In the wake of the death of Pope Francis, a new pope was chosen rather quickly compared to previous interactions of the sacred and mysterious ritual at the Sistine Chapel.
This time around, the newly selected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, is from America -- the first pope to claim that title. And according to The Hill, recent video footage shows that he's definitely as American as it gets.
Pope Leo is not only a sports fan, he's apparently a die-hard baseball fan, specifically cheering on the Chicago White Sox.
A newly unearthed video showed Pope Leo cheering on his time at the 2005 World Series game between the White Sox and the Houston Astros, sparking viral commentary as a result of the video being published.
Hailing from Chicago, until recently it was a mystery whether or not Pope Leo was a White Sox fan or a Cubs fan -- a very important distinction in the Chicago sports scene.
The Hill noted:
The first American pontiff in history was caught on camera as his face twisted when White Sox closer Bobby Jenks closed out a 5-3 win over the Astros. The footage ends days of speculation about which team Pope Leo XIV has traditionally pulled for.
His brother, John, confirmed the reports that the new pope is a White Sox fan after the video went viral.
"He was never, ever a Cubs fan, so I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan. Our mother was a Cubs fan," his brother said.
He added, "I don’t know, maybe that clued in there, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from."
They found Pope Leo XIV on the White Sox World Series broadcast in 2005
(h/t @SoxOn35th)pic.twitter.com/67egr9xE9I
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) May 9, 2025
The Cubs claimed at Wrigley field that Pope Leo was a Cubs fan, which sparked massive debate until the video settled the argument.
The Hill noted:
Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Robert Prevost, is a native of Dolton, Ill., right outside the Chicago city limit. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University and completed mission work in Peru.
The White Sox congratulated the new pope, making sure to add that he's "the South Side’s very own."
Pope Leo has been congratulated by former presidents and many high-profile politicians as he assumes the papacy.
It's not often that the U.S. Supreme Court makes headlines over a death, but sadly that was the case this week after it was announced that a former Supreme Court justice had passed away.
According to the New York Post, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter has died. He was 85.
Souter was appointed to the high court by George H.W. Bush, but later generated controversy by becoming what was described as a "reliable" liberal vote on the high court, frustrating Republicans over the years with various landmark decisions.
Souter, a New Hampshire resident, reportedly "died peacefully" at his residence, reports indicated.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts issued a statement in the wake of the news of Souter's passing.
"Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service," a statement from Chief Justice Roberts read.
Roberts added, "After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade. He will be greatly missed."
Rest in peace, Justice Souter.
As a trailblazer on the bench who was not afraid to cross ideological lines and stand up for his beliefs, Justice Souter will always be a role model for aspiring lawyers and jurists. pic.twitter.com/q8dlF4Yp6Q
— Eleanor #DCStatehood Holmes Norton (@EleanorNorton) May 9, 2025
Despite his distinctive service to the high court, he was a thorn in the side of Republican and certain major topics.
The Post noted:
Souter was confirmed to the high court in 1990 and went on to side with the liberal bloc on issues including abortion, freedom of religion and expression — as well as the disputed 2000 election.
Given his status as a former Supreme Court justice, his death sparked plenty of well wishes, and criticisms of his positions while he was active.
"May his soul rest in peace. May his memory be a blessing," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "He was yet another swing and a miss from a Republican president about a Supreme Court nomination. Sununu poorly advised a RINO GHWB to pick this man."
Several high-profile Republicans and Democrats also offered their condolences across social media.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) wealth is coming under fresh scrutiny as members of Congress once again float a ban on letting lawmakers trade stock -- with President Donald Trump voicing support for such restrictions.
The PELOSI Act, proposed by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (MO), would bar members of Congress and their family members from trading most stocks.
Pelosi's remarkable success at beating the market has long raised eyebrows, placing her at the center of a recurring debate on banning Congress from the stock market.
The California Democrat has defended her right to participate in the stock market on free market principles, despite her access to privileged information.
The influential lawmaker is among the wealthiest members of Congress, deriving most of her fortune from her husband's investments.
Hawley, in an interview with Breitbart, said that it strains credulity to assert Pelosi acquired her millions through honest means.
"And here’s the thing, Nancy Pelosi and her husband last year, in 2024, beat every hedge fund in the nation, practically. So, either Nancy Pelosi is a mathematical and financial analyst genius… or maybe, maybe the information that she’s privy to turns out to be pretty darn valuable," Hawley said.
“And everybody knows it’s the second thing. It’s just outrageous,” he added.
Hawley's bill comes with strict disclosure requirements, and it also bans lawmakers and their family members from trading individual stocks, so the Pelosis would be noticeably affected. Lawmakers could still invest in diversified mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or U.S. Treasury bonds.
