Trump Highlights Accomplishments in Final Speech Before Last Flight on Air Force One

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas

President Donald Trump spent the last day of his presidency looking back at his accomplishments, wishing his successor good luck, issuing pardons, and hinting at a possible White House run in the future.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump left the White House on Jan. 20 and boarded Marine One for the helicopter ride to Joint Base Andrews, where they then boarded Air Force One. They flew to Palm Beach, Florida, where they will reside.

Trump did not attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration at the Capitol. But in remarks delivered at Joint Base Andrews before he boarded Air Force One, he did wish the incoming president well. “I wish the new administration great luck and great success,” Trump said. He also thanked Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen. The Pences were not there to see the Trumps off because they were at the Capitol in preparation for the inauguration.

The outgoing president said he had many accomplishments in office, including his appointment of three Supreme Court justices and 300 federal judges, the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, his handling of the economy, and his administration’s treatment of military veterans.

During his term, Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett are Catholics. The Supreme Court now has six Catholics: Chief Justice John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett.

Trump mentioned COVID-19 several times during his remarks, calling it “the China virus.” He said the virus that has killed more than 400,000 Americans was a worldwide pandemic that hit many countries hard, not just the U.S. He also marveled at the rapid development of vaccines to fight the deadly virus. “We got the vaccine developed in nine months,” he said, calling it “a great achievement.”

Trump spoke about doing a good job steering the economy and said he always ensured that military veterans got the health care treatment they deserved.

On Jan. 19, the last night of his term, Trump released a video farewell address to the nation.

“This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” he said.

“Most of all, I want to thank the American people. To serve as your President has been an honor beyond description. Thank you for this extraordinary privilege,” he said.

Trump also mentioned the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol when mobs identifying themselves as Trump supporters stormed the building. The House of Representatives impeached Trump on Jan. 13. The article of impeachment charged him with inciting an insurrection.

On Tuesday, Trump decried the riot. “All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated,” Trump said in his farewell address Tuesday night.

In one of his last acts, Trump issued 73 pardons and 70 commutations. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne were among the people getting last-minute pardons.

Just before boarding Air Force One, Trump offered a hint that his time in public office might not be over. As a one-term president, he is eligible to run for the White House again.

“We love you. We will be back in some form. I will always fight for you,” he told the crowd.

“Have a good life. We will see you soon,” Trump said.

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 1/19/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Parents and teachers left shocked and blindsided by the city’s decision to cut more than 100 universal pre-k programs – including five at Catholic schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Preparing for Inauguration Day – as worries of a peaceful transition has the entire nation on edge, tens of thousands of National Guard troops are on high alert in the Nation’s Capital.

Then, in one of his final acts, President Trump orders the creation of a National Garden that honors – among others – several saints and others on the path to sainthood.

How Will News Coverage Be Different for Inauguration Day 2021?

Currents News Staff

Normally, journalists from all over the world would be converging on Washington D.C. to cover all of the inaugural events surrounding the president-elect’s swearing in. But this year is different.

Joining Currents News to talk about how the press is handling this year’s Inauguration Day is former New York City TV reporter Frank Cipolla.

Faculty, Parents at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale Frustrated by NYC Universal Pre-K Roll Back

By Jessica Easthope

Aubrey Christian is starting school next year. When you’re as young as she is, the sky’s the limit.

Her mom Dena hoped to enroll her in Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale’s universal pre-K program next year like she did with her son, Jeremy, because it’s where he reached his full potential.

“He came home every day with new information he was learning, about the different chapters they were going through and I’m really sad that my daughter’s not going to be able to experience that,” Dena told Currents News.

Sacred Heart’s UPK program is one of 105 across the city that will no longer exist come next year. Four are at other Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Now Dena doesn’t know if she’ll be able to pay to send Aubrey to Sacred Heart, and she says it feels like the school is being punished.

“We’re a Catholic organization and we’ve been open five days a week and the DOE can’t pull that off. And I feel like we’re being punished for that, and it’s not fair,” said Dena.

Other parents feel the same way.

“It does feel like religious schools are being singled out, and it just seems disappointing and frustrating that there’s no clear reason why it’s being defunded,” said Lisa and Ryan Huber, who have a son in first grade at Sacred Heart and a daughter in the UPK program.

Right now, the school has 54 pre-K students, has been open during the pandemic and is running UPK for nearly $8,000 less per-student than it costs the city, so why would it get cut?

