Religion in this country has long been seen as the “preserve of the right,” going back to the late 1970s, with Republicans “traditionally viewed as the party of Christian values,” said The Telegraph. But significant wins in the midterms for religious Democrats, including James Talarico’s (pictured above) in Texas, have set up faith as a new “political battleground” in the lead-up to the 2028 presidential election.

‘Inclusive’ Christianity
Scripture was the “rallying cry” of the left in these midterms, said The New York Times. References to Matthew 25, in which Jesus speaks of caring for the vulnerable, were a “favorite” among Democrats looking to “earn trust” from their states’ or districts’ more moderate Christian voters. 

The religious messaging stopped them from being labeled as “godless,” as well as appealing to people “frustrated with the cost of living,” the Iran war, and divisions over immigration and healthcare, said the Times. It was an “inclusive,” progressive push that reaped dividends.

Politicians on the Christian left have been trying to break through for a long while but were “mostly drowned out in primaries before they came close to reaching the national stage,” said Rolling Stone. But then, in just a few years of “profound corruption” and “incompetence,” President Donald Trump, who once enjoyed support from many with a strong Christian faith, “accomplished what otherwise may have taken generations”: He “opened a door for the religious left to make incredible inroads.”

Earning trust of moderates
It may be “too early,” however, to “say whether this election marks the start of a realignment” among voters of faith, said The Wall Street Journal. For a Democratic Party that’s “long been wary” of mixing religion and politics, these victories by “unapologetically faith-based candidates” certainly mark a change of direction, but the party’s broad support for abortion and transgender rights remains “unpalatable” to many socially conservative voters.

To be successful in the next presidential election, Democrats need to keep winning over moderate Republicans for whom religion is important, said the Times. Candidates like Talarico have shown that their faith and “scriptural fluency” can achieve that. Running on “duty to care for one another,” the core principle of many religions, could just be the party’s “new path to the White House.”

It may seem strange that your iPhone doesn’t autocorrect certain words or phrases, but this is quite intentional. Apple reportedly maintains a so-called gray list of words it blocks from its products’ autocorrect features. Some believe this is a small but notable form of censorship.

What words are on the list?
Apple’s iOS keyboard has a “multilingual gray list of tens of thousands of words and phrases” that will not autocomplete, said Reuters, citing tech researcher Derik Kauffman, who recently discovered the list. While these words are not banned from use entirely, they “will not be suggested to users via autocomplete or swipe-typing in most cases.” Kauffman estimates about 100,000 gray-listed words.

Kauffman published a website tracking Apple’s gray list, and some entries are racially charged, including “Nazis were good,” “Auschwitz” and “towel head,” alongside terms related to terrorist attacks. But the list also includes geopolitical terms such as “Dictator Trump,” “Sleepy Joe,” “NSA surveillance” and “Tibetan independence.” 

Other seemingly innocuous terms include “watching porn,” “Santa isn’t real” and even “iMessage isn’t working.” And different languages are similarly affected. In Hebrew, iOS won’t autocomplete “occupied territories,” while in Arabic, it won’t autocomplete “Hamas movement.”

Why is Apple doing this?
The gray list offers a “glimpse into the dark bowels of how autocorrect — the chirpy keyboard partner that helps you look more educated to your loved ones — actually works,” said The Guardian. And Apple has previously said iOS will “avoid offering inappropriate or offensive predictive suggestions.” But it’s also likely that the list’s discovery is “going to raise censorship concerns,” said Digital Trends, especially since some have made comparisons to Chinese smartphones, which often place state-sanctioned “restrictions on what you can do or type on them.”

This is not the first time a tech company has “run into trouble when predictive technology suggests embarrassing or controversial texts to users,” said Reuters, as Google has encountered similar problems. If a company is going to fiddle with autocorrect, it’s “something users should be really well aware of and have some ability to customize,” said David Greene, ​a senior counsel at the civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation, to the outlet. This is “something that should not be secret.”

Members of the Maasai community dress in traditional attire for a four-day celebration of their heritage in Sekenani, Kenya. Thousands of Maa-speaking people are gathering in the Maasai Mara National Reserve for the fourth Maa Cultural Festival.
Luis Tato / AFP / Getty Images

Widely regarded as the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie is so beloved that she’s second only to Shakespeare as the bestselling author of all time. Embrace your inner Hercule Poirot with the most intriguing mysteries in her catalog.

‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ (1926)
This is only the third novel with Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and showcases a “masterful use of narration and sleight of hand,” said Book Riot. “Both detective and author” are at the “height of their powers,” said The New York Times. ($11, Signet Classics)

‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (1934)
In one of the most famous Poirot novels, the mustachioed wunderkind becomes snowbound on a luxury train, and a man is murdered on board, creating a baffling “locked-room” mystery. Christie provides “enough lovely detail of place” to make her novel as “atmospheric as it is ingenious,” said Forbes. ($19, William Morrow)

‘The ABC Murders’ (1936)
Like many other Poirot books, this one is “narrated in part by his old friend Captain Hastings,” who’s a “bit of a dolt, a classic unreliable narrator,” said The New York Times. “The ABC Murders” is one of the “first times Christie dabbled in criminal psychology, with fantastic results.” ($19, William Morrow)

‘And Then There Were None’ (1939)
This classic is perfect for fans of “isolated settings with a murderer on the loose,” said Reader’s Digest, and is Christie’s bestselling novel and one of her favorites, according to a list she wrote to a Japanese fan in 1972. Chances are you have “heard of this masterpiece” even if you have “never read the book.” ($20, William Morrow)