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| WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 – NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING |
| DAY OF MOURNING In recognition of the national day of mourning, all federal offices will be closed. The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver regular mail, but some packages will be delivered. The stock market will be closed. Some banks and courts will also be closed. READ |
| DOLE SALUTES BUSH Former Senator Bob Dole, 95, stands from his wheelchair to give a salute fellow World War II veteran, former President George H.W. Bush. WATCH |
| 2020 WATCH Former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to be taking a step closer to a possible presidential run when he said: “I’ll be as straight with you as I can: I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to be president.” READ |
| OLD GLORY An administrator at Stanford University suggested to a fraternity that they take down the American flag for fear of offending people. In response, the fraternity took down the flag and chose to replace it with an even bigger one. READ |
| FRANCE HALTS ENERGY TAXES After the worst civil unrest in 50 years, the French government has finally relented and halted planned rate hikes on electricity and gasoline that would have become effective Jan. 1. The protests against the taxes have grown into a rebellion against French President Emmanuel Macron’s government. Firefighters had to extinguish 190 fires as protesters set fire to cars and garbage cans. READ |
| NEW COAL PLANTS The Trump administration is planning on reversing an Obama administration regulation that forces new coal plants to be built with expensive technology that captures carbon emissions from the smokestacks. The EPA’s new rule would encourage higher efficiency critical or supercritical power plants that burn coal at higher temperatures than conventional technologies, requiring less energy. READ |
| MEDIA LANDSCAPE The Weekly Standard, a neoconservative magazine known for its opposition to Trump, might be closing down soon. The publication has long been known for its strong advocacy of U.S. military intervention in conflicts around the globe. READ |
| UNION BATTLE A new lawsuit alleges that labor unions are still collecting dues from public employees without their “affirmative consent” as required by a recent Supreme Court decision. READ |
| ELECTIONS MATTER Kansas Gov-elect Laura Kelly, a Democrat, has said she will not enforce a new law which protects faith-based adoption agencies who won’t place children with same-sex couples. Laws in other states face similar situations because of the 2018 midterm elections. READ |
| PRESIDENT BUSH AND THE ORDINATION President George H.W. Bush met with Pope John Paul II in 2001. After his meeting, the former president went to congratulate 40 men from the Pontifical North American College who had just been ordained. Fr. Raymond de Souza recalls Bush saying: “‘The Pope told me that he and the cardinals are praying for the president,’ he said, pausing and choking up. ‘The Pope is praying for my son. … The Pope is praying for my son,’ he repeated softly. He was overwhelmed.'” READ |
| SAINT OF THE DAY After an abusive childhood, Saint Sabas found refuge in a monastery, where he also found his vocation to the monastic life. Permitted to live as a hermit, Saint Sabas soon found others attracted to his way of life, and he eventually became the abbot of a monastic community. As a result, he is known as one of the founders of Eastern monasticism. READ |
| DAILY READINGS “I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” (Ps 23:6) READ |
| REMEMBRANCE A view of the casket of President George H. W. Bush in the U.S. Capitol building from high above the rotunda. SHARE |