By Elle Purnell, The Federalist – If you’ve only paid attention to the legacy media over the past few days, you probably know more about Renee Good’s poetry than you do about the actions that led to her tragic death last Wednesday. After refusing federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers’ commands to get out of her car, which she had used to impede agents’ access to a neighborhood road, Good was caught on video accelerating her SUV toward one agent with another hanging on her door.

By Robert J. Kurland, The Catholic Thing – It’s been thirty years since I entered the Church, but I am still learning more about what the birth of Christ (Christmas) really means, including that the Christmas Season only ended yesterday officially.  Reading the Gospel of John, I find that before Christ became man, He was the Word  (λόγος – “logos”). So, I wonder, can I translate that Greek word to physics-speak, relate it to logical concepts that I’m familiar with as a scientist?  Here’s what I’ve found.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 1:14-20 – 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” 16 And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” ….

By Edward Pentin, CNA – Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun delivered a forceful critique of synodality at the extraordinary consistory of cardinals this week, decrying the process as an “ironclad manipulation” that was an “insult to the dignity of the bishops.”… The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong also described the “continual reference to the Holy Spirit” during the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality as “ridiculous and almost blasphemous.”… The cardinal, 93, made his remarks during one of two free discussion periods during the Jan. 7-8 consistory that drew together 170 of the 245 members of the College of Cardinals …

By David Catron, The American Spectator – Last Thursday Vice President JD Vance joined a White House press briefing to discuss initiatives the Trump administration is taking to investigate the pervasive welfare fraud that has been discovered in Minnesota. He was inevitably asked questions about the death of Renee Good after she attempted to drive her SUV over an ICE agent in Minneapolis. Vance described the media coverage of the death as “disgraceful,” and followed up with this question: “You guys are meant to report the truth. How have you let yourselves become agents of propaganda?”

By Daniel Payne, Catholic World Report – A major pro-life leader is urging the movement to continue to press for protection for the unborn, calling on advocates to demand more pro-life policy even as the Republican party shows signs of wavering… “We have to do everything we can to make sure that we’re communicating the moral position and also the political position,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said on Jan. 9…

Franciscan Media, January 12 – “God closes a door and then opens a window,” people sometimes say when dealing with their own disappointment or someone else’s. That was certainly true in Marguerite’s case. Children from European as well as Native American backgrounds in 17th-century Canada benefited from her great zeal and unshakable trust in God’s providence.

By Newsmax – President Donald Trump said on Sunday he might veto legislation to ‍extend federal health insurance subsidies, ‍injecting fresh uncertainty into a debate that has pitted ⁠congressional Republicans against Democrats and threatened to raise premiums for millions of ​Americans… Expiration of the health insurance tax breaks at the end of 2025 left ‍millions of Americans facing significant price hikes for ⁠coverage.

By Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, LifeNews – After pro-life leaders rejected President Donald Trump’s admonition to be “a little bit flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, some White House officials are looking to walk back that statement, three sources familiar with the administration’s thinking told The Daily Signal… Many pro-life leaders objected to the call to be flexible on Hyde, which bans taxpayer-funded abortion, and the administration has received their message, the sources said… One White House official disputed the idea that the administration is walking Trump’s comment back, but said it is rather clarifying it. …

By Msgr. Robert J. Batule, The Catholic Thing – Pope Saint John Paul II begins his encyclical letter on the missions (Redemptoris missio, 1990) by citing Saint Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians. The Apostle to the Gentiles writes there: “Woe to me if I do not preach the [Gospel].” (1 Corinthians 9:16)… This is exactly what we expect Saint Paul to say. After all, he was the Church’s greatest evangelist in the ancient world, and he remains the example par excellence of what we are to do ourselves in light of Baptism and our desire for Heaven. But there could be some hesitation in accepting the Gospel if all we do is understand the word “woe” from one vantage point.

By Patti Maguire, National Catholic Register – Dear Gov. Hochul: Last month, you announced that New York will soon become the 13th state to legalize doctor-assisted suicide when you sign the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law. You cited inspiration coming from a Catholic Mass, considering that God is merciful so we must also be merciful. But following God is not to be confused with playing God… This legislation will allow New York residents with a prognosis of six months or less to live to self-administer life-ending medication prescribed by a physician.

By Amanda Macias, FOX Business – The U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, focusing on the renovation of the central bank’s Washington headquarters and whether he was truthful in his congressional testimony about the project… The renovation of the Federal Reserve’s two main office buildings in Washington’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood is estimated to cost $2.5 billion and is being funded by the central bank itself, not by taxpayers.

By Kevin T. DiCamillo, Crisis Magazine – … the problem with playing Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at the Christmas Vigil is much deeper than its ubiquity. First, it is not a liturgical song. Second, there’s the opportunity cost of singing a secular song on the eve of Our Lord’s birth to, say, any number of traditional Christmas Carols (as we once called them): “What Child Is This?” “Adeste Fideles,” or even “Away in a Manger.”… Setting all of the above to the side for a moment, “Hallelujah” is particularly inappropriate in that it is a song not only about the sexual act but the refusal …

By College of Cardinals Report, Substack – (Includes) Full text of Cardinal Joseph Zen’s intervention at the two-day meeting of cardinals convened by Pope Leo XIV… In his intervention at the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals held at the Vatican on January 7–8, Cardinal Joseph Zen delivered a searing critique of the Synod on Synodality, denouncing its process as an “ironclad manipulation” and warning that its continual invocation of the Holy Spirit is “ridiculous” and verges on “blasphemy.”… Delivered behind closed doors in the presence of Pope Leo XIV and the 170 cardinals assembled …

By Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D., The Defender (Children’s Health Defense) – The federal government will stop paying physicians based on the number of patients they vaccinate, and is urging state health agencies to stop using similar financial incentives… In a Dec. 30, 2025, memo to state health officials, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it “does not tie payment to performance on immunization quality measures in Medicaid and CHIP [Childhood Health Insurance Program] at the federal level.” …