LOOP: A federal court says states can ban abortion drug

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 FEDERAL COURT: STATES CAN BAN ABORTION PILL A federal appeals court yesterday upheld West Virginia's law banning mifepristone, marking a major win for the state's pro-life stance and potentially laying the legal groundwork for other states to protect women from the dangerous abortion drug.  READ US AMBASSADOR DEMANDS JUSTICE FOR AMERICAN KILLED IN HOLY LAND  US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee yesterday urged Israel to "aggressively" investigate the murder of a 20-year-old Palestinian-American US citizen in an alleged attack by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, calling the incident a "criminal and terrorist act."  READ BONDI FIRES ETHICS WATCHDOG FROM DOJ  Attorney General Pam Bondi fired the Department of Justice's (DOJ) top ethics official July 11. Joseph Tirrell, who served as a watchdog enforcing employee ethics at the department, posted his termination notice online this week. It included a typo, misspelling Tirrell's first name as "JOSPEH." READ STATE DEPT'S 'PRO-FAMILY' EXEMPTION FOR DIPLOMATS' RELATIVES  The State Department is granting a new exemption to the federal hiring freeze, allowing US diplomats to staff key embassy positions with eligible family members. "This is a commonsense, pro-family policy to keep the family members of our diplomats together," a State Department official said. READ NEW HAMPSHIRE REP DEMANDS INFO ON ANTI-CATHOLIC FBI MEMO  New Hampshire Republican State Rep. James Thibault filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FBI this week, seeking records related to the agency's Biden-era memo targeting traditional Catholics. In a press release, Thibault said the memo represented "a systemic pattern of religious discrimination that must be exposed and stopped." READ PAMELA EVETTE, THE CATHOLIC MOM RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR  South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a Catholic mother of three, officially launched her campaign for the state's 2026 gubernatorial race this week. In remarks to CatholicVote, Evette said her faith is what drives her to serve the public, and it also "keeps me grounded even during challenging times."  READ   VINDICATED: 2012 STUDY ON 'GAY' PARENTING CONFIRMED  A 2012 study that concluded children of parents in same-sex relationships fared worse on various social and emotional outcome variables compared with those in other family structure types has now been vindicated. Dr. Susan Berry reports for CatholicVote on the stringent, air-tight method used to verify the study's claim.  READ AD: PRIORITIZE FAITH, FAMILY, & FINANCES  Taylor Frigon Capital actively manages portfolios designed for those who prioritize Faith, Family, and long-term stewardship. LEARN MORE DETROIT ARCHBISHOP LEADS MARCH TO ICE OFFICE  Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger walked alongside dozens of Catholics in a Monday procession to call for humane treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers. Beginning at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, the archbishop led the group toward the Detroit ICE Regional Field Office and on to the federal courthouse. READ SYRIAN CHRISTIANS WEIGH MIGRATION AMID PERSECUTION  Christians in Syria are grappling with whether to remain in their homeland amid deadly anti-Christian attacks, such as the recent murder of a Christian businessman and the June 22 bombing at a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus that killed at least 25 people.  READ BONUS NEWS...  Here are the stories we couldn't fit in today's LOOP: •    NPR is NOT indispensable to rural Americans, despite its claims. READ •    Iowa's pro-life laws could shut down Planned Parenthood statewide. READ •    A New Jersey dad is standing up to a school's anti-parent "trans" rule.  READ FOUR MURDERERS AND WHAT THEIR THINKING TELLS US  Jeff Minick recently reviewed Andrew Klavan's new book "The Kingdom of Cain," which "analyzes four actual murderers and their motives, the literature and films their crimes inspired, and the godless philosophies and psychoses that drove these criminals."  READ CATHOLIC 101  There are heresies about the nature of Jesus, Christian morality, the Church, and a host of other topics. But there can also be a kind of heresy in self-understanding. The wrong ideas about yourself can send you on painful paths that separate you from God and others. Here are some of the heresies of self and how you can correct them.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which honors Mary's patronage of the Carmelite Order. Tradition celebrates her apparition to Saint Simon Stock on July 16, 1251, when she promised protection through the scapular. READ DAILY PSALM  "The Lord is kind and merciful." (Psalm 103:8)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings.  READ THINKING ABOUT GOD  Philosopher Mortimer J. Adler's life work brought countless people to Christ, but it wasn't until the end of his life that Mortimer found the truth in the Catholic Church. After years of editing spiritual reading books, Mortimer finally accepted what he had spent his life bringing to others.  READ Paid for by CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here. CATHOLICVOTE  |  PO Box 3310  |  Carmel, IN 46082  |  (317) 669-6127