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The editors of The Christian Science Monitor take you beyond the headlines with the ideas driving progress in this 15-minute news briefing. The Monitor Daily Podcast is available each Monday through Friday at 6 pm ET. For more information on the Daily or The Christian Science Monitor, visit csmonitor.com. Send your comments, suggestions or thoughts to podcast@csmonitor.com.
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Fuel shortages are speeding a shift toward green energy and nuclear power across many countries, as the Iran conflict creates new urgency around energy security.
Also: today’s stories, including what’s behind the global push to ban social media for kids; how in the southern U.S., the arrival of newcomers — mostly from the midwest — are changing how locals speak and live; and how a professor's unconventional solution to texting in class turns discipline into something tender.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
President Donald Trump is urging a 15-point proposal for ending hostilities with Iran. But with the two sides far apart, he is also seeking leverage through threats against power plants, or the potential seizure of strategic Kharg Island with U.S. troops who are heading to the region.
Also: today’s stories, including how, under the cover of the Iran war, settler extremists have increased violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank; how taking care of those who can't afford essentials has become the core of Maine Needs organization; and our reviewers’ favorite books of March.
Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.
Keeping quiet about foiled plots that threaten Americans’ safety could prevent unnecessary worry. Or it could make the public more vulnerable.
Also: today’s stories, including how Beijing's muted response to the war reveals a degree of disillusionment with Iran; commentary on the arrival of the MLB’s Opening Day; and a look at the upcoming return of shellfishing to Boston Harbor.
Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.
If Iran's regime falls, it might be only a temporary setback as the country tries to outlast attacks by the U.S. and Israel, then emerge emboldened.
Also: today’s stories, including what Iran’s military’s destructive capacity means for ending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and its aftermath; why legal sports gambling is flooding broadcasts with ads during major sporting events like March Madness; and how AI is developing so quickly that it’s raising questions of safety and control.
Join the Monitor's Matthew Bell for today's news.
While markets welcomed the possibility of talks to end the Iran war, Asian nations are set to bear the brunt of what might be the worst oil crisis in more than 50 years.
Also: today’s stories, including how Germany is handling energy shocks in the wake of the Iran war; a look at the U.S. Supreme Court case that could affect late-arriving mail-in ballots; and how activists and experts in Mexico have restored local monarch butterfly populations.
Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.
The U.S. military is the most powerful and best-funded in the world, but sea-mine defense has become an example of how key capabilities can be lost or neglected. Now, the Navy must scramble to address minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Also: today’s stories, including why more than 2,000 U.S. Marines are headed toward Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf; how six states are considering legislative proposals that protect the First Amendment rights of student journalists; and how our essayist practices birding as a way to slow down and notice the natural world.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
After decades of conflict, Iraqis have enjoyed increased political stability and a promising future, even embracing a unified national identity. But attacks by Iran, the United States, and homegrown militias are tugging at the divides that had held Iraq back.
Also: today’s stories, including how MAGA voters are throwing their support behind the Iran war, despite strident criticism from some conservative commentators; how government UFO records and films exploring out-of-this-world connections are renewing attention on the question of whether humankind is truly alone in the universe; and how Haiti's 'Resistance Artists' believe in new beginnings.
Join the Monitor's Audrey Thibert for today's news.
President Donald Trump has been pressuring the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. But the Iran war and surging oil prices are complicating the economic picture, prompting the U.S. central bank to hold rates steady.
Also: today’s stories, including a look at how U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are seeking relief during another funding shutdown; how U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is assessing the Iran war; and how a growing court backlog is delaying justice in India.
Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.
Israel’s claim to have killed Ali Larijani, a pivotal Iranian leader, served only to escalate the crisis atmosphere that Iranians are feeling: How to cope and envision a future, while facing crushing U.S.-Israeli attacks and a rigid regime that sees protesters as “just like the enemy”?
Also: today’s stories, including how Israelis acknowledge war fatigue’s toll even as they want arch foe Iran to be defeated; how U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran have had wide impacts on the Middle East — and the U.S. budget; and how in Nigeria, Hoomsen Women Farmers Shepwan Cooperative Society are helping women obtain ownership of land plots.
Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.
Iran has shown they can do a lot of damage to United States and Israeli assets – and regional allies in the Gulf – via missile and drone attacks. But one country can offer its deep experience on how to counter such a blitz: Ukraine.
Also: today’s stories, including why President Donald Trump’s appeal for assistance in reopening the Strait of Hormuz has not been well-received by allies; how a leadership change is underway at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at a critical time for the agency; and how, despite economic insecurity and a violent conflict fueled by the resurgence of the M23, in the Congo, children there have found a lifeline in dance.
Join the Monitor's Matthew Bell for today's news.
