Photographer Daniel Kramer, who served as Bob Dylan’s unofficial staff photographer during a pivotal year in the singer’s evolution from folkie to rock star, died April 29 in Melville, New York. He was 91.
Alienating even the sadistic Trumpian right, how did Kristi Noem miscalculate so badly with her puppy killing story?
In these fraught times, there remains one golden rule of politics that both sides of the aisle are able to agree on: Running as a puppy-killer does not a vice president make. In one of the worst unforced errors in…
Afro-Cuban drums, Muslim prayers, Buddhist mantras: Religious diversity blooms in once-atheist Cuba
The 1959 Castro-led revolution installed an atheist, Communist government that sought to replace the Catholic Church as the guiding force in the lives of Cubans.
‘Young Sheldon’ Is Ending. So Is Its Idea of Science Versus Religion.
My mom was the one who told me to watch The Big Bang Theory. It was a show about nerds—and I was a nerd. She thought I’d enjoy it. A friend had already mentioned that the main character, Sheldon Cooper, was…
American Clergy in Colonial America
I spend a lot of my time on this Substack providing analysis of survey data, which makes sense because I am a social scientist and all. I think that’s the primary way that most of us are introduced to the…
Christian Billionaire Goes on Trial for Major Wall Street Fraud
Bill Hwang brought a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to court to read during jury selection.
Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’: Extraterrestrial Threats And The Death Of Atheism
Netflix’s new series “3 Body Problem” is a secular show that vividly wrestles with how the direct failures of the secular project have threatened the modern world and wrestles compellingly with non-religious answers on how to solve them.
1,200 Jewish professors call on Senate to reject controversial antisemitism definition
Some 1,200 Jewish university professors have signed a strongly worded statement rejecting a controversial antisemitism definition that the U.S. Senate is considering codifying in federal law.
Vatican Museums staff challenge the pope with a legal bid for better terms and treatment
Forty-nine employees of the Vatican Museums have filed a class-action complaint with the Vatican administration demanding better seniority, leave and overtime benefits in an unusual, public challenge to Pope Francis’ governance.
Exclusion of Jewish Jurors Prompts Review of California Death Row Cases
A jury was being chosen for a murder trial nearly three decades ago in California. The state was seeking a death sentence for Ernest Dykes, who had been charged with killing a 9-year-old boy during a robbery in Oakland.
Mississippi governor signs law restricting transgender people’s use of bathrooms and locker rooms
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he has signed a new law regulating transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, making Mississippi at least the 12th state to restrict transgender students from using facilities that align…
Justice Alito Warns of Threats to Freedom of Speech and Religion
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned on Saturday that freedom of speech was under threat at universities and that freedom of religion was in peril in society at large.