Pope Leo XIV, in early public addresses following his election, delivered pointed condemnations of tyranny and the abandonment of the vulnerable, remarks widely read as indirect criticism of the Trump administration's posture on migration, foreign aid, and global conflict. The White House responded with unusual sharpness, pushing back against the Vatican's framing on war and peace. The exchange marks an early and notable friction point between the new pope and Washington. The Catholic Church's moral authority carries practical weight in U.S. politics: an estimated 20 percent of American voters identify as Catholic, and the Church's positions on immigration and social welfare have historically shaped legislative debates and electoral coalitions. A sustained public dispute between the papacy and a sitting U.S. president would be without modern precedent in scale, and could complicate Republican outreach to Catholic constituencies. Whether Leo's remarks harden into formal diplomatic tension or remain rhetorical will depend on frequency and escalation from both sides.
Iranian armed forces attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, briefly halting traffic through the waterway. The strike threatens a fragile US-Iran arrangement and could push shipping insurance costs and oil prices higher.
The US has struck Iran, with President Trump citing an Iranian attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz as justification. The action raises immediate risks for global oil flows through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints.
The US struck ten Iranian targets on the second consecutive day of military action, putting a fragile ceasefire under serious pressure. The escalation raises immediate risks for Gulf shipping, global oil supply, and regional stability.
Venezuela's twin earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have killed at least 164 people and injured 971, interim president Delcy Rodriguez confirmed Thursday. The quakes are the country's strongest since 1900, collapsing buildings across Caracas and prompting a state of emergency, with the death toll expected to rise as
