Rise Right

July 17th, 2026 - Happy feast of Ss. Alexis, Jadwiga & Pope Leo IV!
Air raid sirens have been activated in Bahrain after Iran’s army reportedly claimed it had targeted U.S. helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft at Sakhir airbase in Bahrain. Vice President JD Vance warned Republicans that merely denouncing socialism is not enough: Young Americans need a real path to ownership, economic security, and the American dream. He called for a Christian economic alternative. In an address to the nation last night, President Trump announced the declassification of intelligence he says reveals that Chinese intelligence services carried out the "largest compromise of election data in history," acquiring 220 million U.S. voter files, and that U.S. officials suppressed that information from him and Congress. Mothers who changed their minds after taking mifepristone are testifying against California, assisting the pro-life groups that helped save their babies through abortion-pill reversal. Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun ordered the state to end race- and sex-based preferences in government contracting after Attorney General Todd Rokita deemed the program unconstitutional. NPR named Sister Maura Smith an “Unsung Hero” after a former student recalled how the Catholic high school principal confronted hospital staff who dismissed her stroke as drug use, then stayed beside her and prayed the Rosary.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
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July 16th, 2026 - Happy feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel!
Vice President JD Vance told Joe Rogan yesterday that a “discreet, extremely well-funded” campaign tied to elements of Israel’s government is attacking him “obsessively” and trying to derail negotiations with Iran. President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell for Minnesota governor. The House Judiciary Committee advanced legislation allowing people harmed by “gender-transition” procedures performed on them as minors to sue the doctors, clinics, and hospitals involved. The bill is named for Catholic detransitioner Chloe Cole, who was subjected to hormones and a double mastectomy as a child. Two new studies found that one in three young Snapchat users encounters unsafe content or messages at least weekly, including sexual material, graphic violence, self-harm content, bullying, and unwanted contact from strangers. A federal judge blocked Michigan from enforcing provisions that could force pro-life organizations to hire employees who oppose their mission and provide health insurance covering abortions. A Florida congressional candidate and former U.S. Marine, William Upham, is facing backlash after posting a video calling President Donald Trump "the Antichrist" and saying the president "must be killed." Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe just signed a law that allows first-degree murder charges against anyone who kills a child left alive after a botched abortion procedure.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
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July 15th, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Bonaventure!
The United Nations condemned the renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran in the Middle East yesterday, warning that closing the Strait of Hormuz again would harm human rights in that region and beyond. Senate Democrats yesterday blocked a $1.15 trillion defense bill yesterday, objecting to the Iran War, the record price tag, and provisions that would deepen America's military, intelligence, and technology ties to Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the administration will use sanctions, visa restrictions, and diplomatic pressure to dismantle the International Criminal Court “brick by brick, if necessary,” arguing it claims authority over Americans despite the U.S. never ratifying its founding treaty. A new ballot initiative that will reach Idaho voters in November would establish a broad right to “reproductive freedom,” allowing abortion up to "fetal viability" and afterward in medical emergencies. British counterterrorism police say the killing of former Conservative minister and Catholic convert Ann Widdecombe was clearly targeted, though investigators have not yet admitted a motive. Supreme Court justices are seeking more protection, and described the increase in threats during testimony before Congress. 
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 14th, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha!
In a letter that President Trump sent Congress on Friday, he formally acknowledged that he had resumed the active strikes on Iran that administration officials had previously said had been suspended. The US blockade on Iran will resume later today. Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham Nordone, the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham's younger sister, to serve the remaining months of his term. President Trump said he had recommended the move as "a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!" Sen. Jim Banks introduced legislation that would rein in the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and foreign nationals who enter the nation for so-called "birth tourism." The Society of St. Pius X filed a formal appeal of the Vatican decree declaring its July 1 episcopal consecrations a schismatic act. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileoné called for wider access to the Traditional Latin Mass and more reverent Novus Ordo liturgies following the SSPX schism, while urging Catholics to pray for renewed dialogue with Rome. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to make it easier for people to get compensated for injuries that came from COVID-19 vaccines, and the department is crafting a list of the injuries that people could use to seek compensation.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 13th, 2026 - Happy feasts of Emperor St. Henry II & St. Mildred!
