- In a somewhat surprising announcement, Pope Francis encouraged Catholic priests to absolve women who ask for forgiveness for having abortions [1]. The pope made the announcement in an Apostolic letter released publicly Monday, and it's a continuation of the pope's Year of Mercy [2] platform that ended on Sunday. The letter allows all priests to forgive abortions, whereas only bishops could do so before. While the pope's proclamation still described abortion as a "grave sin," it echoes his calls for forgiveness in the Catholic faith.
- It's not the best week for Kanye West [3]. After digressing into a minutes-long rant before walking off stage [4] during a concert in Sacramento, CA, over the weekend, the rapper announced that he was canceling the rest of his Saint Pablo tour [5]. The announcement, which cited exhaustion as the cause for cancellation, came after another rant last week at a concert in San Jose, CA, where West said he didn't vote, but if he did it would have been for Trump [6]. There were 21 shows left on the Saint Pablo tour.
- From foes to allies. Donald Trump [7] met with more potential Cabinet members [8] over the weekend at his golf course in Bedminster, NJ. One visitor of note? Mitt Romney, who was once quite critical of Trump. The former Massachusetts governor and 2012 presidential candidate met with the president-elect to allegedly discuss joining his team as secretary of state.
- In world news, ISIS orchestrated a massive terror attack in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul [9]. A suicide bomber from the Sunni Islamic State targeted a Shiite mosque and detonated a bomb during a worship service where hundreds had gathered. The New York Times reports that at least 30 people were killed by the explosion.
- Another stage, another Trump protest [10]. Green Day performed at the American Music Awards on Sunday night and led the crowd in an anti-Trump chant during one of their songs [11]. Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer, declared and repeated in the middle of their song "Bang, Bang": "No Trump, No KKK, No fascist USA." The chant is a nod to a song by an Austin-based punk band that has become an unofficial anti-Trump anthem.