The Persian Gulf region is a vital source of oil and gas for the global economy. But the war in Iran is putting scarce water resources for the parched populations there in jeopardy, too.
Also: today’s stories, including how Asian countries are forced to make do with oil supplies; our critic’s take on which films should be nominated for an Oscar; and a Monitor contributor's tale of her family car and the milestones it has seen.
Join the Monitor's Clay Collins for today's news.
If the United States expected Iran to capitulate by now, it refuses to do so. Instead, it is pursuing a survival strategy of fighting on and selecting targets to raise the war’s costs so high that the U.S. and Israel would think twice before attacking again.
Also: today’s stories, including how the disruption of oil-tanker traffic is becoming increasingly urgent for the global economy; how a bipartisan bill aimed at addressing housing affordability that passed through the U.S. Senate could hit a snag in the House of Representatives; and whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can declare victory without a regime change in Iran, despite it being his goal in the war.
Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann for today's news.
American farmers are seeing fertilizer prices spike as supply is choked off by Iran’s threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, in response to attacks by the U.S. and Israel. It’s a sign of how the war is affecting the global economy – including spring planting.
Also: today’s stories, including how African students in Iran are finding themselves increasingly affected as the conflict widens; how higher education institutions are tightening their fundraising practices in the wake of the Epstein files; and how “Sinners” has added to the cultural dialogue around what makes a great movie and who gets to make it.
Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tone in his public statements about the war in Iran is drawing criticism that it glorifies violence and is posturing that runs counter to professional soldiering.
Also: today’s stories, including a look at Japan’s return to nuclear energy, 11 years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident; how as the UK’s Labour Party tacks right, the Green Party is scooping up its spurned voters; and how locals in Jordan are inviting stranded foreigners to “break-the-fast” evening Ramadan meals amid the stress of war.
Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.
Choosing continuity amid war, Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, despite President Donald Trump’s criticism and Israel’s threats. He has a hard-liner’s pedigree, but will his tenure be confrontational, or aimed at broadening internal support for the regime?
Also: today’s stories, including why oil prices spiked to near $120 per barrel Monday before retreating below $100; why 17 candidates are competing in Tuesday's special election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District; and why Balendra Shah is on track to become Nepal’s next prime minister.
Join the Monitor's Matthew Bell for today's news.
Once again, a crisis in the Middle East has the U.S. appealing for military help from the stateless Kurds, this time as boots-on-the-ground proxies in Iran. Affecting any desire to contribute is the memory of letdowns after vital roles played in Iraq and Syria.
Also in today’s stories: why Kristi Noem lost President Trump's trust; how war in Iran adds to existing strains on U.S. employment; and contributor Murr Brewster shares her enduring love of libraries.
Join the Monitor's Stephanie Hanes for today's news.
The U.S. and Israeli leaders have made it clear they want regime change in Iran. But the Islamic Republic had prepared for this day, with a political succession plan and a battlefield strategy. The result so far is Iranian confidence, despite the existential threat of the war.
Also: today’s stories, including how the Iran conflict is generating criticism from many prominent MAGA commentators; why the U.S. is blocking oil shipments to Cuba; and how some Democrats seek to reclaim a moderate version of Christianity to attract voters they've lost to Republicans.
Join the Monitor's Matthew Bell for today's news.
Gulf Arab states lobbied hard for the United States to engage in talks with Iran. Yet in the war, 1,800 Iranian missiles and drones have been intercepted in Gulf airspace, with hundreds breaking through. The Gulf is being transformed by conflict. Will that last?
Also: today’s stories, including how America’s recent strikes on Iran have underscored the task of ensuring the safety of U.S. citizens abroad during the escalating conflict; a look at the results of Texas’ primary elections, and what lies ahead for the candidates; and how, in Nepal, the country’s first elections since protests overthrew the government are a reason for some youth to stay.
Join the Monitor's Ira Porter for today's news.
For many Iranian opponents of the regime, news of the supreme leader’s death at the start of the new war brought elation. But, says a Tehran student who risked his life in protests before the war, there are concerns that the job of regime change is incomplete.
Also: today’s stories, including how the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran are sending political ripples through Congress; a look at how a partial U.S. government shutdown is affecting TSA; and how China is engaged in a huge nuclear weapons expansion, growing the size and capabilities of its arsenal.
Join the Monitor's Christa Case Bryant for today's news.
Airstrikes against Iran were effective in the early days of the mission. But there’s more to do – both offensively and defensively – if the U.S. hopes to crack Iran’s regime.
Also: today’s stories, including what’s at stake for global oil prices as the Iran conflict escalates; a look at a hardball battle for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in Texas; and how Mexico's diplomatic support to Cuba has long boosted the communist island.
Join the Monitor's Kurt Shillinger for today's news.
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