Best Christian Science Monitor Podcasts (2025)

1
Thursday, May 8, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

18h ago

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India and Pakistan are inching toward war. Fahad Shah reports on how this is the worst escalation between the neighboring nuclear powers since 2019. Also: today’s stories, including Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza indefinitely and the weariness more conflict is causing amongst Israelis, why senior government officials, since Obama’s administration, ke…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: La cocina – Drop – Havoc 16:00

5h ago16:00

16:00

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

1d ago

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Connecting with a human face behind the headlines can bring news home. In today’s Daily, you’ll meet the family trying to rebuild after being driven from its village last year by M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our stories also cover Canada’s leverage in US trade talks, a woman who never made it past fifth grade running a roadside l…

1
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

3d ago

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The 5,525-mile-long U.S. border with Canada has been overshadowed by an immigration debate that’s often focused on the border with Mexico. The Monitor’s immigration reporter joined a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Vermont to take a look at how things have changed there under President Donald Trump’s policies — and the ripple effects on the communities…

1
Monday, May 5, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

4d ago

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Amid commemorations this week of the 80-year anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, polls show a growing desire among Germans to feel less burdened by the past. The path Germany takes will have profound consequences, from how it leads in a militarizing Europe to whether right-wing extremism might rekindle the kind of nationalism the coun…

1
Friday, May 2, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

7d ago

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After weeks of speculation about his future within the Trump administration, national security adviser Mike Waltz is on his way out of his current job. The Monitor's Anna Mulrine Grobe dives into how Donald Trump’s first major shake-up of top administration officials in his second term signaled his interest in honoring loyalty. Also: today’s storie…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: The Shrouds; Most People Die on Sunday; The Dark Money Game 16:01

7d ago16:01

16:01

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
Thursday, May 1, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

8d ago

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This is how former Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha, who was awarded the Medal of Honor, describes courage under fire: “You know, we survived that day not because we hated the enemy, but because we loved each other more.” Also: today's stories, including U.S. soybean farmers bracing for tariff impact, rebels trying govern eastern Congo's largest city, …

1
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

9d ago

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For generations, Sherpas have been highly sought-after guides for international clients intent on making the world’s most difficult climbs. Aakash Hassan reports on one teenage Sherpa, the youngest ever to summit the world’s 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters, and his role as a model and a trailblazer for other young people. Also: today’s storie…

1
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

10d ago

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What has President Donald Trump done in his first hundred days of his second term? The Monitor’s Washington Bureau Chief gives a rundown.Also: today’s stories, including how Ukrainians are holding on amidst Russian air strikes on Kyiv; a historic settlement for thousands abused in LA County juvenile homes; and India’s threat to cut off Pakistan’s w…

1
Monday, April 28, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

11d ago

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Perceptions of disarray at the Pentagon have grown more urgent as Secretary Hegseth has fired several close advisers. Anna Mulrine Grobe looks at how staffing issues can feed allied nations’ concerns about U.S. military readiness to respond in a crisis. Also: today’s stories, including the varying ideas of peace in Ukraine on the table, the economi…

1
Friday, April 25, 2025 - The Christian Science Monitor Daily

14d ago

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We all learn from the examples set by others, particularly when we see a courage and compassion that refuses to be quelled. Today’s stories include how Pope Francis took stands that others have embraced, a Holocaust survivor on TikTok, and a movement rallying around RFK Jr.’s agenda. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb for today's news.…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Sinners; Warfare; October 8 15:57

14d ago15:57

15:57

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Seven Veils; On Becoming a Guinea Fowl; The Assessment 16:07

21d ago16:07

16:07

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Oh, Canada 15:36

28d ago15:36

15:36

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Thank You Very Much; Bring Them Down; Holland 15:51

1M ago15:51

15:51

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
To Russia, With Hope

1M ago

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How does a Saskatchewan farmer dreaming of a better life end up in rural Russia? In this episode, the Monitor’s Fred Weir, a Canadian journalist with 40 years in Russia, talks about how he found and profiled a new kind of invited Western expat: one who has warmed to some aspects of Vladimir Putin’s Russia, seems somewhat oblivious to others, and ap…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Last Breath; McVeigh; My Dead Friend Zoe 15:56

1M ago15:56

15:56

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Black Bag; Control Freak; Eephus 16:01

2M ago16:01

16:01

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
‘The Work Is Mysterious and Important’

2M ago

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What does the hit Apple TV+ show that could be thought of as “Black Mirror” meets “Office Space” tell us about perceptions of workplace culture and Generation Z trends like “boreout”? About work with purpose and meaning? On the eve of the Season 2 finale of “Severance,” culture writer Stephen Humphries takes us inside the making of his report on a …

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Mickey 17; Chaos: The Manson Murders; Picnic at Hanging Rock 15:56

2M ago15:56

15:56

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: The 2025 Oscars 15:22

2M ago15:22

15:22

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Presence; The Monkey; Grand Theft Hamlet 16:18

2M ago16:18

16:18

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: September 5; Saturday Night; Sugarcane 16:05

3M ago16:05

16:05

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
U.S. Politics and Legal Tests

