Michael Sean Winters

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Video from the insurrection conveys reality; law prof looks at legal issues in assessing the constitutional reach and limits of exemptions from vaccine mandates; Where's George Orwell?

Michael Sean Winters: In calling Sen. Joe Donnelly — U.S. President Joe Biden's pick for Vatican ambassador — a "rogue Catholic," Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League, once again mistakes Republican credentials for Catholic ones.

Michael Sean Winters: The vaccine phobia that has taken hold of the GOP base is also affecting religious folk. But pastors need to focus not on misplaced moral scruples but on the moral urgency of getting people vaccinated.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Report exposes palm oil industry's labor abuses, environmental degradation; Farah Stockman writes about workers who broke barriers but eventually lost their jobs; Elisha Wiesel on Zionism.

Michael Sean Winters: If we as a church are to be a leaven in the world, we must first overcome the polarization within our own house. The world is profoundly divided, but so is the Christian community.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Getting past church polarization; David Shor compares Democratic activists and the median voter; Trump and his acolytes come for Brad Raffensperger's job.

Michael Sean Winters: A new think tank study is a must-read for everyone interested in politics. "Factory Towns" examines where the Democrats have lost ground since the 2012 election in 10 Midwestern states.

Michael Sean Winters: Supreme Court justices could use inspiration and protection from the Holy Spirit as the new term opens with cases that deal with organized labor, gun rights, abortion rights and race in college admissions.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Puerto Rico's people endure power outages; are constitutional reforms headed our way? Mark Silk encourages us to use the pronoun "they" for God.

Michael Sean Winters: A recent "survey" from CatholicVote, the right-wing political organization, displays all that is worst in American politics. The organization is a scandal.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Investigation reveals how the global elite hide their riches; the treatment of migrants in Ireland; The Times' disturbing account of donors interfering at Yale

Michael Sean Winters' dog, Damiana: Dad is serious, always talking about theology and politics. I try to remind him about the simple things: belly rubs, treats, walks. Humans seem to be much better tempered when they spend time outside, enjoying nature.

Michael Sean Winters: It is frankly shocking that the U.S. bishops' conference has done so little to help the bishops and people of the church in this country prepare for this synodal process. But their inertia needn't be ours. Start by rereading documents of the Second Vatican Council.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Medicaid in Puerto Rico; social psychology and religion; New York Times flag redesign contest is a bad idea; three libertarian archbishops in Australia.

Michael Sean Winters: The stakes could scarcely be higher, and the principal responsibility for saving the country from a Trumpian future and the end of liberal democracy lies with Republican leaders.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Down the GOP rabbit hole on claims of fraudulent elections; surprise change at America magazine; profile of Rep. Ritchie Torres; redistricting in Texas.

Michael Sean Winters: Raymond Arroyo's weekly "The World Over" began airing on EWTN in September 1996. It served to extend the kind of conservative Catholic conversations found on the network's "Mother Angelica Live" into the realm of politics. Now network leadership should think seriously about its role in the church.

Distinctly Catholic: The building crisis at the border threatens to dominate all other news stories as graphic, heart-rending images of desperate people hiding under a bridge or crossing a desert lead the news. President Joe Biden needs to reset his approach to immigration and he can start by leaning into his Catholic faith.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: One of the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump will not seek reelection; midterm races may be predictive of Trump's residual electoral strength; Jonah as a prophet for our time.

Distinctly Catholic: Now is the time for Democrats to seize the populist narrative around economic issues and make that, again, the defining hallmark of liberalism in the United States.