The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

She was an older mom getting on the T, Boston’s subway and trolley system, with her teenage son. “Why don’t you sit with me?” she asked. He said nothing and found another seat. “He’s at that stage,” she sighed. It turns out, though, that mother and son are united on one issue: climate change. Also: our five stories, including public ambivalence about impeachment, protests against Hungary’s “patriotic” education reforms, and scientists uniting people around climate change. Join the Monitor's Laurent Belsie and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the latest public figure to have crossed a racist line that, arguably, has shifted. Voters will decide next month if their current leader is a closet racist or exhibited poor judgment 18 years ago. Also: South Africa’s efforts to stop violence against women, whether human empathy can save our birds, and what weddings tell us about shifting values in India. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Sarah Matusek for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

They are unusually tall and robust – unusually old, too. They invariably prompt those who encounter them to slip into superlatives, or silent awe. They’ve witnessed natural disasters and nature’s rebirth. And now, their future is a bit more secure. “They” are 483 giant sequoias. Also: our five stories, including what a philanthropist learned from listening, what vaping says about our search for easy fixes to bad habits, and the trust factor in climate modeling. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Ken Kaplan for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

After 24 years, cartoonist Gary Larson may be coming out of retirement. On Friday, “The Far Side” website was suddenly updated with a new cartoon of a cow frozen in a block of ice. Also: our five stories, including the rising stakes for stability in Hong Kong, new views on diplomatic progress, and lessons from Hawaii on renewable energy. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Rebecca Asoulin for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

What would you say is the most pressing challenge facing the world today? Migration? Economic instability? Global conflict? Hunger? Depending on your politics and worldview, any of these issues might be a top concern. But these challenges are all being stoked by a common fuel: climate change. Also: our five stories, including the viability of centrism in U.S. politics, Israel's fractious divide over religion and state, and the role of immigrants in the food industry. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan and Ken Kaplan for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

In cinemas across the United Kingdom tonight, a new film will be pulling in fans by the busload. Also: our five stories, including what's next for Afghanistan, whether religion and politics can mix in a new democracy, and a breakthrough discovery on another planet. Join the Monitor's Peter Ford and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

The most remarkable blessings often come from those we know least. Also: our five stories, including a problem of perception for female presidential candidates, the unexpected way scientific integrity went viral, and the country music history you didn’t know. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Sarah Matusek for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

At the very spot where a plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11 now stands a chapel where employees of all faiths can pray together. Also: our five stories, including efforts to eradicate hate in police forces, the first televised political debate in Tunisia’s young democracy, and one reporter’s journey into a new language. Join the Monitor's Eva Botkin-Kowacki and Ken Kaplan for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Last week, fourth grade teacher Laura Snyder found one of her boys in tears. At lunch, some girls scoffed at his homemade University of Tennessee T-shirt. Also: our five stories, including breaking taboos in Israel, a new symbol of hope in Afghanistan, and myth busting in Uganda and New England. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Molly Jackson for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Scholars have long endorsed openness to ideas. Now more colleges want to fuel that flow by discouraging students from using social media to over-engineer their choice of roommate. Also: our five stories, including high-stakes symbolism in a U.S. state election, citizen confidence in a young Arab democracy, and relief (and kinship) on a battered coast. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Eva Botkin-Kowacki for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.