“If you’re a member of Congress, you shouldn’t be up here day trading,” Hawley said. “You should be focused on your job.”
“If they violate the provisions, if they trade individual stock, if they own individual stock, they have to disgorge all of the profits and pay a financial penalty on top,” Hawley explained. “That’s the only way we’re going to get this stopped,” he said.
While the public broadly supports moves like Hawley's, Congress has -- not surprisingly -- shown little sustained interest in regulating itself. But the momentum could shift with Trump back in the White House.
The fact that one of his worst enemies is the public face of insider trading in Washington could motivate Trump to act. Of course, Trump has much bigger priorities, and Congress still needs to make the first move.
“Well, I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,” Trump told TIME magazine.
The Trump administration is targeting criminal illegal aliens at courthouses across the country, in a reversal from Biden-era policies that hogtied Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Among those arrested in the recent courthouse sweeps is Juan Carlos Baez, who has previous convictions for drug trafficking cocaine and heroin. He was arrested outside a courthouse in Boston, "since Boston has declared itself a sanctuary jurisdiction and does not honor ICE detainers," the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release.
Three of the aliens who were arrested near courthouses are accused of drunk driving, an offense the Biden administration designated as not serious enough to warrant ICE's attention.
Trump has since revoked Biden-era restrictions on ICE arrests, including limits on arrests at so-called sensitive locations like churches and courthouses.
The restrictions imposed by Biden's DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, barred ICE agents from arresting suspected criminals at courthouses unless they fell into certain high-risk categories. Mayorkas said that courthouse arrests during the first Trump administration had a chilling effect on people involved in criminal cases.
Some of the aliens arrested in the DHS's court sweeps have proven stubborn to deport. Carlos Gomez Viuda, a citizen of El Salvador, was arrested in December 2024 for driving under the influence of alcohol and with a suspended or revoked license and violating probation, more than a decade after he was ordered removed to his native country in 2010.
An illegal alien from Guatemala, Fernando Lorenzo-Raymundo, was charged with failing to report a deadly traffic accident that killed a man who was crossing the road in his wheelchair. Lorenzo-Raymundo entered the U.S. illegally in 2013 and was later arrested and released into the interior of the country again in March 2024, under Biden.
Trump officials have said courthouse arrests are safer - and made all the more necessary by "sanctuary" policies that tie the hands of ICE agents. The DHS claims to have experienced a 413% increase in assaults on immigration officers.
“The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community. These illegal aliens have gone through security and been screened to not have any weapons. Secretary Noem is empowering law enforcement to use common sense to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities.”
Trump's tough-on-immigration agenda is popular, but his efforts to swiftly deport illegal aliens have faced pushback in the courts and the media.
One judge in Wisconsin is even facing criminal charges for obstruction after she allegedly helped an alien through a backdoor to avoid his lawful arrest by immigration agents.
Border crossings have plummeted to historic lows since Trump returned to the White House and reinstated his tough-on-immigration policies. Border arrests hit the lowest level ever recorded in March.
The administration has also floated voluntary incentives to encourage self-deportation, sending a clear message that illegal immigration will no longer be tolerated.
President Trump is planning to dismantle the Energy Star program that certifies household appliances as energy efficient.
The move is part of a broader shift at the Environmental Protection Agency, which is moving away from climate-related work under director Lee Zeldin.
"With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency’s core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback,” an EPA spokesman said in a statement to The Washington Times.
The Energy Star program is widely recognized for its blue sticker on appliances that meet the government's energy standards.
While Energy Star devices typically have higher upfront costs, advocates say the program has saved Americans billions on energy bills while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Manufacturers have also supported Energy Star, which is a voluntary program, as an alternative to government regulation. A group of trade organizations wrote to Zeldin in March and urged him to keep Energy Star.
"The ENERGY STAR program is an example of an effective non-regulatory program and partnership between the government and the private sector,” they wrote. “Eliminating it will not serve the American people.”
But the Trump administration is targeting all climate-related work at the EPA, which was weaponized by the Biden administration to pursue a sweeping crackdown on household appliances deemed to be inefficient.
Climate change activists have praised Energy Star for nudging consumers to adopt new, energy-efficient technologies such as LED lighting, which has gradually displaced traditional incandescent lighting. Biden formally banned incandescent bulbs, favored by many for their warm glow, in 2023.
In a stark contrast from his predecessor, Trump has prioritized deregulation and consumer choice.
"The Energy Star program and all the other climate work, outside of what’s required by statute, is being de-prioritized and eliminated,” Paul Gunning, the director of the E.P.A. Office of Atmospheric Protection, told employees in a recording that leaked to the New York Times.
