England and Wales now minority Christian countries, census reveals | Census | The Guardian

Meanwhile, 37.2% of people – 22.2 million – declared they had "no religion", the second most common response after Christian. It means that over the past 20 years the proportion of people reporting no religion has soared from 14.8%.… 

"We might be living in a more values-driven society than ever before," he said. "Surveys show, for example, that around three in 10 British adults have humanist beliefs and values, and it's a trend we've seen growing in recent years." 

Humanists say they trust science over the supernatural, base their ethics around reason, empathy and concern for humans and other sentient animals and that in the absence of an afterlife, "human beings can act to give their own lives meaning by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to do the same"...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/29/leicester-and-birmingham-are-uk-first-minority-majority-cities-census-reveals

Trial begins for officer charged in fatal shooting of Atatiana Jefferson - ABC News

Fort Worth Police Lt. Brandon O'Neil said the officer who opened fire on Jefferson never identified himself as a police officer...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/trial-begins-for-officer-charged-with-fatally-shooting-woman-playing-video-games/ar-AA14FL9L

Twitter stops enforcing Covid-19 misinformation policy - POLITICO

Several top executives overseeing content moderation policies and enforcement, including Twitter's former head of Trust and Safety, Yoel Roth, have left the company...

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/29/twitter-stops-enforcing-covid-19-misinformation-policy-00071110

GOP rep says there are 20 firm ‘no’ votes against McCarthy as Speaker | The Hill

All Democrats will likely support their party's nominee, which will likely be Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). McCarthy warned in an interview with Newsmax on Monday that Democrats could pick the next Speaker if Republicans "play games" on the House floor…

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3754389-gop-rep-says-there-are-20-firm-no-votes-against-mccarthy-as-speaker/

The Supreme Court is in disarray over a rogue Trump judge in Texas - Vox

Arguments in United States v. Texas dwelled on whether to upend one of the judiciary's longstanding procedures in order to neutralize the most reactionary judges...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/29/23484335/supreme-court-united-states-texas-ice-immigration-drew-tipton-trump

Pentagon report warns of China’s plans for Taiwan, nuclear buildup - The Washington Post

As part of its buildup, China's military conducted more ballistic missile tests last year than the rest of the world combined, U.S. says…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/29/pentagon-china-military-report-taiwan/

China's Covid-19 protests bring a tepid response from the U.S.

In the world's second largest economy, where the unemployment rate for recent college graduates is at 20%, the pandemic pain-in-the-pocketbook has been brutal, and patience has dried up. For the first time in recent memory, Chinese people protested in the capital city demanding the resignation of their leader. Protests flared up in London, Paris and Tokyo to support those in mainland China...

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/chinas-covid-19-protests-bring-tepid-response-us-rcna59162

The Supreme Court takes a pass on its growing ethical issues - The Washington Post - Opinion

The Supreme Court sent a two-page letter to Democratic lawmakers looking into allegations of a leak by Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. or his wife. Words weren't really necessary; a see-no-evil monkey emoji would have aptly summarized the court's response...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/29/supreme-court-ethics-roberts-alilto/

Jury convicts Oath Keepers leader, 1 other of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 trial - ABC News

Rhodes and Meggs were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, the first such convictions by a jury since 1995. They could each face a maximum of 20 years in prison for that charge alone...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jury-reaches-verdict-oath-keepers-jan-6-seditious/story

Senate passes landmark same-sex marriage bill | PBS NewsHour

The legislation would not force any state to allow same-sex couples to marry. But it would require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed, and protect current same-sex unions, if the court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision were to be overturned…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-passes-landmark-same-sex-marriage-bill

Baltimore archdiocese funds attorneys trying to seal clergy abuse report - The Washington Post

In 2018, he led a team picked by Lori to investigate Michael J. Bransfield, a former West Virginia bishop who used his position to engage in sexual and financial abuses. The investigation found that Bransfield gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to fellow clergymen, among them Lori, and the West Virginia diocese reimbursed him to cover the gifts. 

Bernstein's team removed Lori's name from the report at his request. The archbishop said he would return the money Bransfield gave him and, he asked that it be donated to Catholic Charities. 

Earlier this month, Lori was elected by his fellow bishops to be vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for the next three years...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/11/29/baltimore-archdiocese-abuse-report/

Newspaper Risks Wrath Of Toddlers Everywhere With Warning About GOP | HuffPost Latest News

"Democrats who still control Congress now have not just a right but a duty to ensure that the worst instincts of the incoming majority are reined in before they're seated," the editorial concluded. "Let's cover those plug sockets."

