Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV, the American Robert Prevost, said “Peace be with you” in his first words as pope, offering a message of peace and dialogue “without fear.” From the loggia of…
White smoke pours out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling the election of a new pope
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — White smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the great bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled Thursday after cardinals elected the 267th pope to lead the Catholic Church…
Homeland Security chief says travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps
By REBECCA SANTANA and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional…
Ahead of the conclave, the Vatican staff is to be sworn to secrecy under threat of excommunication
By VANESSA GERA Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cleaners and cooks. Doctors and nurses. Even drivers and elevator operators. All the support staff for the cardinals who will elect the successor to Pope Francis are taking an oath…
Things to know about the US coal industry and proposed changes under the Trump administration
By JOHN RABY and LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed several changes that would affect the struggling U.S. coal industry. Trump issued executive orders this month to allow mining on federal…
NCAA passes series of rules that sets table for schools to pay players directly
By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer The NCAA passed rules Monday that would upend decades of precedent by allowing colleges to pay their athletes per terms of a multibillion-dollar lawsuit settlement expected to go into effect this summer. The nine…
Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says
By ANNIE MA AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million…
What are the church’s rites for the death of a pope and the election of a new one?
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and then burning them to produce…
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change,…
Tornado-producing storm deals deadly flooding and large hail to Oklahoma and Texas
By HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press A slow-moving, active storm system brought heavy rain, large hail and tornadoes to parts of Texas and Oklahoma and left two people dead as severe weather warnings Sunday continue to threaten parts of the south-central…