LOOP: 'Big Beautiful Bill' clears Senate hurdle

MONDAY, JUNE 30 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' CLEARS SENATE HURDLE President Donald Trump's sweeping "Big Beautiful Bill" advanced in a Senate vote Saturday night, setting the stage for major shifts in taxes, Medicaid, gender policy, and Planned Parenthood funding. It now faces a lengthy floor process before final passage.  READ POPE: BLOOD OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL BINDS CHURCH TO UNITY  Marking the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul in his Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV reminded the world that the Church's mission is rooted in unity — a unity sealed by the martyrdom of its founding apostles. "Let us continue to pray that weapons may be silenced everywhere and that peace may be achieved through dialogue."  READ SHOOTING AT IDAHO WILDFIRE SCENE  "Two people were killed Sunday afternoon when firefighters responding to a brush fire in western Idaho were suddenly ambushed by gunfire," The New York Post reported. The shooting began around 2 p.m. as crews arrived at a fire on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d'Alene. READ TILLIS TO RETIRE FROM SENATE AFTER BILL VOTE  Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced he will not run in 2026 after voting against Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." Citing a decline in bipartisanship and rising party pressure, Tillis said, "It's not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election."  READ FEDS RAID IRANIAN 'SMUGGLING HUB'  Federal agents arrested two suspects Friday at a Los Angeles home tied to an Iranian "human smuggling hub" with known links to terrorism. Seven other Iranian nationals were arrested there last week, including some on the FBI watchlist, said Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials. READ POPE ORDAINS 32 NEW PRIESTS  On the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, Pope Leo ordained 32 priests at St. Peter's Basilica, urging them to become signs of unity and mercy. He stressed that priestly ministry must remain rooted in the Eucharist, sacramental life, and the daily pursuit of holiness.  READ   NYC MAYORAL CANDIDATE WANTS TO TAX 'WHITER NEIGHBORHOODS'  Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani defended his plan to hike property taxes on "richer and whiter neighborhoods," insisted billionaires shouldn't exist, and refused to condemn the slogan "globalize the intifada" during a Sunday interview.  READ NOW ACCEPTING SCHOLARSHIP APPLICANTS!  Most college students graduate with a crushing burden of student debt, but the students you know don't have to. CV's scholarship applicants have two opportunities per year to be awarded up to $10,000. The deadline for the first round is July 31 at midnight. Spread the word today! LEARN MORE NEW BOOK TACKLES EMBRYO ADOPTION DEBATE  The National Catholic Bioethics Center is releasing a new book exploring one of today's most sensitive moral questions: embryo adoption. The volume aims to guide theologians and the faithful through one of bioethics' most complex moral dilemmas in light of Church teaching. Here are the details. READ POPE CONDEMNS DRUG TRADE AS 'CHAIN OF DEATH'  Marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking June 26, Pope Leo condemned the global drug trade as a "chain of death" and urged governments to pursue traffickers over victims. READ ODE TO NO-FAULT DIVORCE  John Grondelski reflects on the 1967 song "Gentle On My Mind" by Glenn Campbell and how it was a perfect segway into the sexual revolution and no-fault divorce. In the month of June, which is always full of weddings and celebrations of marriage, but now also called "pride month," Grondelski looks at how no-fault divorce fundamentally changed the way our culture views marriage and sexuality.  READ CATHOLIC 101  Do you need spiritual direction if you go to confession? Is the advice from the priest (if he gives it) basically the same thing? Spiritual direction and confession overlap, but are not the same. Here's the difference, and why you may want both.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Today, the Church honors the "proto-martyrs" of Rome, the first Christians martyred under Emperor Nero in 64 AD before the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul. Blamed by Nero for the Great Fire of Rome, they were crucified, fed to wild animals, or burned alive. Their unwavering witness ignited countless conversions in the early Roman Church. READ DAILY PSALM  "The Lord is kind and merciful." (Psalm 103:8) READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings.  READ FROM SLAVE TO SAINT  He could have been free, but he chose slavery. He could have been wealthy, but he chose generosity. He could have been a saint, and that's what the Archdiocese of New York contends Venerable Pierre Toussaint was.  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