The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

The House is set to pass a bill calling to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. President Donald Trump’s last-minute support helps mask the first major rebuke of the president in the House since he returned to office in January. This comes amid other challenges facing Mr. Trump and Republicans.

Also: today’s stories, including a teacher in Gaza and his determination to teach music amidst war, what China’s reaction is to Japan's Prime Minister’s consideration of an attack on Taiwan, and how the U.S. Border Patrol is taking a leading role in immigration enforcement.

Four years of leftist rule have not rid Chile of social inequalities, but worries about a crime wave blamed on immigrants appear to give a right-wing presidential candidate an edge in Sunday's election.

Also: today’s stories, including how Syria is facing new tension with Israel, how Boston’s struggling subway system got back on track, and how one Monitor writer learned the power of kindness through helping a stranger buy bread.

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

As the COP30 climate conference gathers in Brazil, Beijing and Washington have taken opposing positions on climate change. Donald Trump calls it a “con.” Xi Jinping has invested billions this year on green tech. Whose view will prove more prescient?

Also: today’s stories, including how one digital initiative in Kashmir expands nomadic children’s sense of their own possibilities; how a female soccer coach has become an unlikely savior for boys caught up in gang violence in the Nigerian city of Kano; and our Monitor film critic’s review of Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague.”

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

With the U.S. government shutdown drawing to a close, the next steps come into view: Turning the federal government back on after six weeks may not be easy. Or instantaneous. The shutdown was felt across the country, from airport delays to missed paychecks from America’s largest employer. And politically, Washington may find itself more divided than before the shutdown.

Also: today’s stories, including how Ukrainians are staying motivated after more than 3.5 years of war with Russia; how California is reconsidering its oil reserves and policies; and how scholars at Howard University are fighting to preserve Black newspapers.

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

After eight senators crossed the aisle to break the shutdown impasse, the House is poised to vote Wednesday to reopen the federal government. Also: today’s stories, including why many experts remain skeptical of the Trump administration’s killings of alleged “narcoterrorists”; a look at protests in the Philippines over the government’s alleged misuse of money meant for flood-control efforts; and how an increase of Bible sales in the U.S. are leaving many faith leaders and communities hopeful for a religious revival.

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

As South Africa gets ready to host the first Group of 20 gathering on African soil, it is struggling to reclaim the world-inspiring ideals of its post-apartheid founding. In this essay, a longtime resident observer in Johannesburg traces what went wrong.

Also: today’s stories, including how Hamas is drawing closer to rival Palestinian factions; how U.S. football is becoming big overseas; and how the Insurrection Act, meant to stifle rebellions, gives the president greater leeway but comes with restrictions, and its use could draw lawsuits.

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

Some Republicans might grow wary of creating pickup opportunities that make some GOP seats slightly less safe; others might feel more motivated now to redraw lines. Democrats could feel emboldened to push for redistricting in states beyond California, or perhaps conclude they can win without it.

Also: today’s stories, including why the Monitor visited Michigan to gauge the economic climate 9 months into the Trump Administration, how President Trump's conduct of foreign policy echoes ancient Athens' behavior, and why Head Start is important to rural communities.

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

How will Democrats’ success in U.S. elections this week affect the politics of the government shutdown? Tuesday’s results have set off alarm bells for President Donald Trump and could strengthen Democrats’ resolve in seeking leverage, even as both parties seek an off-ramp from the weekslong shutdown.

Also: today’s stories, including how federal subsidies in the Affordable Care Act have changed and their effects, what the fall of El Fasher in western Sudan means to the ongoing civil war, and how one Monitor writer learns to cook authentic handmade noodles, deep in rural China.

Independent journalism is under grave threat in the Sahel region of Africa. In Mali, one community radio station shows the lengths to which local reporters go in order to keep their communities informed.

Also: today’s stories, including how new curriculum in Ukraine prepares students for war; a look at U.S. programs designed to educate teachers on the “science of reading”; and whether local control could help preserve Gullah heritage on one South Carolina island.

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

After lower courts struck down the legal argument for the Trump administration’s most sweeping tariffs, the Supreme Court now takes up the matter. The case is important not only for the economic policy of the United States, but for the Constitution’s separation of powers.

Also: today’s stories, including how one biologist in Libya plans to protect critically endangered Mediterranean angel sharks, how 2025 election results in the U.S. will be closely watched for signs of growing or waning political support for Republicans and Democrats, and how Israelis are grappling with the notion of trusting an international force to preserve the fragile Gaza ceasefire.

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