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FRIDAY, JULY 20 |
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HOT JOBS MARKET Jobless claims dropped to their lowest level since 1969. The number of Americans filing for unemployment insurance has been running well below 300,000, a level consistent with a healthy labor market, according to Bloomberg. READ |
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TRUMP-PUTIN 2.0? The White House confirmed that discussions are underway to bring Putin to Washington this fall. “I look forward to our second meeting so that we can start implementing some of the many things discussed,” said President Trump. READ |
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JUDICIAL PICK NIXED Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pulled the nomination of Ryan Bounds for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. At issue were some insensitive comments regarding race that Bounds made while at college at Stanford in the 1990s. It was a surprising setback in what has been a very successful year of confirming judicial nominees to the federal bench. READ |
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JUDICIAL FIGHT The withdrawal of judicial nominee Ryan Bounds has emboldened Democrats who hope to use that momentum to stop the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Sen. Dianne Feinstein used the defeat of Bounds to call for documents Brett Kavanaugh worked on while serving as a lawyer in the Bush administration. Supporters of Kavanaugh noted that the number of documents could number in the millions, and that Democrats are simply trying to obstruct and delay the nomination. READ |
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RACE AND THE ‘N-WORD’ Papa John’s CEO was fired for using the ‘N-word’ during a conference call, despite the fact that he was using the word in the context of condemning racism. Watch this discussion between Amanda Prestigiacomo and Stephen Herried about this latest controversy. WATCH
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ANOTHER ALLEGATION Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was removed from ministry a month ago because of credible allegations that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old altar boy in 1971. After he heard that news, another man has stepped forward. He told the New York Times that McCarrick was sexually abusive for 20 years — starting when he was just 11. READ
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FACEBOOK AND TRUMP Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was so impressed with how well the Trump presidential campaign used Facebook that he secretly called the president-elect after the election. And Facebook’s own marketing strategy was influenced by the Trump campaign’s insights. READ |
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INTERCOMMUNION Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg, Germany, is one of seven German bishops opposed to a new guide that would permit Protestant spouses of Catholics to receive Communion. “We should move away from a fixation on eucharistic Communion as a “step towards unity.” Eucharistic Communion is the goal, not the way,” said Bishop Voderholzer. READ |
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SAINT OF THE DAY Unwilling to take no for an answer, Saint Apollinaris was exiled from Ravenna several times, but he always returned trying to preach the good news to the people. He finally died of a beating he received in a suburb of Ravenna. READ |
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DAILY READINGS “You saved my life, O Lord.” (Is 38:17) READ |
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50 YEARS The Special Olympics celebrates its 50th anniversary today. Catholics continue to encourage its joyful competitions. READ |
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