Tag: Weight class (boxing)

“Saturday Night Live” opened its penultimate episode of the 43rd season with a special message for and from mothers on the eve of Mother’s Day instead of its usual political satire. Cast members introduced their mothers to the audience, standing side by side on stage. Kenan Thompson’s mother noted that she likes the show, “except for all of the political stuff.” “We get it!” she said. After Mikey Day reminded his mother he was in a production of “The Crucible,” she replied that such a story is “a lot like the witch hunt against President Trump.” Luke Nell’s mother followed suit, advising him “enough with the Trump jokes.” It didn’t seem to matter that he reminded her he doesn’t write them, as she continued, “And why doesn’t ‘SNL’ ever talk about crooked Hillary! ?” “I’m so new here, please do not do this to me,” he replied. Chris Redd asked his mother not to do it to him, either, but she had bigger fish to fry than issues over politics. “Jesus isn’t president, Mom,” he pointed out. “And that’s the problem!” she said. Colin Jost’s mother said she thinks Alec Baldwin does a great Trump impression but thinks it is too mean. And Melissa McCarthy popped by as the “world’s proudest stepmom.” Meanwhile, the political talk was mostly contained to “Weekend Update,” with Jost talking about Trump helping secure the prisoners from North Korea, saying that he was having a good week because he didn’t even say “Wait, I thought they were Americans” when greeting them and that although Trump claimed to have the highest 3 a.m. ratings over such an event, the actual highest ratings at that time came on election night “from liberals hoping they were being pranked.” “Sure, this is a decent week for Trump,” conceded Che.

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, says he is following the example of Pope Francis when he offers spiritual guidance on political issues such as immigration and gun control. PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Often criticized for bringing his voice into the political arena, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas J. Tobin on Tuesday defended that practice, saying he is compelled by his faith to speak on issues of morality. His comments do not always win him support from liberals — or conservatives — the bishop said in a wide-ranging interview with The Providence Journal Editorial Board. “I’ve often thought it’s funny if I’m speaking about whatever — immigration, gun control — conservatives will say, ‘Stay out of it, it’s not your business,’” the bishop said. “If you want moral, ethical, spiritual, religious input on something, I don’t expect necessarily the unions to do it or the political leaders or the corporate world,” Bishop Tobin said. “That’s going to be an ongoing part of the life of the diocese, I think, as our numbers change and the numbers of priests change.” He added: “So what do we do? ... It’s just an historical change, I think, and that’s what we have to navigate our way through.” — The continuing shortage of priests, which Bishop Tobin called “our biggest pastoral challenge.” Of the approximately 220 priests in the diocese, the bishop said, 90 are retired, and in the last seven years, 64 priests have left active ministry. “I think the decline in church affiliation and worship-service attendance — that’s across the board, Catholics, mainline Protestants, other faith communities as well.” Still, he added, “we still have a very, very strong Catholic presence in the state,” with certain parishes, largely Hispanic, especially popular. Some 11,500 students are being educated currently, the bishop said, but a decline in the numbers of all children in the state, referenced in this year’s Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook, which the bishop cited, will have an effect. “The schools we have are doing well and they’re important, but there will be some more closings and mergers in the future just because of the [overall statewide] numbers.” — Helping people.