TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6

McCONNELL REVERSES, RECOMMENDS ‘NO’ VOTE ON BORDER BILL Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, is reportedly recommending Republicans block the chamber’s controversial border bill after numerous Republicans in both the House and Senate vowed to kill it. McConnell had previously supported the bill, which pairs aid to Ukraine with a compromise on border security. READ

SHOCK NBC POLL SHOWS TRUMP SOARING OVER BIDEN A recent NBC poll shows President Joe Biden continuing to lose support for his reelection bid and trailing former President Donald Trump by five points. In addition, Trump is leading among independent voters by nearly 20 percentage points. The poll also shows him leading in the Hispanic vote – a feat unheard of for a Republican presidential candidate. READ

ARCHBISHOP PRAISES PODESTA Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe praised Biden’s newly appointed climate official and self-proclaimed Catholic John Podesta last week for listening to him cite Pope Francis’ exhortation “Laudate Deum” to argue for more stringent environmental laws. “I think [Podesta will] listen to faith leaders and moral arguments,” Wester said. In a leaked email exchange, Podesta once discussed plans to “plant the seeds of the revolution” against the U.S. bishops and their stances. READ

JUDGE TAKES BRAGG TO TASK FOR THROWING BOOK AT VAX DODGERS A state Supreme Court justice thwarted New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s attempt to prosecute two New Yorkers who had used fake vaccine cards. In his ruling, Justice Brendan T. Lantry also slammed Bragg for his apparent hypocrisy, as he “routinely” dismisses charges of almost all other crimes. READ

‘SATAN’ DEFEATED IN IDAHO Republican Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador prevailed as a federal District Court judge dismissed a challenge to his state’s pro-life law brought by The Satanic Temple. The Satanic Temple “claimed a constitutionally protected right for its female members to ceremonially abort their babies as part of a Satanic ritual that involves the eerie invocation: ‘By my body, my blood, by my will, it is done,’” Labrador’s office explained. READ

EXPERT WARNS PARENTS ABOUT SEX ED VIDEOS A newly released Planned Parenthood video teaches young people that virginity is a “completely made-up concept” – a term that was “created simply to control and shame people – mainly women.” Monica Cline told Dr. Susan Berry in an interview for CatholicVote that parents should talk to their kids about sex. “Because if they don't, Planned Parenthood will." READ

ABORTION PILL REVERSAL SAVES BABY GIRL A Virginia woman shared the story of how a pregnancy resource center (PRC) saved her unborn child’s life after she had already taken a dose of an abortion-inducing drug. Katelynn Perry’s youngest daughter Aubrey is now a healthy toddler. READ

VIDEO JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon gave Trump credit on his economic policies… and urged progressives to "be a little more respectful" of the voters who back him. WATCH

PANAMANIAN CARDINAL APOLOGIZES FOR DISAPPEARANCE Cardinal José Luis Lacunza, the bishop of the Diocese of David in Panama who last week mysteriously disappeared and then reappeared, apologized at the end of Sunday Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral in David. “It was a stupid mischief [“trastada” in Spanish],” he said, without explaining his disappearance. READ

TWO ARRESTED FOR HATE CRIMES AGAINST PRIEST IN ISRAEL Israeli Police have interrogated and placed two young Orthodox Jews on house arrest for committing several hate crimes against a Catholic priest in Jerusalem’s Old City on Saturday. Video footage captured the two young Orthodox Jews harassing the abbot of Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, Fr. Nikodemus Schnabel, as he was walking past Zion Gate. READ

CATECHIZING MY FATHER It’s easy to believe that you can’t change another’s mind or cause them to begin a new way of life through one conversation. It’s especially easy to believe that of elderly people, who have been firmly rooted in their ideas, values, and lifestyle for so long. Here, Robert Marco describes a conversation in which he catechized his religiously ambiguous 73-year-old dad on a day they were visiting, and ended up at Adoration with him the next day. READ

CATHOLIC 101 If we could see the Mass as Heaven sees it, we would never fall prey to boredom or distraction on a Sunday morning. Fr. Ed Broom has collected some gems from the saints on the Mass as it really is, and we think you’ll agree that they make it easier to view this sublime Mystery through Heaven’s eyes! READ

SAINT OF THE DAY On this day the Church honors the 26 martyrs of Nagasaki, St. Paul Miki and his companions. The battle for the soul of Japan was raging in the 1500s, and the blood of many martyrs was shed for the cause. Before his death on a cross, Miki said: “After Christ's example, I forgive my persecutors… I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.” READ

DAILY PSALM “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” (Psalm 84:2) READ

DAILY READINGS Today's Mass readings READ

HOPE Is the Democratic Party too far gone on pro-life issues? Democrats for Life of America’s Kristen Day shares why there’s still hope. WATCH