FINANCIAL TIMES
-Pope Francis' funeral mass in Rome has attracted world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, who broke tradition and requested simplified rites. The late pontiff, who will be laid to rest at Santa Maria Maggiore, has requested a more compassionate and accessible Catholic church, addressing contemporary issues like climate change. During his 12 years on the throne, Francis aimed to make the Catholic Church more accessible and compassionate. His death at the age of 88 has sparked grief from admirers and dissent from critics, including influential members of Trump's Maga movement. The Holy See estimates that around 200,000 mourners have gathered in St Peter's Square for the mass, including 220 cardinals and around 750 bishops and priests. The Vatican reported that an estimated 250,000 people had passed through St Peter's Basilica over the three days Francis lay in state before his coffin was sealed.
-The Church in the west struggles to maintain its legacy of properties, while in the southern continents, it lacks resources to build churches and schools quickly enough for an expanding flock. Cultural differences now shape ethical questions, but these are not disagreements over doctrine itself but how it is applied. The differences between cardinals are more about how the Church evangelizes, focusing on its "style" - its way of being, culture, and mindset. The late pope's reforms reflected his understanding of the Church's role in the "change of era" marked by the general expulsion of Christianity from law and culture. Francis criticized the negative view of the Church's diminished social relevance, arguing that it seeks to recover or shore up its attachment to secularization.
-China has seized a disputed reef near the Philippines' most important military outpost in the South China Sea, raising the risk of a new stand-off between the two rival claimants. The China Coast Guard has exercised sovereign jurisdiction over Sandy Cay, marking the first time in many years that Beijing has officially planted its flag on another previously unoccupied land feature. The move comes as the Philippines and its ally the US conduct Balikatan, their largest annual military exercise, which will include coastal defense and island seizure drills. Sandy Cay has strategic value for China because it grants it a territorial sea.
-British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been rebuffed by Brussels in a bid to gain access to the EU single market as part of a post-Brexit reset. The British government sought a mutual recognition agreement on certifying product standards, which would have reduced red tape for British businesses. However, France rejected the demand, and EU diplomats believe it is a non-starter. The skirmish is part of a larger dispute between Britain and the EU, expected to intensify in autumn with the aim of finalising a deal by the end of the year. The deal would require Britain to roll over EU fishing rights in UK waters for several years.
-President Trump has pardoned Florida healthcare executive Paul Walczak, whose mother played a role in exposing the contents of Ashley Biden's diary. Walczak was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $4.4 million in restitution for tax crimes used to finance a lavish lifestyle. His mother, Elizabeth Fago, was a longtime Republican donor and fund-raiser who played a role in a surreptitious effort to help Trump by undermining Biden Jr. in the 2020 election.
-Former Fed governor Kevin Warsh has accused the US central bank of committing systematic errors and failing to control the worst inflationary surge in a generation. Warsh accused the bank of acting more as a general-purpose agency of government than a narrow central bank, and said the "drift" had stopped it from keeping inflation at its 2% goal. He added that the Fed's $7T balance sheet enabled rampant federal government spending, leaving the US's fiscal position on a dangerous trajectory. Warsh referred to the central bank's Treasury debt purchases under quantitative easing.
-The IMF and World Bank's spring meetings saw Trump's reversals, leaving US allies bewildered by the administration's trade agenda and the ongoing uncertainty affecting their economies. Share prices rallied after Trump announced he would curb tariffs on China and not plan to fire Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell. However, the IMF's World Economic Outlook warned that instability in international trade would inevitably hinder global growth, highlighting the world economy's new and major test.
-The FBI has arrested Judge Hannah Dugan in Wisconsin on obstruction charges for allegedly helping an immigrant evade detention by federal agents. The judge, who has been a judge in Milwaukee County since 2016, has been accused of intentionally misdirecting federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse. The FBI director, Kash Patel, alleged that Dugan's obstruction created increased danger to the public. Dugan has been a judge in Milwaukee County since 2016, primarily handling cases in the court's misdemeanour section. This move brings tensions between Trump's administration and the judiciary to new heights, raising existential questions about the country's separation of powers.
