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Abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions are expected to persist across 60% of the continental U.S. as spring in the Northern Hemisphere begins. Forecasters expect little to no rain for certain parts of the western U.S. through June. From April to June, above-average temperatures are expected from Southwest to the East Coast and north through the Midwest, according to a new outlook published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA’s map shows a greater than 50% chance of drought persistence for nearly 60% of the continental U.S. “Severe to exceptional drought has persisted in some areas of the...

The reforms, published in the new apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, will come into effect June 5, and look to open the door further to female governance in the Catholic Church.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis has published his long awaited document reforming the Roman Curia, allowing any member of the laity to lead a Curial departments, which have all been renamed and now deemed to be of “equal” value. With a complete absence of fanfare or warning, the Holy See Press Office published Pope Francis’ apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium (Preach the Gospel) March 19. At the same time, the Vatican...

Fr. Jude DeAngelo’s departure comes after the Franciscan priest took fire last year for blessing an icon that depicted George Floyd as Jesus.WASHINGTON (LifeSiteNews) — The Catholic University of America (CUA) announced Tuesday that Fr. Jude DeAngelo, OFM Conv., will no longer serve as university chaplain starting this summer. In a letter to the university community, CUA President John Garvey wrote that Fr. DeAngelo, a Conventual Franciscan who has served as chaplain for 12 years, “will be concluding his time as University Chaplain this summer.” “In his order it is customary to move priests to new assignments after a set...

The Pontifical Institute has launched an energy efficiency project aimed at reducing consumption by installing renewable energy sources across its campus. Fr. Andrea Bozzolo, the Univesity's Rector, notes that by becoming a ‘Laudato si’ university, we are responding to the cries of the Earth and to those of the poor, aspiring to new lifestyles and promoting a vision of Creation as a gift from God.Imagine a dense forest of over 4000 trees soaring towards the sky, as large as Italy’s Island of Ventotene. Imagine the oxygen that 4000 trees are able to produce and the injection of pure air that...

The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video early Saturday that it claimed showed a Kinzhal hypersonic air-launched ballistic missile hitting a Ukrainian missile warehouse about 300 miles southwest of Kyiv. The strike, if it did occur, would represent both the first known use of the Kinzhal in combat and yet another Russian attack on facilities in western Ukraine near the country's borders with multiple NATO members... UPDATE: 5:20 PM EST— We can now say for certain that the strike depicted happened nowhere near the western part of the country and not at some major military weapons storage area. It...

“The Blood of the Galileans” (Luke 13:1-9) Whenever there’s a terrible tragedy in the news--a bombing that kills women and children in Ukraine, the police officer shot and killed in Bonne Terre on Thursday, a tornado that levels a town--people search for answers. They’re perplexed. They don’t understand. “Why?” they ask. “Why did this awful thing happen?” And they look for someone to blame. They blame the perpetrator, if it’s a crime. Sometimes they blame the victim, thinking they must have had it coming to them. Sometimes they blame God, who let this evil thing happen. Those are the standard...

Walsh was mayor of Boston before being confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Labor for the Biden administration. The former mayor, a Catholic, has been an avid supporter of abortion rights in the Bay State.BOSTON, Mass. — A coalition of Catholic and pro-life organizations in Massachusetts is speaking out against the decision of a Boston Catholic school to honor U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh with an award named for Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice. The award is meant to recognize an individual who shares their God-given talents and resources to improve the lives of others. But Marty Walsh, who was...

We are deeply saddened to report the unexpected passing of our longtime friend and colleague Pat Goss, who appeared on MotorWeek through forty-one seasons, beginning with our very first episode.~snip~Patrick Goss is an American radio and television personality based in Washington, DC. Goss was a mechanic for the TV show MotorWeek, where he hosted a show called Goss’ Garage, and started working as a mechanic at Rollins Park Shell in Rockville, Maryland.Goss also streams weekly on YouTube’s Goss’ Garage Radio Show.Goss owns and operates Goss Garage (formerly Pat Goss Auto World), an auto repair shop, in Lanham-Seabrook, Maryland, a suburb...

Ukraine war: Call for ‘Nuremberg-style’ trial for Putin, backed by ex-PMs and law leaders Sir John Major, Gordon Brown and leading names in law, academia and politics, want new international tribunal to investigate Russian President Vladimir Putin Launched with a website and a petition with a target of two million signatures, the campaign is already backed by 740,000 people around the world Ukraine war: Call for ‘Nuremberg-style’ trial for Putin, backed by ex-PMs and law leaders Sir John Major, Gordon Brown and leading names in law, academia and politics, want new international tribunal to investigate Russian President Vladimir Putin Launched...

