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| THURSDAY, MARCH 15 |
| VATICAN PRESS FIASCO The Associated Press noticed that a photo released by the Vatican was altered, in a way that the AP said “violated photojournalist industry standards.” The photo released by the Secretariat for Communications involved a “personal letter of Benedict XVI on his continuity with the pontificate of Pope Francis.” READ |
| NEW ECONOMIC POINT MAN President Trump has named CNBC host (and faithful Catholic) Larry Kudlow to be director of the National Economic Council. The appointment of Kudlow comes after the resignation last week of Larry Cohen, who opposed Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum. Over at Forbes, Ryan Ellis suggests that Kudlow should push Trump to sign an executive order to index capital gains to inflation, a proposal Kudlow has long supported. READ |
| SCHOOL VIOLENCE Thousands of students walked out of classes at schools across the country, joined by politicians like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-NY. Protesters called for stricter gun control measures. Students carried signs mocking “prayers and condolences.” READ |
| BISHOPS BACK RELIGIOUS LIBERTY BILL Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Bishop James Conley announced their support for the First Amendment Defense Act. “FADA is a modest and important measure that protects the rights of faith-based organizations and people of all faiths and of no faith who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,” the two bishops said in a joint statement. Bishop Conley chairs the USCCB subcommittee on marriage and Archbishop Kurtz is chairman of the USCCB. READ |
| MEDIA BIAS The media lied to voters by telling them congressional candidate Conor Lamb was “pro-life.” The lie was so persistent that even common-sense journalists were mislead. READ |
| POLITICAL CORRECTNESS A major reason for President Trump’s political success: He understands that political correctness is used as a club to silence decent people for having reasonable concerns. READ |
| TAX CUTS, PART TWO House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady is talking to the White House about a possible “phase two” of the GOP tax plan. President Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to see additional movement on taxes. One proposal would make the individual tax cuts permanent. READ |
| SANITY IN DIPLOMACY Pro-life groups thanked former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for no longer including abortion and other contentious issues from the department’s annual Human Rights Report. Pro-family activist Austin Ruse of C-FAM praised the decision: “All human-rights treaties cover all human beings. Human rights are indivisible. Those with same-sex attraction already have the right to vote, the right to freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial, the right to political self-determination. … They have all the human rights that you and I have.” READ |
| PASSIONATELY PRO-LIFE BISHOP The National Catholic Register profiles Archbishop Joseph Naumann as he prepares to assume chairmanship of the USCCB’s pro-life committee. READ |
| WAGING WAR ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Lawmakers in Connecticut are considering whether to confirm Justice Andrew McDonald as Chief Justice for the state’s Supreme Court. When McDonald himself was a legislator, he put forward a bill that sought to reorganize the Catholic Church through state law. As one Republican put it, the bill sought to “make it so that the Church could not exist in this state.” To this day, McDonald has never owned up to what he was trying to do with the legislation. READ |
| QUOTE OF THE DAY “Those who would prefer that the Church not address political issues often mistakenly appeal to the so-called ‘separation of church and state’ enshrined in our American political system. They misread our Constitution as requiring a division between personal belief and public action, or between moral principles and political choices. In contrast, the intention of our Founding Fathers was precisely to protect the right of believers and religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public life.” +Bernard Hebda, Archbishop of Saint Paul-Minneapolis. |
| SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Louise de Marillac had an open heart for the poor. Along with Saint Vincent de Paul, she eventually formed what would become a religious order known as the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. By the time of her death, the community had 40 houses in France. READ |
| DAILY MASS READINGS “Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.” (Ps 106:19) READ |
| WITNESS Catholic school students in Denver chose prayer over walk-outs. “We believe the first and most important response can and should be to unite in prayer,” said Elias Moo, superintendent of Denver’s Catholic Schools. “At the core of what our country is confronted with today is a great spiritual battle, a battle for the soul of our society and nation.” READ |