“The reason we were given for the rejection was other programs in the area received higher quality scores, but I haven’t gotten concrete information as to what that means. We’ve received great program assessments, wonderful feedback on the parents survey every year so I really am baffled,” said Alison Kondel, the Director of Sacred Heart’s UPK program.

She has appealed the city’s decision, and says having no UPK would be a devastating blow to the community.

“We offer early morning drop-off, we offer an after-school program as well, so for us to not be in existence with UPK will really hurt the working families in the area,” she said.

The Department of Education has not returned Currents News’ request for comment. If Sacred Heart’s appeal isn’t approved, administrators say they have no choice but to tell parents within the next two weeks that pre-K tuition for next year will cost around $5,000-a-child.

Biden Heads to Washington as Trump Completes Final Full Day in Office

Currents News Staff

The future president and first lady are traveling to Washington D.C. ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

President Trump is working on his final full day in office as he prepares to leave the White House.

Outside the White House, a Marine stands guard, a sign he is working in the Oval Office during the final hours of his presidency.

President Trump is expected to issue more than one hundred pardons and commutations.

A source close to the process says dozens of the final acts of clemency were championed by criminal justice reform advocates.

The Senate, meanwhile, is holding confirmation hearings for Biden cabinet nominees, including two who will be key to the new administration’s efforts to confront domestic extremism.

One of them is Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas.

“I will do everything i can to ensure that the tragic loss of life, the assault of law enforcement, the desecration of the building that stands as one of the three pillars of our democracy, the terror that you felt, your colleagues, your staff, and everyone present, will not happen again,” he said during the hearings.

The other is Director of National Intelligence Nominee Avril Haines.

“When it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics ever,” she said.

After a transition delayed by the Trump administration, Biden’s administration will have no confirmed cabinet members by Inauguration Day.

“I am concerned about this delay. and it is why the Senate is going to need to move very quickly to confirm these individuals,” said Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen.

The President-Elect, meanwhile, is making a trip he’s made many times before.

“This is kind of emotional for me” he explained, because this time it’s to take over the presidency.

Whitestone Road to be Co-Named After Beloved Brooklyn Diocese Priest, Monsignor John Tosi

By Emily Drooby

The Murrays and Caffarones poured over old photos. The good friends have forty years of memories together, many spent with their priest and close friend, Monsignor John Tosi. The beloved member of the Brooklyn Diocese passed away in May.

“We just loved him, and he loved us,” Toni Caffarone told Currents News. “As a priest, he was a priest priest, he was truly a Shepard.”

For the Murrays, he inspired strong faith.

“I was so touched by that — the faith, the beautiful, beautiful faith that he had and always shared with us,” said Susan Marray.

He also inspired the Caffarones to move to Howard Beach, close to his parish at the time, Our Lady of Grace.

Inspiration is a common thread among Monsignor Tosi’s friendships. Deacon Alexander Breviario says Monsignor Tosi is the reason he became a deacon.

“Out of the blue he came over to me and basically said, ‘God has big plans for you.’ And that memory has always stuck in my mind,” he explained.

Now months after his passing, he’s inspiring something else: the co-naming of a street. New York City Councilman Paul Vallone sponsored the bill and helped get it to the city council.

“There hasn’t been too many people who have had that kind of impact on the parish and the community. He was larger than life, he really was. Everyone knew Monsignor Tosi,” Councilman Vallone explained.

After being passed by both the local Community Board and City Council, the intersection of Clintonville Street and Locke Avenue in Whitestone, Queens will soon forever be known as “Msgr. John C. Tosi Way.” It’s the space right in front of St. Luke’s, Monsignor Tosi’s last assignment.

Knights of Columbus Whitestone chapter Grand Knight Enrico Urgo and Msgr. Francis J. Dillion Council member Joe Governale requested the street co-naming. Monsignor Tosi was part of the religious organization and knew both Urgo and Dillion well.

Councilman Vallone hopes to have the unveiling in the spring.

Father Thomas Doyle is the pastor at Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, and was also a close friend of Monsignor Tosi. He calls the co-naming a fitting tribute. The beloved priest passed during the height of the pandemic when holding large gatherings, including funerals, was impossible.

“That’s what I felt bad for, that we were not able to give him the tribute that he really deserved. And I think when the people came forward from St. Luke’s and said, ‘Let’s do this,’ I thought this was a great tribute for him,” he said.

