The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

The World Economic Forum meeting is back to normal as a physical gathering in Switzerland. For whatever reason, the world’s bankers, CEOs, and policymakers are sounding cautiously optimistic about 2023. Also: today’s stories, including quests for bipartisan governments in U.S. states, Brazil’s struggle to keep its military out of politics, and a historian in Kenya rewriting colonial history. Join the Monitor's Laurent Belsie and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Over Christmas, I read Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Whole sentences of its inventive prose still linger in my mind like an afterimage. Yet when Hurston died in 1960, she had been all but forgotten. Also: today’s stories, including a look at the computer glitch that grounded all U.S. airline flights last week, residents returning to war torn homes in Ukraine, and the nuclear fusion breakthrough in a lab in California. Join the Monitor's Stephen Humphries and Sara Lang for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

It started with a blind date in 1952, when young Coretta Scott was in her second semester at the New England Conservatory in Boston. She was devoted to her singing and not particularly looking for romance. Nevertheless, a nudge from a friend had spurred her to give a shot to a young fellow named Martin Luther King Jr. Also: today’s stories, including California’s extreme weather with cyclones, droughts, and wildfires. Key distinctions between the Mr. Biden’s FBI investigation and Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-lago raid, and why critical timing is the reason the West is giving Ukraine heavier weapons now. And a look into why Japan is shouldering more security responsibility in Asia. Join the Monitor's Noelle Swan and JJ Wahlberg for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

On Wednesday, the federal authorities grounded all air traffic in the United States for the first time since 9/11 – for something some pilots look at as little more than spam. The grounding took place when a notification system known as NOTAM – or, Notice to Air Missions – failed. Also: today’s stories, including Twitter and Elon Musk’s incoming clash with Europe’s Digital Services Act, what it will take to transform dual credit college enrollment into a true tool to advance equity, and moments of moral clarity illuminated the scene in 2022 against a somber political background. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Stephen Humphries for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Perhaps like many people, when I think of the word “river” I haven’t usually associated it with the sky. Now it’s quite possible we all will. Also: today’s stories, including a look inside India’s Kerala effective development policies that may now hold it back, the evolution of infant adoption in the US as an alternative to abortion, and the inspiring story of a boy learning to ride a bike. Join the Monitor's Mark Trumbull and Clara Germani for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

The FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort turned up dozens of papers. Now the Justice Department has launched a review of records found at a Washington think tank established by now-President Joe Biden. What’s up with all these classified docs? Also: today’s stories, including the ethical dilemmas involved in euthanasia, Russian mothers looking for their sons at war, and how gadgets from CES could play a role in education. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

On this last single-digit date in January it’s worth giving the topic of resolutions one last spin before leaving it behind, perhaps alongside … you know … that short-lived decision to switch to mushroom coffee or to start each day with an ice bath. Also: today’s stories, including the storming of Brazil’s state institutions, the fine line between democratic process and dysfunction, and how older people in Ukraine have borne hard lives for decades. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

It’s easy for Democrats to indulge in schadenfreude as House Republicans struggle to perform the first task of their new, narrow majority – electing a speaker. Early this week, a House Democrat mocked Republicans by tweeting a picture of himself holding a bag of popcorn. But this is no laughing matter. Also: today’s stories, including a look at a potential cultural shift needed to protect the Capitol, three questions regarding the January 6th riot, and a pastor helping buoy thousands of Sri Lankans through times of hardship and hunger. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann and JJ Wahlberg for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

When NFL player Damar Hamlin collapsed, the world responded. The incident brought out the best across many communities, and is a reminder of a standard for the best journalism. Also: today’s stories, including a model of bipartisan government from Alaska, a beach in Egypt specially designed for people with disabilities, and a startling encounter with a bat in a drinking glass. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Clara Germani for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

While Southwest Airlines’ flight schedules are back on track, the ripples of dysfunction from its recent meltdown are still being felt. Friends of mine whose Christmas Day connecting flight was cancelled eventually made it home – but have yet to receive their luggage. Also: today’s stories, including a look at division among House Republicans, the importance of energy security worldwide, and an online photo archive of every U.S. military service member killed in Vietnam. Join the Monitor's Trudy Palmer and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.