The problems of misuse of police for political purposes by the Andrews state Government has shamed Australia around the world. But there are some libertarian politicians speaking up. God Bless people like Morgan C Jonas.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has questioned the West’s strategy of taking military action against Russia off the table in the conflict in Ukraine, arguing that the punitive sanctions taken against Vladimir Putin’s regime have failed to detering the ongoing war. Writing in a blog post for the Tony Blair Institute, the Iraq War architect questioned whether it was “sensible” to rule out the military option against Russia, despite concerns that such actions could trigger a third World War over the former Soviet territory. While Blair said that he “understands and accepts” that there is no political will for...

A Chinese diplomat says NATO should stick to what he claimed was a promise not to expand eastward. In a speech on Saturday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng criticized the far-reaching Western sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine and said the root cause of the war in Ukraine “lies in the Cold War mentality and power politics.” Echoing a Kremlin talking point, the Chinese envoy said if NATO’s “enlargement goes further, it would be approaching the ‘outskirts of Moscow’ where a missile could hit the Kremlin within seven or eight minutes.” “Pushing a major country, especially a...

Two residents have died in the past week after queuing for cooking oil at local shops in Indonesia. South China Morning Post/Aisyah Llewellyn Indonesia’s cooking oil shortage has turned deadly following the deaths of two residents who died after queuing for the liquid gold in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The tragedies occurred despite the area being one of the largest producers of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and fresh palm oil fruit in Indonesia. On Saturday, a housewife Sandra, 41, fainted while queuing for over an hour in the hot sun waiting for her local minimarket to open....

Former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by 43 points among unvaccinated voters in a potential 2024 rematch, according to a new poll, which found a partisan divide being driven by vaccine willingness. Though most Americans—regardless of political affiliation—have been fully vaccinated, the YouGov/Yahoo News poll reported greater vaccine hesitancy among Republicans than Democrats or independents. Fifty-eight percent of voters who are not fully vaccinated plan to vote for Trump should he run for president again in 2024—opposed to only 15 percent who plan to vote for Biden, according to the poll. Meanwhile, another 27 percent of unvaccinated people...

China reports first coronavirus deaths in over a year amid omicron surge Two deaths reported on Saturday, the first since January 2021, as China continues to pursue ‘zero-Covid’ strategy Agencies Sat 19 Mar 2022 04.01 GMT China’s national health authorities reported two Coronavirus deaths on Saturday, the first recorded rise in the death toll since January last year, as the country battles an omicron-driven surge. The deaths, both in north-eastern Jilin province, bring the country’s coronavirus death toll to 4,638. China reported 2,157 new community transmissions on Saturday, with the majority in Jilin. The province has instituted a travel ban,...

REFLECTIONS ON GROWING OLD(ER) Someone once said that we are now living in the age of age. In fact, there are more old people alive today than at any time in history. There are, today, more people over 65 in the United States than the entire population of Canada. Faced with these figures, and faced with the fact that you will someday be, if you are not already, in the category of the aged, the old, or the elderly, how do you, or will you, look upon the final chapter of your book of life? Some look at age...

A vineyard marketing wines under the name Purple Rain responded to a lawsuit launched by Prince's estate with an unusual defense. The matter went legal after Ohio's L'uva Bella Winery was awarded the trademark to the title in 2019. The musician's estate — which is locked in multiple court procedures as a result of his death without a will — claimed "likelihood of confusion" and "false suggestion of a connection" meant the trademark should be canceled. "The estate protects the intellectual property Prince created during his lifetime, including his image and the trademark 'Purple Rain,' which is strongly associated with...

Keith Richards offered his thoughts on Eric Clapton's COVID-19 vaccine skepticism in a new interview. The Rolling Stones guitarist discussed Clapton's "old-fashioned" views on vaccines in a new episode of Rolling Stone's Music Now podcast. "I love Eric dearly. I've known him since forever, and we've had ups and downs," Richards said. "This COVID thing, it's split people up and made people sometimes go awry for a while, you know?" Clapton has been an outspoken critic of vaccines and vaccine mandates, criticizing the United Kingdom's lockdown measures in a series of songs written with Van Morrison. He also collaborated with...

Back by popular demand, Charlie welcomes back to the show Pedro Gonzalez, Associate Editor of Chronicles Magazine, for a second, in-depth talk about the truth regarding Ukraine, America's involvement in the country, and how our own nation shares, at least in part, for how Ukraine arrived at this fateful moment in history. Who exactly is Victoria Nuland? How was the US State Department involved in the Maidan Protests and subsequent violent and killing that ultimately resulted in the removal of a democratically elected president? Was the CIA involved in the so-called "Revolution of Dignity" in Ukraine? What role did neocons...

Washington (CNN)The US House on Friday passed legislation that would ban race-based hair discrimination in employment and against those participating in federally assisted programs, housing programs, and public accommodations. The Democratic-led House voted 235-189 to pass the CROWN Act, which stands for "Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair." The bill seeks to protect against bias based on hair texture and protective styles, including locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros. "Natural Black hair is often deemed 'unprofessional' simply because it does not conform to White beauty standards," Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey, the...