-Boeing has returned one 737 aircraft to Zhoushan airport near Shanghai, marking a significant shift in the US-China trade war. Beijing suspended orders for new jets due to rising tariffs, and Boeing is currently bringing back two planes due for delivery. The return of the planes demonstrates the disruption US business in China, a major market for Boeing. The potential break between the US and China threatens the corporate infrastructure of American companies, from factory floor to consumer, which has been central to their growth prospects. Despite Washington encouraging US companies to "de-risk" their presence, many still rely on Chinese supply chains or sell products into the mainland.
-President Donald Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, despite Beijing's denials of talks to ease trade tensions between the world's two largest economies. Trump claimed to have sealed "200 deals" on trade, though no such pacts have been announced. However, some people in Washington and Beijing said Xi had not called Trump, and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not comment.
-A Financial Times analysis of over 350,000 posts on X related to the Canadian federal election has revealed a network of coordinated accounts pushing content to boost Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and tarnish Liberal candidate Mark Carney. The analysis, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Southern California, identified a network of suspicious accounts promoting rightwing memes and news sources. The US has been a major information exporter to Canada, but in recent years, there has been "mass amounts of disinformation coming from the influencer sphere in the US."
-Indians are demanding accountability for the worst terrorist attack on civilians since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, questioning how it could have happened in a region with heavy security presence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to exact revenge, stating that New Delhi will identify, track, and punish terrorists and their backers. World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have expressed condolences and support for the situation. India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir and occupy part of the region.
NEW YORK TIMES
-Pope Francis's papacy was marked by debate over radical action, with some liberal Catholics expecting him to ordain women or allow gay marriage, while others believed he would tear up Church doctrine. However, Francis ultimately balked, deciding that the church wasn't yet ready to lift a roughly 1,000-year-old restriction. This led many of his supporters, who expected him to be a pope of radical change, to feel let down. Francis, who died on Monday at 88, was a pope of great, often outsized, expectations. His revolutionary and freewheeling style led Catholics across the spectrum to invest him with their most ambitious — at times unrealistic — hopes and fears, sometimes independent of what he said or did. Some liberal Catholics, forgetting Francis was the leader of a deeply conservative institution, expected him to make women priests, change teaching on birth control, or throw his weight behind same-sex unions and gay marriage. Some conservatives, including some who believed the Argentine pope was a secret Communist, worried he would torch the church doctrine, even though he never touched it.
-Ukraine's leadership has drafted a counterproposal to a Trump administration plan that has drawn criticism for conceding too much to Russia. The plan, obtained by The New York Times, hints at possible concessions on issues that have long been seen as intractable. Under the plan, there would be no restrictions on the size of the Ukrainian military, a European security contingent backed by the United States would be deployed on Ukrainian territory to guarantee security, and frozen Russian assets would be used to repair damage in Ukraine caused during the war.
There is no mention of Ukraine fully regaining all the territory seized by Russia or an insistence on Ukraine joining NATO, two issues that President Volodymyr Zelensky has long said were not up for negotiations.
-A New York Times/Siena College poll found that voters believe President Trump is overreaching with his aggressive efforts to expand executive power and have deep doubts about some of the signature pieces of his agenda. The turbulent early months of Trump's administration are seen as "chaotic" and "scary" by majorities of voters, even many who approve of the job he is doing. Voters do not view him as understanding the problems in their daily lives and have soured on his leadership as he approaches his 100th day in office. Trump's approval rating sits at 42%, which is historically low for a president this early in a term, but it is in line with his stubborn unpopularity. However, voters express dimming confidence about his handling of some of the top issues that propelled him back to the White House, including the economy and immigration, even as most Americans support deportations. Only 43% said they approved of how he has managed the economy this term, a serious erosion on an issue long seen as a strength for him.
