Monday’s News & Ideas - 2/16/2026
- West Bank land settlement
- Clergy & detained migrants
- Trump erodes church & state
- Timeline of CofE on equal marriage
- Anti-Shariah movement
- ChatGPT’s promises
Israel will begin contentious West Bank land registration in new step to deepen control
The Associated Press: It paves the way for the resumption of “settlement of land title” processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967.
Judge orders ICE to let clergy give communion to detained migrants on Ash Wednesday*
The New York Times: A Catholic nonprofit and several clergy said immigration authorities had unlawfully blocked its members for months from providing pastoral care at an ICE facility in Broadview, Ill.
Trump has chipped away at the long-standing wall between church and state. It’s just the beginning
CNN: Both supporters and critics alike say this religious turn has little modern precedent.
The General Synod debate on equal marriages — a timeline
The Guardian: Arguments between conservative and liberal factions over LGBTQ+ rights have frequently threatened to split the Church of England.
New GOP caucus signals resurgence of anti-Shariah movement
Religion News Service: In the Obama era, anti-Islam conservatives sought to block mosques and claimed Islamic law was about to take over America. Now, members of Congress and legislators in Texas and Oklahoma are trying to bring the anti-Islam movement back.
The Spark
ChatGPT promised to help her find her soulmate.
Micky Small is one of hundreds of millions of people who regularly use AI chatbots, NPR says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers
