Michael Sean Winters

Distinctly Catholic: On the first night of the first virtual national party convention, there was no drama, but there were a lot of cameos from regular people, as well as speeches from headliners representing various wings — Sen. Bernie Sanders, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican.

Twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Taking down Trump and Bezos — and cancel culture; Catholic tradition rich with anti-racism resources; UAE and Israel; climate change, Greenland's ice and Barack Obama; Harris on religion

Distinctly Catholic: Biden and his campaign team need to decide if they are simply aiming to get to 270 electoral votes, or if they're going for a big win — a mandate to really "heal the soul of the nation."

Distinctly Catholic: I make no apologies for Biden's untenable position on abortion, but the reduction of the Catholic faith to this one issue has been a pastoral as well as a political dead-end, a distortion of Catholic moral teaching that must stop.

A twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Deep dive into swing states' power; Dr. Peter Marks of the FDA has a big job now; Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on looters; Melissa Rogers has firsthand knowledge of Joe Biden's faith

Distinctly Catholic: Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris is not a deal-breaker for progressives, and having a Black woman on the ticket means race will be at the center of this autumn's election.

Distinctly Catholic: The excommunicated Sacramento priest's misconduct is all of a piece, and that piece is all related to the anti-Francis craziness that has taken hold among some on the Catholic right.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Cardinal Burke on Fox News; hyping hydroxychloroquine in Brooklyn; Beirut hearkens back to Halifax; day of prayer and fasting for workers.

Distinctly Catholic: It seems that every time someone crosses the pro-life Catholic brigade, you get an over-the-top, profoundly hateful reaction; I suspect it doesn't help the pro-life cause one little bit. Now, a new report from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame confirms that suspicion.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Don't forget Puerto Rico in next stimulus bill; rebuild the labor movement; administration's failed response to coronavirus; dogs don't vote in elections

Distinctly Catholic: I hope Republicans will think about the consequences for public health if cities have to start laying off workers. Want to make a pandemic worse? Cut back on garbage collection, cut resources for hospitals, make it harder for schools to reopen safely.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Supreme Court decides limit of parishioners during Mass; Biden's Catholic faith; Latino voters and abortion; a Democratic tsunami in November?

Distinctly Catholic: Next month will be the second anniversary of the infamous "testimony" of former nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. Now, at long last, most conservatives have come to view him as a liability.

Distinctly Catholic: Candidates are focusing more on their own records and not so much on their ties with the White House. A survey of 37,000 ads run by the five most endangered Republican senators showed that only 5% contained a pro-Trump message.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: "The pope is the pope"; send your compliments to Salt Lake City's bishop; a Third Reconstruction; Farrakhan's anti-Semitism; Catholic schools in peril.

Distinctly Catholic: The new report by the State Department's Commission on Unalienable Rights is the latest battleground over human rights. It has provoked a range of utterly typical reactions.

A twice-weekly round up of political news and commentary: A right-of-center anti-extremist on Laura Ingraham; Maryland's governor picks autos over rail; economic pessimism; U.S. bishops' conference is quiet on life issue of COVID

Distinctly Catholic: Bishop Robert McElroy said that three ruptures in the U.S. force the recognition that our ecclesial structures will not be recovered so much as they will be transformed, of necessity.

Distinctly Catholic: The neocon politico-theological complex in this country is not evangelizing anyone.

Twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Nursing homes want more COVID-19 testing; where is the bishops' pro-life chair; looking back to 2009 on ministerial exception; Federalist Society gets into videos; will Biden take Texas; Koch money still at work