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Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midterms
The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for New Hampshire to fully ban the use of student IDs for voting during the midterm elections.
Another week, another embarrassing fan-player incident. College football appears to have a problem
Digital political signs in Tallahassee back up and running with new message
The messaging signs appeared on digital signs often seen at construction sites.
SpaceX's Launch Business Wasn't Profitable Last Quarter, but Here's the Hidden Upside
The space segment is doing more for SpaceX than its raw revenue numbers indicate.
Open enrollment begins on state's health insurance marketplace amid affordability challenges
Open enrollment has started for the Massachusetts Health Connector, which offers health insurance coverage for those without employer-based health insurance.
Today in Blue Jays History: Jays Win Second World Series
33 Years Ago Today I vividly remember that moment. Whether the Blue Jays won or lost, I felt confident we’d be okay. With Pat Hentgen lined up to start game 7 after his impressive outing in game 3, there was reassurance. Still, I’m grateful for how it all turned out. Even after countless viewings, Joe […]
iPhone Duo Size Comparison vs. Galaxy Z Fold 8 and 8 Ultra, Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, iPad mini, Microsoft Surface Duo, and U.S. Passport
We compared the iPhone Duo with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, iPad mini, and even old devices like the original Pixel Fold and Microsoft Surface Duo.
Craig Hogan’s Emmy Moment Featured on E! Entertainment Following Bold Red Carpet Fashion Statement
Irish entertainer Craig Hogan turned his first Emmy Awards appearance into a defining personal style moment, using a
Report: Connor Hellebuyck Trade Talks Turn Serious
Elliotte Friedman says a Connor Hellebuyck trade is in the works, and it touches Detroit's goaltending. #RedWings
Health Insurance Coverage in Tennessee
Key Takeaways Most Tennesseans get coverage through an employer. TennCare covers about 1.4 million people—but eligibility is relatively limited for working-age adults. The ACA Marketplace became a much larger source […]
‘Wednesday’ star who filmed in Mass. says she’s stepping away from TV
After spending much of her life jumping from show to show, the actress says she’s ready for a change.
Aaron Judge's Disconnect With Yankees Grows Amid Latest Report
Apparently, Aaron Judge isn't in agreement with a whole lot the New York Yankees do.
2 ex-FBI officials charged with making false statements about Hunter Biden's laptop
Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference were charged Friday with making false statements about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Hornets, Brandon Miller Extension Negotiations Went Down to Final Hour
Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets nearly didn't agree to an extension.
Nvidia, TCV Invest in Generative AI Startup Higgsfield
Higgsfield, the AI video and image generation startup, extended its Series B funding round with new investments from Nvidia and TCV.
Nvidia, TCV Invest in Generative AI Startup Higgsfield
Higgsfield, the AI video and image generation startup, extended its Series B funding round with new investments from Nvidia and TCV.
Trump administration files lawsuit to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race
This move has sparked concerns about a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over election certification.
The 10 greatest comebacks in Philadelphia sports history
A deep dive into the most iconic Philly sports comeback stories.
Bulls' Caleb Wilson Earns Praise from Raptors Star Scottie Barnes
The No. 4 overall pick in 2026 had the chance to receive advice from the No. 4 overall pick in 2021.
Free screening of 'Arrival' with expert panel to be held Nov. 4 at State Theatre
The Penn State Eberly College of Science and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics will host a free screening of the 2016 film "Arrival" at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the State Theatre in downtown State College as part of the college’s Science Matters Spotlight Sessions and Friedman Lectures in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Essential Health highlights personalized direct primary care in Davenport
Essential Health Direct Primary Care offers pediatric and adult patients personalized, evidence‑based care through a flat‑rate membership model that includes extended visits, in‑house pharmacy services and on‑site lab testing.
‘Yaga’ review: Witchy adaptation on AMC+ lacks any real magic
Whittock feels like somewhere where dark mysteries would live, buried in its dense forests and obscured by ash-gray fog. The fictional British Columbia setting of the new Crave series “Yaga,”
GIGABYTE WRTX90 AI TOP Threadripper motherboard comes with massive cooler to keep memory under 43°C
GIGABYTE details its WRX90 AI TOP motherboard with seven PCIe 5.0 slots and up to 2TB of DDR5 ECC memory. Two MCIO connectors provide additional expansion.
