海角大神

2018
July
31
Tuesday

Monitor Daily Podcast

July 31, 2018
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David Clark Scott
Cover Story Editor

Reggie Fields is 12 years old and his .

You might call it recompense for racism. I鈥檇 call it social justice.

Reggie was cutting grass in Maple Heights, Ohio, when a neighbor called the police because he'd strayed two feet onto their lawn. "Who does that? Who calls the police for everything?" asked Lucille Holt, one of Reggie鈥檚 customers.

If you鈥檙e black in America, it鈥檚 not unusual. Police are called to investigate everyday activities (#ShoppingWhileBlack, #BBQingWhileBlack, and the infamous #WaitingWhileBeingBlack at Starbucks). Racial profiling isn鈥檛 new. But now social media is shining a moral spotlight on it, and meting out viral justice and fairness.

Increasingly, those who call the police ,聽such as #PermitPatty who reported a girl selling bottled water. And the victims are often compensated. Social media can expose and chastise those who judge first by a person鈥檚 skin color and can inspire citizens to rectify wrongs. It appears that America has little tolerance for racism.

Ms. Holt posted 聽about聽the incident, and calls from new customers poured in. More than 1,750 people have also for new mowing equipment.

鈥淭his is the real America: people helping other people,鈥 posted Ellen Loraine on Reggie鈥檚 GoFundMe page.

Now to our five selected stories, including how some American conservatives are shifting their outlook, and innovative paths to progress in Honduras and the Philippines.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Donald Trump鈥檚 presidency has been a disorienting experience for some conservatives, who now often find themselves nodding in agreement with liberals on cable TV. But some say being politically "homeless" can lead to new ways of thinking.

Recent street protests over Iran's weak economy suggest the country could be vulnerable to outside pressure. But Iranians say the White House has miscalculated, resulting in greater unity instead.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement/AP/FILE
Foreign nationals were arrested in early 2017 during an enforcement operation conducted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aimed at 'immigration fugitives, re-entrants, and at-large criminal aliens' in Los Angeles.

A two-word slogan might not seem to have a lot of room for ambiguity, but the 鈥淎bolish ICE鈥 movement is less defined than either supporters or critics suggest. Underneath is a broad desire to change immigration enforcement, one that experts say could resonate with voters this fall.

Benoit Morenne
More than 1,000 construction workers are at work on the Philippines鈥 first green, resilient, and smart city 鈥 being built from the ground up in northern Luzon.

In the Philippines, they鈥檙e reimagining life in the big city. It鈥檚 been tried elsewhere. But this new 鈥渟mart city鈥 represents hope: a place that will be resilient to climate change, pollution, and overcrowding.

Sometimes, the path to progress comes with small wheels. In Honduras, a skateboarding facility offers young people a sense of community and an alternative to membership in violent gangs.


The Monitor's View

Trump鈥檚 offer to talk to Iran

Having met with聽North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong-un and Russia鈥檚 Vladimir Putin, President Trump said Monday that he was open to meeting with Iran鈥檚 leaders. Such a summit would be the first between Iran and the United States since before the 1979 Islamic revolution.聽His aides later indicated that Iran must first make 鈥渢angible鈥 policy shifts. Iran said talks were not possible with an 鈥渦nreliable鈥 US. Still, Mr. Trump was clear about why he favored meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani: 鈥淚 believe in ... speaking to other people, especially when you are talking about potentials of war and death and famine.鈥澛燞is strategy is similar to that of President Barack Obama, who believed that not talking to adversaries should not be considered punishment.聽The regime of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would find it hard to hold a summit with the US. Still,聽more top leaders in Iran have come to accept that the country must become a full democracy rather than rely on the absolute authority of a Muslim cleric.聽At the least, talking about talks with Iran might, as Mr. Obama would say, reveal the intentions and nature of the regime.


A 海角大神 Science Perspective

About this feature

Each weekday, the Monitor includes one clearly labeled religious article offering spiritual insight on contemporary issues, including the news. The publication 鈥 in its various forms 鈥 is produced for anyone who cares about the progress of the human endeavor around the world and seeks news reported with compassion, intelligence, and an essentially constructive lens. For many, that caring has religious roots. For many, it does not. The Monitor has always embraced both audiences. The Monitor is owned by a church 鈥 The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston 鈥 whose founder was concerned with both the state of the world and the quality of available news.

Today鈥檚 column, which includes a poem and quotes, considers just how powerful the awareness of a divine presence and peace is.


A message of love

Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
A woman waits for transportation next to graffiti that reads 'How much longer?' outside a closed metro station during a blackout in Caracas, Venezuela, July 31. The outage coincided with a meeting of party delegates who were set to give President Nicol谩s Maduro additional powers; Mr. Maduro blamed the opposition for the power outage, The Associated Press reported, as he has in the past. Hyperinflation in the struggling socialist country led the Maduro administration last week to eliminate five zeros on new Venezuelan bolivar bills.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

Thanks for joining us. Come back tomorrow: We鈥檙e working on a story about China鈥檚 鈥淪ilk Road Economic Belt,鈥 an ambitious plan to connect Asia and Europe. But China鈥檚 spotty record on protecting the environment worries some in the path.

More issues

2018
July
31
Tuesday

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