The Christian Science Monitor Daily Podcast

Lavialle Campbell has been an artist for as long as she can remember. At 5, she would get her work done in school so she could go outside and paint a brick wall with water. At 7, she was collecting seed beads for small projects. Art got her through childhood illnesses, and, in adulthood, two bouts with cancer. Also: today’s stories, including why FTX’s collapse doesn’t have to mean the end of cryptocurrency, reducing the human impact on the natural world, and the taming presence of house plants. Join the Monitor's Ali Martin and Sara Lang for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Brand-building is about making quick and positive associations. As with cars, so too with nations. It matters. Also: today’s stories, including unifying protests in China, absent leadership in Palestine, and a nonprofit reclaiming building materials in Massachusetts. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Ali Martin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

A Monitor reporter describes his experiences reporting a cover story on gratitude, and the inspiring people who have turned giving thanks into a lifestyle. Also in today’s stories: After a decisive election, Kazakhstan’s president has the opportunity to open the post-soviet country to closer Western relations, Qatar’s human rights record has come under what some Qataris have called unfair criticism in the run-up to the World Cup, and a thorough investigation of the cultural, political, and culinary conditions behind a favorite Thanksgiving dessert. Join the Monitor’s Trudy Palmer and Ken Kaplan for today’s news.

I’ve never thought of the Monitor as a prize-driven news organization. Yet awards matter. They show that we are bringing light to topics in need of it, and that we continue to be an important and influential voice. On Nov. 21, the National Press Foundation awarded its Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress to our Christa Case Bryant. Also: today’s stories, including abortion rights impact on midterms, sustainable lawns, and winter in Maine. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

In her report last week from the liberated town of Lyman, Ukraine, Dominique Soguel put a human face on the demands for precision and speed confronting those who clear mines from conflict areas. Also: today’s stories, including Somalia on the brink of famine, Twitter’s workplace culture, and the outcome of COP27. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and April Austin for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

A Monitor correspondent travels to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, where he meets with a 17-year-old Kenyan climate activist fighting to save Lake Victoria from pollution. Also in today’s stories: Congress prepares to pass a groundbreaking bipartisan same-sex marriage bill, World Cup fans reckon with the host country’s controversial human rights record, and teenage Malaysians get the chance to participate in democracy for the first time. Join the Monitor’s Mark Trumbull and JJ Wahlberg for today’s news.

Representative Pelosi will leave Democratic leadership as a historic figure: the first female speaker of the House, and a formidable political force who managed to keep control of a fractious and increasingly splintered party. Also: today’s stories, including demands for freedom from Iranian protesters, the global effects of the U.S. midterms, and widespread repression in Egypt. Join the Monitor's Mark Sappenfield and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

You know what lost in the 2022 midterm elections? Meanness. Also: today’s stories, including NASA’s newest mission to the moon, voters in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, and the fight for justice for a journalist in the Philippines. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.

Taylor Swift’s new album, “Midnight,” is taking the world by storm. Culture writer and former Swift-hater Stephen Humphries weighs in. Also in today’s stories: The poor performance of Trump-backed candidates in the 2022 midterm elections has led to a reckoning within the GOP, farmers around the world work to combat climate change-induced food shortages, and deminers in Ukraine undertake the monumental task of making the war-torn streets safe again. Join the Monitor’s Stephen Humphries and Ali Martin for today’s news.

She had the right to vote. She had the will to vote. All Natalie Harris needed was a ride to the polls in Georgia’s Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta. Also: today’s stories, including President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first in person meeting, the suicide crisis in India, and easy recipes for busy families. Join the Monitor's Clay Collins and Clara Germani for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information.