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by Robert Faturechi ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. After President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs earlier this month, the White House released a list of more than a thousand products that would be exempted. One item that made the list is polyethylene terephthalate, more commonly known as PET resin, the thermoplastic used to make plastic bottles. Why it was spared is unclear, and even people in the industry are confused about the reason for the reprieve. But its inclusion is a win for Reyes Holdings, a Coca-Cola bottler that ranks among the largest privately held companies in the U.S. and is owned by a pair of brothers who have donated millions of dollars to Republican causes. Records show the company recently hired a lobbying firm with close ties to the Trump White House to make its case on tariffs.Whether the companys lobbying played any role in the exemption is unclear. Reyes Holdings and its lobbyists did not respond to questions from ProPublica. The White House also did not comment, but some industry advocates say the administration has rebuffed requests for exemptions.The resins unexplained inclusion on the list exemplifies how opaque the administrations process for crafting its tariff policy has been. Major stakeholders are in the dark about why certain products face levies and others dont. Tariff rates have been altered without any clear explanation for the changes. Administration officials have given conflicting messages about the tariffs or declined to answer questions at all. The lack of transparency about the process has created concerns among trade experts that politically connected firms might be winning carve-outs behind closed doors.It could be corruption, but it could just as easily be incompetence, a lobbyist who works on tariff policy said of PET resins inclusion. To be honest, this was such a hurried mess, I am not sure who got into the White House to talk to folks about the list. During the first Trump administration, there was a formal process for seeking an exemption from tariffs. Companies submitted hundreds of thousands of applications making the case for why their products should be spared. The applications were public, so the machinery of the tariff crafting process could be more closely examined. Such transparency allowed academics to subsequently analyze thousands of the applications and determine that political donors to Republicans were more likely to be granted exemptions. In Trumps second term, at least thus far, there has not been a formal application process for tariff carve-outs. Industry executives and lobbyists are making their case behind closed doors. The Wall Street Journals editorial board last week called the opacity of the process for getting an exemption the Beltway Swamps dream. In the executive order formalizing Trumps new tariffs, including baseline 10% tariffs for almost all countries, exemptions were broadly defined as products in the pharmaceutical, semiconductor, lumber, copper, critical minerals and energy sectors. An accompanying list detailed the specific products that would be spared. But a ProPublica review of that list found many items that dont fit neatly, or at all, in those broad categories, and some items that fall squarely within the categories were not spared.The White House exclusions list, for example, included most types of asbestos, which is not generally considered a critical mineral and doesnt seem to fit in any of the exempted categories. The cancer-causing mineral, which is not generally considered critical to national security or the U.S. economy, is still used to make chlorine, but the Biden administrations Environmental Protection Agency banned imports of the material last year. The Trump administration has signaled it may roll back some of those Biden-era restrictions.A spokesperson for the American Chemistry Council, which had pushed back on the ban because it could hurt the chlorine industry, said the trade group played no role in lobbying for asbestos to get a tariff exemption and didnt know why it was included. (Two major chlorine companies also showed no indication of lobbying on the tariffs in their disclosure forms.) Other items that landed on the list, despite not falling into exempted categories, are far more innocuous. Among them: coral, shells and cuttlebone, a part of the cuttlefish that is used as a dietary supplement for pets. PET resin also doesnt fit neatly in any of the exempted categories. Its possible the administration counted it as an energy product, experts said, because its ingredients are derived from petroleum. But other products that would have met that same low bar were not included. We are as surprised as anybody, said Ralph Vasami, executive director of the PET Resin Association, a trade group for the industry. The resin, he said, has no application for the exempted categories, unless you count the packaging those products come in.During the fourth quarter of last year, the same period when Trump won the election, records show Reyes Holdings, the Coca-Cola bottler, enlisted Ballard Partners to lobby on tariffs. During the first quarter of this year, when Trump was inaugurated, records show that Ballard began lobbying the Commerce Department, which shapes trade policy, on tariffs.The firm has become a destination for companies looking for an in with the Trump administration. It once lobbied for Trumps own company, the Trump Organization, and its staff has included top officials in the administration, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi and the presidents chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Brian Ballard, its founder and a prolific fundraiser for Trump, was named by Politico the most powerful lobbyist in Trumps Washington. He was one of two lobbyists from the firm who lobbied on tariffs for Reyes Holdings, federal disclosure records show.The billionaire brothers behind Reyes Holdings, Chris and Jude Reyes, also have their own political ties. While they have given to some Democratic candidates, the bulk of their political donations have gone to Republican causes, campaign finance disclosures show. And after Trumps first election win, Chris Reyes was invited to Mar-a-Lago to meet privately with Trump. The PET resin carve-out isnt just a break for Reyes Holdings. Its a boon to other firms that buy the resin to manufacture bottles and the beverage companies that use them. Earlier this year, the CEO of Coca-Cola said the company would transition to using more plastic bottles in the face of new tariffs on aluminum, a plan that might have been dashed if the thermoplastics were also hit with new tariffs. Disclosure records show the company also lobbied this year about tariffs on the Hill, but the documents dont provide detail about which policies in particular, and the company did not respond to questions from ProPublica. (Coca-Cola has looked to make inroads with Trump, donating about $250,000 for his inauguration, and the CEO presented Trump with a personalized bottle of his favorite soda, Diet Coke.) Another industry that appears to have done relatively well lobbying for carve-outs from the recent tariffs is agriculture. The exemption list includes various pesticide and fertilizer ingredients.The American Farm Bureau Federation, an agricultural lobby, took credit for some of those exemptions in an analysis posted on its website recently, calling exemptions for peat and potash hard fought for by agricultural organizations such as the American Farm Bureau Federation and a testament to the effectiveness of farmers and ranchers raising their collective voice.There are a number of other imports that dont neatly fall into any of the exempted categories but might if the categories were defined loosely. One example is sucralose, the artificial sweetener. Its inclusion will largely help companies that use the product in food and beverages. But sucralose is also sometimes used in drugs to make them more palatable. Its not clear if the White House gave it a pass under the pharmaceutical exemption or for some other reason.Even for the items that were spared, the reprieve may just be temporary. The broad categories exempted are largely industries that are being investigated by the administration for potential future tariffs under its authority to administer levies to protect national security. Alex Mierjeski and Agnel Philip contributed research.

