Trump ventures into deep blue Syracuse NY to rally for GOP candidates; Must watch: ‘Canadians for Trump’ show up at NY rally: ‘We need the US to be great again’; Trump announces Katie Zacharia as next White House press secretary, begins new job on Monday; The Pentagon confirms public broadcast of execution of Nidal Hasan responsible for mass shooting at Fort Hood in 2009; Catholic bishops condemn livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter, call it ‘a barbaric promotion of a culture of death’; ‘Da Bears’ legend Catholic Mike Ditka passes away at 86; Catholics remember a 16th-century Spanish saint whose visceral encounter with Death made him vow to serve only the Heavenly Master; and more —
Trump praises Blakeman; denounces Hochul, Democrats in 90-minute Syracuse [New York] speech
President Donald Trump was in Central New York Friday evening. The president spoke at the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse as he campaigned for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman.
“A very, very special hello to Syracuse. We love Syracuse,” said the president.
Blakeman wasn’t the only Republican Trump was there to support. The president also announced his support for Republican Anthony Constantino, who is running in NY-21 to replace outgoing Republican Elise Stefanik, and Republican Kailee Buller, who is trying to flip a seat in NY-22.
Trump also denounced New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James, who had led an investigation of him.
Kathy Hochul and the radical ‘Dumocrats’ have turned New York into a national embarrassment of high costs, high crime, massive corruption and communist politicians chasing jobs and businesses and wealth,” said the president. “You’re chasing them out of the state of New York.”
Read more at WRGB
Wow! Canadians for Trump show up at Syracuse Rally
Watch @RealAmVoice
Mike Tyson makes a cameo appearance too
Watch @RapidResponse47
Trump names commentator Katie Zacharia of his media company as next White House press secretary
President Donald Trump announced Friday that Katie Zacharia, a communications adviser for his media company, will succeed Karoline Leavitt as White House press secretary.
Trump revealed his selection of Zacharia on his Truth Social platform, where he often makes political and official announcements. Zacharia is a conservative commentator for Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the social media site.
In naming Zacharia, Trump described her as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.”
In a social media post, Zacharia thanked Trump and called it the “honor of a lifetime.” She added that Trump’s leadership is “a blessing to this country.”
Read more at Associated Press; read Trump’s announcement of Katie Zacharia as WH press secretary @WhiteHouse
Katie Zacharia begins her new job on Monday
Watch @RapidResponse47
New White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is a Pro-Life Champion
Pro-life advocate Katie Zacharia has been offered the job of White House press secretary, putting a mother of four who has publicly credited her own survival to a last-minute choice for life in line for one of the administration’s most visible posts.
A White House official confirmed Friday that President Donald Trump offered Zacharia the position after Karoline Leavitt left the role in August.
Zacharia, a conservative attorney and commentator, is a senior communications adviser to Trump Media & Technology Group and its Truth Social platform
Zacharia has described a personal reason for her opposition to abortion.
Read at LifeNews
Pentagon Confirms Public Broadcast of Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution
The US military plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009, the Pentagon said. The broadcast would be an unprecedented move in the history of US executions.
Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on 3 December at Fort Hood, the military base where he carried out the shooting. He would be the first person executed by a US military firing squad since 1945.
A Pentagon official confirmed the livestream plans to Reuters on condition of anonymity, saying further details would be announced later. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also confirmed the decision in a post on X.
Hegseth, who advocated for the firing squad execution, said the decision to hold it at Fort Hood at 1 pm on a Thursday was straightforward because it would mirror the approximate time, day and location of the 2009 attack.
He told the Human Events Daily programme that the public should be able to watch the execution to understand the consequences of such crimes. Asked whether Hasan had made any final requests, Hegseth said he did not care and added that the execution would take place on 3 December.
Read more at the Hungarian Conservative
USCCB President Condemns Plans for Livestream of Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution as ‘a Barbaric Promotion of a Culture of Death’
“In no way can Hasan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered.”
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of War announced that the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, would be publicly livestreamed. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement sharply condemning the decision of the U.S. government:
“It is with shock and great sorrow that I have learned of the Department of War’s decision to publicly livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan. Our God is the God of life. In no way can Hassan’s actions be condoned but this decision is a barbaric promotion of a culture of death and must be reconsidered. The word of God exhorts us: ‘do not repay anyone evil for evil’ (Romans 12:17). The public execution even of one who has done grave harm will only further undermine the moral fabric of our nation and be a blight on the conscience of its people.
“I pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel that we as a nation may always choose life even in the most trying times and circumstances.”
Read more at USCCB
Names of 13 people murdered by Nidal Hassan at Fort Hood in 2009
See @PeteHegseth; see also @GiannoCaldwell
Bears legend Mike Ditka passes away at 86
More than any other NFL player or coach, Mike Ditka embodied the toughness, grit and blue-collar mentality that earned the Chicago Bears the fearsome nickname the “Monsters of the Midway.”
Affectionately known as “Iron Mike” and “Da Coach,” Ditka revolutionized the tight end position during a Hall of Fame playing career with the Bears and later led the franchise to a Super Bowl championship as head coach.
Ditka’s family announced Friday morning that the Bears and NFL legend has passed away at age 86.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary and treasured Chicago Bear and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka,” the Bears said in a statement.
Read more at the Chicago Bears website
Coach Ditka on his Catholic Faith
‘I am so grateful for the Roman Catholic faith with which I was raised…my mother was a convert to Catholicism, and it’s beautiful what she gave me, in the faith. I believe every bit that the church teaches. Confession matters. Communion matters.’ – Coach Mike Ditka
See @AveMariaRadio
Trump reacts to news of Mike Didka’s passing
Watch @EWTNNewsNightly
The NFL extends its sympathies to Coach Ditka’s Family
See @NFL
Today is the Feast of St. Francis Borgia (1510–1572)
See @AmericaNFatima
A Reading of St. Francis Borgia’s Life from Butler’s Lives of the Saints
Experience the powerful life and conversion of St. Francis Borgia (1510–1572)—fourth Duke of Gandía, courtier to Emperor Charles V, and later the 3rd Superior General of the Jesuits. Drawn from Father Alban Butler’s Lives of the Saints (Feast Day: October 10), this reading traces Borgia’s noble upbringing, his dramatic confrontation with mortality at Empress Isabella’s funeral, his service as Viceroy of Catalonia, his heroic penances, deep prayer, and his decisive entrance into the Society of Jesus, where he helped ignite missions and renewal across the world.
Highlights include: his disciplined childhood, holy marriage, profound humility, rigorous life of prayer, leadership during plague and persecution, and his holy death in 1572. Whether you’re discovering St. Francis Borgia for the first time or revisiting Butler’s classic, this edition invites us to renounce the world’s illusions and “put on the spirit of Christ.”
Pray for us, St. Francis Borgia!
Watch at Sensus Fidelium
