America’s Religious Identity Experiences Major Shifts

Here’s what you’ll find on today’s show:

— A survey of Americans’ religious beliefs revealed that white Christians are for the first time no longer a majority, and the number of people who don’t affiliate with religion is on the rise. Experiences of a changing religious identity are often anecdotal, i.e., ‘I was raised Catholic, but have since converted to Judaism.’ But the truth is, there’s data behind those stories. And that data represents a complex transformation in America’s religious identity. 

— Around 300 of France’s most prominent intellectuals and politicians have signed onto a manifesto calling on prominent Muslim leaders to amend the Quran, prompted by concerns of anti-Semitism. The push comes as France experiences a wave of anti-Semitic acts, including the brutal murder of an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor where the suspect allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing the victim and setting her on fire. But this open letter published in Le Parisien represents what many see as a blasphemous call to change an ancient religious text.

— New details emerged Tuesday night about the shell company, Essential Consultants L.L.C., that President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen used to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. Daniels’s attorney Michael Avenatti revealed that previously unknown payments to the L.L.C. include $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. Conglomerates like AT&T and Korea Aerospace Industries, among others, made large payments to Mr. Cohen’s company as well, totaling at least $4.4 million from all of the various firms that paid Cohen over the past two years.