A Worcester bishop banned a school from identifying as Catholic and holding Mass or sacraments on campus after refusing to take down Pride and Black Lives Matter flags at his request.
Driving the news: Bishop Robert McManus issued the decree on Thursday, saying the decision to fly the flags at the Nativity School in Worcester, Massachusetts, was "inconsistent with Catholic teaching."
As pressure for new gun laws continues to build after a number of deadly mass shootings, Republican senators are facing pushback from both supporters and opponents of gun control legislation.
The big picture: The Senate is considering the most significant gun safety measure it has seen in decades, after a bipartisan group reached a framework that includes enhanced background checks for those under 21, funding for mental health and school safety and state grants for "red flag" laws.
Border Patrol agents set an all-time monthly record in May with nearly 223,000 migrant apprehensions at the southwest border, according to recently released U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.
Why it matters: The data underscores the ongoing logistical, humanitarian and political challenges facing President Biden at the border. Sustained Mexican migration, new flows from farther-flung nations like Ukraine and an increase in multiple attempted crossings are driving the unprecedented numbers.
The AG Alliance, a rising organization of state attorneys general, is drawing criticism for courting sponsorships for lavish conferences and foreign junkets from a stable of lobbyists and corporate patrons.
Why it matters: State AGs have immense influence over public safety and consumer decisions with huge financial implications for corporate America. Some companies are ponying up tens of thousands of dollars to get exclusive access to officials who might one day be asked to investigate or prosecute them.
Texas Republicans ended a three-day convention Saturday with votes on a swath of proposed changes to their platform that would pull the party further right.
Why it matters: The revised platform is likely to preview some of the GOP's messaging going into the November midterms and 2024 election. It includes resolutions denying that President Biden legitimately won the 2020 election and a call to abolish abortions.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he is "very worried" that the 2024 presidential election could be embroiled in the same election denial controversies as the 2020 election was.
Driving the news: Kinzinger warned that one thing to watch for will be disputes over the certification of election results and the use of certain voting machines, pointing to the refusal last week by a Republican-led commission in New Mexico to certify the results of a primary election as an example.
An ex-aide to former President Trump said Sunday that Trump privately admitted he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
Driving the news: Alyssa Farah Griffin, the former White House director of strategic communications, said on CNN's "State of the Union" that Trump "blurted out watching Joe Biden on TV, 'Can you believe I lost to this guy?'"
Nearly six in 10 Americans think former President Donald Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll.
The big picture: The findings represent a slight increase since the start of a series of public hearings by the House special committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
A federal gas tax holiday to ameliorate the burden of soaring gas prices across the nation is an idea "certainly worth considering," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
Driving the news: The national average price for regular gasoline spiked to a never-before-seen $5 per gallon this month as the country grapples with decades-high inflation.
Former President Donald Trump's vitriol toward the Jan. 6 select committee and former Vice President Mike Pence is tantamount to a confession about his role in the Capitol riot, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
Driving the news: Thursday's Jan. 6 select committee hearing unveiled testimony from numerous Trump administration aides about a "heated" phone call in which Trump berated Pence for refusing to overturn the election, with one former White House assistant testifying that he recalled Trump calling Pence a "wimp."
A group of Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Friday urging Google to take steps to fix the search engine's display of inaccurate results to users searching for abortion services.
Why it matters: The 20 Democratic lawmakers, alongside independent Bernie Sanders, wrote that Google's provision of inaccurate results was "especially concerning" given the Supreme Court's looming decision on abortion rights, which could see the court overturn Roe v. Wade.
Yellowstone National Park will partially reopen to visitors on Wednesday, after massive flooding last week damaged roads and bridges in the park, the National Park Service announced Saturday.
Juneteenth is meant to acknowledge Black emancipation from enslavement, but there's a risk it could turn into just another day off, defined more by road trips and sales on mattresses.
The big picture: Corporations, retailers and some local governments are struggling with how to honor the holiday that commemorates the end of slavery.
