By electing Pope Leo XIV, some see Vatican making very American political play  —  (RNS) — As Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost walked out on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica on Thursday (May 8) and took the name Pope Leo XIV, Steven P. Millies' initial reaction was a mixture of elation and disbelief.

Trump eying Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for top prosecutor in DC  —  Pirro, if chosen, would be interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.  —  Judge Jeanine Pirro speaks following an exclusive interview with Daniel Penny for FOX Nation, Dec. 10, 2024, in New York.

For Immediate Release  —  For Further Information Contact:  —  Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, David H. Souter, died peacefully yesterday at home in New Hampshire.  He was 85 years old.  Justice Souter was appointed to the Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 …

Justice Sotomayor Says Lawyers Must ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Fight This Fight’  —  In pointed remarks, the justice told an audience of hundreds of lawyers that she had joined them as “an act of solidarity.”  —  Justice Sonia Sotomayor, speaking to hundreds of lawyers at an American Bar Association event …

The U.S.-U.K. deal shows the trade war is here to stay  —  Markets cheered the new trade pact between the U.S. and U.K. yesterday.  — But the details show that trade war relief will only go so far, even as the de-escalation road map becomes clearer.  —  The big picture …

President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden  —  President Donald Trump abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.

Here's what we know about Trump's June 14 D.C. military parade  —  With June 14 fast approaching, President Trump's proposed military parade is yet to be finalized, but permit applications give us a glimpse into the spectacle that's expected to cost tens of millions of dollars.

Barnard suspends WKCR and Spectator reporters who covered Butler Library protest  —  Barnard and Columbia issued interim suspensions Thursday afternoon to four student journalists who covered a Wednesday pro-Palestinian protest in Butler Library, citing “information received” …

New Pope Has Creole Roots in New Orleans  —  His ancestry, traced to a historic enclave of Afro-Caribbean culture, links Leo XIV to the rich and sometimes overlooked Black Catholic experience in America.  —  Robert Francis Prevost, the Chicago-born cardinal selected on Thursday as the new pope …

‘Harrowing’: Video shows Worcester police hold girl's face on ground during ICE operation  —  Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra captured video of a 16-year-old girl's face being held on the ground by Worcester police officers; she and her mother were detained in an apparent ICE operation

Trump Officials Seek to Bring First White Afrikaner Refugees to U.S. Next Week  —  The rapid relocation of the Afrikaners, who President Trump says have been racially persecuted in South Africa, stands in stark contrast to the virtual shutdown of all other refugee admissions.

Here is a specific thing you can do to fight Trump's politicization of public services  —  Trump's maximalist strategy of firing off one executive action after another seeks to overwhelm us.  Finding some tangible way to respond sometimes feels impossible.  So, here is something that you can do:

Why Asian and Mexican immigrants, moments away from being deported to Libya, never left the U.S.  —  The immigrants were woken up at 2:30 a.m. and boarded on a bus to wait for hours outside a military plane in Texas.  They were then sent back to solitary confinement.

DHS Secretary Flouts SCOTUS Order, Says ‘No Scenario’ Where Abrego Garcia Comes Back  —  Kristi Noem said the deported Maryland man “will not be coming back” despite a court order, a claim that one Democratic senator called “incredibly chilling.”  —  WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem …

SPJ views proposed VOA/OAN deal as affront to sidelined USAGM journalists  —  CONTACT:  —  Emily Bloch, SPJ National President, [email protected]  —  Dan Kubiske, SPJ International Community Co-Chair, [email protected]  —  Kim Tsuyuki, SPJ Communications Specialist, [email protected]

Jewish feud over Trump escalates with open letter in The New York Times  —  Dozens of former leaders say the organizations they once led are being ‘far too silent’  —  More than three dozen former leaders of major Jewish organizations published an open letter in The New York Times rebuking current leadership …

Republicans Just Made It Legal to Take Homes from Legal Immigrants in Texas  —  In 2012, a study linked low IQ, racism, and conservatism.  Another study from 2015 l inks cognitive ability with right-wing ideology and prejudice.  A third study, from 2019, found that cognitive inflexibility predicts extremism.

X restricts access to jailed Istanbul mayor's account under court order but challenges decision  —  The X social media platform has blocked access to jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's X social media account in Turkey, complying with a Turkish court order

Wild: House bill would strip courts of contempt enforcement power  —  In the ongoing public discussion about whether the courts will try to rein in the Trump administration's lawlessness, or will prevail in a resulting showdown if they do, the story that follows has been simmering below the surface for a couple of weeks.

US Customs and Border Protection Quietly Revokes Protections for Pregnant Women and Infants  —  CBP's acting commissioner has rescinded four Biden-era policies that aimed to protect vulnerable people in the agency's custody, including mothers, infants, and the elderly.

The Hypocrisy of Fetterman's Defenders  —  Dismissing evidence that a politician might be unfit for office is as much a mistake for the right as it was for the left.  —  Remember the days after President Joe Biden's barely-coherent debate performance, when Democratic dead-enders insisted that nothing was the matter?