The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Each December, a daunting task awaits: determining the best books of the year, which you’ll find in this issue. The list is the product of nearly 12 months of reviews, author Q&As, and insights. Also: today’s stories, including The Supreme Court’s stance on the separation of church and state, how Vermont fights pandemic polarization, and Colorado’s push for human space mining. Join the Monitor's April Austin and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Reliable access to food sits at the crux of people’s sense of stability and of opportunity. It's a challenge the entire world shares. That’s why we continually explore, at so many levels, how we rise to meet it. Also: today’s stories, including why it’s not just global supply holding women back from vaccines, the surge in California’s monarch butterflies, and the volunteer wildfire patrollers preventing blazes before they start. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Love of palindromes is a rabbit hole down which one can vanish forever – or at least as a break from the headlines. Also: today’s stories, including a look at global vaccine equity, how citizen observers saved Honduran democracy from violence, and how to simplify student loan forgiveness. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann and Jingan Peng for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

There are questions behind the questions that rarely get asked – probing the mental models beneath the news that are essential to rightly identifying and addressing the world’s problems, whether in Central Asia, Europe, or the United States. Also, today’s stories include the omicron variant, Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy, and genocide in Namibia. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Noelle Swan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Arnez Merriweather is the kind of neighbor you hope lives nearby. When a fire started Monday in the St. Louis apartment building next door, Mr. Merriweather ran to help. Also: today’s stories, including a look at local officials who bear the brunt of voter anger, military families facing food insecurity, and Gambia’s upcoming presidential election. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

We hear a lot these days about emotional support animals. While on a reporting trip to South America, Howard LaFranchi found a posse of his own personal ESAs in the cats of Parque Kennedy in Lima, Peru. Also: today’s stories, including the state of Libyan elections, how Americans can bridge divides on education, and a difference maker in East St. Louis. Join the Monitor's Yvonne Zipp and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Paul van Zyl has little patience for slackers. When it comes to global solutions, he’s all about helping people and organizations accelerate and deliver. Also: today’s stories, including whether offensive comedy should be reined in, how a census can help South Sudan build back, and why climate change has historians rushing to save a WWI Alpine bunker. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and April Austin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Inviting a friend or coworker to the family Thanksgiving dinner is nothing new. You may even have heard about Wanda Dench who, six years ago, mistakenly texted a Thanksgiving invitation to Jamal Hinton, a perfect stranger. The two, usually with family from both sides, have spent Thanksgiving together ever since and even have occasional get-togethers in between. Also: today’s stories, including a look at the rise of armed protest, air travel during the holiday season, and immigrant resilience in London. Join the Monitor's Trudy Palmer and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Given all we have been through – what we have learned about the preciousness of life, the amazing diversity of our humanity, the fleeting joys and persistent struggles – is it possible that we are essentially renovating our societies? Also, today’s stories include how Fort Bragg pulls off Thanksgiving, culinary controversies during the holiday, and a centenarian’s approach to life. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Little Amal is a larger-than-life puppet representing a 9-year-old refugee. Amal traveled from Turkey to England over the past few months as part of an art project aimed at “changing the conversation and bringing people together” around migration. Also: today’s stories, including the debate on “refunding” the police, how the world should pay for climate change, and whether U.S. courts can be compassionate. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.