More Tar Heels say “Yes, and” to majors
Kate Blizzard (Romance languages and environmental science) is one of many students who dive deep into two academic disciplines.
Reviewing the Most Impactful Penn State Transfer Portal Departures
Penn State experienced a tumultuous 2026 offense. It was a carousel wash of players and coaches shuffling in and out of the Latsch Building, with 40 transfers entering and 47 transfers exiting. At 3-4 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play, Penn State seems to be on the short end of the transfer portal transactions. …
INDYCAR Announces Phase Two of 2027 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule
New Marquee Race Weekend in Barcelona Highlights Action-Packed Summer, Furthers Series Momentum INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Oct. 23, 2026) – Following the histor...
Chelsea Vs Tottenham Preview
Tottenham travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, hoping to build on their first Premier League win of the season against a Chelsea side chasing a third straight win. Monday’s 3–1 win over Coventry offered Roberto De Zerbi some relief after a difficult start.
Lab testing giant Quest Diagnostics confirms patients' personal and health data was compromised during breach
Quest is the latest in a series of healthcare technology companies that have been hacked in recent months.
Check out a batch of sexy new “Rocky Horror Show” cast photos giving absolute pleasure
Don’t get strung out by the way they look.
'Ugly Betty' stars reunite, talk impact of show 20 years later
The stars of 'Ugly Betty' speak with ABC News' Chris Connelly about the impact of the show. (ABC News)
NFL’s Global Takeover Is Just Beginning
The global slate is likely to swell to 10 games—and beyond.
USA TODAY Sports/AVCA Super 10 girls regional volleyball rankings, late-October
See who sits atop each region in the 2026 USA TODAY Sports/AVCA Super 10 girls volleyball regional rankings.
Apple’s website has fun new easter egg: a fully interactive iPod
Today is the 25th anniversary of Apple introducing the first iPod, and to mark the occasion, Apple’s website now has a fun iPod easter egg.
Vanderbilt mourns loss of laboratory legend Howard Price
Howard Price, a technical supervisor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and with 67 years of employment, the longest serving member of the Vanderbilt Health family, died Oct. 12. He was 85.
Statesboro health fair to bring students and community
Bringing students and community together.
Your Business. Your Story!
Nederland featuring local businesses to celebrate 50 years in print
Why Chloe Troast was relieved to be fired from “SNL”
The comedian and actress said she was thankful for the support that she received from her fellow cast members and the show’s writers after being cut.
Giants Must Attempt to Sign Morejón
Adrian Morejón’s dominant track record at Oracle Park makes him the ideal solution for the San Francisco Giants' crumbling bullpen.
Liev Schreiber has choice words for Apple TV reporter
Liev Schreiber appeared to be scolding an interviewer Tuesday during the red-carpet premiere for his new Apple TV series, "Nocturne." A bystander captured a behind-the-scenes snippet of the 59-year-old, who
School of Medicine hosts Georgia Medical Education and Healthcare Collaborative Summit
Statewide summit convened leaders from Georgia medical schools, healthcare systems and government organizations.
Disaster recovery efforts temporarily boosted health for some men, Northwestern study finds
New Northwestern University research aims to shed light on what drives inequalities among men in the aftermath of mega disasters. In such situations, men are often depicted as heroic leaders, and this study finds that many of them experience improved mental and physical health while assisting with recovery efforts. However, for some men, the boost is short lived once recovery activities are completed, leading to emotional lows and potentially increasing the risk of suicide.
PGA Tour’s Two-Circuit Shift ‘Well Defined,’ Says Joel Dahmen
The top 20 players on the Challenger Series will be promoted.
iOS 27.1 is exclusive to iPhone Duo, here’s why
iOS 27.1 has officially launched, but you wouldn’t know it by checking your iPhone’s Settings app because it’s iPhone Duo-exclusive.
Raskin happy at Rangers but unsure about January
Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin is "really happy" at Rangers but is unsure what might happen in January.
New Orleans Saints aim to end business trip on high note
"I want to win"
Apple F1 Advertising Booming in First Season With Racing Sport
The tech giant does not have an ad tier on its Apple TV streaming service, but one of the company's top ad execs tells THR that F1 is growing its share of the pie.
This Zac Efron Tearjerker Just Cracked Netflix’s Top 10
A familiar romantic drama is climbing Netflix’s Top 10 more than a decade after its theatrical release. Here’s why viewers are revisiting the tearjerker, and what they’re saying about it.
