ABORTIONS AT 20 WEEKS Using the filibuster, the Senate Democratic minority blocked a vote on legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks. President Trump said: “It is disappointing that despite support from a bipartisan majority of U.S. Senators, this bill was blocked from further consideration.” Trump noted that the U.S. is one of only 7 countries in the world that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks. http://cvote.it/2FpH5YD
STATE OF THE UNION Tonight is the State of the Union. In a move that seemed to upset some conservatives, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg announced that she would not be attending the address this year. But there’s a good case to be made that all Justices should sit out the event, which is highly politicized by its nature. http://cvote.it/2DVlqu5
MEMO TO BE RELEASED? The House Intelligence Committee votes to release controversial memo detailing government abuses of surveillance powers. President Trump has five days to decide whether he has any objections before the memo can be publicly released. http://cvote.it/2Ft9ih0
#2 AT FBI RESIGNS FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe resigns. McCabe’s name is expected to be part of a controversial, classified memo written by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee. http://cvote.it/2FuSN4h
FLASHBACK Republicans, including President Trump, became distrusting of Andrew McCabe after it was revealed that Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D-NY, funneled $675,000 of campaign money to the state senate campaign of Jill McCabe, wife of deputy director Andrew McCabe. Terry McAuliffe served as co-chair of Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign and chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign. http://cvote.it/2FspwqW
TRANSGENDER IDEOLOGY The left-wing group ThinkProgress published a review of Ryan Anderson’s new book on transgender ideology. And in the process of trying to debunk the book, they accidentally proved his points. http://cvote.it/2Fsqcwu
CHANGING THE JUDICIARY Leonard Leo is the President’s trusted ‘right-hand man’ when it comes to vetting and nominating candidates for the judiciary. Read this profile on Leonard Leo, a strong Catholic and friend of CatholicVote. http://cvote.it/2FrWdVi
TAX CUT ExxonMobil credited the tax cut for their plans to invest $50 billion into the U.S. economy. http://cvote.it/2FsN8f9
HUNT FOR CATHOLICVILLE Catholics were once primarily centered in big cities like Boston and Philadelphia. But things are changing. A recent study on Catholic demographics discovered that Rolette County, North Dakota, has a total population of 13,937 souls — of which 13,931 are Catholic. http://cvote.it/2Fsa0LL
SAINT OF THE DAY Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska founded the Felician Sisters as a result of a conversion experience she had while convalescing from an illness. http://cvote.it/dailysaint
DAILY MASS READINGS “Listen, Lord, and answer me.” (Ps 86:1) – http://cvote.it/Daily-Readings
NEAT The real door to Moria? Here’s the Medieval church that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien. http://cvote.it/2Fs0wzW