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday after a sudden cardiovascular emergency. Condolences and tributes continue to be issued. Actor Sam Neill, renowned for roles including in the blockbuster film “Jurassic Park”, also passed away suddenly over the weekend, at the age of 78. U.S. forces launched another round of strikes against Iran Sunday, after Saturday's bombardment hit roughly 140 targets in retaliation for an attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran answered with missile and drone attacks on Gulf nations hosting U.S. forces. Israeli media claims “A Western intelligence service intercepted a plot to assassinate President Trump during his visit to the NATO summit in Turkey and alerted U.S. authorities, prompting Trump to switch his return aircraft back to the U.S.” Pope Leo XIV warned after Sunday's Angelus that "the winds of war are blowing once again" across the Middle East, Ukraine, and elsewhere. The Holy Father urged the world not to lose hope and renewed his appeal for dialogue and diplomacy as the only path to a just and lasting peace. Armed Israeli settlers detained Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and his delegation during a West Bank fact-finding visit, surrounding their van with American-made rifles. Khanna said Israeli soldiers initially sided with the masked gunmen before police intervened, deepening tensions between the Netanyahu government and Washington. Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said Sunday that a fall linked to his post-polio condition left him unconscious and hospitalized, and that he later developed pneumonia. McConnell said he is not ready to return to the Senate floor, and doesn’t know when he will be. British police arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of murder of Conservative lawmaker Ann Widdecombe, a prominent Catholic convert and outspoken defender of Church teaching.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 10th, 2026 - Happy feast of the Seven Holy Brothers!
California’s case against pro-life abortion pill reversal groups came under scrutiny yesterday after the state’s lead expert admitted he could not say the Abortion Pill Reversal does not work or that it is unsafe. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin about efforts to reach a negotiated end to the Russia-Ukraine war, days after one of Russia’s largest combined attacks on Kyiv. The Little Sisters of the Poor asked a federal appeals court to restore their exemption from the Obama-era contraceptive mandate, saying the requirement threatens their ministry to the elderly poor and dying. The Trump administration's Federal Trade Commission and five states reached a settlement with John Deere over alleged unfair repair restrictions, requiring the company to give farmers and independent stores access to repair tools and software. A federal appeals court let Florida continue its lawsuit accusing the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups of misleading families about subjecting kids to “transgender” drugs and medical procedures. Andy Burnham has all but succeeded in his attempt to become British prime minister without a contest by winning the support of 322 MPs. He is just one short of the 323 needed before it is mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him. If no one else enters the contest, Burnham will be declared Labour leader next week before taking office as prime minister on 20 July.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 9th, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Veronica Giuliani, the Martyrs of Gorkum and the Franciscan Martyrs of China!
The U.S. military struck roughly 90 targets in Iran on Wednesday, widening a fast-moving exchange after the end of the ceasefire. U.S. officials said the strikes were aimed at Iranian military sites tied to missile, drone and maritime threats after attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Fourteen women harmed by abortion drugs urged Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to settle a lawsuit challenging mail-order abortion pills. In a letter addressed to Blanche, the women joined a growing chorus of pro-life leaders pushing the Trump administration to stop defending Biden-era policies allowing chemical abortion by telehealth and mail. The Trump administration launched a major new probe into H-1B visa fraud and abuse, with Vance saying the Department of Labor is issuing subpoenas into foreign fraudsters accused of exploiting laborers, faking applications, and displacing American workers. Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) finally suspended his campaign yesterday after scores of fellow Democrats called him to step down due to sexual assault allegations. He denied all accusations, attributing his decision to total withdrawal of support by his party. Video testimony from Lance Twiggs, the former homosexual lover of suspected Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson, will be played in court this morning as a weeklong preliminary hearing nears its end.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 8th, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Elizabeth of Portugal!
