The LOOP
The Friday Loop - July 11, 2025
TRUMP DOJ SUES CALIFORNIA TO PROTECT GIRLS' SPORTS
The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against California July 9, accusing the state of violating Title IX by allowing males to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. “The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition," the complaint states.
WALL STREET SEES HISTORIC ECONOMIC GROWTH
Wall Street closed at all-time highs July 9, with every major index posting gains amid a record-breaking leap from tech giant Nvidia. President Donald Trump celebrated the market surge on social media, crediting his tariff policies for revitalizing American industry.
'NOT ALONE': PRIEST TO COVER FUNERALS FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
A Kentucky priest who grew up in Texas has offered to fully cover the funeral costs for any parent who lost a child to the devastating flash floods from the Guadalupe River last week, saying in his offer to the grieving families: “You are not alone.”
CANADIAN PRO-LIFE ORGS SEEK TO REPLICATE US SUCCESS
Pro-life organizations in Canada are applauding the American federal government’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood for the next year, and they hope to emulate this success up north. “What we are witnessing in America is the continued dismantling of the culture of death," said Jeff Gunnarson, national president of the Campaign Life Coalition.
NEW OREGON BISHOP KNOWN FOR HELPING THE SAME-SEX ATTRACTED
Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Liam Cary, who has led the Diocese of Baker, Oregon, since 2012, and appointed Father Thomas Hennen of Iowa as his successor. Bishop-elect Hennen has long served Catholics who struggle with same-sex attraction and is involved with the Catholic apostolate Courage International.
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY REVERSES ACCEPTANCE OF PRO-LGBT GRANT
Baylor University, a Baptist school in central Texas, announced in a letter Wednesday that it has decided to rescind its acceptance of a $643,000 academic research grant aimed at studying LGBT inclusion among Christians.
ESTABLISHMENT MEDICAL GROUPS SUE RFK OVER VACCINES
An alliance of medical organizations filed a lawsuit Monday against Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and other top health officials, claiming Kennedy shows “a clear pattern of hostility toward established scientific processes” and has an agenda to “undermine trust in vaccines and reduce the rate of vaccinations in this country.”
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REPORT THOUGHT TO SUPPORT LATIN MASS RESTRICTIONS DID NOT
Catholic journalist Diane Montagna released additional material yesterday indicating that a Vatican report used in the lead-up to Pope Francis’ Traditionis Custodes did not, in fact, recommend restrictions on the Traditional Latin Mass. In fact, evidence suggests the report supported continued access to the TLM.
POPE LEO BEGINS WORK ON FIRST ENCYCLICAL
According to Father Alejandro Moral, general prior of the Augustinian Order and one of Pope Leo's closest friends, the Holy Father is spending his summer retreat at Castel Gandolfo to work on his first encyclical.
BONUS NEWS
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP: • The Supreme Court nixed Florida's bid to unfreeze its immigration law. • The Southern Poverty Law Center may finally face defamation charges. • Here's one pro-life group's case for federal scrutiny of the abortion pill.
WHEN 'NOT RELIGIOUS' BECOMES A RELIGION
“I’m spiritual, not religious.” The people who say that "do indeed have a religion," writes Father Kevin Drew. "Every human being that has ever lived has had a religion, a set of beliefs in regards to life and the universe, which includes devotions and rituals."
CATHOLIC 101
We were not originally made for suffering. Because of this, we are naturally repulsed by it and usually avoid it at all costs. But in our fallen world, not a single person can escape it. We must, therefore, find a way to embrace it, grow through it, and make it redemptive. Here’s how one woman was able to do this with chronic Lyme disease.
SAINT OF THE DAY
On July 11, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Benedict of Nursia, the sixth-century abbot who gave Christian monasticism its lasting foundation in Western Europe.
DAILY PSALM
"The salvation of the just comes from the Lord." (Psalm 37:39)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
ARE THERE DEMONS IN CHATGPT?
Join Erika in this episode of The Deep as she delves into the fascinating, and sometimes frightening, world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Are we building something dangerously smarter than we are? Do we control AI or is AI slowly beginning to control us? Are we breaking a wall into the spiritual realm where nefarious forces are becoming ghosts in the machine? Don’t miss this deep dive into the uncharted waters of AI.