The Trump administration announced Friday that it will authorize firing squads as a federally permitted method of execution, deepening its push to revive the death penalty — underscoring a sharp divide with Pope Leo XIV and recent Catholic teaching. Hours after the Justice Department. (Marx, NPR)
Read MoreAs the Jackson estate’s latest megaproject, the Hollywood biopic “Michael,” arrives this week, the King of Pop is more popular — and the business behind him more lucrative — than at any point since his 2009 death. (Sisario, The New York Times)
Read MoreIt was 20 years ago today that Spotify began to play. And to mark the streaming service’s big anniversary, for the first time ever on Thursday (April 23) Spotify shared its list of the most streamed artists, songs, albums, podcasts and audiobooks in its history. (Kaufman, Billboard)
Read MoreCrunching data from the General Social Survey, Peltzman documented “a sudden, sharp and historically unprecedented decline in self-reported happiness in the US population” after COVID that “mainly persists” through 2024. (Derek Thompson)
Read MoreTwo young people have been arrested in an alleged plot to attack a Texas synagogue that involved driving through the congregation to "kill as many Jews as possible," according to authorities and court documents. (AP/NPR)
Read MoreThough majorities in both groups support abortion being legal, a new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that both white Catholics and white mainline/nonevangelical Protestants have demonstrated a small swing toward an anti-abortion position since 2024. Hertzler-McCain, Religion News Service)
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