The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Across China, the flow of exports screeched to a halt last Friday, as 145% U.S. tariffs took hold and Beijing announced countermeasures. Ann Scott Tyson looks at how President Donald Trump has set the stage for an epic showdown with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Also: today’s stories, including how Somalia’s amputee soccer league offers hope and community, how women in Pakistan are making inroads in the paid workforce while also supporting their families, and how President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters see him as a once-in-a-generation visionary. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Local community kitchens and aid groups in Sudan, working where international organizations could not, are facing funding cuts two years into the civil war. But youth-led groups are determined to fill in the gaps.

Also: today’s stories, including how the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case is the latest showdown between executive and judicial authority under the second Trump term; the reelection of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa; and a look at an innovative network of CO2 detectors enabling the return of tourists and locals to two villages in the Canary Islands after a 2021 volcanic eruption.

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

More than a decade after Syria’s war began, and months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, small investments – in homes, in businesses – signal hope.

Also: today’s stories, including President Trump’s controversial use of already existing, but rarely used, legislation to enforce immigration actions; a look at Kenya’s satellite cities; and how resettlement organizations are operating under the Trump administration’s immigration guidelines.

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

Conservationists in India are celebrating the triumphant resurgence of big cats, but their increase has been mirrored by a surge in violent attacks on people. Michael Benanav dives into the new questions about safety, balance, tolerance, and coexistence. Also: today’s stories, including how Syrians are rallying around their new flag, how music fuels Valerie June, her creative journey, and the world, and how collaboration in California between the Army Corps of Engineers, residents, and professional arborists is now leading to new growth after rampant wildfires. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan for today's news.

While the transatlantic relationship frays, Europe may be renewing an old friendship. Britain and France seek a “coalition of the willing” to coordinate defense support following the Trump administration’s suspension of military aid to Ukraine. Today’s stories also include college conservatives who are no longer silent, more colleges trying out the old-fashioned ideal of civility, and Florida manatees who find warmth at power plants. Join the Monitor's Kurt Schillinger for today's news.

For a sense of how global the impact of President Donald Trump’s second term has been so far, look no further than today’s Monitor Daily. Our stories include whether Chinese consumers could take up the export slack as US tariffs rise, Panamanians wondering who profits from their canal, and international students in the U.S. to earn degrees fearing they could be deported without them. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

Syria’s new leadership faces the daunting task of rebuilding an army from the ruins of sectarianism and foreign intervention. Across the country, commanders are trying to unify a patchwork of former rebels into a cohesive, modern force – without the institutional foundations or resources of a traditional military. But for some, the most important need is a shift in mindset.

Also: today’s stories, including how Hyundai is charging ahead with a new 7 billion dollar plant for building electric vehicles in Georgia, despite tariffs; how cash transfers in Malawi are uplifting villages; and economic malaise in Israel after 18 months of war.

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

Months after a failed martial law attempt rattled South Korea, a top court unanimously decided last week to remove the president. With new elections coming up in June, the united court verdict and its acceptance by South Korea’s two major political parties stirred hope that the young democracy can turn the page on the martial law fiasco.

Also: today’s stories, including what clues the vagaries of past trade policy could offer us by way of lessons for today; how the Trump administration has financial ethics watchdogs on alert; and how one wildlife sanctuary in Colorado is helping formerly captive exotic and endangered animals.

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

It’s easy to start a trade war. It’s harder to stop one. And it’s almost impossible to win one. The Monitor's Laurent Belsie looks at the trade war that U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated, and how the next phase is more dangerous. Also: today’s stories, including why one Canadian family moved to the Russian countryside, a community that has formed over the course of the Israel-Hamas war and of the young lives growing with it, and what due process immigrants are owed. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.

In a series of executive orders targeting law firms, the Trump administration says it’s seeking accountability to protect national security, public safety, and election integrity. Legal scholars see an attack on fundamental American legal principles.

Also: today’s stories, including a look at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent rise in popularity amid tense U.S.-Canada relations; how community leaders in Los Angeles are stepping up to help with wildfire damage; and how papier-mâché artisans in Kashmir are finding hope in creative evolution.

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