Monday’s News & Ideas - 5/18/2026

Thousands attend protests in Selma and Montgomery for voting rights
Alabama Reflector: Religious and faith leaders led congregants in prayers prior to the morning march across the Edmund Pettus bridge.

Trump allies lead thousands in prayer to 'rededicate' America to God on National Mall
Religion News Service: The speakers largely advanced the ideas that the U.S. has a religious — and particularly Christian — founding and that its future success depends on prayer.

Catholic clergy can minister within ICE facility after a legal agreement*
New York Times: Several clergy members and an advocacy group had sued the Trump administration, arguing that they were unlawfully denied access to detainees at an Illinois facility.

Trump leaves China summit with no deal to release Catholic media tycoon Jimmy Lai
National Catholic Reporter: The prominent Catholic media tycoon and pro-democracy campaigner was convicted of national security offenses under Hong Kong's controversial national security law.

The shooting finally stopped. Then came everything else
CNN: Few ever see how a community carries on after a deadly school shooting. Survivors of last year’s attack on a Minneapolis school want you to know: In class and at home, the trauma colors everything.

The Spark

Five minutes of exercise a day could help millions of people live longer
A new study shows the power of doing even just some very basic forms of exercise, the BBC says.

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