.S. stock audits, a rundown on architects rediscovering old-school ways to stay cool, and reviews on 10 of September’s best books. Join the Monitor's Ali Martin and Luke Cregan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

As Ukrainian troops advance with lightning speed across Russian lines east of Kharkiv, it is worth turning to the loudly heralded, if slower-moving, Ukrainian assault on Kherson in the south. Also: more of today’s stories, including a look at the sentiments in former colonies following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, an Indiana forest grown to supply wood to the USS Constitution, and NPR’s Nina Totenberg’s long-standing friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Join the Monitor's Mark Trumbull and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

As a businesswoman, Janine Ndagijimana owns her niche. The market, in her case: eggplants – a white, African variety commonly called “garden eggs.” She first noticed them as a market favorite inside a Rwandan refugee camp. Years later, she was growing them in the soil of northern Vermont, drawing on her reflections from time in the camps: “Life was not easy because even the food they provided was not enough for one person.” Also: today’s stories, including a look at how Ukrainians are taking responsibility for one another, why Charles III has huge shoes to fill, and points of progress around the world. Join the Monitor's Clayton Collins and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

When Hillary and Chelsea Clinton filmed “Gutsy,” their new docuseries about brave and bold women, it required a fearless approach. The eight episodes cover relationships, the environment, spirituality, and motherhood. “There was a joy about these women, despite what they’d been through or what obstacles they had faced,” she says. “It was very life-affirming.” Also: today’s stories, including a look at rancher resilience on the Texan prairies, hard choices for indigenous gold miners, and the revival of nuclear energy around the world. Join the Monitor's Stephen Humphries and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Over 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II oversaw Britain’s struggle to redefine itself in the postwar era. Her death, at the age of 96, comes at a time of great uncertainty. Yet through the tumult, the queen’s legacy has been to maintain a sense of purpose when pessimism and insecurity could have led Britons to turn their backs. Also, Linda Feldmann shares a cause for unity in Washington: the rise of a local tennis phenom. In other stories: Putin’s attempt to boost recruitment and progress for LGBTQ+ rights in Singapore. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldman and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Talk to anyone in journalism. “News avoidance” is a thing. People simply can’t cope with a daily dose of anger, failure, fear, and frustration. The Monitor was created to antidote this narrow view of news. Hear Mark Sappenfield speak about how the Monitor’s website, and journalism, is changing to give you a deeper view of the news and show how it can highlight solutions that unite rather than divide. Also: today’s stories: the rise of election denialism, a look at Jackson, Mississippi’s water crisis, and why vacation destinations in Russia are packed. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Monitor photographer Melanie Stetson Freeman’s close encounter of the furred kind brought tears to her eyes. She had come to a Minnesota research institute to learn about Dr. Lynn Rogers’ work with black bears. Her tears during a moment with a cub weren’t from fear, but something else: “It was so moving to see something that positive from a creature that’s ‘supposed’ to kill us,” she says. Also: today’s stories, including a look at recovery efforts in Pakistan, more on Dr. Rogers’ work with bears, and an assessment of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, one year later. Join the Monitor's David Scott and Lindsey McGinnis for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

NASA’S upcoming rocket launch is a test of whether the agency can adapt to a new age of innovation in space travel. Our stories today also look at human right abuses in Xinjiang, women peacekeepers in Kenya, Chile’s new constitution, and the legacy of “Goodnight Moon.” Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Noelle Swan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Economists don’t wear capes. But in an unconventional new book, Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley take on a villain familiar to fans of the Avengers movies: Thanos. Also: today’s stories, including a look at Ukraine’s wartime schools, lessons in survival from a bone-dry land, and a presidential plantation’s shift in the telling of its history. Join the Monitor's Stephen Humphries and Samantha Laine Perfas for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Those classified documents arrayed for a photo on a floor at Mar-a-Lago are a visual symbol of the troubles facing Donald Trump. Also: today’s stories, including an assessment of the complicated legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev, the possible political effects of extreme weather events in Texas, and what may be a positive turn in Canada’s divisive language debate. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Erika Page for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.