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Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Sunday, May 25, 2014. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, file)2025-04-21T18:12:16Z DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) In the last 18 months of his life, Pope Francis had a frequent evening ritual: He would call the lone Catholic church in the Gaza Strip to see how people huddled inside were coping with a devastating war.That small act of compassion made a big impression on Gazas tiny Christian community and was why he was remembered at his death Monday as a beloved father figure in the beleaguered territory.I was deeply saddened. He was our biggest supporter after God, said Suheil Abu Dawoud, a 19-year-old Christian in Gaza.Francis always healed our wounds and asked us to be strong, he said. He was always praying for us.In his last public appearance, Francis called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group. A fervent advocate of interfaith relations, he also urged Hamas to release the dozens of Israeli hostages it is holding and condemned growing global antisemitism. In his Easter message, Francis expressed his closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people.While noting the growing antisemitism, he added: I think of the people of Gaza and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Some 59 hostages remain in captivity, 24 of them believed to be alive. Israels offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed over 51,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Most of Gazas 2.3 million people remain homeless.Things have worsened over the past month since Israel ended a ceasefire and imposed a closure blocking all humanitarian aid into Gaza. Aid officials say thousands of children have beome malnourished and most people have little more than one meal a day. I appeal to the warring parties: Call on a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of starving people that aspires to a future of peace! Francis said in his final address.That appeal also went unheeded. On Monday, Israels airstrikes killed at least 14 people, according to medical officials.In Israel, the pope left a more complicated legacy. He was widely appreciated for his outreach to the Jewish people and tough stance against antisemitism. He also was an advocate for freeing the hostages, meeting with their families during the war.Israeli President Isaac Herzog remembered Francis as a man of deep faith and boundless compassion.I truly hope that his prayers for peace in the Middle East and for the safe return of the hostages will soon be answered, Herzog wrote on social media.In the past year and a half of war, Francis became increasingly outspoken in his criticism of the Israeli militarys harsh tactics. A month into the war, he urged an investigation into whether Israels war amounted to genocide - a charge Israel vehemently denies. In December, Francis expressed his pain thinking of Gaza, of such cruelty, to the machine-gunning of children, to the bombing of schools and hospitals. ... How much cruelty!The next month, he called the ongoing humanitarian crisis very serious and shameful.Francis was mourned throughout the Arab world and by U.N. officials, including Philippe Lazzarini, head of the agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. He posted on X that the popes voice has contributed to draw the attention to significant dehumanization of the war in Gaza & beyond.Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Francis was a steadfast advocate for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, particularly in his unwavering stance against the war and acts of genocide perpetrated against our people in Gaza in recent months.The Holy Lands Christian community has dwindled over the decades through emigration and a low birthrate and makes up just a small percentage of the overall population. Only 1,000 Christians live in Gaza, an overwhelmingly Muslim territory, according to the U.S. State Departments international religious freedom report for 2024. The report says the majority of Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox but they also include other Christians, including Roman Catholics.Last year, Francis told CBS 60 Minutes that he calls a priest daily at 7 p.m. at the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, to hear what is happening to the nearly 600 people sheltering at the facility.The other day, they were happy because they managed to eat some meat. The rest of the time they eat flour, things made of flour, Francis told the program. Sometimes they go hungry and they tell me things. There is a lot of suffering. Its very tough. Very tough. The food arrives, people rush to get it, he said. The Rev. Gabriele Romanelli, a church official, said Francis last call came Saturday.Suhair Anastas, a Palestinian woman who was part of a group that met Francis in 2023 after she fled Gaza, said she felt great sadness over his death.Anastas, who is Greek Orthodox, had sheltered at the church compound in Gaza before she left.He did stand by us, by letting us stay at the church and by taking care of everyone in the church, she said. I know he wasnt able to stop the genocide ... but I dont know who can.When she met the pope, Anastas had mixed emotions. The experience was breathtaking, she said, but she added she also felt traumatized, sad and guilty that youre meeting him and others are still under bombardment.She said she will remember the pope for standing with us to a certain extent, but I wish he could have done more.George Antoun, an official at the church, told The Associated Press the popes interest gave the community hope and inspiration.Francis was like a father worried for his children and would ask whether there was food, medical care and medicine, he said.He was with us step by step and day by day, Antoun said.Dont be afraid. I am with you and praying for you and I will protect you, Antoun quoted Francis as saying. He left a big inheritance in Gaza. He is the saint of Gaza.___Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Mariam Fam in Cairo contributed to this report. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Pope Francis attends a prayer for peace at Rome's St. Mary Major Basilica, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, file)2025-04-22T04:15:19Z A change in popes through death or resignation is a complicated process, with centuries-old rituals involving the transition in leadership for both the spiritual head of the global Catholic Church and the Vaticans head of state.These are the need-to-know terms some of them in Latin to help make sense of news in the coming days:Who is the Vatican camerlengo?This is the chamberlain the cardinal in charge of formally verifying the popes death and then sealing his room and study. Between then and the election of the new pope, the camerlengo administers the goods and temporal rights of the Holy See. The current one is the Irish-born American Cardinal Kevin Farrell.Who is in the College of Cardinals?There are 252 cardinals worldwide, and as a body, they are in charge of the Holy Sees affairs in-between popes, albeit with limits. Of them, 135 are cardinal electors, who gather in the Vatican to choose the new pope. For centuries, they have chosen one of their own. The vast majority of the electors 108 were made cardinals by Pope Francis, according to Vatican statistics. What is the conclave?This is the closed-door meeting of the cardinal electors to choose the new pope in the Sistine Chapel. Its name, literally with a key, was used in the 13th century to describe the process of locking up the cardinals until the election is completed. It must begin no more than 20 days after the death or resignation of a pope. The electors are sequestered from all outsiders for the duration; the last three popes were chosen within days. Who is the dean of the College of Cardinals?The current dean is Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re. He is the head of the College of Cardinals who informs the rest of the cardinals and the ambassadors to the Holy See of the popes death once he learns of it from the camerlengo. He convenes the conclave and presides as the electors take their oaths. Once a new pope is chosen, the dean asks him if he accepts and what name he wants to be called. What is the Domus Santa Marta?This Vatican guesthouse, built in 1996, specifically houses cardinals during a conclave and is used at other times as a hotel for visiting priests and Vatican officials. Pope Francis never moved out after he was elected pope, choosing to live in suite 201, rather than the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. What does extra omnes mean?A Latin phrase for all out, its spoken by the master for papal liturgical celebrations, currently Italian Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to ask all those present except the cardinal electors to leave the Sistine Chapel to begin the voting process during the conclave.Why is the popes ring called the fishermans ring?Each pope gets this ring at the Mass marking the beginning of his pontificate. It bears this name because Jesus told St. Peter, the first pope, that he would be a fisher of men. Until the 1990s, it was destroyed upon a popes death. Now, its annulled, or marked in such a way that it cant be used as a seal. What are the General Congregations?This is the name given to the gathering of all members of the College of Cardinals after the popes death and before the start of the conclave to discuss major church affairs. All cardinals who arent infirm take part in this meeting in the Vaticans Apostolic Palace. They also discuss preparations for the