Utah’s Orrin Hatch set to retire

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Tuesday he will not seek re-election after serving more than 40 years in the Senate, opening the door for former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for his seat. Hatch, 83, said he's always been a fighter, "but every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves."

Utah’s Hatch to retire, opening door to possible Romney run

Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said today he will not seek re-election after serving more than 40 years in the Senate, opening the door for former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to run for his seat. Hatch, 83, said he's always been a fighter, "but every good fighter knows when to hang up the gloves."

Pope’s plea to help migrants

Pope Francis has described migrants and refugees as the world's "weakest and most needy", using his traditional New Year's address to "give voice" to people he has urged leaders to do more to help. Francis reminded some 40,000 people who gathered in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on Monday that he had chosen the plight of migrants and refugees as the theme for the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, which is celebrated on January 1. "For this peace, to which everyone has a right, many of them are willing to risk their lives in a journey which is often long and dangerous, they are willing to face strain and suffering."

Bikers for Trump rolls on into political sphere

A year after President Trump's historic upset victory, the grass-roots biker movement he inspired has become a bona fide political organization that is boosting Republican candidates across the country and making inroads in unexpected places, such as in Amish and Mennonite communities. That's right - Amish families are showing up in their horse-drawn buggies at Bikers for Trump rallies staged in barns in rural Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Callista Gingrich becomes Trump’s envoy to pope as differences mount

Callista Gingrich, wife of the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, on Friday became U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, which is at odds with Washington over immigration, climate change and Jerusalem. Callista Gingrich, 51, an author, documentary filmmaker and former congressional aide, presented her credentials to Pope Francis at the Vatican to officially assume her role.

Hatch blasts Bannon’s attack on Romney’s faith as – disappointing and unjustified’

AP Photo) Reporters ask questions of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the tax-writing Finance Committee, as he walks to meet with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the GOP effort to overhaul the tax code, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Dec. 1, 2017. Washington a Sen. Orrin Hatch on Wednesday called former presidential adviser Steve Bannon's attacks on Mitt Romney's Mormon faith "disappointing and unjustified," while Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said " Utahns reject the ugly politics and tactics" of Bannon.

Diocese of South Carolina petitions U.S. Supreme Court, files new lawsuit

The Diocese of South Carolina held its 2017 convention at St. Paul's Church in Summerville, where it voted to join the Anglican Church in North America. Provided/Diocese of South Carolina The Diocese of South Carolina held its 2017 convention at St. Paul's Church in Summerville, where it voted to join the Anglican Church in North America.

Catholic cardinal condemns a oeforces of divisiona and fear

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops decried what he said were "the forces of division" in the country, as he called Monday for immigration policies that keep families together and a "humane" approach to policing the border. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas, affirmed the government's authority to protect national security.

‘Creepy, Crazy and Weird’: Texas Church Gunman Devin…

Former classmates of Texas church shooter Devin Kelley say he was a 'creepy', 'crazy' and 'weird,' person who preached about atheism on the internet. On Sunday, Kelley opened fire inside First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, outside of San Antonio, killing 26 people and injuring 24. Patrick Boyce, who attended New Braunfels High School with the killer, told DailyMail.com: 'He had a kid or two, fairly normal, but kinda quiet and lately seemed depressed.

Is “Weak Leadership” to Blame for Catholic Trump Support?

It's perhaps a sign of the times that two of the four articles in the Washington Post's "Outlook" section dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation are actually about the role of evangelical and white Catholic voters in politics - particularly the rise of Donald Trump - in a sign of how inseparable the two have become in what used to be called the "Christian Coalition." Lydia Bean pins the evangelical and white Catholic support of Donald Trump on the failure of elite religious leaders to sway voters: The reason that Trump did so well with both groups is that laypeople were not looking to theologically trained religious elites to tell them how to vote.

Iona Preparatory Announces Honorees for the President’s Dinner Centennial Gala

Iona Preparatory School has announced the honorees for its President's Dinner Centennial Gala to be held on Friday, November 17, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Celebrating its 100th anniversary, Iona Prep is enhancing its annual President's Dinner with a new venue and will honor two influential individuals in the community: husband and wife, Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. and Margaret Parlatore Kelly.

Austria Set for Rightward Political Turn After Sunday Vote

Ahead of Austrian national elections Sunday, the question is less whether the country will swing rightward under the next government and more about how sharp that turn will be, with voters set to reward two major parties that have exploited fears of immigration and Islam. Chancellor Christian Kern is vowing to take his center-left Social Democrats into the opposition if defeated and a handful of small parties are struggling to clear the 4 percent hurdle needed to get seats in parliament.

Reform Movement Condemns DOJ Discriminatory Guidance on Transgender…

On Wednesday, October 4, the Department of Justice issued a memorandum stating that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect transgender employees in their places of work. In the memorandum, Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote, "Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination between men and women but does encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se , including transgender status."

Trump administration expands exemptions on contraceptive mandate

The Trump administration Oct. 6 issued interim rules expanding the exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious employers, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, who object on moral grounds to covering contraceptive and abortion-inducing drugs and devices in their employee health insurance. The contraceptive mandate was put in place by the Department of Health and Human Services under the Affordable Care Act.

Drone victim asks Supreme Court to check Trump’s use of lethal powers

A Yemeni man whose relatives were killed in a US drone strike has asked the Supreme Court to exercise its powers of oversight over President Trump's use of lethal force. Engineer Faisal bin Ali Jaber is seeking justice for his brother-in-law, Salem, a local religious leader who had preached against terrorism, and nephew, Waleed, a policeman.