The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Can there be compassionate border security? Texas passed a law today that makes it a state crime to enter the state illegally, allowing local police to arrest undocumented migrants. Today’s stories also include efforts to subvert Bernardo Arévalo’s victory in Guatemala’s general elections back in June, the controversy behind Colorado’s release of five gray wolves into the wild, and how a Ugandan city is getting kids off the street. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and April Austin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

As a warming world threatens Arctic culture, young Inuit combine science with Indigenous knowledge in a budding sustainable conservation economy. Also, today’s stories: including why sugar outpaces grocery inflation, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker who finds purpose through teaching music, and how a centuries old letterpress machine can stand out in a high-tech world. Join the Monitor’s Mark Sappenfield and Ira Porter for today’s news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Chile is a fascinating test of a democracy trying to evolve in response to social change as the country votes on a new constitution for the third time. Also: today’s stories, including the enormous added challenge of starvation in Gaza, our book editor’s notes on what goes into book reviews, and an essay on the beauty of calm moments amid the chaos of travel. Join the Monitor’s Mark Sappenfield and Ira Porter for today’s news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Nazis tend to be depicted as psychopaths. But the most chilling thing about the new film “The Zone of Interest,” is that its Nazis are normal people – showing that evil is most dangerous when it slips into the mundane. In today’s stories, we also look at the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of the most commonly used drug in abortions, how working-class Londoners are finding that clean air access is an uphill battle, and presidential candidate Cornel West’s discussion at today’s Monitor Breakfast in Washington, DC. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

For the United States, is Ukraine a waste of money or is underwriting its fight against Russia a kind of insurance against costlier U.S. military action later? Also: today’s stories, including an agreement reached by nearly 200 countries to move away from fossil fuel, Venezuela making moves to–essentially–take over part of neighboring Guyana, and the Monitor’s compilation of the best reads of 2023. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The French love American fast food. The latest evidence for this? The 500-strong line as Krispy Kreme opened its first outlet in Paris on Dec. 6. Also: today’s stories, including a generational divide in the Israel-Palestine debate, women keeping the art of paper cutting alive in northwestern China, and debates over a ban on e-cigarettes to try to dissuade kids from smoking. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Schools and universities are facing an incredibly difficult situation. From the increasingly liberal orthodoxy of many universities to conservative book-banning, the bedrock American commitment to free speech is under threat. What can be done? Today’s stories also include how some young people are going back to the land as sustainable farmers in Portugal, the threat across the border in Lebanon for northern Israelis, and how Italy is looking to Albania for help to curb an influx of migrants. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

In a world of uncertainty and doubt, can the sequin-bright smile of Taylor Swift, as well as the love and community her concerts inspire, create hope? Today’s stories also include the status of safe zones in Gaza, Argentina’s potential adoption of the U.S. dollar as its national currency, and a look into the new ideas being generated by young people – featured in our Climate Generation series – at COP28. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ira Porter for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Is there place in Republican hearts for a Donald Trump with “a polite way”? Filling that role has given presidential candidate Nikki Haley momentum, but her challenge is still immense. Also: today’s stories, including how the U.S. and Israel are reacting to the war in Gaza entering its third month, finding a way to face the facts of climate science without losing a sense of hope or agency, and a review of 5 kids’ books that offer fresh outlooks, differing perspectives, and new frontiers to explore. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Laurent Belsie for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

On Dec. 5, the president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced a proposal allowing schools with top programs to be able to pay student-athletes endorsement deals, and even establish trusts for them. How drastically could this proposal alter the NCAA landscape? And what does it mean for amateurism? Today’s stories also include defining “neutrality” in Middle East history studies on college campuses, former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s resignation, and a look into Norway’s rehabilitation-focused prison model. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.