conclave, under oath and in secret. What does it mean when they say, Habemus Papam?This Latin phrase translates to We have a pope. These are the words used by the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals to announce from the loggia of St. Peters Basilica that a new pope has been elected. He then says the new popes birth name and the name he has chosen to use as pope, also in Latin. The current protodeacon is French Cardinal Dominique Mamberti.Who are the infirmarii?These are the three cardinals, chosen by a random drawing from the electors, who are charged with gathering the ballots of any electors who are ill during the conclave.What does Pope Francis motto miserando atque eligendo mean?This is Latin for having had mercy and choosing him a phrase that Francis chose as his motto when he was elevated to bishop and kept as his papal seal. It was drawn from the homilies of St. Bede the Venerable, an 8th century monk. It comes from the Gospel narrative of St. Matthew, a tax collector whom Jesus called to follow him.Who are the revisers?These are the three cardinals, chosen by random drawing from the electors, who are charged with reviewing the ballots during the conclave. What is a rogito?This is the document, or deed, listing key details of the popes life and papacy that is placed in his coffin. Its written in Latin by the master for papal liturgical celebrations. A copy is kept in the Vatican archives.Who are the scrutineers?These are the three cardinals, chosen by random drawing from the electors, who are charged with reviewing each ballot and announcing it to the assembled conclave after each round of voting. They then tally the votes to win the election, two-thirds of the votes are necessary and they also burn the ballots.What does the saying sede vacante mean?This is Latin for vacant seat, the period between the popes death or resignation and the election of a new one.What is St. Mary Major?This is the basilica in Rome where Pope Francis said he wants to be buried. Francis is breaking with the tradition of his predecessors who are buried inside the Vatican, saying he wanted to be near his favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, the Salus Populi Romani, a Byzantine-style painting of the Madonna draped in a blue robe, holding the infant Jesus who in turn is holding a jeweled golden book. The icon is located in the church first built in the 5th century and devoted to the Virgin Mary. In his will, Francis said he wanted a simple underground tomb with only Franciscus written on it. What does the text Universi Dominici Gregis contain?This Latin phrase means the Lords whole flock. Its the Vatican constitution that regulates the processes from a popes death until a new one is elected. St. John Paul II issued it in 1996 during his papacy, and Pope Benedict XVI twice amended it, most significantly by removing John Pauls provision that after about 12 days of balloting a simple majority could elect a new pope rather than a two-thirds majority. If the conclave lasts that long, the top two vote-getters go to a runoff, with a two-thirds majority required to win. Neither of the top two candidates casts a ballot in the runoff.What does white or black smoke mean during a papal transition?After each round of voting in the Sistine Chapel, the ballots are burned in a special furnace to indicate the outcome to the outside world. If no pope is chosen, the ballots are mixed with cartridges containing potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar), and sulfur to produce black smoke. But if there is a winner, the burning ballots are mixed with potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke. Bells also are rung to further signal there is a new pope.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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by Mary Hudetz ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed legislation increasing oversight of sober living homes, two years after state officials announced that a Medicaid fraud scheme had targeted Native Americans seeking drug and alcohol treatment. The bill, sponsored by three Republicans, amends state law for the regulation and licensing of sober living homes. It places new demands on the Arizona Department of Health Services, though a lawmaker from the Navajo Nation expressed concern that the bill does not go far enough in addressing root causes of the fraud.Hobbs office announced late Friday that the bill, expected to take effect in the fall, was among dozens she had signed into law. The governor did not explain her decision to sign the legislation but she has been vocal in her support of reforms over the past two years to help authorities go after bad actors.The legislations passage comes after ProPublica and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting reported in January that former state Medicaid officials had failed for years to stem the $2 billion fraud scheme, despite repeated warnings. Starting around 2019, people were lured into substance abuse treatment programs and housed in sober living homes where operators often allowed patients to continue using drugs and alcohol, according to officials. Meanwhile, many providers excessively billed the states American Indian Health Program, Medicaid insurance available to tribal citizens, for treatment they did not deliver. At least 40 people died in sober living homes from the spring of 2022 to the summer of 2024 as the crisis escalated, Maricopa County Medical Examiner records reviewed by the news organizations showed. Victims advocates say they are certain the schemes toll is far higher. In interviews, victims relatives told ProPublica and AZCIR that they had been left in the dark about the circumstances of their loved ones deaths, including not knowing the names or addresses of the facilities where their family members had been staying because no one had informed them.I believe that this bill will set standards, Rep. Cesar Aguilar, a Democrat from Phoenix, said before voting for the measure. It will force businesses to actually help the most vulnerable.The League of Arizona Cities and Towns, a nonprofit that lobbies on behalf of municipalities and that supported the measure, said in a news release that a noteworthy component of the bill includes mandating timely reporting to the Arizona Department of Health Services in addition to family members and emergency contacts when a resident dies, overdoses or suffers severe harm in a facility. The health department will also be required to notify local governments when new licenses are issued to operators of sober living homes, which the league said will improve transparency and community awareness. Under the bill, the health departments director will set standards and requirements for sober living homes to maintain a drug- and alcohol-free environment and promote health and addiction recovery. Health officials could revoke or suspend licenses depending on the severity of a violation or issue fines of up to $1,000 for each day that a violation goes unaddressed. At a minimum, the health department will conduct annual inspections of facilities and report to lawmakers on the number of complaints received regarding licensed or unlicensed facilities and how many resulted in investigations or other enforcement actions. The bill received bipartisan support. However, critics said it did not address additional factors that contributed to the fraud scheme: Many victims stayed in unlicensed facilities and, despite warnings, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the states Medicaid agency, was slow to grasp the scope of the fraud and stop it. It wasnt until May 2023 that AHCCCS and the governor, who took office that year, announced a sweeping investigation of hundreds of facilities and launched a hotline to help victims who were recruited into fraudulent programs or displaced after AHCCCS suspended payments to the businesses. The agency has since enacted a series of reforms in response to the fraud. In an interview last year, a deputy director for AHCCCS also acknowledged that the agencys American Indian Health Program lacked safeguards for fraud. Supporters of this years bill have touted support from tribes. Reva Stewart, who is Din and an advocate for victims of the scheme and their families, opposed the bill. She anticipates the measure will make it more burdensome for licensed facilities to help people seeking treatment, while failing to stop the unlicensed homes, where most of the harm was done. ProPublica and AZCIR found that officials botched response to the crisis resulted in Native Americans losing access to behavioral health services that were being provided to them.Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, a Democrat from Coalmine Mesa on the Navajo Nation, was also critical of the legislation. She voted against it, noting that a bill she sponsored last session would have required more accountability not only from the health department related to its oversight of the homes but also from the Arizona Corporation Commission, where the businesses must be registered. Hatathlie, whose niece died in one of the homes, said this years Republican sponsors of sober home legislation did not include her in their discussions. Were actually not solving the problem, she said during a Senate floor vote last month. So to say its good enough now, when we still have people dying and getting lost in the system, is a disservice to human lives. These are my relatives. These are my family members.Sen. Frank Carroll, the bills lead sponsor, didnt immediately respond to an email and phone calls requesting comment. Maria Polletta, a senior reporter and associate editor at AZCIR, contributed reporting.