Rep. Chris Smith introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning China’s new “ethnic unity” law, warning that it gives Beijing legal cover for forced assimilation and religious repression at home and abroad. A federal judge blocked the Justice Department’s subpoena seeking names and personal contact information for every person who worked during the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County. A district judge has ruled that the January 6th pipe bomber is not protected by President Trump’s pardons. President Trump said early this morning that he considers the ceasefire with Iran to be “over”, telling reporters that the agreement had become a “waste of time.” Three commercial vessels were struck by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz between Monday and Tuesday. And U.S. Central Command said yesterday that American forces had begun launching strikes against Iran in response. The preliminary hearing against Tyler Robinson continued yesterday, with new evidence being presented to the public, showing the DNA evidence of Tyler on items at the sniper perch from which he is accused of shooting Charlie Kirk, and video evidence of him on campus. The US has condemned the disappearance of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata by authorities in Nicaragua. An unconditional release has been demanded, while Senator Rick Scott has demanded that proof be provided that the bishop is still alive. Legal counsel for the Little Sisters of the Poor delivered oral arguments to a federal appellate court yesterday as the Catholic religious society continued its 15-year legal battle over contraception mandates.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 7th, 2026 - Happy feast of Ss. Cyril & Methodius!
Federal Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood have now resumed after a one-year defunding provision expired, drawing sharp criticism from pro-life groups. Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner denied a rape allegation reported by POLITICO. Nonetheless, reports suggest he is considering dropping out of the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. President Donald Trump marked the launch of Trump Accounts by ringing the NYSE and Nasdaq opening bells from the Oval Office, beginning a federal savings program that gives eligible children investment accounts. A Vatican meeting of bishops in October will focus on divorce and separation, it has been revealed, and may center on Amoris Laetitia. Several U.S. bishops have now urged Catholics to pray for unity and avoid SSPX parishes after the Vatican declared the society schismatic over its illicit episcopal ordinations. The mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, is weighing whether to impose a curfew for minors following a series of shootings and chaotic events over the Independence Day weekend, in which several fights broke out and nine people were shot amid a series of teen takeovers across the country.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 6th, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Maria Goretti!
Pope Leo XIV made an unscheduled and unprecedented Fourth of July visit to U.S. Ambassador Brian Burch's residence in Rome, sharing a classic American meal before closing the evening singing "God Bless America" together in the garden. The US Navy has announced the passing of an airman who went missing after a helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea. NPR has issued a retraction, now stating that Justice Samuel Alito has NOT announced his retirement, despite their brief announcement that he had. Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to mark the July 5 conclusion of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. He also highlighted America's "largely unknown" Catholic heritage, pointing to a Mass celebrated by Spanish explorers in St. Augustine, Florida in 1583 as evidence that the U.S. was "imbued with a sense of faith that recognizes God's sovereignty even before its formal establishment." Tyler Robinson, the 23-year-old man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last year, is due in court today for a week-long preliminary hearing that will determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move the case toward trial. Minnesota’s Board of Pardons granted clemency to a pedophile in order to prevent his deportation by ICE. A young English man, Cody Harper, went viral over the weekend as a video showed him being assaulted by a group of black men before being arrested by British police.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 3rd, 2026 - Happy Independence Day (Observed)!
Sarah and Jake discuss St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, filial piety, patriotism, and American Catholicism.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 2nd, 2026 - Happy feast of the Visitation!
