These programs mean half of school-age children in the United States are now eligible to apply for state money to attend private schools. In the U.S., most private schools are religious. Securing public money for them raises issues over church-state separation but fulfills a longstanding goal for Christian conservatives, who lobbied for this funding. (Stanley, AP News)
Read MoreHalloween spending is projected to remain relatively steady this year, averaging $115.14 per person compared to $114.45 in 2025. But that doesn’t mean shoppers aren’t keeping a close eye on their budgets and being more deliberate about what they buy for the holiday. (Sharma, Retail Brew)
Read MoreAs AI content spreads online, political strategists have used the technology to create glossy campaign videos. According to a Wesleyan Media Project report released in September, 164 ads generated or enhanced by AI have been released this election cycle, costing $80 million. (André, Religion News Service)
Read MoreMr. Kasereka uses his status as a low-level church official and an Ebola survivor to help spread the word about the importance of early treatment and to counter widespread claims that Ebola was invented by outsiders to kill local inhabitants and steal their mineral-rich land. (O’Reilly, The New York Times)
Read MoreLifeway Research’s annual tracking survey reveals that most U.S. Protestant pastors (54 percent) report the economy is negatively impacting their congregation. Slightly more than a third (36 percent) say it’s having no impact, while 8 percent see a positive economic effect. (Earls, Baptist Press)
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