Prince William reveals favorite TV show during surprise appearance
After a long day of royal duties, Prince William likes to kick back in front of the tube.
Michael Gray, 'Shazam!' star and '70s teen idol, dies at 75
Michael Gray, who played Billy Batson in the CBS series "Shazam!" and graced many Tiger Beat magazine covers as a teen idol in the '70s, has died. He was 75.
NYC business leader blasts Mamdani over alleged ‘army of influencers'
Partnership for the City of New York CEO Steve Fulop criticizes Mayor Zohran Mamdani's legislative record, allegations that his staff prioritizes social media content and claims of coordinated online attacks against business leaders
PSG v Lyon moved as Paris prepares for more protests
Paris St-Germain's Ligue 1 match against Lyon at the Parc des Princes is pushed back 24 hours as the French capital prepares for another weekend of protests.
Selig Argues for MLB Salary Cap: ‘You Have to Make Adjustments’
Selig unsuccessfully sought a cap while he was the Brewers owner.
OnePlus starts rolling out stable Android 17 updates early, marking the end of OxygenOS
OnePlus is now rolling out stable Android 17 updates to OnePlus 15 and OnePlus Pad 4, marking the end of...
‘Gentlemen’ season 3 casting shocker: Major star exits, 2 ‘Lord of the Rings’ stars join for reunion
‘The Gentlemen’ season 3 announcement reveals cast shakeup as Daniel Ings exits show, while Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood will hold a a ‘Lord of the Rings’ reunion as stars join, without Meghan Markle.
Tejano star Michael Salgado announces return to stage following stroke
The “Cruz de Madera” singer, who fell ill onstage on Oct. 9, will play three shows in the coming week, including one in San Antonio.
Apple's iPhone Duo hits stores today with limited supplies and long lines
The iPhone Duo goes on sale Friday, but in-store supplies will be limited.
Carney rejects US election interference claims, criticizes Trump\'s ambassador to Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has dismissed U.S. allegations of Canadian interference in the upcoming American midterm elections. Speaking in Istanbul, Carney expressed disappointment with U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra over
Carney rejects US election interference claims, criticizes Trump's ambassador to Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday there is “no merit” to U. allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in next month’s U.
Carney Rejects US Election Interference Claims, Criticizes Trump's Ambassador to Canada
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday there is “no merit” to U.S. allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in next month’s U.S. midterm elections, expressing disappointment with Washington’s ambassador over the accusations. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul,
McLeod Health Cheraw Named 2026 SCORH Rural Health Provider of the Year
McLeod Health Cheraw was recognized as the 2026 Rural Health Provider of the Year on October 21, 2026, during the 29th Annual Rural
Arsenal fear Saka could be out for two months
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka could be sidelined for up to eight weeks with the quadriceps injury he suffered against Bayern Munich.
Lines wrap around Apple flagship store on Fifth Avenue for new iPhone Duo release
The frenzy for Apple's new foldable iPhone debut has caused long lines at Apple stores in New York City.
Skuld names new underwriting chief and CFO
Norway-based Assuranceforeningen Skuld (Gjensidig) has promoted Chief Financial Officer Kristian Løberg to chief underwriting officer, Coverager reported. Skuld expects the reorganization to establish…
Melania Trump says she secured a one-city ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for humanitarian aid
First lady Melania Trump announced that she helped secure a localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the city of Oleshky to facilitate the evacuations of elderly residents.
Health care finance leaders call for truce in affordability blame game
HFMA proposes ‘Declaration on Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability’ as physicians and patients feel the squeeze.
Matthew Golden is outpacing other 2025 first round picks
Golden’s redemption tour is well underway.
Bravo casts controversial “Big Brother ”star Aaryn Williams on Texas-based reality show
The former “Big Brother” star, otherwise known as Aaryn Gries, appeared on season 15 of the CBS series.
Op-ed: The case for a primary care triple-double
Strong primary care is the foundation of a high-performing health system, proven to control costs and
“Jerry Maguire ”child“ ”star Jonathan Lipnicki says career comments were ‘taken out of context’: ‘It bugged me a bit’
“I’ve never felt sorry for myself,” says the “Primetime” actor.
Bravo casts controversial ‘Big Brother’ star Aaryn Williams on Texas-based reality show
The new reality show ‘Small Town Trouble: Texas’ is set to follow a group of women living in Boerne, Texas, including controversial ’Big Brother’ alum Aaryn Williams, who was known as Aaryn Gries during season 15 of the CBS show.
