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| MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – CONSTITUTION DAY |
| ALLEGATIONS AGAINST KAVANUGH The woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct has come forward. The woman, Christine Ford, claims that the incident “derailed me substantially for four or five year” and made her “unable to have healthy relationships with men.” She told the Washington Post: “I thought he might inadvertently kill me.” Ford is a professor at Palo Alto University. READ |
| GOP SENATOR: LET HER TESTIFY Senate Judiciary Committee member Lindsey Graham, R-SC, said the woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault should give information to the Senate panel as soon as possible. “If Ms. Ford wishes to provide information to the committee, I would gladly listen to what she has to say and compare that against all other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh,” said Sen. Graham. Senate Republicans say the Judiciary Committee is still planning on holding a vote on his nomination Thursday. READ |
| GOP |
| GOP’S FLAKE: DON’T RUSH VOTE Sen. Jeff Flake, R-AZ, warned fellow Republicans not to ‘push forward’ without hearing from Kavanaugh’s accuser. “If they push forward without any attempt with hearing what she’s had to say, I’m not comfortable voting yes,” Flake said. “We need to hear from her. And I don’t think I’m alone in this,” said Sen. Flake, who serves on the Judiciary Committee. READ |
| THE LONG SILENCE Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney says it’s not unusual for victims to remain silent about an attack for several decades precisely because they often want to forget such an incident. “The silence of Dianne Feinstein is another thing. In July Feinstein heard this story from Ford. Yet she didn’t act on it. She didn’t ask Kavanaugh about it in committee, in closed session, in written questions, or in a one-on-one meeting,” said Carney. READ |
| WOODWARD FOUND NO COLLUSION Bob Woodward, famous for his Watergate investigation against President Nixon, told Hugh Hewitt that he found no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion after two years of investigating. “I did not, and of course, I looked for it, looked for it hard,” he said. Hewitt asked again: “But you’ve seen no collusion?” Woodward replied: “I have not.” READ |
| GOP WANTS TO CUT TAXES ON SAVINGS Under a new GOP proposal, any individual could put up to $2,500 each year after-tax into a proposed Universal Savings Account (USA), and take money out as needed without any penalties. “We’re a nation of spenders and not of savers,” said Rep. Mike Kelly, R-PA, author of the Family Savings Act of 2018. READ |
| SENATE CANDIDATE BLASTED SOLDIERS Arizona’s Democratic Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema led an anti-war group in 2003 that depicted American soldiers as skeletons who were inflicting “U.S. terror” in Iraq. READ |
| POPE PICKS LOYALISTS FOR SYNOD Pope Francis has named Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark to key positions for the Synod on Young People, Faith and the Discernment of Vocation set to take place in Rome Oct. 3-8. READ |
| INSPIRING FILM Many filmgoers remember the 2014 film Unbroken, which tells the epic story of how Louis Zamperini crashed in the Pacific Ocean and survived nearly three years as a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp. A new movie, Unbroken, Path to Redemption, tells the second half of the story as he returns home from war. Zamperini suffered from post-traumatic-stress-disorder and began drinking heavily. His life and marriage were spinning out of control — until he embraced Christianity. READ |
| SAINT QUOTE “I see in my neighbor the Person of Jesus Christ.” -Saint Gerard Majella |
| SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Robert Bellarmine was ordained in 1570 during a period when the study of theology was in a weakened state. He dedicated his time and energy to the study of Church history, the Fathers of the Church, and to Scripture, to organize Church teaching and to face the attacks of the Protestant Reformers. READ |
| DAILY READINGS “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.” (Ps 116:9) READ |
| HISTORY The link between Saint Robert Bellarmine and Thomas Jefferson? The founding documents of our country have deep Catholic roots. READ |