President Joe Biden, a Catholic, will not attend the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, according to the White House. During a press briefing on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre indicated that U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Joe Donnelly will represent the U.S. at the memorial service. Jean-Pierre suggested that Donnelly's presence and the absence of Biden from the funeral were "in line with the wishes and the Vatican," adding "this is what their requests were." Read more.

A survey from Rasmussen Reports has found that nearly four in 10 likely U.S. voters believe that Democrats or Republicans are the country's biggest enemy, even when compared to foreign powers such as North Korea and Iran. In the survey of nearly 900 likely U.S. voters, 22% listed Democrats as the nation's biggest enemy, while 17% identified Republicans. Twenty-five percent named China, followed by Russia (20%), North Korea (5%), and Iran (2%). Read more.

Penny Peppes, the president of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Seattle, told local ABC affiliate KOMO-TV that members of the church are "fearful" of attending services due to a homeless encampment and that the city is ignoring the church's complaints. "We want them to get help, we want them to get off the streets. We don’t have the infrastructure as a small church to do that ourselves. We need help," Peppes reportedly told KOMO, which reports that the church is located in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, about a block away from another large homeless encampment. Peppes said the lack of response is directly impacting the church's worship services, as parishioners are worried about their safety. "They are afraid to come. It’s beyond frustrating because it’s impacting our ability to come to church to worship," Peppes said. She also stated that people living in the encampment are using the church's address to receive Amazon packages. The church has volunteered to provide food to a pair of homeless shelters twice a month. An annual assessment from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), found Seattle had the third-largest homeless population behind only New York City and metro Los Angeles last year. Read more.

The United States House of Representatives failed to elect a speaker for the 118th Congress on Tuesday, as Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California was unable to get the necessary number of votes in support of his bid, despite being the favorite to win the position. This marks the first time since 1923 that the Republican majority was unable to elect a new House Speaker on the first ballot. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the Republican Caucus, first nominated McCarthy, with her floor announcement receiving applause from members of the GOP. However, McCarthy faced key opposition from multiple Republican congressmen, among them Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona. Read more.

Dr. Michael Brown writes about Russell Jacoby, professor emeritus, Department of History, UCLA, admitting that leftists have flooded American higher education, silencing conservative intellectuals. Brown notes that, much as people have cautioned for years, those most loudly championing "diversity" and "inclusion" have become the leading opponents of free speech, with Brown adding, "And so, Jacoby concludes, the students of these radical professors 'constitute an unmitigated disaster, intellectually and politically, as they enter the workforce. They might be the American version of the old Soviet apparatchiks, functionaries who carry out party policies. Intellectually, they fetishize buzz words (diversity, marginality, power differential, white privilege, group safety, hegemony, gender fluidity and the rest) that they plaster over everything.'" Read more.

Bill Connor, a retired Army Infantry colonel, author and Orangeburg attorney, discusses the illusion of consensus in the wake of Dr. Rachel Levine's fraudulent claims that the "positive value" of sex-change treatment for minors is "not in scientific or medical dispute." Connor details the lack of consensus in favor of minors having body-mutilating sex-change surgeries and calls out the politicization of the American Association of Pediatrics, asserting, "Americans can no longer tolerate the Progressive tactic of appealing endlessly to an alleged consensus in order to end every debate. It has been catastrophic for America and continues to destroy not only dissenters of the party line, but any form of constructive dialogue as well." Read more.

"I felt like time slowed down. My whole world was just literally shattered. The sound of the metal scraping on the concrete… that will never leave me. I fractured my ankle, and herniated two discs, one in my cervical, one in my lower lumbar, and have two additional bulged discs in my lower lumbar. I could not use my arms, my fingers. In just an instant, my life was turned upside down — until God stepped in." Read more.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away at the age of 95 on Saturday, nearly a decade after stepping down from his role as the Bishop of Rome and Global Leader of the Roman Catholic Church. This article from CP highlights five details about the German-born Pope Benedict XVI. Read the full list now.

Bluegrass gospel singer Becky Isaacs Bowman of The Isaacs voiced her confidence in God’s faithfulness after being released from the hospital following a serious auto accident that left one person dead. In a statement to CP, Isaacs said she has "no words" to express her gratitude for the "outpouring of love from family, friends, the church community and the entertainment industry" following the accident. Isaacs underwent surgery to insert a plate and nine screws in her right tibia and for a full reconstruction of her right knee. "In spite of the challenges that lay ahead, my faith is strong because I know the hand of God will not lead me where His grace will not keep me. My prayers go out to the family of the gentleman who lost his life in the accident," she stated. Bowman was driving alone when a driver crossed the median after suffering a stroke and hit her car head-on. The driver died at the scene. Read more.