Our Offense vs. Their Defense: Auburn Tigers
Auburn-s defense is very opportunistic but LSU has a chance to get explosive against them with powerful offense
Why Some Divorced Men End Up Alone in Old Age, According to Science
Researchers found that divorced men often lose contact with their adult children over time, leaving them with less family as they age.
Colts' Anthony Richardson Busted for Marijuana Possession
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. has been charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession.
UK Board of Trustees approves joint venture with Signature HealthCARE
The University of Kentucky Board of Trustees today approved a joint venture between UK and Louisville-based Signature HealthCARE to develop and operate a 105-bed skilled nursing facility on UK’s Hamburg East campus in Lexington. The facility will expand access to skilled nursing care and help patients move from the hospital to the next stage of their recovery sooner.
Closely watched US House race shifts in favor of Alabama Democrat, political forecaster says
Several other organizations still rate the district in Republicans’ favor, but say it’s close to a tossup.
I Can’t Believe Carrie Is Coming Back for Season 2
Don’t get me wrong, the show is good. But what are we doing here?
Meghan Markle reacts to ‘sickening’ child pornography allegations against father: ‘I am deeply distressed’
She called the claims “troubling and disturbing.”
Vikes Views: Who Ya Got? Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings
The Indianapolis Colts head to US Bank Stadium to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The Vikings are looking healthy coming off a bye and will be excited to continue their undefeated start. The Colts are coming in a little more beat up and they’re having a rough start to the season. Series Record: 9-18-1 […]
Colts QB Anthony Richardson Sr. reportedly charged with marijuana possession
A bench trial has been scheduled for Jan. 4, 2027.
Bill Murray pokes his head into stranger’s empty car while teasing his new golf show: ‘Get a load of this’
The eccentric actor lives up to his reputation during a delightful chat.
HOMETOWN HEALTH: How pregnancy stress affects fetal brain development
Chronic stress has previously been linked to preterm birth and other complications during pregnancy.
More Lakeshore employers report rising sales and expansion plans
A Lakeshore Advantage survey finds rising sales and expansion plans among Ottawa and Allegan county employers, despite various challenges.
E.C. Biz Owners Think 'Every Saturday' Can Be Small Business Saturday
“Every Saturday,” a new social media campaign, aims to promote exactly that: share a photo at a downtown business, use the hashtag #EverySaturdayEC and – an extra bonus – win $150 in Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce eBucks. The new initiative, also supported by Downtown Eau Claire Inc.
Joe Amabile plans to run the NYC marathon 3 months after brain surgery
The Bachelor Nation star says he “wanted to focus on something positive.”
Pep Chavarria Injury Status for Chelsea vs Tottenham Confirmed
Xabi Alonso has been nursing some injuries since his arrival at Chelsea. The international break provided a good break in play to get a number of his key men back fit including Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, and Joao Pedro. The good times only lasted so long as Reece James ended up getting surgery over a …
Dayton defense contractor Mile 2 names new ‘C’-level executives
Mile 2, a growing defense contractor in downtown Dayton, has appointed Matt Phaneuf as COO and Kyle Garza as its first CTO to enhance delivery of mission-focused solutions for the Department of Defense and national security clients, leveraging their combined 30 years of industry experience.
Hotel builder relies on repeat business, portfolio diversification amid construction slowdown
RD Olson president tells developers looking to build to ‘pull the trigger’
Health spending on Southampton taxis surges by 75%
It comes as the department looks to review spending for off-island hospital treatment.
Oklahoma small businesses using AI see major job growth, US Chamber research finds
New research shows small businesses are more likely to report job growth from AI than job losses.
Elizabeth Holmes confounds Hollywood with 'You Can See Everything'
Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.
