The global music industry hit 5.1 trillion streams in 2025. It’s a new single-year record, up 9.6% from 2024, which held the previous record. But attention is on older music. Less than half all U.S. on-demand audio streams — 43% — were from tracks released in the last five years (2021 - 2025. (Sherman, AP News)
Read MoreThe United States saw a total of 76 million births during the boom, with the annual number surpassing 4 million in 1954 and remaining above that level until 1965. The annual number of births would not surpass 4 million again until 1989. (Fry, Pew Research Center)
Read MoreWith 388 million Christians enduring high levels of persecution and discrimination globally, compared to 380 million in the previous reporting year, Open Doors CEO Ryan Brown said persecution is increasing in breadth and severity. “It’s because the Church is advancing. That’s why the Church is coming under attack,” Brown said. (Chandler, Baptist Press)
Read MoreThe Supreme Court sounded ready Tuesday to uphold conservative state laws that forbid transgender athletes to compete on school sports teams for girls. But the ruling may not directly affect California and the liberal-leaning states, at least for now. (Savage & Bloom, Los Angeles Times)
Read MoreCity Council members in a Tulsa, Oklahoma, suburb denied a rezoning request for a proposed mosque after weeks of public debate that involved anti-Muslim pushback and a state attorney general’s investigation. (Kuziez, Religion News Service)
Read MoreGoogle has been accused of “grooming” children for profit by emailing under-13s telling them how to turn off parental controls on their next birthday. The internet giant was accused of bypassing parents after contacting children before they turn 13 to tell them they would soon be able to switch off controls such as safety settings and app limits. (Titcomb, The Telegraph)
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