TUESDAY, JULY 1

MASS DEPORTATION SITE 'ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ' OPENS President Donald Trump will travel to Florida today for the opening of a remote immigration detention facility in the Everglades — dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” — designed to hold up to 5,000 illegal immigrants.  READ

HOLY LAND CHRISTIANS CALL FOR HELP: 'WE NEED SUPPORT'  Christians in the Holy Land expressed hope and quiet defiance last week after a string of internationally reported attacks by Israeli settlers, one of which left three Palestinians dead. “We have to stop this bleeding,” one priest told CatholicVote, and asked that CatholicVote spread the word to American Catholics that “we need support.”  READ

DOJ UNVEILS MASSIVE MEDICAL FRAUD TAKEDOWN  The Department of Justice yesterday charged 324 people in what officials called the department’s largest healthcare fraud operation in history — a sprawling, international scheme that siphoned billions from taxpayer-funded medical programs. READ

IDAHO GUNMAN IDENTIFIED  Authorities have identified the suspect who fatally ambushed a team of firefighters in northern Idaho Sunday afternoon as 20-year-old Wess Roley, who was later found dead near the scene. Authorities say Roley intentionally ignited the fire to lure first responders into an ambush.  READ

SCOTUS TAKES GOP CHALLENGE ON PARTY SPENDING LIMITS  The Supreme Court agreed June 30 to take up a Republican-led challenge to federal campaign finance limits — a case that could dramatically expand free speech protections for political parties. READ

BLESSED CARLO ACUTIS RELICS VISIT SAN FRANCISCO  A first-class relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis will be available for public veneration in the Archdiocese of San Francisco this week, offering local Catholics the opportunity for prayer and reflection with one of the Church’s most beloved contemporary soon-to-be saints.  READ  

US-CANADA TRADE TALKS BACK ON  Canada has scrapped its digital services tax after pressure from Trump, clearing the way for renewed US trade talks. As confidence in US trade negotiations grows, markets have soared with S&P and Nasdaq hitting record highs.  READ

LOOPcast  Erika and Josh are joined by Tom McClusky to break down the situation on the Hill, starting with some SCOTUS decisions that have us cheering for more! Next, we examine Trump's newly revised bill... which is still big but not as beautiful. Priests are standing their ground, a congressional session becomes a romcom, and we discuss the pros and cons of driverless cars. All this and more on the LOOPcast! WATCH

100 YEARS LATER: BISHOP NOLL'S CATHOLIC LEGACY  Marking 100 years since Archbishop John Francis Noll’s episcopal ordination, Bishop Kevin Rhoades honored the Fort Wayne native’s enduring legacy as founder of Our Sunday Visitor, media evangelist, and champion of Catholic truth in the public square. READ

PRIESTS WORLDWIDE DEFEND CONFESSION SEAL  Catholic clergy from the US, Australia, and Great Britain issued a joint declaration defending the inviolable seal of Confession, decrying several laws in different countries that violate religious freedom by forcing priests to report grave sins like child abuse. READ

4TH OF JULY WITH JOHN ADAMS  The Fourth of July is not only about hot dogs and fireworks, but also devotion, gratitude, and freedom’s price. John Adams understood this well. Here’s what he, who basically invented the Fourth of July spirit, has to teach us this Independence Day.  READ

CATHOLIC 101  We are all fighting a civil war with ourselves. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote that the battle between good and evil takes place in each individual human heart. To be, or not to be. To be a saint, or not to be a saint. To answer the call, or to refuse it. Fatherhood, says Joseph Pearce, is the path that leads men to this sanctity.  READ

SAINT OF THE DAY  Today, the Church celebrates Saint Junípero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan born in 1713 who left a promising academic career to evangelize the Americas. He preached in Mexico, translated the catechism for the Pame Indians, and founded missions across California. READ

DAILY PSALM  "O Lord, your mercy is before my eyes." (Psalm 26:3)  READ

DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings.  READ

WITNESS  "Confession is an act of honesty and courage — an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God," said Pope Saint John Paul II in a 1987 homily.  SHARE