Monday’s News & Ideas - 3/2/2026
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed
- Sobering up in church
- Reporter on clergy abuse scandal
- Churches suing ICE
- Rachel Held Evans book
- Indigenous slavery
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who led the Islamic Republic since 1989, is dead at 86
The Associated Press: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assembled theocratic power in Iran over the decades as its top leader and sought to turn it into a regional powerhouse, bringing it into confrontation with Israel and the United States over its nuclear program while crushing democracy protests.
A priest helped her see her drinking problem. Talks with Jesus kept her sober. She’s not the only one
CNN: What finally made her sobriety stick, Jenny Teeters said, was a newfound faith in a higher power.
He broke the story of the US Catholic clergy abuse scandal. Now he reflects on struggling to keep his faith
The Guardian: Reporter Jason Berry ponders on how to repair a religious structure long thought of as good but supported by an evil underside.
Churches vs. ICE
Politico: Thousands of congregations have sued over a policy change that opens the door for ICE raids at houses of worship.
What Rachel Held Evans knew about not going to church*
Sojourners: “Braving the Truth” is a new book with a collection of blog posts by the late Rachel Held Evans.
The Spark
The hidden history of Native American enslavement
Indigenous slavery,* which lasted for centuries, has gone by many names. A new public history project wants us to see it for what it was, The New Yorker says.
*access is limited for nonsubscribers