2019
October
04
Friday

Monitor Daily Podcast

October 04, 2019
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Linda Feldmann
Washington Bureau Chief

Today, we offer a look at how impeachment resonates in a Virginia battleground district, an interview with the Ugandan rapper who would be president, a change of tune in the Arab Spring’s birthplace, a conversation between Monitor culture writers about “Joker” and storytelling that’s uncomfortable, and the decline of the hockey goon. 

First, some thoughts on finding joy amid turmoil.

As I sat in the East Room of the White House Wednesday, watching an agitated President Donald Trump battle reporters, my thoughts turned to Juan Soto. The night before, the 20-year-old outfielder for the Washington Nationals hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 8th – sparking a dramatic come-from-behind victory. 

The game started rough for the Nats, as did the season, but they persevered. Their wild-card victory advanced them to the next playoff round, a rare moment of postseason joy. The best moment came after the game, when Mr. Soto’s proud Dominican dad tackled him in celebration. Last night they lost, but it ain’t over. 

Democrats, Republicans, no matter. Washington loves its Nats, and as the city descends into the ugly business of presidential impeachment, it is unifying moments like Tuesday night that make life here tolerable. The late conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer once wrote that God created baseball as a relief from politics. He also observed that he could leave Fox News’ studios after the evening broadcast and be in his seat at Nationals Park “by the bottom of the first, in time to see Bryce Harper’s first at-bat.” 

Mr. Harper is no longer a Nat, but the team is carrying on just fine. And so, we trust, will Washington. 


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

A deeper look

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
Robert Kyagulanyi (who goes by the stage name Bobi Wine) has seized the imagination of a generation. And he plans to use that energy to propel himself to the presidency of Uganda.

The Chat

Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures/AP
Joaquin Phoenix stars in the film "Joker," opening in theaters Oct. 4, 2019.
Chris Szagola/AP
Chris Stewart (left) of the Philadelphia Flyers gets into a fight with Michael Haley of the New York Rangers during a preseason NHL game Sept. 21, 2019, in Philadelphia. Fights on the ice have dropped 70% since 2008.

The Monitor's View

Reuters
A demonstrator in Baghdad runs between burning tires during a curfew Oct. 3.

A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

A message of love

Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff
In just the last five years, the number of visitors to national parks in the United States has grown 35%. On a random day last summer, Zion’s magical main canyon was overwhelmed. And yet. Only a mile away, using a different entrance, you could walk a Zion trail without seeing another human being. And farther afield, at the other four famous national parks dotting southern Utah (Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands), you could wander not far from a parking area and suddenly find yourself alone, and in silence – and agog at the beauty surrounding you. You just need to know where to look. – Michael S. Hopkins/Contributor
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Jacob Turcotte. )

A look ahead

Thank you for joining us. Our next issue will be on the first Monday in October, the traditional opening day of the U.S. Supreme Court’s new term. Staff writer Henry Gass will explore the “culture war” issues that are front and center.

More issues

2019
October
04
Friday
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