The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

A remarkable drop in gun violence in the San Francisco Bay Area has underlined an important point: Safety is often built more than enforced. Also: the link between clothes and conservation, how an extraordinary woman is saving lives in Afghanistan, and why so many people are streaming an Italian classical composer. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Hannah Harn for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Last year, Monitor staff writer Christa Case Bryant reported on a city in West Virginia that had cut its opioid overdose rate in half, thanks to compassionate outreach for those struggling with addiction. We checked back in to find out how they were doing a year later. Also: our five stories, including protesters’ sense of urgency in Hong Kong, disagreement in Sudan, and a look at modern urban living. Join the Monitor's Yvonne Zipp and Timmy Broderick for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

David Ortiz was an impressive ballplayer. He made history again and again in Fenway Park. But the act that defined his legacy, for the Monitor’s Dave Scott, wasn’t when he swung a bat. Also: our five stories, including progress in Botswana, what trade wars mean for farmers, and how interfaith tolerance is an asset. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Pushback against the arrest of a Russian journalist could be a tipping point for the relationship between Russian authorities and media watchdogs. Also: How Baltimore is saving urban forests; can sexual assault survivors seek both justice and privacy? And the 10 best books of June. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Amelia Newcomb for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

“Pray and dance.” Faith Michael, a defender for the Nigeria women’s national soccer team, says that’s what she does before every game. Also: our five stories for today, which include an examination of what healing looks like after a community deals with an event as traumatic as the Virginia Beach shooting, and a preview of the new Smithsonian hall of fossils, which has a surprisingly hopeful perspective on climate change. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Samantha Laine Perfas for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Each year they arrive at Normandy: the veterans who pushed back German platoons after landing in the largest seaborne invasion in history. Also: our five stories, including a look at the 2020 presidential race, the legacy of Native American soldiers who participated in D-Day, and what’s at stake for Huawei. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan and Timmy Broderick for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

When non-Muslims think of Islam, they are likely thinking of an image largely crafted by Saudi Arabia. But this past week, that image showed signs of cracking. Also: Native Canadians demand fairer foster-care system for community members; and World War II pilots recall the past on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Molly Jackson for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

The U.S. could benefit from one key lesson Finland has learned fighting Russian disinformation: Know thyself. Also: why some Chinese dissidents are still hopeful, a surprisingly democratic battle over parkland in Russia, and the power of a warm shower to uplift. Join the Monitor's Dave Scott and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

Most of the news from the southern U.S. border is about hard barriers and punitive politics. It’s hard to imagine that contentious zone as a place of cooperation on a fundamentally important issue. Also: our five stories for your Monday, including some spoken-word reflections on Tiananmen Square and a look at how migrants are using music to connect with their Moroccan hosts. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Samantha Laine Perfas for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.

What good is democracy? That’s a question that’s been on the mind of one Monitor staffer this week as he wrapped up the latest in our series “Democracy Under Strain.” Also: our five stories of the day, which include a deep dive into the lessons of Bernie Sanders’ years as mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and a look at how indigenous people in Canada are flipping expectations and planning to benefit from resource extraction. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Samantha Laine Perfas for today's news. For more information, visit csmonitor.com/daily.