Michael Sean Winters

Trump and the vice president should have worn masks at all group photo ops. He should have worked closely with governors who had shutdown late, states like Arizona and Florida, which are now seeing their caseloads spike, getting them increased resources and doubling down on preventive measures.

A twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Bishop Barron's $99 Bible; dismissing the Trail of Tears; Don Junior should pay his own way; defund the police needs a better name

Distinctly Catholic: The U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 decision that Title VII includes protecting transgender and homosexual people in the workplace was met with a predictable response.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Coronavirus hospital bills; St. Xavier University busts union; 2020 election views; illiberalism of the left

Distinctly Catholic: While it is doubtful the Viganò episode will cause any political fallout, it might cause some Catholics, who are new viewing to these fringes, to reconsider their religious stance.

Distinctly Catholic: None of us should want to live in a country where only "acceptable" opinions get published. We need editors willing to take risks, and sometimes make mistakes, without worrying that they will lose their livelihood, not those committed to preserving an echo chamber of the ideological left or right.

Twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Viganò again; change the tax code for charities; virtue signaling; Barr's past; church's future

Distinctly Catholic: Are we at a turning point in our nation's long struggle with race? Will this time be different, as many hope? What role can the church play in helping the country rid itself of the scourge of racism?

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Climate change and faith; climate change and insurance; Cardinal Viganò, Trump's new penpal; the "Defund the police" slogan; Lebron James speaks out.

Distinctly Catholic: Wilton Gregory, in his statement on President Trump's visit to the St. John Paul II shrine, was not partisan. He reminded us that the church stands for things that transcend political debates.

Distinctly Catholic: Some problems seem so intractable, it is hard to imagine a remedy. The human heart, with its knack for both faith and idolatry, so prone to receive grace and to commit sin, will never be fully cured this side of the abyss.

A twice-weekly roundup of political news and commentary: Rebuilding an economy that is just; two sides of the "it's a sure thing" coin on Trump's reelection; where will the Republican National Convention be; opera houses of beauty

Distinctly Catholic: President Donald Trump went to the St. John Paul II National Shrine Tuesday for an international religious liberty event, the day after police used tear gas to disperse peaceful protesters from around St. John's Episcopal Church, so that Trump could hold a photo op.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: Religious communities and climate change; Catholic statements about the killing of George Floyd; Trump the bully shrinks back; delaying aid to states.

Distinctly Catholic: If the premise for the conferral of liability protection is that social media platforms only serve as conduits for other people's information, then they really should not have to spend millions of dollars monitoring what is said on their platform.

Distinctly Catholic: Religious exercise in Minnesota is not threatened by a Democratic governor but by a nonpartisan virus. And the bishops there need a reminder about what the church actually teaches about religious liberty.

Michael Sean Winters rounds up political news and commentary: What's going on at America magazine? "Dramatic rhetoric" instead of "difficult questions"; Most irresponsible academic op-ed of the year.

Distinctly Catholic: If by "Catholic vote" you mean those who vote this way or that way because they are Catholic, a quick examination of the shifting landscape shows there is no such thing.

Distinctly Catholic: Sorting through just what is meant by "the Catholic vote" and how it has developed will be key to understanding the dynamics of this November's election.  

Distinctly Catholic: If First Things has fallen, it has not fallen as far as Rod Dreher thinks it has, because the starting point for the fall was not nearly as high as he pretends.