The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

For political opponents to find common ground on immigration matters seems rare. Yet, in Arizona, a progressive activist and a Republican district party chair are uniting around a detained woman who has been a positive force in her community.

Also: today’s stories, including a look at what could happen when Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week; how one town in Senegal honors religious diversity; and a Q&A with scholar Bobby Donaldson on how Marshall Thurgood became a Supreme Court icon.

Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

Though the Trump administration says its strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean are allowed, its tactics are raising questions around potential war crimes and generating support for more congressional oversight.

Also: today’s stories, including how a year after an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, the Lebanese people are still caught in the middle; how teachers and officials in Europe are trying to combat violence in schools by restricting youth’s access to social media; and our essayist writes how his name is a thread that connects him to home.

Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

President Donald Trump has vowed to attack drug trafficking across Latin America. But in promising to pardon a convicted trafficker from Honduras, he has swayed politics and unsettled policy.

Also: today’s stories, including how a fragile deal Washington brokered between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rebel M23 group shows how economics might lead toward peace; how Boston is building apartments on top of libraries in an experiment with affordable housing; and how one science educator in Pakistan is getting marginalized children excited about learning.

Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

In New York, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and the city’s business leaders have begun a wary rapprochement. The democratic socialist’s proposals are anathema to many business leaders, and collaboration will likely require mutual concessions.

In today’s stories, we also look at the confusion around different Ukraine peace plans, why Xi Jinping praised a former Chinese leader whose death sparked the Tiananmen Square protests, and the new Disney animation “Zootopia 2.” Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.

A roller-coaster diplomatic saga, with a mercurial US president at the helm, has left Ukrainians confused about what it will take to end their war with Russia. But could a deal be just around the corner?

Also: today’s stories, including how Americans are focusing on practicing gratitude this holiday season, how cranberries became a Thanksgiving staple, and why the number of children’s cafeterias has exponentially increased across Japan.

Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.

Upholding public trust has long been a central tenet of American democracy. But ethical norms have fallen under President Donald Trump even as his net worth has grown. The White House denies conflicts of interest. Ethics experts disagree.

Also: today’s stories, including how the European Union is impeded by energy needs and foot-dragging member states as it tries to end its dependence on Russian gas; whether the ceasefire in Gaza can go forward if Hamas refuses to disarm; and whether the focus on artificial intelligence should be on unleashing innovation or protecting the people who use it.

Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.

General stores are a lifeline to many rural communities. But in Vermont, towns are fighting to keep their general stores alive.

In today’s issue, we also look at the EPA’s new clean-water rules, the toll of Sudan’s civil war on women, and why an Indiana state senator is resisting pressure to redraw the state’s congressional map.

Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.

The public falling-out between U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Donald Trump has brought splits in the MAGA movement into the open. In Ms. Greene’s solidly Republican district, voters are weighing their populist allegiances.

Also: today’s stories, including how members of traditionally unionist Protestant communities in Northern Ireland are starting to look toward the republic; how realistic a unified Ireland is, both politically and practically; and how, in one of President Donald Trump’s most high-profile prosecution efforts against a perceived political enemy, a series of government missteps means the case may collapse.

Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.

Richard Nixon’s “war on drugs” has always entailed a degree of U.S. pressure on foreign allies. But the Trump administration’s strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats off Venezuela charts a new course of non-cooperation.

Also: today’s stories, including how a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand is falling apart — and possibly pushing Bangkok closer to China; how gerrymandering in the U.S. has evolved; and our Q&A with Representative Jim Clyburn on his new book, “The First Eight.”

Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news.

Despite Israel’s war with Hamas and Iran, its economy grew, if modestly, due mostly to its strong tech sector. But calls to boycott Israel over the conduct of its war in Gaza appear to have hit some exports. Will that rage subside if the ceasefire holds?

Also: today’s stories, including how, after the deadliest fire in 100 years of U.S. history, people of Lahaina are trying to rebuild their buildings and culture; how girls marrying before age 18 was prohibited in Bolivia this year, but the cultural norms and attitudes that drive the practice remain; and how President Donald Trump is pressuring cities and states to end cashless bail.

Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.