The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Texas is among the many states struggling with a surge in fatal overdoses from fentanyl. One writer looks at how the state attempts to balance a punitive legal approach with calls to recognize fentanyl addiction as a public health issue.

Also: today’s stories, including one Palestinian writer’s escape from central Gaza to Rafah, and a Los Angeles-based artist’s rogue art installations amidst urban blight. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The Iowa caucuses begin next week, and with it, the start to the 2024 election season. Questions over the GOP’s future remain.

Also: today’s stories, including the latest round of medical staff strikes against the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, and this week’s Points of Progress roundup.

Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Noelle Swan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Black voters, like many Americans, show only tepid support for President Joe Biden. What if a segment of voters the Democratic Party has long counted on is growing less attached to the party overall? Also: today's stories, including how Gaza's war tests Israel's stamina, one South Carolina district's story of gerrymandering, and how community restored a Compton bakery after street takeover. Join the Monitor’s Amelia Newcomb and April Austin for today’s news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Three years after the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, diverging views of the riots may influence the political path ahead and trust in government. Also: today’s stories, including why foreign policy is no longer in Biden’s ‘win’ column, the 2023 US homicide rate, a reporter’s tactics and tales from the campaign trail, and a look at yesterday’s Monitor breakfast with Shalanda Young. Join the Monitor’s Clay Collins and Kendra Nordin Beato for today’s news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The question of whether a second Trump term would result in the collapse of U.S. democracy has gripped pundits and political insiders. What’s bluster and what’s believable? Also: today's stories, including a look at why charges of plagiarism stick, why Houthis pose a tough challenge to the US in the Red Sea, and what the Russian Expo says about Putin's vision for the country. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

El Salvador’s murder rate dropped by 50% in President Nayib Bukele’s first year in office. But does this give him the right to run for reelection, something that’s constitutionally banned? Also: today’s stories, including the likelihood that justices will decide if Trump can run, New York expanding its gifted program, and a couple who brought a library mule to Ecuadorian children eager to read. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Fuel shortages and Israeli attacks on cell towers and underground networks have left many Gaza Palestinians in regular communications blackouts. Our writers share how those on the ground are coping. In today’s stories, we also look at growing sobriety amongst Generation Z, and a poetic New Year’s Day tradition celebrated by the U.S. Navy. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ira Porter for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

State officials in Texas are in the process of getting unprecedented immigration powers — directly clashing with the federal government's constitutional duty to oversee immigration. In today’s stories, we also look at diplomatic efforts among Arab countries to rebuild and govern Gaza, and how Monitor reporters documented the climate generation. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Should the Catholic Church prioritize doctrinal purity or pastoral care? That deeper debate goes well beyond this topic, or even religion. In today’s stories, we also look at how Palestinian Christians are trying to celebrate Christmas in wartime, why traditionally moderate European conservatives are adopting anti-immigration policies, and why a city in Mexico is banning a musical genre in the name of public safety. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

A Colorado court ruling barring Donald Trump from the state presidential primary ballot because of “insurrection” is reverberating nationwide. It raises unprecedented legal questions – and also comes as a political gift to the former president. Also: today’s stories, including Russia’s threat spurring innovation in Ukraine, the mayor of Manchester – dubbed the “king of the north” – and the definition of “blockbuster” changing, and perhaps for the better. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.