THURSDAY, JANUARY 4

BILL CLINTON ONE OF 200 EPSTEIN ASSOCIATES Documents naming almost 200 people connected to Jeffrey Epstein were unsealed Wednesday, revealing that former President Bill Clinton was an “associate” of the serial child sex trafficker. In a transcript of a deposition, a victim said Epstein told her “one time that Clinton likes them young, referring to girls.” READ

AP BACKPEDELS BIZARRE EDITORIALIZING ON CLAUDINE GAY The Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday admitted it was in the wrong to publish an article blasting “conservatives” and downplaying former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s responsibility in the plagiarism scandal that led to her resignation. “The story doesn’t meet our standards,” an AP spokeswoman said after widespread criticism of the article. READ

NYTIMES PUBLISHES ESSAY BY DEFIANT GAY Claudine Gay published an op-ed in the New York Times the day after her resignation “warning” that the “campaign” against her “was merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society.” For “the opportunists driving cynicism about our institutions, no single victory or toppled leader exhausts their zeal,” she wrote. READ

GOV. SANDERS CONFRONTS ADMIN’S MILITARY ABORTION POLICY In a Tuesday letter, Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders formally asked the Biden administration’s Department of Defense (DoD) to end its controversial policy of using taxpayer money to pay for service members’ abortions. Sanders noted that the policy also requires commanding officers to approve “abortion leave” regardless “of any sincere and deeply held religious convictions to the contrary.” READ

GOV. HOBBS GOES AFTER SCHOOL CHOICE Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday announced that she and fellow Democrats will pursue restrictions on the state’s active universal school choice legislation. Her new proposal would give the government power to monitor and report on how private schools spend school choice voucher money. READ

USA BOXING ALLOWS MEN TO FIGHT WOMEN USA Boxing decided last week to allow some men to compete in women’s competitions for the first time in its 55-year history. Female athletes across several sports slammed the policy. READ

SHIA LABEOUF BECOMES CATHOLIC The Capuchin Franciscans announced on January 2 that actor Shia LaBeouf has fully entered the Catholic Church having received the sacrament of Confirmation on New Year’s Eve. “His decision to fully enter the Church is a testament to his sincere desire to grow in his relationship with God and live out the Gospel values,” the Western America Province of Capuchin Franciscans wrote on January 2. READ

LOOPcast LOOPcast reads the signs as lightning strikes the keys of St. Peter and bishops worldwide say “no” to “same-sex blessings.” Harvard dumps its president, Trump dumps the Ohio guv, and can conservatives do better than a pin-up calendar? LISTEN

STUDENTS REACT TO ST. MARY’S COLLEGE RESCINDING ‘TRANS’ POLICY A Catholic women’s college recently retracted its updated policy allowing males who claim to be female to attend the school, but students at Saint Mary’s College who protested the “inclusive” policy told CatholicVote that the battle isn’t over yet. READ

CATHOLIC TRADE SCHOOLS FLOURISH Post-secondary Catholic trade schools are emerging nationwide in response to growing demand for alternative educational paths. The institutions all seek to integrate intellectual life with the life of manual labor without forcing students to assume tremendous debt. READ

IS THERE A CHRISTIAN FEMINISM? It’s a common argument that feminism did not begin as a harmful ideology. First-wave feminism was good and solid, but it took a turn with second-wave feminism (the defining feature being abortion). So can Christians go back to the original intentions and find a Christian-compatible feminism? Here’s an article that dives into those original intentions and helps us find the answer. READ

CATHOLIC 101 To receive Holy Communion is to be touched with the flame of eternal Love. Yet, the state of our souls at the moment of reception plays a role in how effective it can be in our life. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was the foundress and first superior of the Sisters of Charity in the United States. She was born to Episcopalian parents into New York City high society on August 28, 1774. Her conversion unleashed a storm among her Protestant relatives and friends. READ