Pope hope, that’s entertainment, and getting ahead in the CIA
Happy Friday friends, I want to start by just breathing for all of us a big long collective sigh of relief at the news this week that the pope’s doctors have basically blown the all clear for Leo’s health. Going from knowing nothing to him declaring to the world he needed surgery, to a cancer diagnosis, to bouncing out of the hospital in barely even days, to ringing the bell in less than two weeks is whiplash inducing. But in the best possible way. We are living in a world in which the Roman pontiff, by dint of history, biography and circumstance, is once more at the epicenter of global affairs. Not just conversations about religion, or Christian and post-Christian values, but the bleeding edge of the most pressing issues of human affairs. Think I am exaggerating a touch? Consider the images of the crowds who greeted Leo in Paris just weeks ago, and juxtapose them with the absolute photo negative scenes unfolding there recently. Ask yourself how many world leaders are talking about AI right now and directly citing the pope as they do so. Try to name a country who has had as many top-ranked diplomats in and out of both Russia and Ukraine in the last three years as the Vatican has in the last three months. It has been fascinating to watch Leo XIV emerge as not just a kind of pop culture reference point or totem to be cited (Francis was often name-checked this way) but as a kinetic force in global conversation. Given the state of things, we need global figures of gravitas and values, even better if they have real wisdom behind what they are saying. So news of Leo’s illness was, it seemed to me, a tremor with potentially Richter Scale implications. That not only has the worst not come to pass but instead we’ve had the best of outcomes announced is something to really be grateful for. Humanity, it seems to me, is entering one of its irregular but cyclical phases where the pace of change — technological, social, and geopolitical — outstrips the ability of previously settled norms and received wisdom to cope. Such periods – and I think the first decades of the last century were a similar such time – throw into question the viability of all kinds of institutions. And many of ours have been straining to breaking point for a few years now. The papacy has the power and the potential to be a steadying pole in all of this. That’s my hope, anyway. It’s a lot to freight the office with, though it is arguably its ultimate purpose from its founding, to be a steadying rock on which all that matters can be anchored. It’s also, of course, an intolerable weight of responsibility to place on a single man. But I am encouraged to have hope in – and for – Leo. The apostle whom he succeeds, after all, was famously unequal to some moments, failed some tests of faith, and resiled from taking the road which led ultimately to the circus on Vatican hill. Human frailty and limitations, of health, of character, of temper, can open us to Christ, whose strength is greatest in our weakness, so St. Paul learned. That gives me hope, and I am sure it consoles Leo, too. And so I will continue to pray for him. Because we need apostles of rock right now. Here’s the news. Subscribe The News The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued yesterday a new document “Venite ad me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change.” It’s not a short document, and it is at pains to stress this isn’t a doctrinal note from the dicastery, either. Rather, it brings together reflections on an important issue from the Church around the world. Some of it I actually found really rather powerful. It is, however, 25,000, which is a lot for a busy reader to get through on a weekday. So, you can read our busy reader’s summary right here. — News broke yesterday of an Oct. 22 meeting of U.S. bishops with President Donald Trump. The meeting was organized by an official at the Heritage Foundation, according to several sources close to the meeting. Video of several U.S. bishops praying in the Oval Office over President Trump was posted on social media Thursday afternoon, first by White House Communications Advisor Margo Martin, and then by the official twitter.com account of the Archdiocese of Denver. The meeting has drawn sharp criticism because of its proximity to the upcoming midterm Congressional elections, in which Democrats are widely expected to win control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate remains closely contested. Sources close to the bishops’ conference told The Pillar that some USCCB senior officials were surprised by the existence of the meeting when video of it first emerged online. And a source close to conference president Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City told The Pillar that the archbishop was “deeply frustrated” by the occasion of the meeting. An official conference spokesperson told The Pillar that the meeting was “not organized with or by the USCCB” and was “not affiliated with the conference.” You can read the whole story here. — The next National Eucharistic Congress will be held in Indianapolis in 2029, a return to the city that hosted the last gathering in 2024. You read it here first. By here, I don’t mean this newsletter, I mean at The Pillar. We broke the story this week. It’s a big deal, in as much as the last congress was a roaring success and the next installment has the potential to be a real focal point for evangelizing efforts in the coming years. Read all about it here. — As Pope Leo prepares for the longest trip of his pontificate, Church leaders in Uruguay say the pontiff will encounter a highly secularized culture, in a country with a very different Catholic history than many of its South American neighbors. The nation has not had a papal visit since 1988, and leaders who spoke with The Pillar say it has a dire need for evangelization, even amid the prospect of a small revival in faith. This is real reporting on the Church in the country, and frankly a story you simply are not going to be able to read anywhere else. Read the whole thing. — The Archdiocese of Detroit announced this week a plan that would see the vast majority of its parish priests reassigned next summer, amid a restructuring process expected to dramatically shrink the number of parishes in the archdiocese. Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said this week that the plan “asks much of our priests,” but is a “sacrifice they are making as brothers of one, unified presbyterate.” The thing is, as JD pointed out in an analysis yesterday, pastors of parishes have a legal right to stability in office, so the only way this kind of wholesale reassignment goes ahead is if all of the archdiocesan clergy agree to resign. That creates its own kind of legal issues, though, and re-raises longstanding questions about the effectiveness of canonical due process protections for priests when dealing with coercive exercises in authority. Read the whole thing here. — More than three months after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its decree declaring the excommunication of the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X, questions remain about the full effects of the society’s schism. Specifically, the DDF’s July claim that marriages witnessed and confessions heard by SSPX priests are now invalid remains contested — and it emerged this week it appears that the Vatican’s own legal experts don’t agree. You can read my whole analysis of the situation and what it means here. All I would add is that the DDF’s undeveloped, some would say unsubstantiated, claim about the invalidity of some SSPX sacraments came in their July Explanatory Note on the schismatic consecrations by the society that month. It touches directly on both papal acts of governance — indeed it purports to nullify them — and the most intimate pastoral encounters possible in a parish setting. If there is one aspect of the Francis-era style of governance I would like the curia to finally cut out, root and branch, it would be these attempts to try to effect extraordinarily sensitive legislative acts via a note. — At least a dozen French bishops have spoken out following an eruption of violence on the country’s streets Oct. 17. Not surprisingly, they unanimously condemned the violence, but the length and content of their interventions varied significantly. Several sought to distinguish between the actions of rioters and what they suggested were the legitimate concerns of peaceful young protesters. Many also evoked Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France, suggesting it offered a powerful counter-image to the scenes of looting and destruction. A number of bishops also stressed their solidarity with law enforcement officials who struggled to contain the disorder, as well as the owners of the roughly 3,000 damaged or looted businesses. What’s the background to the nationwide unrest that the French media calls “les violences du 17 octobre”? And what exactly are the bishops saying? Read all about it here. — A Polish bishop called for the firm defense of unborn children as well as compassion for their mothers this week, as the lower house of Poland’s parliament passed two bills seeking to liberalize the country’s abortion laws. The bill on decriminalizing assistance in an abortion passed by 217 votes to 213, while the abortion in cases of fetal abnormality bill passed by 233 to 203, thanks to the government’s majority in the lower house. Both bills will now move to the Polish Senate, the upper house of parliament, where the ruling coalition has a larger majority. The fetal abnormality bill is symbolically significant because if it became law, it would effectively overturn a 2020 ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that a 1993 law permitting abortion for a severe and irreversible disability or a life-threatening incurable disease was unconstitutional. Read the whole story here. Subscribe **[The St. Paul Center App | Bible Study On-The-Go Read and understand the Bible with St. Paul Center’s new app! With today’s leading Catholic Scripture scholars as your guides, the St. Paul Center app empowers you to read the Bible](https://stpaulcenter.com/app?utm_source=pillar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=applaunch)** from the heart of the Church. Download the app for free at either the Apple or the Google app stores. https://stpaulcenter.com/app That’s entertainment I have written before about my deep and sincere reservations about the celebrity exorcist subculture which has taken root in American Catholicism. And, because I am very ill at ease with the entire thing, I try to keep a weather eye on the phenomenon without being drawn into the kind of online back-and-forth which these figures sometimes generate. Earlier this week, JD noted that one such celebrity exorcist type, Fr. Chad Ripperger, has undertaken, on the request of his bishop, a year’s fast from interviews and public speaking. I’m sure that will be salutary for him, if for no other reason than that receiving with docility requests from one’s rightful ecclesiastical superiors always comes with graces. Then a second thing happened this week which caught my eye. Apparently, another fixture in the celebrity exorcist world, Fr. Carlos Martins, has initiated a lawsuit against two lay men — apparently associates of Rippenger, though I am unclear in what way, exactly — for allegedly defaming him and his ministry on a podcast. It seems the suit was initiated nearly a year ago and is now pending. At issue, I read, is that the two men described Martins on a podcast as “not who he says he is” with regard to his exorcism ministry and that he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” These statements Martins considers to be false and defamatory and, his suit claims, “directly affected the sale and reception of [his] The Exorcist Files book that was newly released at the time these episodes aired.” I don’t want to get too into the weeds of the details here, but a couple of things struck me about all this.