The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

In American space lore, the Apollo 13 lunar mission has become synonymous with near-disaster – and innovation in a crisis. Saturday is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 lunar mission. Today, we are collectively living through an Apollo 13 moment. Also: bridging the U.S. gap between digital haves and have-nots, India’s quest for community in a lockdown, and our global points of progress report. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Samantha Laine Perfas for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Medical science stays focused on the curve-flattening it maintains is needed to keep the coronavirus from running rampant before it can be crushed. Where might we focus next, while we act prudently in our present? Also: the push for group prayer, Finland’s effective young leader, and a sit-down with America’s poet laureate. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

The March jobless rate – out today at 4.4% – doesn’t capture the real state of the labor market, because of survey lag. More likely, The New York Times estimates, unemployment is closer to 13%. Also: our five stories, including online education as more than a stopgap, the Kentucky governor’s new fanbase, and why we hoard toilet paper. Join the Monitor's Jessica Mendoza and Peter Grier for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

When Billy Collins read the Monitor’s story about New York shut-in Carmella Parry and Poems on Wheels, the former U.S. poet laureate says he was stirred by her joy-filled enthusiasm for the poems she received with her delivered meals. Also: our five stories, which explore presidential messaging, efforts to shelter California’s homeless residents, and a Monitor film critic’s picks for escapist flicks. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan and Clay Collins for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Scientists will tell you that human beings like uncertainty least of all – even worse than an expected bad outcome. Yet today, we all are learning to live with heaping measures of it. Also: our five stories, which look at the workers most affected by the downturn, the variety of government responses worldwide, and cartoons that change lives. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Jessica Mendoza for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Car parades have been spotted around the country honking their love. In a time of social distancing, people are resisting – not the rules as much as the sense of separation. Also: the erosion of privacy during a health crisis, history lessons on disease and discrimination, a day with a grocery store manager, and lichen in Canada. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

“How can I help?” That powerful question comes with a touch of uncertainty amid coronavirus constraints. Yet as needs are communicated from governments and individuals alike, people are underscoring that a moment many associate with feeling overwhelmed is producing overwhelming evidence of caring. Also in today’s news, we look at an infusion of goodwill for local journalism, accelerating competition between the U.S. and China, and the Pentagon's view of its role in fighting the coronavirus. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Clay Collins for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

One silver lining amidst the coronavirus crisis: foster animals get to go home from a shelter. New York’s animal shelters say they’re running out of pets to adopt, as people rush to get a new friend to help calm them in fraught times. Also: how a U.S. city deals with a pandemic and a natural disaster at the same time, how the current economic plunge differs from past downturns, and tips for creative dishes you can make at home. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

The ethical quandaries of weighing the global economy against public health amid the coronavirus pandemic. Also: who governs U.S. lockdown conditions, El Salvador’s preemptive quarantine, and a new installment of comfort films. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Timmy Broderick for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

The coronavirus crisis has made one thing clear: The world needs a pause button. We are shutting down economies because it is the kind thing to do. Also: the qualities of leadership in crisis, how the coronavirus has changed thinking about those in prison, and simple science experiments for the house-bound. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Jessica Mendoza for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.