It’s a tribute inspired by the man who impacted the lives of so many people in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Currents News full broadcast for Mon, 1/18/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

They’re mobilized and reporting for duty – but now the National Guard is being questioned – is an inside attack in the works?

New details about Biden’s plan for his first days.

Desperately needed new vaccine approvals could be coming soon – we have the inside story from New York City’s hard-hit nursing homes.

And remembering the civil rights icon. How Doctor King’s message resonates today after a year of unrest.

Catholics Look to the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Wake of Racial Unrest

By Jessica Easthope

The powerful words of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” reverberated through the rafters of Our Lady of Victory Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, on Monday, Jan. 18. It’s the 35th time the nation has come together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but this year is very different.

“With the murder of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, the protests that we’ve seen throughout our Diocese, the words of Dr. King resonate now more than ever. So I think we have to gather today, on his birthday, in deep prayer,” said Father Alonzo Cox, the pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish and the Coordinator for the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concern for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

This past summer, what could be called a new civil rights movement, erupted across the country. Father Cox says Dr. King’s words can be applied to 2020 just as they were to the 1960s.

“He ends the speech by saying we have some rough days ahead and we do. The words just come alive. He said these words 53 years ago, and they’re really ringing true today in 2021,” Father Cox said.

In years past hundreds would have attended the mid-day prayer service, but in the midst of the pandemic only a fraction came in-person to celebrate Dr. King.

“We have a long way to go, but it’s good that it’s being discussed and brought to the forefront so we can actually have a discussion of these issues and confront them,” said Michelle Joseph, the Director of Religious Education for St. Martin de Porres and a member of the parish’s choir.

As Dr. King was guided by his faith, the Church is renewed in its mission to end the sin of racism.

“We need healing in our nation and his words. His legacy can be the starting point to begin the healing process,” said Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Chappetto, the Vicar General for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“This Martin Luther King Day is making me think a lot about hope and hope for the future and how we are going to make that progress over the next five to ten years,” said Tevin Williams a member of the Diocesan Commission on Racism and Social Justice.

The question this year is not “What would Dr. King do?” But rather, what will we do?

U.S. Capitol Fortified and on High Alert in Advance of Inauguration Day

Currents News Staff

On a day meant to commemorate Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for freedom and equality, the United States is in crisis.

The U.S. Capitol is fortified and on high alert. 21,000 troops are now in our nation’s capital, screened by the FBI to prevent against any insider threats.

More than half a century after King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his dream for the future, barbed wire and checkpoints barricade the National Mall, while tens of thousands of national guards troops stand watch.

“We’re part of the layered defense to ensure that the bubble, the bubble that will be around the vice president-elect and the president-elect, so that we can have a peaceful transfer of power,” explained Major General William Walker, Washington D.C. National Guard Commander.

But after a violent mob seized the U.S. capitol, some worry about extremism in the ranks.

“There were military people and police who took oaths to defend the Constitution and to protect and defend who didn’t do it who were in the insurrection, so it does concern me,” said Democratic Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee.

To alleviate concerns, all national guard troops deployed to D.C. have to go through additional layers of screening.

“The FBI is part of it, the Secret Service is part of it, and once they are certain that there’s no insider threat, then that soldier, guardsman or airman is given a credential,” said Walker.

The head of the D.C. National Guard says the vetting process hasn’t flagged any issues with incoming troops.

“We want to make sure that everybody in this bubble of security that we’re providing has the privilege to be there,” Walked added.

Yet, more work needs to be done to make the United States less divided

“We’ve got to do a better job of listening to each other, understanding where the frustrations are and how we find that common ground,” said Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan.

Pope Francis Blesses NBA Jersey Honoring Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King

Currents News Staff

MANHATTAN — Pope Francis now has his own special edition Atlanta Hawks basketball jersey, celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The team will also wear the 20-21 MLK Nike City Edition jerseys for Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of their commitment to those values.

In November, members of the National Basketball Players Association met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss economic inequality, social justice and the organization’s initiatives to promote community.

The Hawks sent the jersey — which reads “Francis” with the number 1 on the back — to the pontiff by mail. He blessed and signed the jersey on Friday, Jan. 15, which would have been Dr. King’s 92nd birthday.

The Hawks unveiled the jersey last fall. The special edition jersey marks the first time in NBA history that an individual’s initials will be featured prominently on the front of an official game uniform. Profits from jersey sales are going directly towards supporting the Georgia community.