The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

When it comes to ancient kingdoms and cultures, who, if anyone, are history’s gatekeepers? Also: today’s stories, including a relieving yet stressful return home for some Ukrainian refugees, reframing perceptions of what it means to be “old,” and an influx of migrants testing the capacity of U.S. cities to respond. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Israel and Ukraine have one thing in common – a race against time as the world’s patience thins. Also: today’s stories, including NATO turning a warier eye on Russia amid the slog of the Ukraine war, President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s progress from their meeting, and how WriteGirl helps teens find their creative voice. Join the Monitor’s Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today’s news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

There are no easy answers for the problem of plastic – which is everywhere and tends to stick around for a long time – but now the world is trying to do something. Nations are meeting in Kenya this week to push toward the first-ever global treaty on plastics. In today’s stories, we also look at the mixed feelings on “Bidenomics,” how Hamas feels emboldened despite the civilian cost in Gaza, and how the Ms. Universe pageant is seen by some Pakistanis as a force for women’s liberation. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Many Israeli families are still waiting to be reunited with loved ones who were taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7. How is one mother in Shoham, Israel, coping? In today’s stories, we also look at how children are faring in Gaza, the Supreme Court’s newly adopted ethics code, and how some Ukrainian soldiers are being impacted by an unlikely therapy animal. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Noelle Swan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

What’s at stake when Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping meet this Wednesday? Today’s stories also include differences between the U.S. and Israel on how the war should be waged, how one activist in Namibia is pushing back against the Western narrative around climate activism, and Taylor Swift’s impact on a new moment of girlhood in pop culture. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Voters across the U.S. spoke clearly to school boards in Tuesday’s election: Please just teach our kids and keep the culture wars out of the classroom. Also: today’s stories, including a surge of violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinian residents in the West Bank, how Colombia’s approach to peace agreements could set an example for the Middle East, and one columnist’s look into how the Disney Plus series about the dynamic character ‘Loki’ illustrates the importance of relationship-building. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Conversations about the Middle East have always been hard, but now it has become a war in itself. How are families with both Israeli and Palestinian ties making it work? Also: today’s stories, including abortion boosting Democrats at the polls, Palestinians in Ramallah say the Gaza war could create a path to peace, and an organization helping first-generation college students get “college knowledge” – all of the cultural things that help students navigate campus, financial aid documents, and cultural change. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Today is Election Day in the United States, and voters in solidly-red Ohio are leaning toward adding abortion protections to their state constitution. If it passes, it will be a huge win for abortion rights. In today’s stories, we also look at the Supreme Court’s review of gun rights for domestic abusers, how Texans are wrestling with the state’s complicated history, and why a school in Italy is the neutral ground for people on different sides of conflicts around the globe. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Climate change is driving a global youth revolution focused on hope rather than despair. Today’s stories also include a look into the United States’ relationship with Israel as the death toll in Gaza soars, former President Donald Trump’s testimony in his civil fraud trial in New York, and how schools in France are grappling with bullying. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ira Porter for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Property has always been a primary path to wealth, with Black Americans and other marginalized communities struggling to fend off forces that would take theirs. But there are signs of a shift, and one woman’s case has caught national attention. Also: today’s stories, including a look into the prospect of Iranian militant involvement in the Israel - Hamas conflict, an understanding of how to move past “othering” and into a mindset of respect, and the return and honoring of two American “Flying Tigers” – temporarily back in Beijing – who helped defend China from Japan in World War II. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and JJ Wahlberg for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.