-Wisconsin County Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by F.B.I. agents on suspicion of intentionally misdirecting federal agents away from an undocumented immigrant being pursued by authorities. Dugan was accused of steering the immigrant through a side door in her courtroom while the agents waited to arrest him in a public hallway. This decision to charge a sitting state court judge is a major escalation in the Trump administration's battle with local authorities over deportations. The administration has demanded that local officials not impede federal efforts to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, and the arrest sent a message that the administration intends to take a harder line with those that do. The arrest of Dugan comes after months of rising tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary, with President Trump and his top advisers repeatedly assailing "local judges" for halting or questioning actions taken by the administration, particularly when it comes to immigration cases.
-The Trump administration has reopened the legal status of thousands of international students in the United States, despite a series of legal challenges. Immigration officials have indicated that they will continue to attempt to terminate their legal status, despite the ongoing legal battles. The decision, revealed during a court hearing in Washington, was a significant shift by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite the administration describing it as a temporary reprieve. The back and forth situation has added to the anxiety and confusion faced by international students as the administration has canceled over 1,500 student visas in recent weeks. A Justice Department lawyer, Joseph F. Carilli, stated that immigration officials have begun working on a new system for reviewing and terminating the records of international students and academics studying in the United States.
-Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced that federal authorities may seek reporters' phone records and compel their testimony in leak investigations, reversing a Biden administration policy aimed at protecting journalism from intrusive efforts to identify and prosecute leakers. The change is necessary to safeguard "classified, privileged and other sensitive information," a broader set of government secrets than protected by the criminal code. President Trump has long complained about leaks, and First Amendment advocates have expected his administration to rescind Biden-era protections for journalists.
-President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met privately in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral service. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since their televised argument in February. The meeting came at a critical moment, as the US presented a proposed cease-fire plan for Ukraine's war with Russia and a postwar plan that would give Russia control over all lands it has illegally seized since the invasion began three years ago. The plan includes a major reversal of American policy, recognizing Crimea as Russian territory.
-A third round of talks between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear activities began, raising hopes for a new accord that could avert another Middle East conflict. President Trump said he believes a deal with Iran is possible, despite abandoning a previous nuclear deal in 2018. The talks could reshape regional and global security by reducing the chance of a US-backed Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities and preventing Iran from producing a nuclear weapon.
-India and Pakistan are on the brink of another military conflict, with India threatening retaliation for a deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir linked to Pakistan. The downing of an Indian jet by Pakistan in 2019 prompted India to invest billions in modernization efforts, seek international arms purchases, and expand defense manufacturing capacity. Tensions have risen so sharply that India has vowed to disrupt the flow of a major river system into Pakistan, a step it has never taken before, despite the wars the two countries have fought over the decades.
NEW YORK POST
-Virginia Giuffre, a prominent victim of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has taken her own life. Giuffre, who was a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking, died at her farm in Western Australia. Her family announced her death, stating that she had "four days to live" following a bus collision. Giuffre was one of Epstein's most outspoken abuse survivors. In 2015, she filed legal action against Epstein, alleging she was sex trafficked at 16 after his ex-lover and convicted madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, recruited her from her job as a locker room attendant at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. Giuffre's family said she was the light that lifted many survivors and will be missed beyond measure. Her children Christian, Noah, and Emily were the light of her life.
-Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been a key figure in US trade negotiations, as President Trump expressed hope that he would open China to American goods with aggressive tariffs. Bessent and Trump are in the driver's seat, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro continue to have access and say. Bessent, a successful hedge fund executive worth an estimated $520M, has been the public face of the talks and has voiced confidence about progress in talks with India, South Korea, and Japan. He met last week with a Japanese delegation, with followup talks expected before the end of the month. Bessent was surprised by the progress made in the talks with Seoul officials, stating that the Asian delegation "came with their 'A' game."
