海角大神

2019
December
02
Monday

Monitor Daily Podcast

December 02, 2019
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Noelle Swan
Weekly Editor

Today鈥檚 stories include the next phase of impeachment hearings, the听first woman to lead the European Commission,听efforts to foster discussion among political opponents, why Hong Kong protesters are feeling grateful for President Trump, and cookbooks as cultural windows.

But first, world leaders are settling into Madrid today for 12 days of climate negotiations. Each nation brings to the table its own perspectives, values, and needs.听But for the 197 signatories of the landmark Paris climate agreement the global nature of climate change demands a unified response.

This 25th United Nations climate summit听is undergirded by a mounting sense of urgency. Last week Europe鈥檚 Parliament declared a 鈥,鈥 just days after a that our current course could lead to a world where average temperatures surpass preindustrial levels by more than听3 degrees Celsius. The Paris accord aims to hold warming to 1.5 degrees.

While delegates negotiate over the next two weeks,听we will be exploring the role of the individual in tackling this global challenge.听

When we asked readers this fall how they think about climate change, we received dozens of responses from people who see themselves as part of the solution. Cynthia Kuest of DeLand, Florida, writes that she vowed to drive less听after reading about changes in Alaska鈥檚 permafrost in a Monitor cover story. She sold her car in August and outfitted her bike for messy weather.听

鈥淥ne benefit I discovered by riding my bicycle,鈥 she says, 鈥渋s that I am connecting more with people in my community.鈥澨

We will delve into some of your ideas and share how staffers are thinking about climate in their daily lives.


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

The Chat

We asked readers to send in questions about impeachment. Elliot Kim from Fullerton, California, hit on something that鈥檚 top of mind for many: 鈥淲hat does this actually change?鈥 Our Washington bureau chief, Congress reporter, and senior Washington writer explain.

Profile

Virginia Mayo/AP
Incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives for an EU summit in Brussels, Oct. 18, 2019. She is taking over at a delicate moment, with the union鈥檚 28 members divided over issues such as immigration and climate change.

Ursula von der Leyen built a career on breaking boundaries.听But as听the听European Commission鈥檚 first听female president, her task will be to foster European unity at a time of deep division.

Henry Gass/海角大神
Mindy Webber (right), a liberal "blue," talks with a conservative "red" at a workshop organized by Better Angels Central Texas, Nov. 21. The workshop is one of many initiatives around the country aiming to improve civil discourse.

Groups that facilitate civil discourse abound, post-2016 election. The challenge is learning to talk with your political opposite outside the structured settings of workshops and classrooms.

A letter from

Colorado
Ann Scott Tyson/海角大神
Thousands of Hong Kong residents, many waving or displaying American flags, gather in the Central district of Hong Kong Island on Nov. 28, 2019 for a rally to express gratitude to the United States for the enactment of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.

Reporting in Hong Kong, our correspondent didn鈥檛 expect a traditional Thanksgiving. But it turned into a day of thanks听鈥 and a reminder of how many people look to the U.S. as a leader for human rights.听

Books

Karen Norris/Staff

Food may be the gateway to the soul. But it can also be a passport to the world.听We鈥檝e gathered a sampling of cookbook offerings that promise to transport home chefs to kitchens near and far.


The Monitor's View

AP
Family and friends of two people killed in a terrorist knife attack, Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, comfort each other at a Dec. 2 vigil.

Almost every terrorist attack offers lessons on how to prevent future ones. This may be especially true for a knife attack in London on Nov. 29.

The assailant, Usman Khan, was a convicted terrorist who, before and after his release from prison in 2018, had taken courses to 鈥渄esist鈥 and 鈥渄isengage鈥 from radical ideologies. He was also trained in how to gain a 鈥渉ealthy identity.鈥 The two people he killed were advocates of such programs. In fact, all three were attending a conference on prisoner rehabilitation.

With an election just days away, many in Britain are now taking a break from the Brexit debate to ponder if such programs actually can turn around extremist offenders.

In the wake of the attack, in which Mr. Khan was killed by police, the Justice Ministry launched an urgent review of conditions used to release people sentenced for terror offenses. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to introduce mandatory minimum 14-year sentences for such crimes. Mr. Khan served only six years of an 18-year sentence for an amateurish plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange. His lawyer admits he could have been deceived by his client, who claimed to have turned his back on radical Islam.

On the other side of the debate, the family of one victim, Jack Merritt, said he would not want to see harsher sentences for terrorists. Mr. Merritt was a coordinator for a prisoner program called Learning Together, which is associated with the University of Cambridge鈥檚 Institute of Criminology. 鈥淛ack lived his principles; he believed in redemption and rehabilitation, not revenge,鈥 his family stated. The institute says he 鈥渨orked tirelessly in dark places to pull towards the light.鈥

A similar tribute was given to the other victim, Saskia Jones, who was also part of Learning Together. The institute says she had 鈥渁 strong belief that people who have committed criminal offenses should have opportunities for rehabilitation.鈥

This debate over the rehab of captured terrorists is not unique to Britain. Since the 9/11 attacks, dozens of countries have launched programs to reintegrate those convicted of terrorism into society. A group of countries, called the Global Counterterrorism Forum, was set up to build on the best practices of programs that have successfully 鈥渄eradicalized鈥 terrorists. Not all programs succeed, however, and the debate has turned urgent since the defeat of the Islamic State鈥檚 caliphate in the past two years. Thousands of people from Europe who supported ISIS are still in custody in the Middle East. Their future is uncertain as European leaders debate whether to take them back on the hope they can be rehabilitated.

Britain鈥檚 debate may thus lead to a useful drive to improve such programs and further erode support for ISIS. All the prisons and military drones in the world cannot defeat the radical ideas behind the kind of violence justified by wrong concepts about Islam. Rather, programs that give purpose and hope to such individuals, or values based on peace and empathy, can bring a final end to terrorist attacks. That might be the lesson from the London knife attack.听


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.

When her son was arrested for a drug crime he hadn鈥檛 committed, a mother feared for his future. But prayer brought a deep conviction of God鈥檚 love, a tangible peace, comfort, and ultimately, justice.


A message of love

Alex Brandon/AP
The White House鈥檚 East Colonnade is decorated with a timeline of American design, innovation, and architecture during the 2019 Christmas preview Dec. 2 in Washington. This year's theme is 鈥淭he Spirit of America.鈥

A look ahead

That鈥檚 a wrap for today鈥檚 news. Thanks for joining us. Come back tomorrow when we鈥檒l have a deep dive into the pitfalls 鈥 and triumphs 鈥 of America鈥檚 longest war.

More issues

2019
December
02
Monday

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