The LOOP
The Wednesday Loop - January 14, 2026
TRUMP CANCELS MEETINGS WITH IRAN, VOWS TO INTERVENE
President Donald Trump yesterday canceled all meetings with Iranian officials and issued a strongly worded statement encouraging the nation's protesters. “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING - TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!" he wrote. "Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price." He added: “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
SUPREME COURT HEARS KEY WOMEN'S SPORTS CASES
Several justices of the Supreme Court signaled openness to arguments in favor of legally protecting women’s sports yesterday as they listened to more than three hours of oral arguments in two closely watched cases challenging state laws that bar male athletes from competing with women and girls.
ADMIN MOVES TO END SOMALIS' TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS
The Trump administration this week announced it will not renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals. TPS was first granted to Somali nationals in 1991 and has been renewed under both Republican and Democratic administrations ever since. Under the new decision, those living in the U.S. under that status must leave the country by March 17.
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GALLUP: HISTORIC NUMBERS NOW IDENTIFY AS INDEPENDENT
Historic numbers of U.S. adults identified as independents in 2025 instead of adhering to the Republican or Democratic parties, a recent Gallup report discovered. With 45% of U.S. adults identifying as independents, the percentage is highest since Gallup began tracking party affiliation in 1988.
REPORT: ARCHBISHOP FULTON SHEEN TO BE BEATIFIED
The Vatican is expected to announce the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen in a matter of weeks, bringing the American archbishop a step closer to being canonized a saint. The Vatican in 2019 approved a miracle attributed to Sheen: A stillborn baby recovered when his parents prayed for Archbishop Sheen's intercession.
WASHINGTON POST SIDES WITH WOMEN'S SPORTS
The Washington Post editorial board broke with much of the legacy media’s recent framing on male participation in women’s sports, arguing in a Jan. 11 opinion piece that states should be allowed to exclude “trans-identifying” males to protect girls’ athletics. CatholicVote Vice President Joshua Mercer said he's "in shock that they arrived at such a commonsense position,” adding: “Holding that position even a year ago could have gotten you ostracized and blacklisted.”
CATHOLICVOTE CALLS TO END ABORTION TAX DEDUCTION
When Roe v. Wade cleared the way for abortion, the IRS unilaterally made abortion expenses eligible for a tax deduction. CatholicVote is now asking people to go to the CatholicVote Action Center where they can send a message to Trump, urging him to rescind that eligibility.
US BISHOPS' PRESIDENT VISITS WHITE HOUSE
Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, met with Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House this week. There is no transcript of the closed-door meeting, but the archbishop said ahead of time they would discuss immigration, emphasizing that there is “no conflict necessarily between advocating for safe and secure borders and treating people with respect and dignity.”
'TOTAL DEVASTATION': PIZZABALLA SPEAKS UP FOR VICTIMS
As tensions, conflicts, and scarcity afflict communities in the Middle East amid the harsh winter, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem spoke with concern in a Jan. 13 Vatican News interview about the situations faced by people in Gaza, the West Bank, and Iran.
NOT TO BE MISSED
Here are the stories we couldn’t fit in today’s LOOP:
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN AI?
Is artificial intelligence actually intelligent? Are smart devices really smart? Are you smart or intelligent compared to these machines? Here are the questions T.J. Burdick asks his students in order to find out.
CATHOLIC 101
We may sometimes think of our habitual sins as "modern problems," but St. Leo the Great, a 5th-Century pope, offered insights that still hold true all these centuries later. Here's what he had to say about habitual sin, and how to escape it.
SAINT OF THE DAY
Born Prince Rastko Nemanjic, St. Sava (c. 1174–1235) was the first Patriarch of Serbia. As a youth, he ran away from home to join a Greek monastery. His father, King Stefan, followed suit and together they restored the Hilandar Monastery, which became the center of Serbian monastic life. After St. Sava’s death, his tomb was venerated until the Ottoman Turks dug out his bones and burned them in Belgrade Square in 1594.
DAILY PSALM
"Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will." (Psalm 40)
DAILY READINGS
Today's Mass readings.
CATHOLICVOTE SUPPORTS CREDIT CARD INTEREST CAP
President Trump is calling for a one-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates. CatholicVote President and CEO, Kelsey Reinhardt explains why that's good news for consumers and how it reflects Catholic social teaching.