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/st-louis-post-dispatch-congress-republicans_n_6385fd49e4b006c42d4282df

Top U.S. & World Headlines — November 29, 2022 - YouTube

https://youtu.be/VBsUOxwHYRA

Maricopa County report rebuffs claims by Republicans who sowed doubt on election integrity

Some prominent GOP politicians and pundits pushed misleading or false information amid issues with malfunctioning vote tabulation machines in the county on Election Day...

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/maricopa-county-report-rebuffs-claims-republicans-sowed-doubt-election-rcna58916

Republicans in Arizona, Pennsylvania counties decline to certify midterm election results - ABC News

"It is especially troubling to me when the other board members accept unsubstantiated ideas and unverified claims as facts instead of relying on the Arizona State Elections Office who told us the machines had been certified," she said. "Cochise County had an election without problems and our machine count and hand count matched 100%. We had no problems and all these claims are just grandstanding."…

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-arizona-pennsylvania-counties-decline-certify-midterm-election/story

Iowa Republicans threaten to move caucuses if Democrats change schedule | Democrats | The Guardian

Democrats in Michigan have since been lobbying to be moved forward in the calendar, and that case was strengthened by results there in the midterms. Democrats gained control of the state house and senate for the first time in 40 years, and Gretchen Whitmer retained the governorship. 

Going first in the primaries brings prestige and exposure, with TV channels and newspapers providing daily updates from early states for weeks, and also brings a financial boost in the depths of winter...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/28/iowa-republicans-caucuses-democrats

Inside the Billionaire-Backed Dick Uihlein ‘Hub for Election Denial’ Restoration Action

Another recipient, the Liberty Initiative Fund, donated $675,000 to a group fighting for more restrictive voter ID requirements in Michigan. That Michigan group raised $2.2 million total, with $1.5 million coming from Uihlein himself.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-billionaire-backed-dick-uihlein-hub-for-election-denial-restoration-action

Sea level rise follows an East Coast island community that already moved once - Washington Post

An island community moved to the mainland. Now the fast-rising sea is following — a warning for the rest of the East Coast...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2022/east-coast-sea-level-rise/

Trump Demands Kari Lake Be Made Arizona Governor After Her Defeat | HuffPost Latest News

Local officials said the printing issues did not prevent anyone from voting. It also was not exclusively in either Republican or Democratic voting districts as claimed by Trump and other Republicans, according to analysis of the locations by the Associated Press and The Washington Post. Both outlets also found that some voting locations that reported issues were in precincts that skewed heavily Democratic...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-denies-kari-lake-governor-loss_n_6384c57ce4b082d8e6d3298e

Christians Did Not Invent Charity and Philanthropy • Richard Carrier

"I often hear the claim that Aristotle never included charity among his virtues. Which is astonishing because it is in fact one of his fundamental virtues, extensively discussed in an entire chapter of his book on moral theory. I often hear the claim that no one cared for or about the poor before the Christians came along, that philanthropy didn't exist, that social welfare wasn't a concern. Which is astonishing because in fact the Greeks and Romans were famous for inventing these things, and implementing them quite extensively compared to previous empires. In fact our very word "philanthropy" comes from them! Many Roman and Greek philosophers wrote extensively on generosity and charity and concern for the poor, as being fundamental to the good person, definitive of the moral life."
https://www.richardcarrier.info/archives/12453

Congress should weigh funding cut for police not enforcing gun laws: Sen. Chris Murphy

"What we learned in Colorado is that the county in which the shooting happened is a so-called 2nd Amendment sanctuary state," Murphy said. 

"The majority of counties in this country have declared they're not going to enforce state and federal gun laws. They have decided that they are going to essentially refuse to implement laws that are on the books," he added. 

"That is a growing problem in this country and I think we're going to have to have a conversation about that in the United States Senate," Murphy said…

https://www.axios.com/2022/11/27/congress-gun-law-police-funding-chris-murphy

White Supremacist Nick Fuentes Spills About Mar-A-Lago Dinner With Trump | HuffPost Latest News

Trump "really has been a hero of mine," Fuentes added on the podcast. But he also indicated Trump — whom he referred to as a "moderate" — has to step it up if he has any hope of winning the presidency in 2024. 

