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OH, CANADA! // Some are calling him the Trump of the North. ‘Shark Tank’ cast member Kevin O’Leary announced a run for the leadership of Canada’s opposition Conservative Party. O’Leary said the party needs a candidate who can beat Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and bring jobs back to Canada. http://cvote.it/2jLCcza
HEALTH CARE // The U.S. bishops issued a letter calling on Congress to ensure that healthcare is “truly universal” and “genuinely affordable.” The letter stated: “We remain committed to the ideals of universal and affordable health care, and to the pursuit of those ideals in a manner that includes protections for human life, conscience and immigrants.” http://cvote.it/2iTCOUV
TRANSITION 2017 // Rep. Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s pick for White House budget director, admitted to the Senate that he failed to pay more than $15,000 in payroll taxes for a household employee. Mulvaney has since paid the back taxes for the babysitter he hired when he and his wife had triplets in 2000. The South Carolina Representative has an outstanding voting record in Congress, but these tax problems often sink a nomination. http://cvote.it/2jLHRoS
TRANSITION 2017 // Trump has selected former Gov. Sonny Purdue, R-GA, to serve as his next secretary of agriculture. Purdue was a veterinarian before entering politics. In 2002, he became the first Republican elected governor of Georgia in more than a century. http://cvote.it/2iTy1mn
TRANSFER OF POWER // The Washington Post has a fascinating article on the frantic five-hour ritual involving moving out the family of the outgoing President, and transforming the residence to prepare for the new president’s family. http://cvote.it/2jLxp0s
LGBT // In his last presidential press conference, Obama called changes on LGBT policies ‘irreversible.’ http://cvote.it/2iSifYO
SUPREME COURT // Trump met with Judge William Pryor, one of the 21 names on his short list for potential Supreme Court nominees. Back in February, Trump hinted that Pryor and Diane Sykes were his favorites on the list of 21. http://cvote.it/2jNspZg
CATHOLIC // Sister Madeleine Miller’s efforts to substitute teach in a Nebraska public school ran afoul of a century-old law that meant she couldn’t wear her habit if she were hired. Once 36 states had such laws, but now only Nebraska and Pennsylvania still do. http://cvote.it/2iTvGaX
WORD OF THE DAY // Blaine Amendments – Provisions in dozens of state constitutions that prohibit the use of state funds at “sectarian” or religious schools. In several states, adoption of Blaine Amendments were made an explicit condition for entering the Union.
SAINT // Saint Fabian – http://cvote.it/dailysaint
DAILY READINGS // Today’s readings – http://cvote.it/Daily-Readings
JUBILEE // Poland’s government has established 2017 as a jubilee year for the country, celebrating the 300th anniversary of the first canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa. http://cvote.it/2jNoXxG