海角大神

Skip to footer
2026
May
23
Saturday

Monitor Daily Podcast

May 23, 2026
Loading the player...
  • Follow us:
Clayton Collins
Director of Innovation

Welcome to your Saturday Daily.

Pragmatism beats division, at least some of the time. Asia showcases current tests. Ann Scott Tyson reports today on how Japan鈥檚 prime minister and South Korea鈥檚 president appear to be focusing more on common interests than on transnational tension. Ann also joins Matt Bell, an editor on our international desk, on our 鈥淲hy We Wrote This鈥� podcast. They discuss the deeper, evolving-relationship story behind this month鈥檚 U.S.-China summit, how Ann gathers perspectives inside China, and more 鈥� including a recent story Ann developed with Asia editor Lindsey McGinnis on China鈥檚 long game.

Please also make time for an inspiring weekend read, with remarkable photos, by Ghada Abdulfattah in Gaza City. The Phoenix Library there is an up-from-the-ashes haven for bibliophiles, and a respite for all. 鈥淲hen we heard there was a library, we had to come,鈥� an engineering student told Ghada. 鈥淚n the middle of all this destruction, finding a place full of books felt beautiful.鈥�

藴
A note: We won鈥檛 publish Monday, Memorial Day in the United States. The Daily resumes on Tuesday.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.

Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

The Presidential Blue House/Yonhap/Reuters
Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae (left) poses for photographs with glasses received from South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (right), in his hometown of Andong, South Korea, May 19, 2026.

This unlikely friendship could herald new era of South Korea-Japan cooperation

( 5 min. read )

Despite coming from different ends of the political spectrum 鈥� and lingering tensions between their countries 鈥� Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung are forging a deep partnership. Recent visits have been a show of pragmatic cooperation and, it seems, genuine warmth.

By Ann Scott Tyson , reporting from Beijing
Back to top
Ghada Abdulfattah
The Phoenix Library in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, aims to rekindle a love of reading among young Palestinians whose schools and libraries were destroyed by war, May 10, 2026.

鈥楾he first thing I thought about was the books鈥�: The fight for a Gaza library

( 5 min. read )

Israeli bombardment has destroyed many of the places that once housed Gaza鈥檚 books. The newly-opened Phoenix Library hopes to rekindle a culture of reading with a collection salvaged from the rubble.

By Ghada Abdulfattah , reporting from Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Back to top
Jae C. Hong/AP
Attendees listen to a speech during a vigil outside of the Islamic Center of San Diego, May 19, 2026. A day earlier, three people were fatally shot at the mosque.

San Diego mosque shooting comes amid anti-Muslim spike. What can be done?

( 6 min. read )

The fatal shooting at a San Diego mosque this week comes amid a rise of incidents of hate or prejudice against Muslims in the U.S. The attack also renewed attention on how young people are radicalized online and prevention efforts.

By Cameron Pugh and Victoria Hoffmann
Back to top
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins of Maine (left) and fellow Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska arrive for a meeting at the Capitol in Washington, May 21, 2026. The two are among several GOP senators who have sometimes broken ranks with President Donald Trump.

Some Republicans in Congress buck Trump, complicating paths forward

( 3 min. read )

Some congressional Republicans have pushed back at President Trump on issues including a fund to pay people the justice department finds were wrongly prosecuted. That resistance could make it harder for the president鈥檚 party to accomplish its priorities.

By Caitlin Babcock , reporting from Washington
Back to top

Essay
Karen Norris/Staff

We traveled in style

( 3 min. read )

Harking back to a 鈥�60s childhood, when families dressed up for trips, an experience underscores an enduring value in 鈥渄ressing with respect.鈥�

By Robert Klose
Back to top

Viewfinder

Vahid Salemi/AP
Musician Atena Kharyaband plays the oud during a performance entitled 鈥淪ounds of the South,鈥� featuring music from southern Iran, at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran, May 21, 2026. The oud evolved from an ancient instrument called the barbat, which dates back more than 2,000 years. A revival of Persian classical music, and the kind of traditional regional music that Ms. Kharyaband plays, has earned the oud a popular resurgence.
Back to top

More issues

2026
May
23
Saturday

Give us your feedback

We want to hear, did we miss an angle we should have covered? Should we come back to this topic? Or just give us a rating for this story. We want to hear from you.