Shepard Smith of Fox News denounced Donald Trump today for dodging questions about the link between members of his campaign and Russia, saying, “It’s crazy what we’re watching every day.” He emphasized that the American people have a right to know and showed support for the reporters who are demanding answers. Wow watch Shepard Smith’s… Read More Shepard Smith to Trump: Stop “Fake News” Excuse, Answer Russia Questions

Emma Green of The Atlantic says many religious voters feel alienated from the Democratic Party, and she wonders why Democratic leaders haven’t tried harder to reach the broad percentage of Americans who identify as religious:

via Fr. Sean Carroll, SJ: For me, the teachings of the Catholic Church are as clear as God’s commands to the people of Israel in Hebrew Scriptures: We are called to welcome widows, orphans, the poor and migrants. Sadly, these explicit instructions are as needed today as they were thousands of years ago. Nativism and… Read More Build Bridges Not Walls, Stop Tearing Families Apart

While some are downplaying the relationship between Steve Bannon and other prominent Catholic reactionaries, no one is denying that a certain brand of reactionary Catholicism shapes his worldview. But it is equally clear how divorced his populist nationalism is not just from Pope Francis’ worldview, but from Catholic orthodoxy itself. A number of recent articles… Read More Steve Bannon is as Bad as You Think He is

via CNN: Embattled White House national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned Monday night, two sources tell CNN. His departure came just after reports surfaced the Justice Department warned the Trump administration last month that Flynn misled administration officials regarding his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States and was potentially vulnerable to blackmail… Read More Michael Flynn Resigns, Need for Independent Investigation Remains

Fr. James Martin, SJ and EJ Dionne appeared on MSNBC with Karine Jean-Pierre and Joy Reid to discuss the recent reports of the alt-right alliance with radical traditionalists against Pope Francis (and Pope Benedict XVI and Saint John Paul II, as Fr. Martin astutely points out). You can read EJ Dionne’s full column on the… Read More Fr. James Martin, EJ Dionne on the Pope Francis vs. Steve Bannon Clash

via Reuters: Pope Francis issued a stinging criticism of atrocities against Myanmar’s Rohingya minority on Wednesday, saying they had been tortured and killed simply because they wanted to live their culture and Muslim faith. The pope’s remarks at his weekly audience followed last week’s U.N. report that said security forces in the north of the… Read More Pope Francis Denounces Myanmar’s Anti-Rohingya Atrocities