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FILE.- Pope Francis, surrounded by shells of destroyed churches, listens to Mosul and Aqra Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa during a gathering to pray for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square, in Mosul, Iraq, once the de-facto capital of IS, Sunday, March 7, 2021.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini,FIle)2025-04-22T09:45:22Z BAGHDAD (AP) The death of Pope Francis has sent shockwaves through Iraqs Christian community, where his presence once brought hope after one of the darkest chapters in the countrys recent history. His 2021 visit to Iraq, the first ever by a pope, came after years of conflict and displacement. Just a few years before that, many Iraqi Christians had fled their homes as Islamic State militants swept across the country. Christian communities in Iraq, once numbering over a million, had already been reduced to a fraction of their former number by decades of conflict and mass emigration.In Mosul, the site of some of the fiercest battles between Iraqi security forces and the Islamic State, Chaldean Archbishop Najeeb Moussa Michaeel recalled the popes visit to the battle-scarred city at a time when many visitors were still afraid to come as a moment of joy, like a wedding for the people of Mosul. He broke this barrier and stood firm in the devastated city of Mosul, proclaiming a message of love, brotherhood, and peaceful coexistence, Michaeel said. As Francis delivered a speech in the citys al-Midan area, which had been almost completely reduced to rubble, the archbishop said, he saw tears falling from the popes eyes. Sadullah Rassam, who was among the Christians who fled from Mosul in 2014 in the face of the IS offensive, was also crying as he watched the pope leave the church in Midan that day. Rassam had spent years displaced in Irbil, the seat of northern Iraqs semiautonomous Kurdish region, but was among the first Christians to return to Mosul, where he lives in a small house next to the church that Francis had visited.As the popes convoy was leaving the church, Rassam stood outside watching, tears streaming down his face. Suddenly the car stopped, and Francis got out to greet him.It was the best day of my life, Rassam said. The popes visit made us feel loved and heard, and it helped heal our wounds after everything that happened here, he said. The visit also helped to spur a drive to rebuild the citys destroyed sites, including both Muslim and Christian places of worship.After the wide international media coverage of his visit, many parties began to invest again in the city. Today, Mosul is beginning to rise again, Michaeel said. You can see our heritage reappear in the sculptures, the churches and the streets.Building ties across communitiesChaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako told The Associated Press that Francis had built strong relationships with the Eastern rite churches which are often forgotten by their Latin rite counterparts and with Muslim communities. The patriarch recalled urging Francis early in his papacy to highlight the importance of Muslim-Christian coexistence.After the popes inaugural speech, in which he thanked representatives of the Jewish community for their presence, Sako said, I asked him, Why didnt you mention Muslims?... He said, Tomorrow I will speak about Muslims, and indeed he did issue a statement the next day.Francis went on to take concrete steps to strengthen relationships between Christians and Muslims through visits to Muslim-majority countries including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan as well as Iraq Sako said. He brought Muslims and Christians together around shared values. His three-day visit to Iraq changed Iraqs face it opened Iraq to the outside world, Sako said, while the people loved him for his simplicity and sincerity.The patriarch said that three months before the popes death, he had given him a gift of dates from Iraq, and Francis responded that he would never forget Iraq and that it was in his heart and in his prayers.During his visit to Iraq, Francis held a historic meeting with the countrys top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, at the latters home in Najaf.Sistanis office in a statement Monday expressed deep sorrow at the popes death, saying he was greatly respected by all for his distinguished role in serving the causes of peace and tolerance, and for expressing solidarity with the oppressed and persecuted across the globe.The meeting between the two religious leaders had helped to promote a culture of peaceful coexistence, reject violence and hatred, and uphold values of harmony based on safeguarding rights and mutual respect among followers of different religions and intellectual traditions, it said. Our favorite popeIn Irbil, Marvel Rassam recalled joining the crowds who packed into a stadium to catch a glimpse of the pope.The visit brought a sense of unity, Rassam said, as everyone attended to see him, and not only the Catholics.He was our favorite pope, not only because he was the first to visit Iraq, but he was also very special and unique for his humility and inclusivity, he said.At St. Joseph Chaldean Cathedral in Baghdad, where Francis led a Mass during his 2021 visit, church pastor Nadhir Dako said the popes visit had carried special weight because it came at a time when Christians in Iraq were still processing the trauma of the IS attacks. We, the Christians, were in very difficult situation. There was frustration due to the forcible migration and the killing that occurred, Dako said. The visit by the pope created a sort of determination for all Iraqis to support their Christian brothers.-Martany reported from Irbil, Iraq.