 …Trump praised Fuentes at the dinner, sources told The New York Times and Axios. "He gets me," the former president said, according to the Times.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/white-supremacist-nick-fuentes-trump-dinner-podcast_n_63829f92e4b0e4c775935d89

Ex-Prosecutor Says 7 Words Should Disqualify Mike Pence From Holding Office Again | HuffPost Latest News

"Let's be clear, by extension Mike Pence is saying 'the American people have no right to my relevant testimony as Congress goes about trying to craft laws to keep this from ever happening again,'" Kirshner said.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-pence-7-words_n_6381c2e7e4b0e4c77592f76a

Marjorie Taylor Greene Appears To Reassure Fascist Nick Fuentes Trump Will Pardon Rioters | HuffPost Latest News

Trump has said "over and over at practically every single rally that he will pardon Jan. 6 defendants when he becomes president again," Greene tweeted...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marjorie-taylor-greene-nick-fuentes-trump-jan-6-insurrectionist-pardons_n_638188cae4b09a86b1b359d9

At Protests Across America, Guns Are Doing the Talking - The New York Times

Armed Americans, often pushing a right-wing agenda, are increasingly using open-carry laws to intimidate opponents and shut down debate...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/26/us/guns-protests-open-carry.html

The Supreme Court will decide if a Trump judge can seize control of ICE, in United States v. Texas - Vox

In case there is any doubt, this is not how the Supreme Court behaved when Trump was in office. During the Trump administration, the Court's Republican-appointed majority was so quick to intervene when a lower court judge blocked one of Trump's policies that Justice Sonia Sotomayor complained that her colleagues were "putting a thumb on the scale in favor of" the Trump administration...

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/11/27/23464741/supreme-court-ice-drew-tipton-texas-united-states-immigration

"Christian" preacher Aaron Thompson celebrated the mass shooting at Club Q, saying it's a "good thing" the victims were murdered.

https://www.reddit.com/r/trashy/comments/z4s5ts/christian_preacher_aaron_thompson_celebrated_the/

Thomas Jefferson Revealed His Beliefs About Slavery in Paris | Time

Thomas Jefferson met with leading Enlightenment thinkers and translated their books but he couldn't ultimately embrace their views on slavery…

https://time.com/6236118/thomas-jefferson-real-beliefs-about-slavery/

'We can win that war': Democrats prepared to 'punch back' at GOP House investigations - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism

'Things are different this time around—Democrats aren't going to assume that voters can see through the partisan bluster, and are mounting a war room operation outside the White House," wrote Clift. "The Congressional Integrity Project (a pointed moniker, to be sure) will try to fend off the Republican barrage, and go on the offensive in the information war."

https://www.rawstory.com/democrats-prepared-to-punch-back-at-gop-house-investigations/

An evangelical pastor fights back against 'mean-spirited' Christian nationalism - Raw Story - Celebrating 18 Years of Independent Journalism

"Mr. Kirk established Turning Point USA and, in 2021, TPUSA Faith, which organized some of the events Mr. Campbell attended," VanderKlippe explains. "Mr. Kirk calls the separation of church and state a lie, saying 'the church founded this country' and, today, 'has to rise up in every capacity.' TPUSA Faith's ambition is to gather and organize religious leaders, providing them with resources 'to activate their congregations to fight for free people, free markets, free speech and limited government.' Listening to that message left Mr. Campbell unsettled." 

 Campbell describes Christian nationalism as "a mean-spirited, vulgar grab for power with violent rhetoric."…

https://www.rawstory.com/white-christian-nationalism-2658785076/

The New York Times News Quiz, November 25, 2022 - The New York Times

Did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz to see how well you stack up with other Times readers...

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/24/briefing/24news-quiz-world-cup-disney.html

What's Best for Society, Islam or Atheism?

This is a 2-hour video, but if you are short for time, the positions of each side are stated in the first 25 minutes by thought leaders from each community, and the rest is rebuttal and Q&A. 

Note that the Muslim presenter states in his remarks later on that Christianity is not sufficiently committed to the preservation of humanity and conservative values, with the implication that Islam must prevail, must be imposed. 

So, it comes down to: Which would you rather…?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rELyvRDRi7E

Kansas town weighs racial justice after cop accused of decades-old abuses - The Washington Post

"That's where he raped me," said Williams, who has four children and nine grandchildren. 

She recounted the night in August 1999 when police arrested her twin sons, then 14, on charges that they had stolen a gun and fatally shot an elderly couple while stealing items from their house. At that moment, Williams didn't yet know the name of the White detective who complimented her legs and her nightgown. 

The detective, who she eventually found out was Golubski, returned a few days later, offering to help her sons avoid punishment. When she let him in, she says, he assaulted her…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/25/kansas-city-cop-golubski/

Twitter Staff on H-1B Visas and Parental Leave Fired, Ex-Engineer Says

Employees fired were notified that the layoffs were due to performance reasons, and were offered one-month severance, sources told Hays. … 

 A screenshot of a now-deleted post on the anonymous workplace forum Blind showed that one H-1B worker at Twitter had been laid off in early November, and was then called back because he was "critical talent," before abruptly being fired again…

https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-staff-visas-and-parental-leave-fired-ex-engineer-says-2022-11

Crime coverage on Fox News halved once US midterms were over

Gertz said Tucker Carlson, Fox News' most-watched host, had a big part to play in the coverage – and in how Republicans across the country used crime as an issue. In a monologue in August, Carlson advised Republican politicians to focus their campaigns on "law and order", which he said would result in a "red wave" in the midterms. 