President Trump is known for his dislike of appliances that use less power, such as low-flow shower heads. Trump signed an executive order last month to roll back Biden-era regulations on water pressure.
“It’s not just showers — the Biden administration aggressively targeted everyday appliances like gas stoves, water heaters, washing machines, furnaces, dishwashers, and more, waging war on the reliable tools Americans depend on daily,” Trump said in the memorandum.
President Trump pledged to maintain tariff pressure on China, as he pushes to end America's steep trade deficit with its largest economic competitor.
During a combative interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, Trump said he sees little reason to dial back 145% tariff rates right now because China's economy is buckling.
"They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don't like this. I'm not happy about this. China's getting killed right now," Trump told Welker.
"They're getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I'm not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I'm not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more Army tanks and more airplanes."
While Trump has signaled that he sees an off-ramp in the future, he made it clear to Welker that America will not make the first move. And he warned that some tariffs would remain permanent in order to incentivize companies to build in America long-term.
China has already exempted a range of U.S.-made goods, including some pharmaceuticals and microchips, from its 125% tariff rates.
"You're not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?" Welker asked.
Trump responded, "No."
"At some point, I'm going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much. Look, their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing."
Trump objected early and often to Welker's "dishonest" framing as she needled Trump on the perceived downsides of his tariff war, at one point asking if Americans could expect to see "empty store shelves" in the future. Trump rebuked her for ignoring positive developments like a drop in gas prices.
"This is such a dishonest interview already. Prices are down on groceries. Prices are down for oil prices are down for oil. Energy prices are down at tremendous numbers for gasoline," Trump said.
Trump repeated his now-familiar argument about trade-offs, conceding Americans may need to pay more for certain "junk" products from overseas during a "transition period" towards a more resilient economy.
"I don’t think that a beautiful baby girl needs — that’s 11 years old — needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls because what we were doing with China was just unbelievable. We had a trade deficit of hundreds of billions of dollars with China," Trump said.
When Welker pushed Trump to rule out a recession, Trump rejected the premise as absurd.
"Anything can happen," Trump said. "But I think we're going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we're going to have the greatest economic boom in history."
Charley Scalies, a TV actor noted for his role in HBO's The Sopranos and The Wire, has died. He was 84.
The Philadelphia native died "peacefully" after a long battle with Alzheimer's, an online obituary confirmed.
Scalies is mostly known for playing Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, a corrupt Baltimore dock worker and union leader, on Season Two of The Wire.
The actor also appeared in season five of The Sopranos as Coach Molinaro, who appears to mafia boss Tony Soprano in a dream to reprimand him over his life of crime.
Both HBO series are highly regarded among TV critics and consistently rank among the greatest shows in the history of the medium.
The Wire writer Rafael Alvarez wrote in a tribute, “I became instant friends with your Dad when I sat down next to him at lunch on the first day of shooting Season Two of The Wire. In time he became a member of my family. Miss you, Horse.”
The youngest of three children, Scalies gave some of his first performances in his father's pool hall in South Philadelphia, where he entertained patrons with jokes and impressions.
Before his rise to fame, Scalies was Director of Sales and Contracts at Clifton Precision, a company known for precision manufacturing. He also started his own consulting firm before returning to acting in the 1990s, taking on roles in community and dinner theater including Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls, Billy Flynn in Chicago and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz for the St. Francis Players in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
His silver screen debut was in the Al Pacino film Two Bits (1995).
His other TV credits include Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Cold Case. As far as film goes, he appeared in 12 Monkeys (1995), Liberty Heights (1999), and Jersey Girl (2004).
Despite his notoriety on TV, Scalies remained humble and a family man at heart.
"[He was] best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend,” the obituary read.
“Professionally, Charley Scalies was an American actor and former business executive whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion, and a true joy for life. His favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table.”
Scalies is survived by his wife Angeline M. Scalies, his five children, and four grandchildren.
Earlier this year, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) essentially provided a "class" for illegals during which she offered tips and tricks to resist and avoid President Donald Trump's deportation policies.
The situation was so egregious that it sparked border czar Tom Homan to threaten her with DOJ charges, to which AOC responded this week, essentially saying, "bring it on," according to the New York Post.
On Friday, the radical progressive Democrat essentially dared Homan to bring charges against her and drag her to court.
AOC has insisted that she hasn't done anything illegal, and welcomes the opportunity to fight the charges in a court of law, should it come down to that.
During a packed town hall event in Jackson Heights, Queens last week, AOC held nothing back in daring Homan to take her to court over the situation.
Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me. Do I look like I care?” AOC told those in attendance.
She continued, saying there’s "nothing illegal about it — and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me."