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The worlds richest university may have enough money to survive a battle with the most powerful man in the world. But if Trump wins, Harvard wont be the same.

A flight from U.S. assets, including the dollar, could worsen if the president continues his attacks on the Federal Reserve, analysts warn.

Karen Read talks with her legal defense team during jury selection for her trial at Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)2025-04-22T04:08:11Z DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) The second murder trial of Karen Read, whose case has sparked a national debate on police accountability and won her legions of devoted fans, will begin Tuesday with both sides laying out conflicting theories of how her Boston police officer boyfriend ended up dead.Read is accused of striking John OKeefe with her SUV in 2022 and leaving him to die alone in the snow outside of a house party in the town of Canton, a suburb about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Boston. She has been charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene.During the first trial last year, prosecutors said Read intentionally backed into OKeefe after she dropped him off at a house party and returned hours later to find him dead. The defense said she was a victim of a vast police conspiracy and that OKeefe was fatally beaten by another law enforcement officer at the party. A mistrial was declared last year after jurors said they were at an impasse and deliberating further would be futile.After the trial, the defense unsuccessfully moved to have two of the charges dismissed after they said several jurors came forward to say the group was unanimous in finding Read not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request from Read to delay her trial on double jeopardy grounds. A few dozen of Reads supporters, many holding American flags, stood in front of the courthouse Tuesday morning before moving a block away to comply with a court-ordered buffer zone. Those who were reuniting hugged each other, while others took time to bring newcomers up to speed on the case. Im here for justice, said Ashlyn Wade, a Read supporter from Canton. The murderer going to jail and Karen being exonerated, that would be justice.Many of the factors that made the first trial must-see television will be featured in the second. Many of the same witnesses are back as are Reads aggressive defense team and dozens of her supporters camped out near the courthouse many carrying Free Karen Read signs and wearing pink. Read, who has been featured in several documentaries about her case, has become a minor celebrity.The biggest difference will be the lead prosecutor, Hank Brennan. Brought in as a special prosecutor after the mistrial, the former defense attorney has represented a number of prominent clients, including notorious Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger.Brennan stands to benefit from a pretrial ruling from Judge Beverly Cannone that defense attorneys cant mention potential third-party culprits in their opening statements. They can develop a case against two law enforcement officers but cannot implicate Alberts nephew, Colin Albert, as they did in the first trial.I view it as a blow to the defense strategy but not a knockout punch, Daniel Medwed, a law professor at Northeastern University, said of the ruling. All the defense needs to do is create reasonable doubt about Karen (Reads) guilt, and that doesnt require pointing to an alternative perpetrator as a matter of law. Legal experts expect prosecutors to focus on Reads behavior as they did during the first trial her volatile relationship with OKeefe and their night of heavy drinking. They also predict the prosecution will lay out a stronger and more coherent case that Read clipped OKeefe with the back of her SUV and sent him tumbling to the ground using data from her car, video and stronger expert testimony.The Commonwealth will focus on the theme drilled into us since middle school Drinking, Driving, Deadly Consequences, Michael Coyne, the dean of Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, said in an email, adding that he expects prosecutors to avoid mistakes of the first trial, where several of their early witnesses appeared to help the defense more than the state.The defense is expected to offer evidence that what they see as a sloppy police investigation was biased and that law enforcement officers set Read up to protect the real killers. They could be helped by an audit of the Canton Police Department released last month that found several mistakes with the investigation although no evidence of a cover-up. One of the key witnesses will be former State Trooper Michael Proctor. He led the investigation but has since been fired after a disciplinary board found that he sent sexist and crude texts about Read to his family and colleagues.Michael Proctor and his dismissal from the force may very well serve as the elephant in the courtroom throughout the proceedings, Medwed said. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto

President Donald Trump waves as he returns to the White House, Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)2025-04-22T10:14:11Z WASHINGTON (AP) The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trumps first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty.The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a full-blown meltdown.The interpersonal drama is not at least yet a dominant plot line of Trumps return to the White House. But its reemergence after a period of relative discipline in his ranks reflects a turbulent management style that has been suppressed or papered over, not reformed. Trumps national security team was recently rattled by an Oval Office visit from Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist who has been questioning his staffs trustworthiness. The Republican president fired some of the officials, emboldening Loomer to continue scrutinizing people across the administration. In an interview with independent journalist Tara Palmeri released on Monday, Loomer mocked the idea that the White House is one big happy family. The advisers dont get along with each other, she said. The heads of agencies dont get along with each other. Tariff trouble causes friction for the Trump teamMuch of the tension is connected to Trumps determination to use tariffs to rebalance the global economy, with officials often contradicting each other and occasionally turning to insults. Trump adviser Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur whose companies could suffer from higher costs brought on by import taxes, sharply criticized Peter Navarro, Trumps top counselor on trade, as dumber than a sack of bricks.