The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

It’s hard to imagine that someone who’s 6 feet, 7 inches tall would be standing on anyone’s shoulders. And yet, there was Chris Eubanks, perched atop tennis greats such as Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson after he advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals on Monday with a thrilling five-set win over fifth-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas. Also: today’s stories, including Return to office? Working moms’ post-pandemic shift., Behind the sending of cluster bombs to Ukraine, and How a new museum reclaims history from horror. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Kansas state Rep. Rui Xu’s district looks nothing like the Kansas of wheat fields and grain silos. A century ago, thousands of acres of suburbs here were planned by a visionary who prioritized green spaces, curving roads, and beautiful design. That developer also pioneered the use of homes associations and restrictive racial covenants – racist restrictions written into housing deeds to keep neighborhoods white, forever. Also, today’s stories, including: How Turkey doesn’t always see eye to eye with other NATO members, Solutions to the plastics problem, and Renewal and hope at Odesa’s opera house. Join the Monitor's Angela Wang and Mark Sappenfield for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

In a remote – and often called dangerous – corner of Brazil, where she was reporting for a story in today’s issue, Erika Page felt a strong sense of isolation. But she would also come to feel the welcoming embrace of those who lived there. Also, today’s stories, including: the Supreme Court’s return to more modest rulings, the largest Israeli incursion into the West Bank in two decades, and how an Indigenous community in Brazil creates a path for correcting past wrongs. Join the Monitor's JJ Wahlberg and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Last week, Tennessee State University, a historically Black university in Nashville, announced it would form a hockey team for the 2024-25 season. A 2022 USA Today report found that the NHL is 93% white, with only 54 players from minority groups. But Black people like hockey, too. Tennessee State might just be about to show everyone how much. Also: today’s stories, including As Americans bet billions on sports, concern grows, The Houses of Parliament is falling down. What is to be done?, and Air travel needs fixes. Which solutions will take off? Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

If Yusef Salaam had lost faith in the justice system, let alone electoral politics, it would have been understandable. As a teenager in 1990, he was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and spent nearly seven years in jail. And yet, last week, Mr. Salaam won a seat on the New York City Council representing Harlem. Also, today’s stories, including a battery boom in the southern U.S., China’s rural seniors working past retirement, and a new window on unmarried Americans. Join the Monitor's Ken Makin, Ken Kaplan, and JJ Wahlberg for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

An encounter with a park ranger taught our Mark Trumbull a valuable lesson for this independence day. Also, today’s stories including: Protests and rioting erupted across France after police killed a teen from an immigrant community last week. Debate over how fast to transition to clean energy ​is gaining urgency, as ​a proposed ​EPA ​emissions rule stirs concerns about electric grid reliability. Experts say the ivory-billed woodpecker is probably extinct while others think they’re wrong – and that the natural world still holds some surprises. Join the Monitor's Mark Trumbull and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

For many, reparations are not a big-fix payoff with an endpoint. Often, reparations are not financial, but an acknowledgment of – and education about – the cascade of damage sent down the centuries by slavery. Also, today’s stories: the Supreme Court’s rejection of Biden’s student loan plan; reparations in California; and beach reads for this summer. Join the Monitor's Clara Germani and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

At a book fair in Kyiv, revived this year to showcase Ukrainian resolve, the Monitor’s Howard LaFranchi got an up-close look at that country’s enduring values – not to mention a glimpse of its celebrated, T-shirt-wearing leader. Also, today’s stories, including: California’s window on life after affirmative action, How mutiny fizzled but put Putin on the back foot, and a Monitor Breakfast with President Joe Biden’s top economic adviser. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Beware the oil shortage. No, not that oil. Olive oil. Weather problems have caused concern on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, a drought, the worst in decades, has devastated the olive crop in Spain, the world’s largest producer of olive oil.

Also: today’s stories, including: $1 billion? Why the Sioux won’t put a price on land, Have Iran’s hard-liners lost battle over headscarves?, and Brazil has more gun owners – and a rising gun culture. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan and Troy Sambajon for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

There are few modern-day rap groups with the power and charisma of the Migos. On Sunday, during the BET Awards, the remaining two rappers took the stage together for the first time since Takeoff’s passing to remember him in tribute. Also, today’s stories, including: What’s preventing Syrian refugees’ return home? Distrust of Assad. The Supreme Court strikes down the “independent state legislature” theory in setting federal election rules. Last weekend's mercenary mutiny against Moscow is prompting doubts in Beijing about how reliable an ally its northern neighbor really is. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Angela Wang for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.