The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Mikaela Shiffrin’s dominance at the 2014 Games and her disappointments this year illustrate the thin line between failure and triumph but also help us appreciate more deeply how extraordinary her achievements have been. Also: today’s stories, including Canada’s out-of-control truckers, another attempted pivot to Asia, and the dangerous lives of Mexican reporters. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Popularizing art can be difficult, but a Twitter feed is offering the joy of discovery and awakening national pride in Canadian artists and their works. Also: today’s stories, including how trust in government is key to effectively fighting the pandemic, the latest battles over what books are best for children, and new transfer rules that give college athletes more leverage, and more respect, than ever before. Join the Monitor's David Scott and April Austin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Depending on what part of the world you live in, never having seen snow might sound like heaven. But it was making learning hard for the children in Robin Hughes’ Riverview, Florida, kindergarten class. Ms. Hughes decided to enlist help from her sister, Amber Estes, in Danville, Kentucky. Also: today’s stories, including a push to diversify staff on Capitol Hill, a look at gold medalist Eileen Gu, and how Hutu and Tutsi women in Rwanda are uniting through drumming. Join the Monitor's Trudy Palmer and Noah Robertson for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

It’s the kind of call no editor wants to receive: one with news that your correspondent has been arrested. But that’s what Monitor editors got Saturday from a friend of Fahad Shah, an internationally respected journalist who has written for the Monitor for many years from Kashmir, India, and is editor of The Kashmir Walla. The friend told us that Mr. Shah had been charged with sedition for stories that police said were “glorifying terrorist activities.” Also: today’s stories, including residents in Milove, Ukraine confronting identities, President Joe Biden’s immigration policy, and a rural Polish village of Godziszów’s perspective on Poland-European Union relations. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Music can be a personal and social solvent. From helping parents compose lullabies to performing music that tackles social issues, Palaver Strings programs calm and connect community. Also: today’s stories, including General dissent about war between Ukraine or NATO among Russians, Beijing’s goals and priorities have changed in the 2022 Olympics and and U.S. lawmakers’ effort to revive homegrown chip-making. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and April Austin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Some have questioned President Biden’s pledge to name a Black woman to the Supreme Court, but a recent controversy in the world of football might hold lessons about what picking the most qualified person really means. Also: today’s stories, including Democrats’ COVID headaches, South Africans saying fight with Big Oil, and home schooling’s newfound popularity among Blacks and Latinos. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Why are some countries pulling their government delegates from Beijing, and what does it mean for this year’s Games Also: today’s stories, including a museum of old-time signs in Jordan that celebrates the artistry in which “each brushstroke is a line from our past to the present, how Cuba’s young people are no longer moved by their government’s revolutionary rhetoric and NATO’s security policy on deterrence, via a mutual defense pact among members. Join the Monitor's Laurent Belsie and Noelle Swan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information

What is lost when a school board decides to exclude a book from the curriculum?

The decision of the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee to remove Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel “Maus” from its eighth grade curriculum roused a storm of criticism. Also: today’s stories, including a look at Afghans living in anonymity, the parallels between the Ukraine crisis and the Cold War, and the uptick in attacks against Christians in India. Join the Monitor's April Austin and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The Australian Open win that really drove headlines was the newsmaker: Rafael Nadal’s record 21st Grand Slam win. But tennis-loving Australians, who hadn’t seen a homegrown player win a major on their soil in 44 years, had already been rewarded on Saturday when Queensland-born Ashleigh Barty, world No. 1, took the women’s tournament title, winning every set in her seven matches along the way. Also: today’s stories, including Ukrainians coping with the looming threat of a Russian invasion, Germany’s efforts to prosecute Syrian war criminals, and a growing “right to food” movement. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Jessica Mendoza for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

President Joe Biden loves ice cream, especially any flavor involving chocolate. “I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, but I eat a lot of ice cream,” he once famously said. Thus, when we in Tuesday’s press pool got a heads-up that President Biden was going on an unannounced outing, we surmised it may involve a certain frozen treat. Which it did. Also: today’s stories, including unemployment in Tunisia, teaching race in school, and the coup in Burkina Faso. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.