2023
June
09
Friday

Monitor Daily Podcast

June 09, 2023
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Linda Feldmann
Washington Bureau Chief

Throughout history, American leaders have borrowed from the Bible in calling their nation a “city upon a hill” – a beacon of hope for humanity. A sense of exceptionalism has long infused pride in the American system and successes as the world’s oldest democracy.

That self-image is taking a hit with the federal indictment of Donald Trump over alleged mishandling of classified documents, making him the first former U.S. president to face federal criminal charges. The fact that Mr. Trump leads polls for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 makes his indictment all the more consequential. The implications for the future of American governance could be profound.

Still, Americans can take heart in the lessons of other democracies, as the Monitor explained in a magazine cover story last January. From France, Israel, and South Korea to Argentina and Brazil, other nations have shown that former leaders can be held to account – even sent to prison – and the country survives.

No one is above the law. Some leaders, as in Brazil, have served time in prison for corruption, then been reelected. Israel is another example: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced indictment, was voted out, and then returned to office. His trial is ongoing.

In the United States, opinion on Mr. Trump is deeply divided, with many Americans saying the latest charges – and a previous, civil indictment in New York – are politically driven. Others feel Mr. Trump’s legal jeopardy is deserved. Our lead story today, by Peter Grier and Noah Robertson, looks at the latest indictment in more depth.

Whatever the outcome, Americans can eat a bit of humble pie. And in building a more perfect union, there are lessons to be learned. “In the short run, people will lose some of their trust in democracy” when former leaders are taken to court, Sam Van der Staak of the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance told the Monitor in January. “In the long run, you often see that systems can be repaired step by step, and that public confidence then grows again.”


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Today’s stories

And why we wrote them

Jon Elswick/AP/File
Pages from a Department of Justice court filing on Aug. 30, 2022, in response to a request from the legal team of former President Donald Trump for a special master to review the documents seized during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago, are photographed early Aug. 31, 2022.

Donald Trump has long cast U.S. institutions – from the media to the Department of Justice – as his adversaries. As he faces new legal jeopardy, that messaging is heightening the nation’s political rifts.

Atlanta offers a window into a surprising trend – a substantial drop in the murder rate in many big American cities. There are a variety of factors, but one appears to be police working to establish trust. 

SOURCE:

Datalytics YTD Murder Comparison; Gun Violence Archive

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Jacob Turcotte and Karen Norris/Staff
John Locher/AP/File
A person walks on the Las Vegas Strip after casinos shut down due to the pandemic, March 18, 2020. In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a report calling loneliness and isolation an epidemic.

Many Americans are struggling to rediscover their spirit of community and connection after a pandemic that left behind an epidemic of loneliness.

The Explainer

Reuters
People gather around derailed coaches after trains collided in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, India, on June 3, 2023.

Leaders in India have been pouring money into modernizing the country’s massive rail system. But as a recent accident in Odisha shows, modern doesn’t always equal safe.

Podcast

The other battle in Ukraine: To feed the flame of resilience

During six trips into Ukraine (and counting), our most experienced conflict reporter has sought to anchor his work in humanity. He rejoins our weekly podcast to talk about covering that war and others around the world. 

War Stories, Part 2

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The Monitor's View

The wonders of Ukraine’s resilience never cease to amaze. The latest example is the flotilla of boats rescuing some 16,000 people stranded in floodwaters after the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River. “We are strong, we are resistant,” one rescuer, Svitlana Plokha, told The Guardian, explaining that “everyone got together when the invasion started.”

The massive response has inspired the humanitarian work of Martin Griffiths, the United Nations emergency relief coordinator. “The people of Ukraine have shown extraordinary resilience – our urgent humanitarian task is to continue to help them,” he said.

Ukraine’s economy shows “remarkable resilience,” states the International Monetary Fund. The Ukrainian military keeps bouncing back on the battlefield. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s highly visible leadership almost defines the spirit of recovery.

“He proved to the whole world that we stand up for our values,” Andriy Shaikan, a university rector in the president’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, told Agence France-Presse.

The country’s ability to spring back helps explain why world leaders will soon gather in London for the second Ukraine Recovery Conference. Even as the war with Russia rages, President Zelenskyy insists the country begin to rebuild. Donors and investors are eager to listen to the government’s plans. “The Ukrainian people are not going to allow themselves to be broken,” said the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, host of the June 21-22 event.

The best example of an unbowed nation is the phoenixlike rebuilding of Bucha, a suburb of the capital, Kyiv. In the early days of the invasion, Russian forces killed hundreds of civilians and left much of the city in ruins. Bucha became a symbol of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Now Bucha is a reconstruction site, with a new hardware store to help residents rebuild. Malls have reopened. Famed philanthropist Howard Buffett is building Ukraine’s first kitchen factory. Some Israeli investors, after discovering a high demand for gyms in Ukraine, are investing in a sports complex for Bucha. “Ukrainians are trying to get back to normal and rebuild their lives, partly through sports,” one investor told The Jerusalem Post.

Bucha’s rise from the ashes helps show Ukraine can win the war. It has turned out that the country’s most valuable resource is the bonds of affection among the Ukrainian people. As Oleksandra Azarkhina, deputy minister of infrastructure, told The Guardian, “rebuilding is also part of our resistance.”


A Christian Science Perspective

About this feature

Being willing to follow God’s guidance enables us to move forward with freedom and find greater success in our endeavors.


Viewfinder

Tyrone Siu/Reuters
People take photos of the "Double Ducks" art installation by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman at Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, June 9, 2023. A decade ago, Mr. Hofman exhibited just one giant ducky on the harbor, which caught global attention by unexpectedly deflating at one point. Was it lonely? Who knows – but for whatever reason, visitors will be greeted by the ducky buddies, which will float in the harbor for two weeks. They measure 59 feet (18 meters) tall.
( The illustrations in today’s Monitor Daily are by Karen Norris. )

A look ahead

Thank you for joining us. Please come again Monday, when we look at the impact of former President Donald Trump’s federal criminal indictment on the 2024 presidential race.

More issues

2023
June
09
Friday
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