The LOOP
The Monday Loop - February 17, 2025
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 17 – GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY (OBSERVED)
DEM NYC MAYOR WORKS WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR ON DEPORTATION
Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan outlined their shared plans to tackle violent illegal migrants and rescue children. “We’re both saying one thing,” Adams said: “No matter who you are, if you’re hurting innocent people in this city and in this country, you don’t have to be in our country.”
USAID TIED TO POLITICAL NGOs THAT DID BIDDING OF BIDEN ADMIN
Political analyst Tyler O’Neil points out that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) “has troubling connections with the leftist pressure groups that infiltrated and advised the Biden administration.”
MANY DEMOCRATS WANT THEIR PARTY TO BE MORE MODERATE
Almost half of Democrats would like their party to become more moderate rather than stay the same or become more liberal, according to new data from Gallup. A similar proportion of Republicans are satisfied with where their party is now rather than wanting it to lean more liberal or moderate.
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POPE FRANCIS CONTINUES RECOVERY IN HOSPITAL
Pope Francis remains hospitalized while receiving treatment for bronchitis and a respiratory infection. The 88-year-old pontiff issued a statement Sunday thanking the faithful for their prayers. "Thank you for the affection, prayer and closeness with which you are accompanying me in these days," he wrote on social media.
DOGE WINS BIG IN FEDERAL COURT
“A federal judge in Washington on Friday handed Elon Musk's government efficiency team a win by declining a request to temporarily block it from accessing sensitive data from at least three federal agencies,” FOX News reported.
LEAKED DISNEY MEMO ANNOUNCES DEI CHANGE
Disney informed employees last week of changes to certain Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices. An internal human resources memo stated that Disney will be swapping its “Diversity & Inclusion” performance factor with a “Talent Strategy” factor.
SO MUCH NEWS
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP: • Los Angeles Catholic schools took in displaced students and families. • Trump’s aid freeze exposed corruption in Nigeria. • A professor lost her suit against a Notre Dame student newspaper.
DO NOT BE AFRAID
At the Munich Security Conference Friday, Vice President JD Vance called Pope St. John Paul II “one of the most extraordinary champions of democracy," citing the saintly pontiff as he urged European leaders to “not be afraid.”
EXCESSIVE MARIJUANA USE TIED TO SCHIZOPHRENIA INCREASE
Schizophrenia cases associated with cannabis use disorder (CUD) have almost tripled since Canada legalized marijuana, a new study found. The study found that the percentage of schizophrenia cases linked to CUD in Ontario, Canada, increased from 4% before legalization to 10% after.
CONSERVATIVE YOUNG WOMEN HAPPIER THAN LIBERAL PEERS
The 2024 American Family Survey found that 37% of conservative women report being “completely satisfied” with life, compared to only 12% of liberal women who say the same. Conservative women are also much more likely to be married and to attend church. Are these factors related?
DOSTOYEVSKY'S CREDO
When we consider someone a hypocrite because his actions contradict his professed beliefs, we assume that he does not sincerely hold those beliefs. The great Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky showed how wrong that assumption can be.
CATHOLIC 101
How do you answer when people say the Gospel passages referring to Jesus’ "brothers and sisters" disprove the Dogma of Mary's Perpetual Virginity? Here's the answer.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Today we honor the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites, a group of Italian hermits with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. Mary appeared to them in 1233 and gave them the exact rule, habit, and name of their order. Now commonly called the Servites, these mendicant friars travel the world and preach to the poor.
DAILY PSALM
“Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” (Psalm 50:14)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
DEVOTION
Grab the tissues! This newly ordained priest in Brazil tearfully blesses his parents for the first time.