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the idea of growing dissension within the administration, saying there are far more examples of the presidents team working together enthusiastically and collaboratively to advance the administrations goals.The numbers and results of this administration speak for themselves, she said. The president and his team are getting work done.Trump has always had a high tolerance for chaos, shunning traditional policy deliberations to entertain divergent opinions and viewing unpredictability as a negotiating tool. Hes spent years fostering a competitive atmosphere among his staff members, who are often chosen for their devotion and penchant for aggression. But now the increasing strife underscores the risks for more turmoil in the months ahead, as Trump presses forward with a dramatic overhaul of the federal bureaucracy, international trade, foreign policy and more. John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in Trumps first term before writing a tell-all book critical of the presidents inner circle, said the drama reflects the lack of a consistent ideology and the inexperience of many administration officials. The only thing they have in common is the belief that they should show personal fealty to Trump, Bolton said. That got them the job. That may in fact keep them in the job. But it shows how fundamentally unserious they are.The situation is a test for Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, who helped run Trumps presidential campaign last year. She earned a reputation for imposing an unusual level of order on Trumps chaotic orbit though she carefully avoided trying to control Trump or his impulses and he praised her as the ice maiden. During Trumps first term, he had four chiefs of staff one of them serving in an acting capacity for more than a year. The second, former U.S. Marine Gen. John Kelly, became a sharp critic of the president after he left the job, describing him as a fascist during the 2024 election. White House closes ranks around HegsethWith his new administration, Trump has surrounded himself with loyalists, and hes been reluctant to throw anyone overboard in response to negative coverage from the mainstream media, which he considers to be an enemy. Allies say the hesitance to make personnel changes in this term is meant to deny giving a win to critics, even if it means leaving troubled officials in place. On Monday, the president brushed off reports that Hegseth participated in a second group chat to talk about pending airstrikes in Yemen last month. The first chat, which used the encrypted messaging application Signal, involved top administration officials as well as the editor of The Atlantic, who was accidentally included in the discussion. The second, first reported by The New York Times on Sunday, included Hegseths wife, who does not have a government job, and his brother and his personal lawyer, both of whom work at the Pentagon. Same old stuff, Trump said when reporters questioned him about it during the White House Easter egg roll. He said Hegseth is doing a great job and its just fake news.Leavitt, in an appearance on Fox News Channel, defended Hegseth with a swipe at the people who work for him.This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and against the monumental change that you are trying to implement, she said. Leavitts comment was shared by an official Defense Department social media account.Trump loyalists not just Democrats are pointing fingersHowever, some of those speaking out were among Hegseths top advisers.John Ullyot, who served as a Pentagon spokesperson until he was asked to resign, wrote in Politico that its hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer. He added that the president deserves better and many in the secretarys own inner circle will applaud quietly if Hegseth is fired. The disorder extends through the Pentagons senior ranks. Three officials Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick were recently pushed out, and they issued a statement saying people have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door.Hegseth did not deny the reports about his use of Signal. But he added: What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out.Trumps tariff plans have also been a source of stress inside the administration, often leading to mixed messages and policy confusion. Navarro insisted there werent going to be any negotiations, contradicting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessents insistence that import taxes were about strengthening the White Houses negotiating position.The president partially retreated from his plans, but not before Navarro and Musk began openly feuding. Navarro said Musk was protecting his own interests by opposing tariffs, and he described Musks electric automaker Tesla as a car assembler thats dependent on importing parts from overseas.Musk, who advises Trump on ways to downsize the federal bureaucracy, responded by saying that Navarro was truly a moron.Leavitt downplayed the dispute by saying boys will be boys.We will let their public sparring continue, she told reporters. And you guys should all be very grateful that we have the most transparent administration in history.Trump often appears more interested in fealty than veracity. During part of last years campaign, he traveled with Loomer, who has a history of making racist attacks on Trumps opponents and once claimed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were an inside job. After Trump won, Loomer became frustrated that she wasnt allowed to help vet administration personnel. She eventually secured an Oval Office meeting with the president, bringing research on national security officials whom she believed were disloyal. After Trump fired some of them, Loomer has continued her work. Last week, she accused Bessent of inviting a Trump hater to work with him on financial literacy efforts. I am going to personally tell President Trump and personally show him these receipts, Loomer wrote on social media, adding shame on Bessent.Musk shared her post and chimed in with his support troubling, he wrote. CHRIS MEGERIAN Megerian covers the White House for The Associated Press. He previously wrote about the Russia investigation, climate change, law enforcement and politics in California and New Jersey. twitter mailto ZEKE MILLER Miller leads coverage of the president and the presidency for The Associated Press. He is based in Washington. twitter mailto

