Monday’s News & Ideas - 4/21/2025

D.C. clergy slam federal takeover: ‘Fear is not a strategy for safety’
NPR: A group of prominent religious leaders in Washington, D.C. is sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s federal takeover of the District's police force, saying his rhetoric is inflammatory, dehumanizing and counterproductive to ensuring public safety.

Inside Gaza’s only Catholic church, one month after Israel’s attack
The Intercept: A reporter in Gaza finds a Catholic community grieving their family members killed by Israeli bombs, but still worshipping together.

8,000 pipes and a decade in the making: Manhattan’s Trinity Church has a new organ
Gothamist: An iconic Manhattan church has completed the monumental feat that is replacing a pipe organ.

From progressive to conservative to ‘an earthquake at the seminary’: A history of Detroit’s Sacred Heart
National Catholic Reporter: When Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger in July fired three Sacred Heart Major Seminary professors known for their past criticisms of Pope Francis, it marked another turning point for the 106-year-old institution.

‘Bojack Horseman’ creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg on his new, ‘unapologetically Jewish’ family affair*
The Forward: At the heart of Netflix’s “Long Story Short” is what it means to be a Jew.

The Spark

Penn & Teller’s greatest trick: Making us think they’re not friends
As their magic act* hits 50 years, they’re bigger than ever. They say their secret is not to socialize. But misdirection is also their love language, The New York Times says.

*access is limited for nonsubscribers