As a regular traveler to Florida, our Linda Feldmann is always on the lookout for offbeat tourist spots. Not Disney or South Beach, but quirky places with Old Florida charm or historical significance. Also: today’s stories, including a look at parental bills of rights, the prudence of Biden's allowance of new oil development, and the potential attack of the chatbots. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more

Ramadan, which begins today, is the month in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, a time of spiritual discipline, deep contemplation of the Quran, and increased worship and charity. Also: today’s stories, including the anti-immigrant sentiment in Turkey amplified by February's earthquake; courage, bravery, and hope of the Uyghurs, and the future of TikTok in America. Join the Monitor's Kendra Nordin Beato and Jingnan Peng for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more

​​We’re adding a new way to navigate CSMonitor.com. When we go beyond the headlines, we find the place where news can begin to unite instead of divide, and can be constructive rather than demoralizing. Also: today’s stories, including the summit between leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, U.S. foreign policy 20 years post-Iraq War, and the final days of Broadway’s iconic musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” Join the Monitor’s Mark Sappenfield and JJ Wahlberg for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more

Four decades ago, a Maine fifth grader named Samantha Smith, who was worried about nuclear war, wrote a letter to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. Her post script, in neat schoolgirl block letters – “Please write back” – eventually worked its charm: Mr. Andropov invited her on a free trip to the USSR to see, he said, that “everybody in the Soviet Union stands for peace and friendship among nations.” Also, today’s stories, including: NATO has quietly taken the step of putting its strategic headquarters on what military officials there describe as “war fighting” footing. A violent standoff between s ..read more

In today’s issue, Washington Bureau Chief Linda Feldmann is giving us an (almost) front-row seat at the latest Monitor Breakfast – a conversation between Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia and members of the Washington press corps. Also: today’s stories, including a look at a looming indictment of former President Donald Trump, Peru persisting in prosecuting high-level leaders for corruption, and an uptick in BIPOC bookstores. Join the Monitor's Amelia Newcomb and Clay Collins for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more

Would Ronald Reagan recognize today’s Republican Party? The party establishment, including many Senate Republicans, remain Reaganesque in support of aiding Ukraine. But the top candidates for the GOP presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the United States has no vital interest in that fight. Also: today’s stories, including Why Biden is tacking to the center, Finding agency and hope in the news, and how Odesa’s entrepreneurs flourish amid war. Join the Monitor's Peter Grier and Noelle Swan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/da ..read more

Last month, we shared the results of a Pew survey of parents’ views about raising children. Topping their concerns were mental health, bullying, and safety. So we asked readers: Is parenting harder today? Also: today’s stories, including China’s involvement with the Ukraine war, how President Joe Biden has shifted on immigration, and a Swedish housing project bringing young migrants and seniors together. Join the Monitor’s Amelia Newcomb and Kendra Nordin Beato for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more

Favour Odenyi wrote about her experience reading the Monitor in an award-winning essay sponsored by DiscoveryBound, a national youth leadership program for Christian Scientists. Also, today’s stories including: The failure of Silicon Valley Bank poses a test of confidence at a time when the economy is already challenged by inflation and rising interest rates, Donald Trump’s grip on the GOP was widely proclaimed to be weakening, and The U.S. has long been the preeminent outside actor in the Middle East. Now China is asserting itself there, stealing Washington's diplomatic thunder. What does thi ..read more

Silicon Valley Bank wasn’t huge enough to be considered a “systemically important” financial institution that warrants extra scrutiny from regulators. But we are learning that it was big enough to cause plenty of consternation when it failed. Also: today’s stories, including the staying power of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, a California zanjero who delivers water from the Colorado River, and the height of hospitality in Saudi Arabia. Join the Monitor’s Mark Trumbull and Ken Kaplan for today’s news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more

Jeremy Peña, star shortstop for the Houston Astros, looked stunned. He had just been called out on strikes without even receiving a final pitch – and that was precisely the problem. Mr. Peña had failed to be ready in time. Also, today’s stories, including: Why Bakhmut battle is high stakes for all, Israeli protesters: ‘Traitors’ – or best and brightest?, and Atlanta’s Cop City. Join the Monitor's Linda Feldmann and Ken Kaplan for today's news. You can also visit csmonitor.com/daily for more information ..read more