Nature, Published online: 22 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01262-1Trade tariffs could worsen deforestation in South America

Nature, Published online: 22 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01261-2Europe must become a research epicentre as US system gets undermined

Manchester United are exploring the possibility of triggering the release clause in Matheus Cunha's contract at Wolves, a source has told ESPN.

Big transfers have put South Carolina at No. 1 and propelled the likes of LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee higher.

The International Monetary Fund expects slower growth and higher inflation in the U.S. as a result of President Trumps trade policies.

Matriarch, a memoir out Tuesday, explores the trials and hard-worn triumphs that shaped Beyonc and Solange Knowless mom.

The post Trump Pardons Kid Rock For Whatever Inspired Statutory Rape Lyric In Cool, Daddy Cool appeared first on The Onion.

CHICAGOAcknowledging the profound and deeply bittersweet paradox, local man Gary Lanetti reported Tuesday that grief is the price we pay for love as he clutched an empty package of salami close to his chest. Opening yourself up to true love unfortunately means leaving yourself vulnerable to experiencing the deep, sorrowful pain of having eaten it, said the visibly distraught Lanetti, tearfully reckoning with the now-empty plastic that once contained his beloved Columbus Craft Meats Italian Dry Salami. There is a 12-ounce hole in my heart now that the meat is gone, but I know that utter emptiness I feel is directly proportional to the joy that swelled inside me when the salami was still here. Nothing I can say or do will ever bring these cold cuts back. Yet, anytime I open the refrigerator door, I expect my salami to be there greeting me, tenderly planting its grease on my lips. All I have now is the painful memory of what could have been, and all the sandwiches left unmade. Lanetti added that he would be holding his kielbasa a little closer tonight.The post Grief Is The Price We Pay For Love, Reports Man Clutching Empty Package Of Salami appeared first on The Onion.