AOC's seminar to help illegals avoid deportation came via a livestreamed web event, during which she gave tips like not opening the door for ICE agents and other methods to either avoid or delay the process.
“What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress,” Homan said in February, “because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally.”
"Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony," Homan continued.
"What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing … she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement."
At the time Homan made those comments, AOC published a childish reply on her X account.
"MaYbe shE's goiNg to be in TroUble nOw"
Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start https://t.co/vQ69UDyQnT
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2025
It'll certainly be interesting to see if she's forced to eat her words, should she actually be hauled to court.
Despite growing national security concerns, toward the end of former President Joe Biden's term in office, he added Romania to a list of countries eligible for U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
According to Breitbart, in a move announced Friday, President Donald Trump, the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just reversed that poorly thought-out, Biden-era decision.
Reports indicated that the removal of Romania from the list was finalized "after a review of the Eastern European country’s admittance was concluded."
The program is quite the privilege for foreign nationals from countries on the VWP list, as it allows them to travel to the United States without a visa and stay for up to 90 days, visa-free.
The country's VWP status certainly didn't last long, as Biden had only added Romania to the list in January. The DHS announced that it had planned to remove the country in March.
Breitbart noted:
Countries eligible for the VWP must meet particular criteria, including having a visa overstay rate that is less than three percent. Romania, in 2024, had an overstay rate of 2.61 percent, but in 2023, its overstay rate was nearly 9 percent, nearly 13 percent in 2022, and more than 17 percent in 2021.
A senior White House official explained the decision to Breitbart.
"The Administration notes with increasing concern the recent developments across Europe of democratic backsliding,” the official reportedly said. "Efforts to suppress the will of the people draw into question the strength of our shared values."
The White House official added, "“Healthy democracies do not fear opposing perspectives. Concerted efforts to delegitimize certain political perspectives draw a striking resemblance to the American experience that President Trump faced, including lawfare and censorship."
The United States is revoking Romania’s inclusion in the U.S. visa waiver program less than four months after an announcement that it would be added. pic.twitter.com/h8n8Oplmp5
— TVP World (@TVPWorld_com) May 3, 2025
Many users across social media weighed in on the development, with some backing it and some criticizing the decision.
"Good. They should do the same for Germany, France and U.K as they also are descending into fascism. In fact all of EU is on the wrong track," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Not Russia, Romania. Got it."
President Donald Trump has touted new capital investments in the U.S. as proof that his bold economic reforms are restoring American industry, even as critics continue to stoke fears about the impact of his tariffs.
At a White House event on Wednesday, Trump welcomed the CEOs of major companies as he boasted of $8 trillion in new investments from companies in the pharmaceutical, energy, and technology sectors.
“We have a total of close to $8 trillion all told,” he continued. “And there’s never been anything like that in this country; we’ve never had anything close. I would say, if you looked at the last administration, probably for four years, they did maybe less than $1 [trillion], and we’ve done almost $8 [trillion].”
The White House launched a website that lists 49 different commitments from companies like Apple, NVIDIA, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Hyundai, and more.
Trump credited the new influx of capital to business-friendly policies like low taxes and deregulation, as well as tariffs giving companies an incentive to build in America. "There's never been, I don't think there's ever been anything like this anywhere in the world. Together we're going to bring back the most beautiful words I always say, made in the USA. The most beautiful words, we're going to have made in the USA like we haven't had before in a long time," he said.
Some of the biggest investments are from companies at the center of the AI revolution. Apple, NVIDIA, and Stargate, which is a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, have each pledged $500 billion.
The commitment from Apple is notable given the company's notorious reliance on Chinese imports. China has been hit harder than any other nation by Trump's tariff war, with import duties currently at 145%.
"Tim Cook from Apple is pledging, not only pledging, is committed to $500 billion, they're going to build plants all over the country, seven or eight different states," Trump said.
The CEO of chipmaker NVIDIA, Jensen Wong, praised Trump for fostering a renaissance in domestic production. Trump has pointed to America's reliance on foreign semiconductor chips as a national security concern.
"We’re going to build NVIDIA’s technology, the next generation of that, all here in the United States,” Wong said.
“Without the president’s leadership, his policies, his support, and, very importantly, his strong encouragement… frankly, manufacturing in the United States wouldn’t have accelerated to this pace,” he added.
Indeed, NVIDIA recently announced it would start building AI super computers in America for the first time.
Despite this good news, Trump's critics have painted a much darker picture, predicting an economic slowdown or recession on the heels of a contraction in gross domestic product (GDP.) The president dismissed a .3% contraction in the first quarter of the year as a lingering effect of former President Joe Biden's policies.
"This is Biden's economy because we took over on January 20th," Trump said. "I think you have to give us a little bit of time to get moving."