The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

The 2018 appointment of Carmen Best as Seattle’s first Black female chief of police looked like progress. Her abrupt resignation Tuesday felt like a step backward. But Seattle’s reform movement isn’t monolithic. Also: today’s stories, including the global "war" over a COVID-19 vaccine, the challenge of keeping relief money safe from corruption in Lebanon, and how zoos are creatively coping with coronavirus. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Jessica Mendoza for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

What is a city to do when 300,000 people become homeless in an instant? Last week, half of Beirut was damaged by one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. Thousands of homes have become unlivable.

One answer is to stay with family. Another is to expand your sense of family, and many Beirutis are welcoming neighbors into their homes.

Also: today’s stories, including Joe Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris for a running-mate, the COVID “vaccine war,” and the tussle over Alaska’s identity. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Recently, on a webinar with the Monitor’s Middle East correspondent, Taylor Luck, we noted that news outlets tend to focus on conflict in the region. But the appetite for stories that help us better understand the people who live there is often weaker. How do we correct that imbalance? Also: today’s stories, including the challenge of reaching a new coronavirus relief deal in Washington, parents and educators working together to help special ed students, and this week’s Points of Progress. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Ken Kaplan for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Linda will never forget her first political convention: the Republican confab in sunny San Diego, August 1996. Also: today’s stories, including unintended consequences of U.S.-Iran relations, the ripple effect of missed rent payments, and our favorite Olympic moments. Join the Monitor's Kim Campbell and Noah Robertson for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

The burgeoning online music company Bandcamp has long been renowned for supporting racial and social justice organizations. Now, during the pandemic, it has also stepped up to help artists struggling to make a living in quarantine quashed. Also: today’s stories, including President Trump’s efforts to move evangelical voters, the tragic cost of government dysfunction in Lebanon, and African cartoonists drawing themselves into the story. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Jessica Mendoza for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

When reporter Scott Peterson went to Lebanon to report on protests last November, something seemed different. In a country so riven by strife among its religious sects, there was a new resolve. Also: today’s stories, including a look at reparations, a post-pandemic future envisioned by playwrights, and a Q & A with ‘Vanguard’ author Martha S. Jones. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Jessica Mendoza for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

You may already know that pandemic gardening is, well, a thing. You know this because your neighbor keeps leaving zucchini the size of scuba tanks on your doorstep. This past spring in the Northern Hemisphere, about the time that toilet paper became scarce, a new backyard farming movement began. It started as a hedge against food shortages. Burpee Seeds was so swamped that it halted orders for a few days in April to catch up. Nurseries and garden centers are still doing a booming business. But sales have gone way beyond the apoc-alyptic preppers. Also: today’s stories, including Tiktok, Karen Bass, and protests in both Portland, Oregon, and Jerusalem. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Eva Botkin-Kowacki for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

In January, when a group of editors and writers first gathered to talk about how we should cover the 100th anniversary of voting rights for women in the United States, we never dreamed that the project would be overshadowed by a pandemic and by protests over racial injustice. Also in today’s news: The six-week brawl over the 19th amendment, women leaders during the pandemic, and young women of color who are leading the charge against racial discrimination. Join the Monitor's April Austin and Ken Kaplan for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

"Last summer, when GOP Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota came to the Monitor Breakfast, he talked up all the Republican women planning to run for Congress." Also: today’s stories, including potential voting scenarios in the fall, the influence of teacher’s unions in opening schools, and the persistent work of deaf reporters. Join the Monitor's Jessica Mendoza and Jingnan Peng for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Researchers discovered microbes that had been buried beneath the sea floor for more than 100 million years, and they were still alive. Also: the future of Afghanistan peace talks; changing Black history education, and Colombian libraries that lift spirits during the pandemic. Join the Monitor's Eva Botkin-Kowacki and Ken Kaplan for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.