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Sweden is, of course, more complex than the Utopian collective that some have long considered it to be. That’s not to say that its societal emphasis on better living doesn’t persist. Writer Erika Page reported from around Sweden on the aspirational concept of “lagom” – essentially, a life kept in balance. She tells host Clay Collins about the reporting, and what it showed about a Scandinavian concept that reflects a universal yearning.

American politics tends to meet with broad-brush depictions. That has colored perceptions of Evangelical Christians as always being in lock step with right-wing Republican views. But while there are clear overlaps, that’s not the whole story. Harry Bruinius, a religion and culture writer for the Monitor, joins guest host Gail Chaddock to talk about his recent piece on post-Evangelicals – including MAGA followers’ relationship to the movement and what that could bode for 2024 and beyond.

What’s work life like at the center of conflict coverage? It’s highly collaborative, by necessity. It calls for attention to more than the reportable news points that map a war’s course. It means keeping humanity at the center of the story. Ken Kaplan, the Monitor’s Mideast and diplomacy editor – and a close observer of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for nearly four decades – talks with host Clay Collins about life with little sleep, about logistics, and about helping to enforce “the Monitor difference” on stories that have every news outlet’s attention.

What goes into writing about a handful of candidates’ monthslong presidential runs? Working tactically to gain the up-close access that brings insights into not only the nuances of the behavior and messaging, but also the public response. That’s the heart of the story. Guest host Gail Chaddock, a veteran of the game, chats with a Monitor rising star, politics writer Story Hinckley, just ahead of primary season 2024.

Call it the Climate Generation. Its members born since 1989, it’s the demographic cohort with the most to gain from climate action and the most to lose from inaction. The Monitor sent a team to four continents to report for the better part of a year. In this “making of” episode, guest host Clara Germani, the project’s leader, speaks with staff writers Sara Miller Llana and Stephanie Hanes about the just-finished series’ motivations, its shaping (and reshaping), and its careful, often complicated execution.