BETRAYAL Republicans in Illinois are furious over the decision by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to sign a bill forcing Illinois taxpayers to pay for abortion — after directly promising to GOP lawmakers (and the Archbishop of Chicago) that he wouldn’t do that. Several GOP lawmakers have already said that they will not support Rauner’s reelection. http://cvote.it/2x16ymF
REFUGEE LEVEL President Trump will allow no more than 45,000 refugees into the United States next year, which would be the lowest admissions level in more than a decade. The U.S. welcomed 84,995 refugees in fiscal year 2016, but President Obama wanted to raise that number to 110,000 in 2017. http://cvote.it/2hBm0DO
THEY DIDN’T KNEEL Players from the Packers and Bears teams locked arms during the National Anthem last night, but at least they didn’t kneel. http://cvote.it/2hAtGGt
SCALISE RETURNS TO HOUSE Pro-life congressman Steve Scalise, R-LA, received a hero’s welcome as he returned to the House floor. Scalise told the House: I am “a living example that miracles really do happen.” http://cvote.it/2hAtXsY
NORTH KOREAN CRUELTY According to a coroner, Otto Warmbier suffered extensive brain damage after blood circulation was cut off. The American citizen who died in June shortly after he returned home was essentially tortured to death by the North Korean regime. All for pulling down a Communist poster in North Korea. http://cvote.it/2hzSHBH
INFAMOUS LEGACY “Hugh Hefner was not a champion of free speech. He was a pioneer in the sexual objectification and use of women,” said Patrick Trueman, president of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. http://cvote.it/2hyIGVl
DATING APP GOES BAD A dating site called OKCupid now lets users flaunt their support of Planned Parenthood, making it even easier to use technology to find partners just in it for consequence-free sex. But Marlo Safi writes that this will only make Millennials unhappy. http://cvote.it/2hAp4Qy
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Jack Roundtree was forced to stop selling BBQ to victims of Hurricane Irma in Green Cove Springs, Fla, because he was operating without a permit. http://cvote.it/2hzuH1n
RUDE LIBRARIAN First Lady Melania Trump gave a package of books to one school per state for National Reading Week. But one librarian in Cambridge, Massachusetts not only turned down the gift, but published a nasty online rant about how Dr. Suess books are terrible. http://cvote.it/2hBqwSN
PAYING FOR CHARTER FLIGHTS Under hot water for travelling with charter planes instead of flying commercial, health secretary Tom Price agreed to reimburse the federal government out of his own pocket for the cost of his own seat on those charter flights. But he is not paying for the entire cost of the flights, which included several staff members. He also said he would no longer take any private planes while serving as health secretary. http://cvote.it/2hAncaq
CONVERSION “I grew up as a Muslim — but then Rome called.” http://cvote.it/2hAsJOo
SAINT OF THE DAY Feast of the Archangels – http://cvote.it/dailysaint
DAILY MASS READINGS “In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.” (Ps 138:1) – http://cvote.it/Daily-Readings
CATHOLIC VOTE RADIO HOUR On Episode 3, Amber Athey of The Daily Caller, CatholicVote President Brian Burch, and CatholicVote Political Director Joshua Mercer join host Stephen Herreid to discuss #TakeAKnee, the terrors of the surrogacy industry, and repealing Obamacare. Our special guest is Robert Kroese, a bestselling science fiction author who believes that political correctness and sci-fi don’t mix. http://cvote.it/2x0UvFZ