The new Pope has gotten a lot of media attention, including harsh treatment from some prominent MAGA commentators here in the U.S. Surprised? You shouldn't be, since religion and politics have mixed pretty much since the invention of both... but, what do the people in the pews think? Then, by this point, you've probably heard enough about the "loneliness crisis" to be ready to donate some of your own friends to the cause... but don't! We have some really interesting data that looks behind the headlines. And, we finish with a truly bizarre fun fact from the dawn of civilization. Cue the cave man jokes!
Religion has probably always been a part of politics, but, in modern America, it's often linked with how the Civil Rights movement was powered from the pulpit and pews and the conservative "Silent Majority" Evangelical Christian political movement that began in the 80s. There's an assumption that when preachers and other religious figures take public political positions these influence the flock. But, do they? The data suggest otherwise.
Then, we're revisiting the national issue of loneliness to talk about some really interesting data sets that speak to it in very different ways.
Finally, Lee brings it home with a crazy fun fact right out of the Flintstones.