Well done!

In the spirit of Archbishop John Hughes.

Letter #32, Friday, October 30, 2020: Viganò to Trump - Inside The Vatican “I am writing to you in the midst of the silence of both civil and religious authorities. May you accept these words of mine as the 'voice of one crying out in the desert'” (Jn 1:23).—Italian Archbish...

Who gave Trump the idea that he's the Anointed One? Well, maybe a certain former papal nuncio to the U.S. Archbishop Vigano told him he was an "instrument of Divine Providence." insidethevatican.com/news/newsfla...

Thanks, Mollie.

Vatican Diplomacy & the Iraq War In 2003, Pope John Paul II sent an envoy to persuade George W. Bush not to invade Iraq. As tensions with Iran continue to mount, it’s a story worth revisiting.

This isn't the first time a pope has pushed a US president to stop a purposeless war. www.commonwealmagazine.org/vatican-dipl...

The Gospel According to Tom Homan Trump-appointed border czar, Tom Homan, is a life-long Catholic, but does his zero-tolerance immigration policies align with Church teaching?

"Homan offers a uniformed-services, God-and-country conservatism that many American Catholics can identify with."

@paulbmoses.bsky.social on the Catholic faith of Trump's 'border czar':

The Gospel According to Tom Homan Trump-appointed border czar, Tom Homan, is a life-long Catholic, but does his zero-tolerance immigration policies align with Church teaching?

"The bishops’ support for immigrants began long before Homan took up his Catechism as a schoolboy."

@paulbmoses.bsky.social: 'The Gospel According to Tom Homan'

Brilliant, timely message

It's quite a book.

It's the mushroom-growing PR strategy: keep 'em in the dark and feed them plenty of manure.

Was there ever a year when the Council's revenue estimate was below a mayor's?

Pax Christi USA response to military strikes on Iran March 1, 2026 — Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement, condemns the horrific bombing of Iran by the US and Israel, and we urge our nation’s leaders to stop the violence. As we recall the words from the daily readings of February 28, when the gospel reminds us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48), our hearts break for the loss of life and the extraordinary damage being inflicted not only on the people of Iran but also communities throughout the region who are affected by retaliatory strikes.

Read our statement on the immoral and illegal bombing of Iran. These attacks by the US and Israel are catastrophic – they will profoundly undermine any attempt at diplomacy and peacebuilding. We pray for an end to the violence, a cessation of the bombing, and for an embrace of nonviolent solutions.

The Paradox of Trump’s Iran Attack When his fantasies unravel, Trump has a habit of abusing power to force his will upon an uncooperative world.

“President Trump has launched a war that offers opportunities to the Middle East and threatens constitutional freedom at home,” @davidfrum.bsky.social argues.

A Mayor Needs a Nickname. The Tabloids Are Wavering.

Traditional NY Times genre: Oh, those crazy tabloids! Does NYT also notice all the local news and sports the tabs have that they don't? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/b...

Catholic bishops respond to Trump's "immoral" move to end birthright citizenship, which they say violates not only the Constitution but longstanding Western tradition. Worth reading.

Bannon's crusade to expose gays in the Catholic church didn't die with Epstein Frédéric Martel, the author of the 2019 international bestseller, “In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy,” told me over the weekend about the time he was invited to lunch by St...

Intrigue. www.alternet.org/bannon-catho...

👀The federal judges in West Virginia, where ICE has been pulling over and detaining people on the freeway, are literally screaming about ICE's tactics.

"It is an assault on the constitutional order," Judge Goodwin says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Newsday is doing some good coverage of immigration enforcement on Long Island. Good to see.

When I was a reporter in federal court in Manhattan in the 1980s, it was routine to sift through all the papers filed, both new lawsuits and motions.

Order on Motion / Application / Petition to Exceed Page Limit – #25 in Briceno Solano v. Mason (S.D.W. Va, 2:26-cv-00045) – CourtListener.com MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER denying Government's 15 MOTION to Dismiss; granting Petitioner's 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus; Respondents are directed to release Petitioner immediately from civi...

Federal judge in WVa: "This Court has no faith that the Government would comply with an order to hold a bond hearing" for a detained immigrant. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Poland to probe possible links between Epstein and Russia, PM Tusk says Poland will launch an investigation into possible links between the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Russian intelligence, as well as any impact on Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tues...

Serious people abroad taking PET (Putin-Epstein-Trump) seriously.
www.reuters.com/world/poland...

Looks like we have to read WaPo to get local NY news and NYTimes to get local Washington news. Neither wants to cover its own local news anymore.

Order on Motion for Preliminary Injunction AND Order on Motion for Temporary Restraining Order – #28 in Rodriguez Romero v. Ladwig (M.D. La., 3:25-cv-01106) – CourtListener.com RULING AND ORDER: IT IS ORDERED that Petitioners' Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Doc. 1) is GRANTED. Respondents shall release Petitioners from their custody within 3 hours of this order, under t...

Fed judge in Louisiana orders ICE to release 72-yr-old Cuban man who has Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and 3 others. He was jailed for six months. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Thank you for your attention to this matter, @geoffbowser.bsky.social !

A NY1 investigation? Really?

Federal Courts Undercut Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

NYT lets DHS off easy in this particular story: Needed to drill down on the legality of what DHS is doing. Also, with DHS claiming adverse rulings are from "rogue" judges, some data on how many hundreds of judges ruled against it (and how few didn't). www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...

Priest who worked with Alex Pretti says he was known for ‘kindness’ A Catholic priest who worked with Alex Pretti, the man shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota, said he was known for his “kindness” and “gentleness.”

www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/pri...

Pax Christi International declaration on the so-called “Board of Peace” On Thursday, January 22, President Trump announced the start of the "Board of Peace," which requires a $1 billion membership fee. According to Reuters, "US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the board's focus would be on making sure the plan for peace in Gaza was fulfilled but that it could also 'serve as an example of what's possible in other parts of the world.'"

Pax Christi International expresses its deep concern about the new "Board of Peace," which risks masking power politics and geopolitical interests under the rhetoric of peace without addressing the structural causes of injustice and violence, among many other troubling aspects.

‘Is Bond Now Being Granted?’: Conflicting Orders Leave Detainees, Attorneys in Limbo - Documented The Trump administration has continued to push mandatory detention despite a court order to stop.

My article: What the Trump administration's `open defiance' of a federal court order means for many thousands of immigration detainees.

documentedny.com/2026/01/22/b...