LOOP: Supreme Court opens term with 8 justices
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| MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 |
| SUPREME COURT TERM BEGINS The Supreme Court starts its new term today without a ninth justice. But a full Senate vote looms on Judge Kavanaugh this week, after his nomination was advanced out of the Judiciary Committee Friday. But the Senate is waiting on a new supplemental FBI background check set to be completed by Friday (or earlier). The court’s term features a few petitions over abortion, as well as a challenge to a peace memorial in the shape of a cross that sits on government land. READ |
| SENATOR SHIFTS FROM “NO” TO “MAYBE” Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-IN, announced on Friday morning that he would not support Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court and cited a lack of an FBI investigation as his reason. But now that an FBI investigation is underway, Donnelly says he is open to voting for Kavanaugh. “I think Hoosiers are where I am on this. I want to know what happened,” Donnelly said. READ |
| ATTACKING COACH KAVANAUGH The USA Today publishes an article suggesting that Judge Kavanaugh should never be allowed to coach children’s basketball again because he may be a danger to children. The backlash was so brutal that USA Today removed several of the most egregious paragraphs from the initial article. READ |
| INVESTIGATING THE DEBACLE Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, thinks it’s the Democrats’ handling of the Ford-Kavanaugh allegation that needs to be investigated. “The FBI will do a supplemental background investigation, then I’m going to call for an investigation of what happened in this committee. Who betrayed Dr. Ford’s trust? Who in Feinstein’s office recommended Katz as a lawyer? Why did Ms. Ford not know that the committee was willing to go to California?” said Sen. Graham. READ |
| PROSECUTOR RELEASES MEMO ON FORD-KAVANAUGH Rachel Mitchell, the prosecutor hired by Senate Republicans to question Dr. Christine Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, wrote a memo about the credibility of the allegations. “A ‘he said, she said’ case is difficult to prove. But this case is even weaker than that,” said Mitchell. READ |
| HOUSE 2018 In a sign that Democrats are gaining ground, the National Republican Congressional Committee has cut $1 million in advertising that would have helped Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-KS. “Make no mistake about it,” Jim Joice, the executive director of the Kansas Republican Party told the Kansas City Star. “We have a very tough cycle on our hands.” READ |
| ARCHBISHOP McCARRICK’S NEW HOME Disgraced Archbishop Theodore McCarrick will now reside at St. Fidelis Capuchin Friary in rural Victoria, Kansas. READ |
| CANADA TO JOIN US-MEXICO TRADE DEAL A new deal will replace the 25-year-old NAFTA agreement, now that Canada has joined the trade deal between the United States and Mexico. The new treaty is expected to be signed by President Trump and the leaders of Canada and Mexico in 60 days, with Congress likely to act on it in 2019. READ |
| CHINA-VATICAN DEAL An agreement between the Holy See and China’s communist government is drawing criticism from religious freedom advocates in the United States. “I confess that I am skeptical, both as a Catholic, and as an advocate for the religious freedom of all religious communities in China,” said Thomas Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute. READ |
| POPE: PRAY ROSARY Pope Francis implored Catholics to pray the rosary daily in the month of October to protect the Church from Satan. READ |
| ST. MICHAEL’S INTERCESSION Several bishops are calling on Catholics to pray the St. Michael prayer writing by Pope Leo XIII to “defend us in battle.” Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford said: “In modern times, perhaps we have been lulled into complacency about the power of evil.” READ |
| SAINT QUOTE “One word or a pleasing smile is often enough to raise up a saddened and wounded soul.” -Saint Thérèse of Lisieux |
| SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is perhaps one of the most known and best loved saints in the Catholic calendar. A young Carmelite nun who wanted to go to the missions, she remained within the cloister yet became the patron of the missions. Therese entered the convent at 15 and died at 24 having lived a full life, including serving her community as novice director. Her parents were canonized in 2015. READ |
| DAILY READINGS “Incline your ear to me and hear my word.” (Ps 17:6) READ |
| CARTOON SHOWS ANTI-CHRISTIAN BIGOTRY Chris Britt of the Creators Syndicate drew this cartoon which ridicules and mocks Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s daughter for praying. |