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.

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 …

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.

Trump Officials Seek to Bring First White Afrikaners to U.S. as Refugees 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.

‘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

Crypto Is Still for Criming  —  Yesterday “the president” announced a trade “deal” with “Britain.”  IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING, I'M TRYING TO EMULATE TRUMP'S STYLE, WITH RANDOM QUOTATION MARKS AND BLOCK CAPITALS, PLUS EXCLAMATION POINTS AT WEIRD PLACES!  —  Anyway, as I predicted yesterday …

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” …

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 …

Air traffic controllers for Newark airport briefly lose radar access again  —  The air traffic controllers directing planes into the Newark, New Jersey, airport lost their radar Friday morning for the second time in two weeks.  —  The Federal Aviation Administration said the radar at the facility …

MAGA and the American Pope  —  Habemus papam Americanum!  —  When a kid from Chicago's South Side sits on the throne of St. Peter, it's either the greatest moment in American history or a sign that the Seventh Seal is opening.  Either way, tonight we can say that Bobby Prevost truly made America great again.

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 …

Man ‘Disappeared’ by ICE Was on El Salvador Flight Manifest, Hacked Data Shows  —  Ricardo Prada Vásquez, a Venezuelan man whose family says he was “disappeared” and who wasn't included on a previously leaked government list of people sent to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador …

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:

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.

Pam Bondi Spilled Epstein Secrets to Bogus ‘Nanny’ at Brunch  —  NANNY CAM  —  The attorney general was reportedly caught on a hidden camera talking to a woman hired by James O'Keefe to pose as a nanny.  —  Days before she announced “thousands of videos” of evidence in the Jeffrey Epstein case …

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 …

Postal Service Board of Governors appoints David Steiner to be 76th Postmaster General and CEO of the United States Postal Service  —  WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors today announced that they have chosen David Steiner to be America's 76th Postmaster General and CEO.

D.C.-area economy starts to show deep impacts of federal spending cuts  —  Unemployment claims are rising and consumers are pulling back on spending, sparking worries of an economic slump in the region on par with the one that occurred during the pandemic.  —  The D.C. region's economy …

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions  —  Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund  —  The National Science Foundation (NSF), already battered by White House directives and staff reductions, is plunging into deeper turmoil.

Few support punitive funding cuts to colleges and universities  —  Most of the public believes that colleges and universities make significant contributions to scientific and technological advancement and think their federal research funding should be maintained.

Kash Patel's new way of leading the FBI: Fewer morning intel briefings, more pro sports events  —  Supporters of the new director say he is bringing needed change.  Some current and former FBI and DOJ officials worry he is not taking the job seriously enough.

Internal polling shows Fetterman's support is tanking with Democrats in his backyard  —  The survey indicates a potential “freak-out moment” for the Pennsylvania senator who has made Pittsburgh — his home region — core to his brand.  —  John Fetterman's popularity is sinking among Democratic voters …

Gavin Newsom tweaks Trump's tariffs in new Fox News ad  —  The California governor says Trump's tariffs “punish families.”  —  Gavin Newsom is taking his anti-tariffs message to a place most likely to get President Donald Trump's attention: Fox News.  —  The California governor …

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.

Pope Leo XIV Sent an Unmistakable Signal About His Commitment to Social Justice  —  The new pope has taken a name that recalls Pope Leo XIII, who wrote the outline for modern Catholic social justice teaching.  —  Bluesky  —  Pocket  —  Pope Leo XIII, the leader of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903 …

Measles hits 1,000 cases — for the second time in 30 years  —  The new figure comes as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly delivered mixed messages about the outbreak.  —  The measles outbreak has surpassed 1,000 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday …

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.

Democrats fume over Biden's return to spotlight  —  Democrats are blasting former President Biden's reemergence in the spotlight following his interview Thursday on “The View,” his second major post-presidency interview.  —  During the sit-down, which took place alongside former first lady Jill Biden …

Fight Over ‘Green New Scam’ Complicates Trump's Tax Plans  —  GOP lawmakers are divided on Biden's clean-energy incentives as final provisions of Republican agenda are ironed out  —  WASHINGTON—Republicans are split sharply over whether and how to repeal hundreds of billions of dollars …