The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

From Hollywood to health care workers, the past few months have given rise to numerous labor strikes across the country. While those on strike come from diverse backgrounds and identities, they find commonality in one area: their demand for dignity. In today’s stories, we also look at the removal of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, the new antitrust suit against Amazon, and how Hollywood plans to return to work. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of crypto exchange company FTX, goes on trial in New York federal court this week. His trial is also a reckoning for “effective altruism,” the social movement that he represented – begging the question, does it matter how fortunes are made if they yield vast philanthropic giving? In today’s stories, we also look at immigration dynamics to the U.S. are shifting, Texas’ plan to make advanced math more equitable, and a review of Dennis Lehane’s latest novel about Boston. Join the Monitor's Simon Montlake and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

In theory, Russian law applies everywhere within Russia’s borders. But over and over the Chechen republic proves exempt from those rules. Also: today’s stories, including the Pentagon’s solutions for military childcare, domestic violence survivors helping others in Tokyo, a historic photo studio in Beirut, and a look at the challenges of debts and deficits in preventing the government shutdown. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Senator Dianne Feinstein died Thursday at the age of 90. Our D.C. Bureau Chief Linda Feldmann reflects on the senator’s life — and her status as a pioneering woman in politics.

Also: today’s stories, including a looming government shutdown and a children’s book program centering Black stories. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann and Mark Sappenfield for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The Biden administration is calling for increased funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Our writer Ken Makin explains how community and culture have thrived on campuses despite decades of underfunding.

Also: today’s stories, including the impact of “Bidenomics” on U.S. infrastructure, Wednesday night’s GOP debate, and films focused on AI. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Colorado, the fifth-largest crude oil producer in the United States, has around hundreds of orphaned oil and gas wells that may emit methane and contaminate groundwater. At a media event in Colorado yesterday, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland touted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $4.7 billion meant to help states plug these environmental hazards. In today’s stories, we also look at the formal impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, the presidential election in the Maldives, and housing frustrations on university campuses. Join the Monitor's Sarah Matusek and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The Monitor’s Americas bureau chief is traveling the world, hunting for stories. She shares how sometimes, the most challenging thing about a story can be just getting there. In today’s stories, we also look at the complicated feelings that Texans have towards irregular immigration, President Biden’s visit to union picket lines, and Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s invasion. Join the Monitor's Mark Trumbull and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Hollywood writers got their deal today, but what happens next? Today’s stories also include Georgia’s quest for EU membership, how low-income residents struggle to access disaster-relief loans, the challenges of Tunisian beekeepers, and a look at a new animated series inspired by a Black father learning to style his daughter’s hair. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and JJ Wahlberg for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

In 1946, nighttime broadcasts of “race music” on a Tennessee radio station were motivated largely by profit — but slowly provided a path towards desegregation in the South.

And with the United Auto Workers striking for pay raises, pension, and retiree healthcare, questions over how much the union can gain in a time of sky-high car prices remain.

Also, today’s stories, including: a new Minneapolis eatery centering Indigenous food, and a look into the creation of urban, self-sustaining “pocket” forests. Join the Monitor's Stephen Humphries and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. of Eagle Pass, Texas, was finally left with no option but to sign an emergency declaration Wednesday, after 4,000 unauthorized immigrants had crossed the Rio Grande into his city in the previous two days. The declaration is the culmination of a crisis building for more than a year as illegal border crossings in the area have grown dramatically. Today’s stories also include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, Lebanon’s economic meltdown, and collegiate Esports. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.