RNS Morning Report: State lawmakers push for reporting on abuse learned about in confessional

Top Stories State lawmakers push for priests to report abuse learned about in confessional (RNS) — Catholic bishops are pushing back, arguing the statutes would infringe on the First Amendment rights of priests.   Muslim holidays find welcome from mainstream retailers with new Ramadan goods (RNS) — Two new children’s books from Muslim authors hit Target’s shelves as part of the retailer’s new Ramadan and Eid holiday collection.   Orthodox Jewish parents sue California for ban on special ed funds to religious schools (RNS) — ‘It takes a special kind of chutzpah to deny Jewish kids with disabilities equal access to special education benefits,’ said Eric Rassbach, an attorney representing the parents.   Trump vs. DeSantis: Florida pastors mull conservative issues (AP) — “The evangelical vote in Florida is too diverse to be a big force in politics,” said one political scientist, but many faithful across denominations like seeing DeSantis take charge of issues like sexually explicit materials available to children. “That resonates.” RNS Opinion A reading list for seminarians and other Catholic conservatives (RNS) — Books changed my life. They can change yours too.   Georgia may be turning purple. It’s definitely turning green. (RNS) — Georgia’s clean energy transition is doing what some may deem a miracle — getting Republicans and Democrats to agree.   Five charts that explain the desperate turn to MAGA among conservative white Christians (RNS) — White Christians’ attempt to halt their demographic slide has fostered two narratives of American life.   The women who stood with Martin Luther King Jr. sustained a movement for social change (The Conversation) — Many histories of the movement have neglected women's stories.   How the 19th-century temperance movement shaped feminism (The Conversation) — Originally focused on alcohol abuse, the movement came to fight for suffrage and other issues.   What is a pogrom? Israeli mob attack has put a century-old word in the spotlight (The Conversation) — The term lives in Jewish collective memory and why its use can be highly contentious.   Nazi orders for Jews to wear a star were hateful, but far from unique (The Conversation) — The yellow star has come to symbolize Nazi cruelty, but it had a long history in Europe.   Remembering Chaim Topol — and how “Fiddler” reflected American Judaism The inside story of "Fiddler On the Roof" reveals some deep truths about American Judaism. ICYMI How a little-known editor made God a bestseller by helping Americans let go of religion (RNS) — A chance encounter at a party led religion professor Stephen Prothero to rediscover the story of Eugene Exman, a longtime book publisher who helped transform American religion.   10 years on, Pope Francis faces challenges from the right and the left In an ideologically divided Roman Catholic Church, the right has accused him of going too far and the left of not going far enough. In Other News New FBI data show reported hate crimes in the U.S. jumped in 2021 The Museum of the Bible and the politics of interpretation   Talk to Us We want your feedback on the RNS Morning Report — what you think we're doing right and what we should be doing differently. Send us an email at Comments@ReligionNews.com Subscribe to other RNS Newsletters. Forward this email to a friend. View the archive of past newsletters. Religion News Service is free to read, but it's not free to produce. If you value our reporting, please consider making a donation today at religionnews.com/donate. If you prefer to mail a donation, please address to: Religion News Foundation, PO Box 1808, Columbia, MO 65205. Yes, I support the work you're doing! Forward this email to a friend