TRUMP PROMISES PARDONS FOR PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS;CONGRESSMAN MOVES TO REPEAL FACE ACT;SENATORS PRESS WRAY OVER ANTI-CATHOLIC FBI MEMO; SENATE NIXES DRESS CODE

 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 TRUMP PROMISES PARDONS FOR PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS  President Donald Trump promised that if reelected he would pardon or commute the sentences of pro-life activists targeted by the Biden Justice Department under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. “Marxists and Stalinists in the administration got a Washington, D.C., jury to convict five pro-life activists who are now facing up to 11 years in prison for simple acts of protest,” Trump said.  READ CONGRESSMAN MOVES TO REPEAL FACE ACT Congressman Chip Roy, R-TX, has introduced a bill to repeal the FACE Act. “Biden’s Department of Justice has brazenly weaponized the FACE Act against normal, everyday Americans across the political spectrum, simply because they are pro-life,” Roy said. READ SENATORS PRESS WRAY OVER ANTI-CATHOLIC FBI MEMO  Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, and seven other senators wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking him about the “underlying processes” behind the bureau’s controversial anti-Catholic memo from earlier this year. The letter gives Wray until September 29 to provide a briefing to lawmakers about the background of the document.  READ BIDEN MAKES $6 BILLION DEAL WITH IRAN  The Biden administration released $6 billion in frozen Iranian energy funds in exchange for five American prisoners. The move has been widely panned by lawmakers and military experts. The deal was approved on September 11, 2023 – the anniversary of the worst-ever terrorist attack on American soil.  READ NATIONAL DEBT HITS HISTORIC HIGH  According to official Treasury Department data, the nation’s gross national debt reached $33 trillion this week and continues to climb. “Debt held by the public, meanwhile, recently surpassed $26 trillion,” said Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “We are becoming numb to these huge numbers, but it doesn’t make them any less dangerous.”  READ SENATE NIXES DRESS CODE  In what has been dubbed the “Fetterman Rule,” the U.S. Senate under the directive of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, eliminated its longstanding dress code. Controversially, the new rule only applies to senators. Others who enter the chamber, including staff, must still comply with the original dress code.  READ CV PROTESTS PEPFAR ABORTION FUNDING  CatholicVote and allied groups sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy calling on Congress to remove overseas abortion funding from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The Biden administration has used PEPFAR, an AIDS-relief program started during the George W. Bush administration, to promote abortion in Africa.  READ NEW ITEMS!  Check out our Autumn 2023 Collection. Pair your fuzzy sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes with amazing CatholicVote on-brand merch for happy warriors.  CLICK BLOOD OF ST. JANUARIUS LIQUEFIES  The blood of St. Januarius again liquified on the martyr’s feast day in Naples as it has annually since the first recorded instance of the miracle in 1389. Though there have been investigations of the phenomenon in the past, there is no scientific explanation of the liquefaction of the saint’s blood.  READ 5 WAYS THE MEDIA DECEIVE YOU  With our media largely pushing one narrative alone, it’s a daily challenge to remain informed when we don’t even know if we can trust our news sources. Here’s how to see through the media’s tricks and find the facts you deserve to know!  READ THE WORLD vs. THE WORLD  We hear “the world” described in contrary ways within Scripture and the Church. God created the world, and it is good. And so we love the world and all of God’s creation in it. But “the world” is also described as opposed to God, opposed to the spirit, opposed to goodness. So which is it? Here is a look at these two conflicting ideas.  READ CATHOLIC 101  Today begins the final Ember Days of the liturgical year. In 1078 Pope Gregory VII established them with the purpose of thanking God for the gifts of nature and reminding us to use them in moderation and to assist the poor. The Ember Days fall on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after the feast of St. Lucy, Ash Wednesday, Pentecost Sunday, and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Today the Church celebrates 103 saints who were martyred in Korea during a period of intense persecution in the mid-19th century. The martyrs include St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean Catholic priest, and Paul Chang Hasang, a lay Catholic leader who was studying for the priesthood.  READ DAILY PSALM  “How great are the works of the Lord!” (Psalm 111:2)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings  READ SPOT ON!  DeSantis: “What does being gay have to do with math class?”  SHARE The LOOP is a publication of the CatholicVote Education Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization. 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