The LOOP

The Wednesday Loop - November 5, 2025

WHAT YESTERDAY'S RESULTS MEAN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

Many analysts view yesterday’s election results — including wins by Democrats Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in New York City — as bellwethers of the challenges each major party will face heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Here are the results so far and what they could signal for the months ahead.

CHINA BACKS NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AMID REPORTED GENOCIDE

The Chinese government declared its firm support for Nigeria’s leadership yesterday, warning against foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs just days after President Donald Trump threatened possible military action to stop the persecution of Christians in the African nation.

CONTROVERSIAL FEDERAL JUDGE FACES IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES

Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill yesterday announced he had filed articles of impeachment against District Judge James Boasberg, a federal judge who has recently gained national attention for repeated rulings against Trump administration policies. Gill accuses Boasberg of being “an accomplice in the egregious Arctic Frost scandal," rubber-stamping efforts to probe Republicans' phone records.

MAKE EVERY PHONE CALL COUNT…FOR LIFE!

Are you still giving your hard-earned money to a phone company that doesn’t support your values? With Charity Mobile, 5% of your monthly plan price supports life-affirming causes and ministries across the country—at no extra cost to you! All plans are under $50 before taxes and surcharges, and every new line gets a free phone offer with promo code LOOP.

DICK CHENEY DEAD AT 84

Dick Cheney, whose influential career in U.S. politics spanned decades, died Nov. 3 due to complications of pneumonia as well as cardiac and vascular disease, his family reported yesterday.

BISHOP: ADMIN REVIEWING ICE DETAINEE ACCESS TO SACRAMENTS

Federal officials are reviewing detainees’ access to the sacraments, Bishop Robert Barron said Nov. 4, after he raised concerns in response to reports that clergy were denied entry to bring the Eucharist to detainees at an ICE facility near Chicago.

ANALYSIS: WILL RUSSIA DEFEND MADURO?

A new analysis argues that President Donald Trump’s campaign to force Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power mirrors the failed 2019 push to oust him — but this time, Russia is far less able to help Maduro.

ACCESS 7 CATHOLIC MUTUAL FUNDS

With religious values guided by prominent Catholics, including Coach Lou Holtz, Callista Gingrich, and Michael Knowles.

VATICAN: 'CO-REDEMPTRIX' IS NOT APPROPRIATE TERM

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a doctrinal note yesterday stating that the title “Co-redemptrix” is not an appropriate term to explain the Blessed Virgin Mary’s cooperation in the work of Redemption, as it risks creating confusion and “obscuring Christ’s unique salvific mediation.”

CARDINAL CALLS FOR COMPASSION ON IRISH FAMINE ANNIVERSARY

Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, marked the 180th anniversary of Ireland’s Great Famine by calling Americans and Catholics to “find a compassionate path forward” on immigration. Irish immigrants to the U.S. were often mistreated and rejected, Cardinal Cupich pointed out, arguing that “this inhumanity” must not be repeated today.

STOCKDALE'S PARADOX FOR HARDSHIP

James Stockdale was a U.S. Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. In September of '65, he was shot down, captured, and spent the next 7 and a half years in a POW camp. The mentality he cultivated that helped him survive became known as Stockdale's Paradox. Here's what it is and how we can use it in our ordinary hardships.

CATHOLIC 101

"Suffering is not rational," writes Brother Jeremiah Tobin, O.P. in this moving meditation on the Book of Job. "It cannot be explained away by straightforward answers because it is evil, which is by definition a frustration of the good. The anchor of one’s faith and hope in the midst of seemingly pointless suffering has to be God, who is Goodness itself."

SAINT OF THE DAY

Today the Church celebrates Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah, the parents of John the Baptist. Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary the Mother of God, was infertile and “advanced in age" before John was conceived, but the angel Gabriel revealed to Zechariah in a vision that she would bear a son with an extraordinary mission.

DAILY PSALM

"Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need." (Psalm 112)

DAILY READINGS

Today's Mass readings.

WITNESS

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once served as an altar boy and spent years in Catholic seminary. “I had grown up believing that our reason for being was to know, love, and serve God," he later said. Faith laid the foundation for a life of principle.