The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Workarounds have shielded most Americans from the government shutdown’s effects, but program interruptions might soon test public patience and political will.

Also: today’s stories, including how consent laws in France have now changed, how one Colorado Christian remains grounded in her church community amidst a trend of women leaving churches, and why activists and diplomats are talking reform on climate conferences like COP.

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

Beijing and Washington have been locked in a costly trade war for six months. In South Korea on Thursday, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping called a truce and pledged to work more closely together in the future.

Also: today’s stories, including how building more units could help Califonia’s affordability gap in housing, how the Trump administration's pursuit of a "new economic Monroe Doctrine" is raising suspicions in Argentina, and why the World Series holds extra meaning for Toronto and Canada.

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

A rising U.S. military presence near Venezuela has stirred questions around whether the goal is a drug crackdown or regime change. An effort to oust the regime of Nicolás Maduro would carry risks – with or without U.S. troops on the ground.

Also: today’s stories, including a look at how and why food benefits are ending for millions in the U.S.; how residents of a Black Chicago neighborhood are reacting to a recent federal immigration enforcement campaign; and how South Korea utilizes K-pop as a form of soft power.

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

A trade war with Canada might be less visible to Americans than one with China. But it has big impacts on both sides of the border, felt by U.S. households as prices for materials from metals to lumber jump.

Also: today’s stories, including how Russia may require graduates to do national service in exchange for student loans, how analysts say Tehran is trying to change the narrative about its regional posture by painting Israel as the real threat, how one teen in Nigeria’s most populous city is determined to prove that even in the most crowded corners, children can have fun.

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

A dozen states are drawing new congressional district maps, or thinking about it, as Republicans and Democrats maneuver for control of the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections. The efforts could diminish the importance of individual voters.

Also: today’s stories, including how the populist campaign of Zohran Mamdani for New York City mayor has energized the growing number of democratic socialists across the U.S., how two side-by-side restaurants in Detroit have been embroiled in a (mostly) friendly hot dog rivalry, and how Syria’s new school year, the first since the fall of the Assad regime, has a revised look at history and increased emphasis on religion.

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

This episode of the Daily is a little different.

Listen as Monitor editor Christa Case Bryant and Middle East correspondent Taylor Luck discuss  the importance of fairness in news coverage, the Monitor approach to journalism, and covering the Middle East with nuance and objectivity. They also take a look behind-the-scenes of Taylor’s reporting process.

Argentina votes Sunday in midterm legislative elections that serve as a report card for President Javier Milei’s economic policies. He tamed inflation, but now the economy is stalled, many are worse off, and corruption has emerged as an issue.

Also: today’s stories, including why the daylight robbery of jewelry from the Louvre has shocked Paris, a look at how one woman affected by the LA wildfires is shaping her future, and how the new movie “Springsteen,” portrays a more subdued Bruce.

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

U.S. sanctions on Russia’s largest oil companies place new pressure on President Vladimir Putin. But, evidenced by President Donald Trump’s frequently shifting positions, it’s still unclear where he will land on how to end the war in Ukraine.

Also: today’s stories, including why one U.S. Representative-Elect has yet to be sworn in after a month, why youth voter apathy in Ivory Coast isn’t a rejection of democracy, and our review of film director Richard Linklater's poignant portrait of legendary lyricist Larry Hart.

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

The world's second-largest economy, China, is deciding its economic strategy for the next five years, a decision with high global stakes.

Also: today’s stories, including how a ceasefire could help Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban lessen the tension; a look at the challenges facing those seeking to reestablish democracy in Venezuela; and commentary on how the murders of civil rights activists have been lost in the current conversation about the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court.

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

When President Donald Trump hiked the cost of H-1B visas, Indian professionals looked to be the hardest hit. But with the West shunning immigrants, India may also be the beneficiary of the new pool of job seekers.

Also: today’s stories, including how Pittsburgh wants to be a hub for artificial intelligence that makes a difference in peoples' daily lives, how one solution to chronic absenteeism in schools is gaining traction, and whether boycotts of Israeli academic and artistic institutions further the cause of peace.

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