Deepfakes have introduced a new era of digital manipulation, where reality can be convincingly altered with advanced AI. Unlike earlier tools like Photoshop, which made surface-level edits, deepfakes use neural networks to create highly realistic images, videos, and audio designed to deceive. (1440 Daily Digest/YouTube)
Read MoreMost Americans are wary of social media’s role in politics and its overall impact on the country, and these concerns are ticking up among Democrats, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults. Still, Republicans stand out on several measures, with majorities believing major technology companies are biased toward liberals. (Anderson, Pew Research)
Read MoreA Wyoming judge ruled on Monday that two state abortion bans — including the first state law specifically banning the use of pills for abortion — violated the Wyoming Constitution and could not be enforced. (Belluck, The New York Times)
Read MorePope Francis has said that Israel’s attacks in Gaza should be investigated to determine if they meet the legal definition of genocide, according to excerpts from a forthcoming book based on interviews with the pontiff. (Faiola & Masih, The Washington Post)
Read MoreHorror has had a decades-long attraction to religion, Christianity especially in the U.S., with the 1970s “The Exorcist” and “The Omen” being prime examples. Beyond the jump scares, the supernatural elements of horror and its sublime nature pair easily with belief and spirituality. (Meyer, AP News)
Read MoreThe Highway to Heaven sits on the eastern part of Montgomery County, Maryland, which was determined to be the most religiously diverse county in the country, according to the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). The U.S. Census does not collect data about religious affiliation, so the PRRI Census of American Religion is considered to be one of the most reliable sources of data on the topic. (Ventre, NPR)
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