海角大神

2026
April
04
Saturday

Monitor Daily Podcast

April 04, 2026
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Clayton Collins
Director of Innovation

Welcome, Saturday readers.

Questions about the Iran war鈥檚 duration and form hovered all week as its human, economic, and political fallout continued. Find the latest news, including about the downed U.S. aircraft, on our homepage or app.聽

We chart more than what might seem to be a constellation of global conflicts. This was also a week in which an astronaut crew rocketed moon-ward for a fly-by 鈥 the first such mission in more than half a century.聽

This weekend, we look at an oil shock鈥檚 influence on renewable energy. A key part of China鈥檚 long game, renewables are getting attention from a U.S. cohort that has not previously embraced it. We introduce you to an Americana songwriter聽moved by 鈥渢he legacy of faith,鈥 and to an animal shelter volunteer who found herself at the hub of a caring community.


We also have a new 鈥淲hy We Wrote This鈥 podcast episode up. Intelligence is an infinite quality, so why would it be Earth-bound? Stephen Humphries presents excerpts of his interviews for a recent story on 鈥淧roject Hail Mary,鈥 a book that became a blockbuster movie.聽


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/File
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during a ceremony on National POW/MIA Recognition Day at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth鈥檚 removal of over a dozen senior officers is raising concerns about what effect those decisions will have, and whether they could undermine the military鈥檚 nonpartisan tradition through politicized appointments.

Asia has been hit hard by the oil shock caused by the Iran war. But the conflict could be a boon for China鈥檚 new energy sector, including renewable energy, electric vehicles, and batteries.

Ted Shaffrey/AP/File
A solar farm is seen in Liberty, New York, Aug. 23, 2025.

America's rising demand for electricity is putting focus on where that energy should come from. As President Donald Trump has sought to elevate fossil fuels, one fast-growing renewable energy source is attracting support from an unlikely place: political conservatives.

Tom Brenner/AP
Tower cranes being used for construction of the new White House ballroom are seen onsite, March 31, 2026.

President Donald Trump is erecting new structures at a furious pace, while putting his name on everything he can. Critics say it echoes a strongman鈥檚 style. Others simply see a penchant for legacy-building 鈥 and a long history of promoting the Trump brand.

Neilson Hubbard
Americana singer and songwriter Audrey Spillman鈥檚 third album, 鈥淣ightingale,鈥 features special guests, such as John Moreland and Mindy Smith.

Legacy and faith play integral roles in Audrey Spillman鈥檚 latest album. She says it鈥檚 about being grounded, and leaving something authentic behind.

Essay

Courtesy of Courtenay Rudzinski
Delta the pig (photo above, left) edges up to the author. Sugar, a French bulldog (photo above, right), relaxes at her new home with the author in Sugar Land, Texas, November 2015.

A novice volunteer discovers that the most unlikely creatures聽鈥 and adopters聽鈥 often carry the biggest lessons about compassion.


Viewfinder

Jonathan Brady/PA/AP
Martin Einchcomb, a plant specialist and the leader of a 鈥済rowing team,鈥 tends to tulips in the Clock Court during a preview for the Tulip Festival at London鈥檚 Hampton Court Palace, April 2, 2026. The renowned heritage festival showcases 鈥渢he beauty, variety and craftsmanship of historic and contemporary planting across the palace gardens,鈥 its official website notes. Its gardeners estimate that the tulips will be in bloom until April 26, 鈥渢hough flowering periods are not guaranteed.鈥
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

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2026
April
04
Saturday

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