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Workers assemble the Zeekr 001 EV models at the Chinese automaker Zeekr assembly plant, in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Wednesday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)2025-04-22T13:02:25Z WASHINGTON (AP) The outlooks for the U.S. and global economies have significantly worsened in the wake of President Donald Trumps tariffs and the uncertainty they have created, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday. The IMF said that the global economy will grow just 2.8% this year, down from its forecast in January of 3.3%, according to its latest World Economic Outlook. And in 2026, global growth will be 3%, the fund predicts, also below its previous 3.3% estimate. U.S. economic growth will come in at just 1.8% this year, down sharply from its previous forecast of 2.7% and a full percentage point below its 2024 expansion. The IMF doesnt expect a U.S. recession, though it has raised its odds of one this year from 25% to 37%. The forecasts are largely in line with many private-sector economists expectations, though some do fear a recession is increasingly likely. Economists at JPMorgan say the chances of a U.S. recession are now 60%. The Federal Reserve has also forecast that growth will weaken this year, to 1.7%. We are entering a new era, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, chief economist at the IMF, said. This global economic system that has operated for the last eighty years is being reset. The IMF is a 191-nation lending organization that works to promote economic growth and financial stability and to reduce global poverty.Gourinchas said that the heightened uncertainty around the import taxes led the IMF to take the unusual step of preparing several different scenarios for future growth. Its forecasts were finalized April 4, after the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs on nearly 60 countries along with nearly-universal 10% duties. Those duties were paused April 9 for 90 days. Gourinchas said the pause didnt substantially change the IMFs forecasts because the U.S. and China have imposed such steep tariffs on each other since then. The uncertainty surrounding the Trump administrations next moves will also likely weigh heavily on the U.S. and global economies, the IMF said. Companies may pull back on investment and expansion as they wait to see how the trade policies play out, which can slow growth. China is also forecast to grow more slowly because of U.S. tariffs. The IMF now expects it will expand 4% this year and next, down roughly half a point from its previous forecasts. While the U.S. economy will likely suffer a supply shock, similar to what hampered during the pandemic and which pushed up inflation in 2021 and 2022, Gourinchas said, China is expected to experience reduced demand as U.S. purchases of its exports fall.Inflation will likely worsen in the United States, rising to about 3% by the end of this year, while it will be little changed in China, the IMF forecast. The European Union is forecast to grow more slowly, but the hit from tariffs is not as large, in part because it is facing lower U.S. duties than China. In addition, some of the hit from tariffs will be offset by stronger government spending by Germany. The economies of the 27 countries that use the euro are forecast to expand 0.8% this year and 1.2% next year, down just 0.2% in both years from the IMFs January forecast. Japans growth forecast has been marked down to 0.6% this year and next, 0.5% and 0.2% lower than in January, respectively. CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Rugaber has covered the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the AP for 16 years. He is a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb award for business reporting. twitter mailto RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

A selection of books featuring LGBTQ characters that are part of a Supreme Court case are pictured, Tuesday, April, 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)2025-04-22T11:24:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Tuesday over the religious rights of parents in Maryland to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters.The case is the latest dispute involving religion to come before the conservative-led court. The justices have repeatedly endorsed claims of religious discrimination in recent years.The Montgomery County public schools, in suburban Washington, D.C., introduced the storybooks as part of an effort to better reflect the districts diverse population.Parents sued after the school system stopped allowing them to pull their kids from lessons that included the books. The parents argue that public schools cannot force kids to participate in instruction that violates their faith, and they pointed to the opt-out provisions in sex education classes. The schools said allowing children to opt out of the lessons had become disruptive. Lower courts backed the schools, prompting the parents appeal to the Supreme Court.Five books are at issue in the high court case, touching on the same themes found in classic stories that include Snow White, Cinderella and Peter Pan, the school systems lawyers wrote. In Prince and Knight, two men fall in love after they rescue the kingdom, and each other. In Uncle Bobbys Wedding, a niece worries that her uncle will not have as much time for her after he gets married. His partner is a man. Love, Violet deals with a girls anxiety about giving a valentine to another girl. Born Ready is the story of a transgender boys decision to share his gender identity with his family and the world. Intersection Allies describes nine characters of varying backgrounds, including one who is gender-fluid.Billy Moges, a board member of the Kids First parents group that sued over the books, said the content is sexual, confusing and inappropriate for young schoolchildren.The writers group Pen America said in a court filing what the parents want is a constitutionally suspect book ban by another name. Pen America reported more than 10,000 books were banned in the last school year.A decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor is expected by early summer.

Nature, Published online: 22 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00917-3Work from the International Rice Research Institute to develop high-yield rice that survives deep waters, and a holistic view of physiology, in this weeks dip into Natures archive.

Nature, Published online: 22 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01089-wIn episode three of What's in a name we look at how ideas can be lost in translation when physicists try to name the unknown.

WWE's annual event, WrestleMania 41, saw a viewership increase of 114% over the record set last year, the promotion said in a statement Tuesday, as well as 45% increase in merchandise sales onsite.

The R&A would like to see Turnberry return as host of The Open, but it will first need to assess the feasibility of the venue, which is owned by President Trump.

The Democratic representative from suburban Detroit is likely to be seen as a centrist in the primary contest to replace Senator Gary Peters, who is retiring.

The Venezuelan man does not appear on a list of people sent to a prison in El Salvador, and his family and friends have no idea of his whereabouts.

WORCESTER, MABlinking in disbelief as the individual passed him on the street alive and well, local serial killer Aaron Samuel Christensen confirmed to reporters Tuesday that he could have sworn he killed that guy already. Is my memory playing tricks on me, or did I not just flay and disembowel that guy two weeks ago? the bewildered murderer said as he racked his brain trying to place the strangely familiar man, adding that something about the guys face made him all but certain he had already peeled it off and worn it around his apartment as a mask. Was he the one whose ears I tried pickling with that new recipe? Cant be, he still has both. For some reason I have this crystal-clear recollection of dumping his weighted torso into a river and going home to preserve his skull in a jar of Windex, but here he is walking around with two arms and his eyeballs still in the sockets. Weird! Maybe I should cut back on the killing if I cant keep my victims straight anymore, or at least until I clear out some more space in my freezer. At press time, Christiansen was reportedly relieved to learn he wasnt going crazy after the man explained that he was actually the twin brother of one of the serial killers previous victims.The post Serial Killer Could Have Sworn He Killed That Guy Already appeared first on The Onion.

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Nature, Published online: 22 April 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01237-2The international community has a golden opportunity to start reining in the escalating, mostly ignored global burden of chronic kidney disease.