3M ago

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How does a justice reporter stay focused when nearly every politics story seems to have intricate – and sometimes massive – legal ramifications? Avoid loaded phrasing. Keep it clinical. And remember to breathe. Henry Gass joins guest host Gail Russell Chaddock to talk about his work at the intersection of law and American politics, the busiest corn…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Here; I’m Still Here; The Damned 16:42

3M ago16:42

16:42

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Companion; Wildcat; The Fishing Place 16:18

3M ago16:18

16:18

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
How Crowd Control Evolves

3M ago

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What does good policing looks like when it comes to managing sometimes bristly human interactions at street protests or in rowdy sports stadiums? Writer Simon Montlake and photographer Alfredo Sosa learned in Columbus, Ohio, how police dialogue units can play a role. But is it sustainable, and transferable? How far might it extend in an era when vi…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: The Academy Award Nominations 15:49

3M ago15:49

15:49

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
What Faith Looks Like Now

3M ago

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Who’s in the pews these days? What about those in – or adjacent to – American political leadership who proclaim religiosity even while exhibiting behaviors that don’t necessarily comport with it? Beginning to decode some of those questions represented a politics writer’s early swings on the religion beat. Many more remain. Sophie Hills, the Monitor…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: The Last Showgirl; Good One; The Fire Inside 16:09

4M ago16:09

16:09

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
A Kingdom of Empathy?

4M ago

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When it comes to humanity’s relationship to Earth’s other creatures, does “dominion” really mean “stewardship”? Monitor writer Stephanie Hanes joins host Clay Collins for a look behind the reporting of her recent deep dive into what new research suggests about the richness of animals’ inner lives – and what that might mean for humans’ relationship …

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Nosferatu; The Piano Lesson; The Room Next Door 16:11

4M ago16:11

16:11

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
A Mother’s Strength

4M ago

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A new writer’s local assignment on a gun violence memorial brought him face to face with a mother whose trying experience, and her telling of it, seemed to underscore an organization’s healing mission. It also showcased his source’s strength, resilience, and agency. In this episode, we break from the conversation format to make room for a writer’s …

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: The Ten Best Movies of 2024 15:46

4M ago15:46

15:46

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: A Complete Unknown; Emilia Perez; Babygirl 16:19

4M ago16:19

16:19

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Wicked: Part 1; Maria; The Brutalist 16:11

5M ago16:11

16:11

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
Reading America’s Shift: Part 2

5M ago

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Covering an incoming administration is about more than tracking the words and deeds of the new chief executive. Plates are shifting from the Cabinet to Congress. That warrants careful reporting, too. It means staying grounded in facts, not engaging in speculation, as a government emerges that is in some ways quite different from Trump 1.0. Washingt…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Nickel Boys – Oh, Canada – Queer 16:16

5M ago16:16

16:16

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
Reading America’s Shift: Part 1

5M ago

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In this stretch between Election Day and the inauguration, the United States waits on a president-elect who has a long list of actions to take “on Day 1,” many without precedent, even given his earlier term. What will Monitor coverage of this transition and this presidency look like? How do journalists stay curious and focused on truth? How do they…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Hard Truths; Armand; All We Imagine as Light 16:14

5M ago16:14

16:14

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Blitz; Black Box Diaries; Merchant Ivory 16:11

5M ago16:11

16:11

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
A Chatty Thanksgiving Primer

6M ago

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Fresh cranberries or canned? Northern pumpkin pie or Southern sweet potato pie? An assembling of intergenerational family members, a handful of friends, or a group of strangers? Almost everything about Thanksgiving, from travel to table talk about politics, has the potential to become fraught. Calm can prevail when a simple sense of gratitude gets …

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Juror #2; A Real Pain; My Name is Alfred Hitchcock 16:16

6M ago16:16

16:16

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Heretic; Joker: Folie a Deux; Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger 16:12

6M ago16:12

16:12

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
Encore: Respect, Dignity, and Getting Along

6M ago

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Another U.S. election is behind us. Can civility – deep civility, not just politeness – heal divides? Stephen Humphries, the Monitor’s chief culture writer, joined host Clay Collins in this encore episode to talk about his expansive view of the culture beat and about how he came to write about Alexandra Hudson’s book, “The Soul of Civility.” Ms. Hu…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Anora; Bird; Martha 16:07

6M ago16:07

16:07

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
Why We Went Deep on Sudan

6M ago

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A land war grinds on into another winter in Europe’s east. The Mideast keeps spiraling, old enmity refueled. A U.S. presidential election claims whatever sliver of attention is left. The West tends to forget about the African continent even in less distracting times. But stories from many of its more than 50 countries abound – of wars, yes. Of star…

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Conclave; Memoir of a Snail; Strange Darling 16:16

6M ago16:16

16:16

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

1
David Sterritt with Films in Focus: Speak No Evil; Woman of the Hour; Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara 15:59

7M ago15:59

15:59

David Sterritt is a film critic, author, teacher and scholar. He is most notable for his work on Alfred Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, and his many years as the Film Critic for The Christian Science Monitor, where, from 1968 until... Read More ›

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