The Holy See has responded to the SSPX consecrations with a clear formal message, declaring all their ministers to be schismatic. Hours after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship and struck down President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to limit it, the Department of Justice directed federal prosecutors to prioritize investigations and prosecutions of fraudulent birth tourism schemes. Jessica Gorman testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee Monday, urging lawmakers to end sanctuary policies she said enabled the March murder of her 18-year-old daughter, Sheridan, a Loyola University Chicago freshman who was fatally shot while walking along the Chicago lakefront. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against several Colorado janitorial firms, accusing them of excluding qualified American and non-Hispanic applicants from at least 2016 to 2022. Indirect U.S.-Iran negotiations mediated by Qatar and Pakistan concluded yesterday with both sides citing progress on implementing last month's ceasefire, but disagreeing over whether they'd agreed to release part of Iran's roughly $6 billion in frozen assets. Capt. Brandon Jones-Adams pleaded guilty at his June 24 court-martial to intentionally killing an unborn child after secretly placing the abortion drug mifepristone in the drink of his pregnant then-girlfriend, causing her to miscarry at 13 weeks. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

July 1st, 2026 - Happy feast of the Precious Blood!
The Superior General of the SSPX responded to Pope Leo’s letter within hours yesterday, signaling his intent to move ahead and his request that Pope Leo approve the consecrations. The consecrations then took place without papal approval in the early hours of this morning. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 yesterday that states may reserve women's and girls' sports for only females under the 14th Amendment and Title IX, upholding laws in Idaho and West Virginia and setting a precedent for similar laws in 27 states. The Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump's executive order that would have required at least one parent to be a citizen or lawful permanent resident. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Trump administration is restoring the Presidential Fitness Test, with schools nationwide set to begin administering it this fall. It was first introduced under President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s and was phased out under Obama. Terrorists in Nigeria have kidnapped women and children from a school in a Christian town. Please pray for their safe return. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Payne granted the Department of Justice's (DOJ) motion for a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit challenging Virginia's new Mask/Identity statute.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

June 30th, 2026 - Happy feasts of St. Paul & the Roman Martyrs!
Luigi Mangione’s federal trial has been officially pushed back until January 2027. The Supreme Court declined yesterday to hear President Trump's appeal of a $5 million civil judgment against him after a 2023 federal jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll. The U.S. committed $150 million in humanitarian assistance and deployed search-and-rescue teams to Venezuela following twin earthquakes that killed more than 1,700 people, while Pope Leo XIV authorized an emergency Vatican donation and Catholic Relief Services mobilized through the Caritas Venezuela network. President Donald Trump said yesterday that U.S. envoys will meet with Iranian representatives in Doha today, calling it a meeting Iran had "requested" — though Tehran denied asking for direct talks. Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the SSPX Superior General, pleading with the society to halt the consecrations. Bishop Robert Barron warned yesterday that Americans should not be complacent about the growing political success of self-described socialists and communists, arguing that communism is fundamentally hostile to religion.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org

June 29th, 2026 - Happy feast of Ss. Peter & Paul!
Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty to one count of retaining national defense information, admitting misconduct after an indictment accused him of keeping and transmitting highly sensitive material after leaving the White House. Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement for a limited Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, closing out four days of U.S.-mediated negotiations at the State Department. The U.S. and Iran agreed yesterday to stop attacking each other and plan to meet Tuesday in Qatar to address the Strait of Hormuz dispute. The reported pause follows a weekend of renewed strikes that strained the 11-day-old ceasefire, after Iran attacked a commercial oil tanker. President Donald Trump has selected Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security Lance Schroyer to be the next Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director, citing his experience locking up “the worst of the worst.” The largest fire in the U.S., the Cottonwood Fire, now stretches more than 144 square miles and remains 0% contained. On Saturday, six states, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah, underwent Red Flag Warnings for dangerous weather conditions after the fire continued growing overnight. After Mid Vermont Christian School forfeited a girls' basketball game against a team with a male player, Vermont barred the school from its state-funded tuition program and athletic league. The official death toll following twin earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 1,450 people, but tens of thousands still remain unaccounted for.
Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason.
RiseRight.org