Here's what's happening on the church and culture front today...
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” (Peltz & Whitehurst, AP News)
In an orderly morning meeting Tuesday (April 30), a series of rules were dissolved as part of a packet of 106 agenda items with no debate on the floor of the Charlotte Convention Center. They were part of long-awaited motions that over the course of the conference, which concludes on Friday, may result in the nation’s second largest Protestant group officially dropping some, or all, of its LGBTQ restrictions. (Shimron, Religion News Service)
The restriction replaces a 15-week ban that's been in effect since July 2022, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion rights supporters say it will dramatically curb access to the procedure for thousands of residents in Florida and around the South. Proponents of the ban say it "protects life." (Colombini, NPR)
All 31 songs from Swift's 11th studio album made the top 100 plus "Cruel Summer" from "Lover," according to Billboard. This adds to Swift's collection of records. "Tortured Poets" is her 14th chart-topping album, tying her with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s by a solo artist. The Beatles have 19. (West. USA Today)
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” (Peltz & Whitehurst, AP News)
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In an orderly morning meeting Tuesday (April 30), a series of rules were dissolved as part of a packet of 106 agenda items with no debate on the floor of the Charlotte Convention Center. They were part of long-awaited motions that over the course of the conference, which concludes on Friday, may result in the nation’s second largest Protestant group officially dropping some, or all, of its LGBTQ restrictions. (Shimron, Religion News Service)
Read more>>
The restriction replaces a 15-week ban that's been in effect since July 2022, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion rights supporters say it will dramatically curb access to the procedure for thousands of residents in Florida and around the South. Proponents of the ban say it "protects life." (Colombini, NPR)
Read more>>
All 31 songs from Swift's 11th studio album made the top 100 plus "Cruel Summer" from "Lover," according to Billboard. This adds to Swift's collection of records. "Tortured Poets" is her 14th chart-topping album, tying her with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s by a solo artist. The Beatles have 19. (West. USA Today)
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Marvel had a tough 2023 with two flops: “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Marvels.” Speaking recently to GamesRadar+, the directors said that Marvel’s current issues boil down to the changes in how people absorb media: It’s a Hollywood-wide issue, not just a Marvel one. (Sharf, Variety)
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United Methodist delegates are heading into the homestretch of their first legislative gathering in five years — one that appears on track to make historic changes in lifting their church’s longstanding bans on same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy. (Smith, AP News)
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A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that state health insurance plans must provide coverage for gender-affirming care in North Carolina and West Virginia. Trans advocates say it's a huge victory, especially since bills restricting the rights of transgender people have been on the rise in state legislatures. (Simmons-Duffin, NPR)
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The rapid development in the field of AI “is asking us to think again fundamentally about what it is that makes us human. What distinguishes humans from machines?” said Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican Council for Culture and among a handful of Catholic clergy who are bridging the divide between scientific knowledge and the church’s spiritual and theological tradition. (Giangravé, Religion News Service)
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After slicing the demographic data every which way—income, education level, race, location, age, and gender—Peltzman found that this happiness dip is mainly attributable to one thing: Married people are happier, and Americans aren’t getting married as much. (Khazan, The Atlantic)
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There is profound confusion on campus right now around the distinctions among free speech, civil disobedience and lawlessness. At the same time, some schools also seem confused about their fundamental academic mission. (French, The New York Times)
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There are an estimated 5.4 million children under the age of 18 providing care to parents, grandparents or siblings with chronic medical conditions or functional decline, up from about 1.3 million nearly 20 years ago, according to two reports from the National Alliance for Caregiving and others. (Ansberry, The Wall Street Journal)
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Like other continuing-care retirement communities — developments where people over age 55 can live independently and then move to higher levels of caregiving when needed — Shell Point encourages residents to find their mid- or late-life groove in any number of ways. (LaGorce, The New York Times)
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Five different themes emerging from digital media this year include a crossroads moment for streamers, how social media influencers are driving engagement with TV shows, films, and video games, the lack of women in gaming, the untapped potential of fandom, and the diversification of the American audience. (Carson, Variety)
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The pace of babies born each year in the U.S. has slowed to a new record low, according to an analysis of 2023 birth certificate data published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year's slowdown marks an official end to the uptick in new babies that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. At least 3,591,328 babies were born in the U.S. in 2023, down 2% from the 3,667,758 born in 2022. (Tin, CBS News)
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Lisa Countryman-Quiroz is the CEO of JVS, or Jewish Vocational Service, a nonprofit in San Francisco that provides career training for unemployed workers to find jobs, including in skilled trades. She says that over the years there has been a shift — with skilled trade making a comeback, especially among members of Generation Z. (Johnston, NPR)
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A Russian Orthodox priest who presided over the funeral of Alexei Navalny in March has been suspended from clerical duties for three years. The priest, Dmitry Safronov, is forbidden from giving blessings, wearing the frock and bearing the church’s priestly cross until 2027, the Moscow Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church said. (The Telegraph)
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The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday about whether Idaho’s near-total abortion ban conflicts with a federal law that protects patients who need emergency care, in a case that would determine access to abortions in emergency rooms across the country. (VanSickle, The New York Times)
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These days, Swift’s faith appears more fluid. Her religious references are as eclectic as a Brooklyn thrift shop — well-worn Christian metaphors sit alongside a more bohemian mishmash of witchcraft, divination and paganism. Her newest release, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is a patchwork of religious allusions, from good Samaritans and Jehovah’s Witnesses to altar sacrifices and prophecies. (Post & Macrae, Religion News Service)
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has revealed the names of 16 artists or other musical figures who will be inducted in 2024. It’s a diverse list that stretches from R&B/rock pioneer Big Mama Thornton to pop superstars Cher and Dionne Warwick, and from ’70s-rooted rockers like Peter Frampton, Foreigner and Ozzy Osbourne to ’90s icons the Dave Matthews Band, Mary J. Blige and A Tribe Called Quest. (Willman, Variety)
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India’s main opposition party accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using hate speech after he called Muslims “infiltrators” — some of his most incendiary rhetoric to date about the minority faith in a campaign rally days after the country began its weekslong general election. (Pathi, AP News)
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