 Republicans did just that, spending millions on ads which highlighted instances of violent crime and portrayed Democrats, like John Fetterman, running for US Senate in Pennsylvania, as responsible. The Washington Post reported that Republicans spent nearly $50m on ads focused on crime between 5 September and 25 October, far outspending Democrats on the issue...

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/nov/25/fox-news-crime-coverage-decline-us-midterm-elections

Kanye West announces 2024 presidential bid - BBC News

He also claimed to have asked Donald Trump to be his running mate...

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63754702

Lisa Murkowski and Mary Peltola projected to win Alaska races, defeating Trump-backed opponents - The Washington Post

After the final round of ranked-choice voting, Murkowski had 53.7 percent of the vote to 46.3 percent for Tshibaka. In the House race, Peltola had 55 percent of the vote to Palin's 45 percent…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2022/11/23/alaska-election-results/

‘The US can still become a fascist country’: Frances Fox Piven’s midterms postmortem

"There's going to be a lot of vengeance politics, a lot of efforts to get back at Joe Biden, idiot stuff. And that will rile up a lot of people. The Maga mob is not a majority of the American population by any stretch of the imagination, but the fascist mob don't have to be the majority to set in motion the kinds of policies that crush democracy."… "As thinking people, we don't pay enough attention to the human lust for cruelty. We are at a point in American politics where those aspects of our nature are being brought to the fore; Trump has been doing that for a very long time, and we have to stop it or else it will continue to grow."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/24/frances-fox-piven-interview-midterms-trump-fascism

Opinion | Mormon support for the Respect for Marriage bill is a sham - The Washington Post

At church-sponsored Brigham Young University, students have noted that church rights still take precedence over the rights of the LGBTQ community. Such attitudes and policies surrounding issues of sexual identity are fueling a faith crisis among many Mormons of my generation...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/23/mormons-respect-for-marriage-support-sham/

The right’s stochastic pundits warn of more violence if LGBTQ community doesn’t stop ‘grooming’

"Put them to death. Put all queers to death. They die," proclaimed one fundamentalist preacher, adding: "When they die, that stops the pedophilia. It's a very, very simple process."…
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/11/23/2138098/-The-right-s-stochastic-pundits-warn-of-more-violence-if-LGBTQ-community-doesn-t-stop-grooming

The House Republicans’ Investigation Conundrum - The Atlantic

Democrats hope that the coming GOP investigations will alienate more voters than they alarm. Several Democratic strategists told me they believe that the focus on so many conservative causes will both spotlight the most extreme Trump-aligned voices in the Republican caucus, such as Jordan and Greene, and strike swing voters as a distraction from their kitchen-table concerns…

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/11/republican-house-majority-biden-investigations/672259/

Arizona attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh sues over election results - The Washington Post

"The Office believes the lawsuit is legally baseless and factually speculative," the spokesperson said in a statement to The Washington Post. "None of the claims raised warrant the extraordinary remedy of changing the election results and overturning the will of Arizona voters."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/23/arizona-abe-hamadeh-lawsuit-kari-lake-maricopa/

US corporations gave more than $8m to election deniers’ midterm campaigns

…election deniers benefited to the tune of $65m from corporate interests.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/23/us-corporations-donate-midterm-campaigns-election-deniers

Ancient Apocalypse is the most dangerous show on Netflix

That's the danger of a show like this. It whispers to the conspiracy theorist in all of us. And Hancock is such a compelling host that he's bound to create a few more in his wake. Believing that ultra-intelligent creatures helped to build the pyramids is one thing, but where does it end? Believing that election fraud is real? Believing 9/11 was an inside job? Worse? If you were feeling particularly mean-spirited, you could suggest that Netflix knows this, and has gone out of its way to court the conspiracy theorists...

