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| WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 |
| KAVANAUGH AND OBAMACARE Senate Democrats plan to make the fight over the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh over the future of Obamacare, instead of abortion (at least for now). Democrats in the Senate believe it’s their best chance at keeping their party united ahead of the midterm elections. READ |
| KAVANAUGH AND PRESIDENTIAL POWER Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh wrote a paper almost a decade ago in which he suggested that presidents should be shielded from lawsuits while they are in office. Senate Democrats are now suggesting that President Trump selected Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court for this reason. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted that the judge “thinks Presidents like Trump are above the law.” Backers of Kavanaugh stressed the difference between a legislative proposal and a constitutional opinion on existing law. READ |
| THE MEDIA VS KAVANAUGH The mainstream media sure treat President Trump’s Supreme Court nominees far differently than how they lavished positive coverage on Obama’s nominees. READ |
| FAMILY LEAVE A Senate panel is holding a hearing on family leave proposals. A soon-to-be-unveiled plan by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, would allow parents to draw from their Social Security benefits early and then defer retirement benefits. READ |
| MEXICO’S SOUTHERN BORDER Mexico’s president-elect, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, says he will create a border force to stop illegal immigration, as well as drugs and guns from pouring into his country from Latin America. READ |
| BLASPHEMY The bishops of the Phillippines declare three days of penance for President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent blasphemy. The country’s leader, who claimed he was once abused by a priest, said, “Who is this stupid God?” He then used an expletive as well. READ |
| CHURCH CLOSINGS What happens when a church is no longer a church? The Vatican has decided to host a conference from Nov. 29-30, addressing the issue of shuttered churches. READ |
| SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Benedict is known as the Father of Western Monasticism due to his great influence on the shape and character of monastic life in the West. Living the life of a hermit, others witnessed his lifestyle and wanted to follow. He eventually organized these men and wrote a Rule governing their communal life. Noted for its moderation and hospitality, the Rule continues to nurture the Cistercians as well as the Benedictines of today. READ |
| DAILY READINGS “Seek always the face of the Lord.” (Ps 105:2) READ |
| DISAGREEMENT WITH THE USCCB The Supreme Court recently ruled that public sector unions could not force employees to pay union fees. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed their disappointment in the ruling. But Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, agreed with the opinion and said he “respectfully disagreed” with the USCCB’s view. This is a thoughtful and informative video about unions and how many of them have changed over the last century. It’s worth your five minutes. WATCH |