MONDAY, JUNE 29

REPORT: US, IRAN HALT STRIKES The U.S. and Iran agreed yesterday to stop attacking each other and plan to meet Tuesday in Qatar to address the Strait of Hormuz dispute, a senior U.S. official told Axios. The reported pause follows a weekend of renewed strikes that strained the 11-day-old ceasefire, as President Donald Trump threatened to “militarily complete the job” if Iran violated the agreement. READ

JOHN BOLTON PLEADS GUILTY Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to one count of retaining national defense information, admitting misconduct after an indictment accused him of keeping and transmitting highly sensitive material after leaving the White House. READ

SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK PRO-LIFE BILLS ON DOBBS ANNIVERSARY Republican Sen. James Lankford brought a package of pro-life measures to the Senate floor June 25 — the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision — including bills protecting unborn children with Down syndrome and conscience rights for health care workers, but Senate Democrats objected to each one, blocking them from passing. READ

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VERMONT KICKS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL OUT OF VOUCHER PROGRAM OVER GENDER VIEWS After Mid Vermont Christian School forfeited a girls' basketball game against a team with a male player, Vermont barred the school from its state-funded tuition program and athletic league — a move Alliance Defending Freedom is now challenging in federal appeals court as unconstitutional religious discrimination. READ

3 FIREFIGHTERS KILLED BATTLING WILDFIRES ON COLORADO-UTAH BORDER Three U.S. wildland firefighters were killed, and two others suffered burn injuries, Saturday after being overtaken by fast-moving flames near the Colorado-Utah border while responding to the Knowles and Gore fires. Wildfire conditions have intensified across the western U.S. amid record-low snowpack, extreme heat, and high winds, with Utah's Cottonwood Fire now the largest burning in the country at more than 144 square miles. READ

PRINCETON PROFESSOR REVIEWS VANCE'S CATHOLIC CONVERSION MEMOIR Princeton professor Robert George reviewed Vice President JD Vance's new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, arguing it deserves to be read apart from politics as a reflection on what gives life lasting meaning. George writes that the book traces Vance's journey from chasing credentials and status to discovering through Catholicism that faith, family, and friendship matter more than résumé achievements. READ

AD: EXORCISTS' PRAYERS: WHAT HAPPENED IN A CHARLESTON HOTEL "What my son and I witnessed as we prayed changed how we travel." They prayed two simple prayers—developed by exorcists for the laity—but were not prepared for the events that followed. If you travel for business or vacation, have a child in a dorm, etc., these prayers should always be handy. Hear the story and get 2 FREE prayer cards with code 2cardsFREE. CLICK FOR THE STORY & 2 FREE CARDS

POPE LEO OPENS CARDINAL CONSISTORY, ASKS FOR 'SINCERE COUNSEL' Pope Leo XIV opened the two-day Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals on Friday, telling the College of Cardinals he needs their "freedom, frankness, and loyalty" and that "sincere counsel is always an act of communion." The closed-door sessions focused on proclaiming the Gospel, fostering peace, and continuing implementation of the Synod on Synodality. READ

PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED HOMILIES OF BENEDICT XVI RELEASED The Vatican Publishing House has released an English translation of previously unpublished homilies by Pope Benedict XVI. The collection, titled "The Lord Holds Us by the Hand," includes homilies delivered during private Masses and after the late pontiff's resignation. READ

BOOKS FOR BOYS By popular request, here is Zeale's definitive list of coming-of-age novels every boy should read. READ

CATHOLIC 101 St. Aloysius Gonzaga's first word wasn't mama or dada, and it was a symbol of the sanctity he would live out through the rest of his life. READ

SAINT OF THE DAY Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, honoring the martyrdom of the two great apostles of the early Church in Rome. Though they died on different days, St. Augustine wrote in the 4th century that "those two were one" — and the Church has honored them together on June 29 since ancient times. READ

DAILY PSALM "The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him." (Psalm 34) READ

DAILY READINGS Today's Mass readings. READ

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