LOOP: Trump says hostages may be freed as early as next week

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 TRUMP: HOSTAGES TO BE FREED MONDAY OR TUESDAY  Hours after announcing that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a Gaza peace plan, President Donald Trump said Oct. 9 that all remaining hostages could be released as early as Monday. Trump also said he plans to travel to Egypt for an official signing ceremony of the ceasefire agreement and hopes to be present when the hostages are freed.  READ SPANBERGER REFUSES TO DENOUNCE JONES CANDIDACY  At Thursday's gubernatorial debate with Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger hedged against her controversial support for male participation in girls' sports and refused to denounce Jay Jones' candidacy for attorney general despite his recently-revealed murderous texts. Here are the highlights from the debate.  READ POPE LEO TOUTS ALMSGIVING IN 1st APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION  "Our love and our deepest convictions need to be continually cultivated, and we do so through our concrete actions," Pope Leo wrote in his first apostolic exhortation, titled Dilexis Te ("I have loved you"). "Remaining in the realm of ideas and theories, while failing to give them expression through frequent and practical acts of charity, will eventually cause even our most cherished hopes and aspirations to weaken and fade away."  READ 51 SENATORS CONFRONT FDA APPROVAL OF ABORTION DRUG  Fifty-one Republican senators sent a letter yesterday calling on the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to reconsider their recent approval of a new generic version of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone.  READ ANTIFA TO BE DESIGNATED INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST ORG  At an Oct. 8 White House roundtable discussion on left-wing violence, Trump said he will designate Antifa as a foreign terrorist organization. He made the comment after participants in the roundtable pointed out Antifa's foreign ties.  READ LATIN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM LAUDS PEACE DEAL  Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa of Jerusalem welcomed news of the Israel-Hamas peace deal as "good news," calling it "a first step" and adding, "we hope that this is just the beginning of a new phase where we can, little by little, start thinking not about war, but about how to rebuild after the war."  READ NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES INDICTED A grand jury yesterday indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on financial fraud charges. James is known for her controversial prosecution of Trump. READ WORK WITH US!  CatholicVote is looking to add a digital creative specialist to the team. Could you be our next hire? APPLY HERE PAPAL EXHORTATION ADDRESSES IMMIGRATION, CAPITALISM  In his first doctrinal document, Pope Leo followed Pope Francis in calling for a renewed commitment of the Catholic Church to immigrants worldwide. The exhortation also criticized free market economies as "pseudoscientific."  READ NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLICS ATTEND TLM AFTER RESTRICTIONS Approximately 625 members of the faithful in the Diocese of Charlotte attended the first Traditional Latin Masses (TLM) held at the Chapel of the Little Flower in Mooresville, North Carolina, over the weekend. Bishop Michael Martin recently ordered all parish-based offerings of the TLM to that single chapel. "There was still a sadness and an awkwardness, or a feeling of being in a foreign place, which is difficult to explain, but the Mass brought everyone together," one attendee told CatholicVote. READ NOT TO BE MISSED...  Here are the stories we couldn't fit in today's LOOP: •    The Vatican's secretary of state will preside at Mass for the first Feast of Saint Carlo Acutis. READ •    A look at the much-needed ministry supporting single Catholic moms. READ •    Poll: trust in media has hit a record low.  READ DO YOU TRUST DEMOCRATS TO KEEP YOU SAFE?  According to a new poll, if you want your government to tackle crime and keep you safe, you're in the majority. A private poll conducted for the Democratic Party reportedly also shows that most voters (of both parties!) trust Republicans more than Democrats to make the country safer.  READ CATHOLIC 101  It's organized into six parts (an introduction and five chapters), and was just sent out to bishops worldwide. Here's everything you need to know about Pope Leo's first apostolic exhortation.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Today the Church honors Saint Francis Borgia. He was born the son of a duke in 16th-century Spain. A father of ten children, he served as a high-ranking political official in the court of Emperor Charles V. When his wife died, St. Francis became a Jesuit priest. He went on to become general of the Jesuits and led missions to evangelize the Americas. READ DAILY PSALM  "The Lord will judge the world with justice." (Psalm 9)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings.  READ THE DEEP  Once dismissed as America's lowest-ranking state in many quality of life metrics, Mississippi has quietly become one of the nation's top-performing states in education. How did the "Mississippi Miracle" happen? In this video Erika breaks down how grit, leadership, and faith — not just funding — turned America's poorest state into its most surprising educational success story.  WATCH 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