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/23/ancient-apocalypse-is-the-most-dangerous-show-on-netflix

Louisiana police release footage of officer fatally shooting Black motorist

At no point in the recorded interaction did Anderson tell Kittling why he was pulled over…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/22/louisiana-police-officer-fatal-shooting-black-motorist

Brandon and Gregory Case indicted for attempted murder after allegedly shooting at FedEx driver D'Monterrio Gibson - CBS News

The pickup driver then tried to cut him off as he pulled out of the driveway, he said. Gibson swerved around him and then encountered a second man who had a gun pointed at the van and was motioning for him to stop. Gibson said the man fired as he drove away, damaging the van and packages inside. He said the white pickup chased him to the interstate highway near Brookhaven before ending the pursuit…

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brandon-case-gregory-case-indicted-attempted-murder-shooting-at-fedex-driver-dmonterrio-gibson/

A Florida teacher thought she'd settled her student loan debt 20 years ago. Then she got a bill for $1 million. - CBS News

"I see all the time, people that say, 'I haven't had a bill for my Perkins loan in 10 years, 20 years,'" said Mayotte. "It makes it really difficult for the borrower. You know, a lot of times it's a legit bill. But if it isn't, what consumer keeps records for 20 years to be able to push back on that?"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/1-million-dollar-student-loan-bill-florida-teacher/

Texas organizers battle misinformation on encrypted messaging apps - PolitiFact

UT researchers documented examples of different kinds of misinformation on these platforms, such as misinformation that sows doubt among people of differing religious and ideological beliefs and ambiguously translated information. There was misinformation on voting, to discourage people from voting, and regarding political candidates and parties, Trauthig said. 

 Trauthig said an example of misleading messaging that flourished on these apps among diasporic communities was President Joe Biden repeatedly being called "Anti-Catholic." Such messaging ignored the fact Biden is Roman Catholic, researchers found. The messaging targets Hispanic Catholics and was found in group chats alongside COVID-19 information…

https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/nov/23/texas-organizers-battle-misinformation-encrypted-m/

Journalist says Taiwan is a sophisticated democracy that's under threat (Dave Davies; Fresh Air podcast)

New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins says China has made it increasingly clear that it doesn't recognize Taiwanese sovereignty — leading to increased tensions between China and the U.S.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/17/1137361339/journalist-says-taiwan-is-a-sophisticated-democracy-thats-under-threat

James-OH | Biblical Prophecies Are Physical Proof Of God | Atheist Experience 26.46

This caller hopes to prove the prophecies of the Bible came true. He learns instead from the scientists some facts about evolution, the origins of the universe, the origins of life, and how we know what we know.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/oEpUo7HZ_xs

McConnell fight with GOP opponent shifts to new battleground | The Hill

McConnell now faces a fight with Scott and other Senate conservatives over whether to block a year-end spending package before Christmas…

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/3745590-mcconnell-fight-with-gop-opponent-shifts-to-new-battleground/

Six people killed in shooting at Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia

"I will not rest until we find the solutions to end this gun violence epidemic in our country that has taken so many lives."

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/23/multiple-deaths-after-shooting-at-walmart-in-chesapeake-virginia

Student Loan Documentary Director Explains Why It's so Hard to Declare Bankruptcy Over Loans

Few borrowers — even those struggling with cancer and debilitating epilepsy — are able to discharge their student loans under the "undue hardship" standard, which is a more strict requirement than discharging other debts, including credit cards, gambling debt, or collection agency accounts... 

 "This movie on the surface is about student loans, but I think it's really in many ways about our democracy more broadly," Zeff said. "Because you're really seeing how a bill becomes a law — and that it's not the way we were taught when we were in school with the 'Schoolhouse Rock' — and then in terms of trying to even track down who's behind some of these provisions, that was a whole shocking escapade. And without giving away too much, it involves some people who were never elected, and who most people have never heard of."…

https://www.businessinsider.com/student-loan-documentary-director-hard-declare-bankruptcy-over-loans-2022-11

Donald Trump reported losses of nearly $1 billion over 2-year period, accountant says - ABC News

The staggering losses belie the reputation Trump has carefully tried to cultivate as a shrewd and successful businessman. That image helped carry him to the White House once, with Trump hoping it will again as he now embarks on a new run for president...
https://abcnews.go.com/US/donald-trump-reported-losses-1-billion-2-year/story

The next abortion fight could be over wastewater regulation - POLITICO

…to require any doctor who prescribes the pills to be responsible for disposing of the fetal tissue — which anti-abortion advocates want to be bagged and treated as medical waste rather than flushed down the toilet and into the wastewater. 

With Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society president who has been influential in putting more conservative judges on the bench, co-chairing its board and the conservative legal powerhouse Alliance Defending Freedom, whose attorneys helped draft and defend the Mississippi anti-abortion law that eventually toppled Roe v. Wade, advising them on the campaign, Students for Life is also pushing conservative state attorneys general to bring enforcement actions against doctors and abortion pill manufacturers, and is planning a tour of college campuses to advocate on the issue.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/23/abortion-pills-opponents-environmental-laws-00070603