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New Pope Has Ties To U.S. and Peru

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost appears at the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images

State of the World from NPR

New Pope Has Ties To U.S. and Peru

The world's 1.4 billion Catholics now have a new pope. Robert Prevost, who was born in Chicago and spent two decades of service to the church in Peru will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. We go to the Vatican to hear what it was like in St. Peter's Square when the new pope blessed the faithful for the first time. And we hear from someone who knows the pope from his time in Chicago.

New Pope Has Ties To U.S. and Peru

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A man stands inside his house destroyed by Pakistani artillery shelling at the Salamabad village in Uri, about 110kms from Srinagar, on May 8, 2025. India's government said on May 8 that Pakistan launched an overnight air attack using "drones and missiles", before New Delhi retaliated to destroy an air defence system in Lahore. "Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets ... using drones and missiles," India's defence ministry said in a statement, adding that "these were neutralised" by air defence systems. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

A man stands inside his house destroyed by Pakistani artillery shelling in the village of Salamabad, India, Thursday. Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Asia

India and Pakistan trade attacks amid risk of war between nuclear states

The escalation began after India accused Pakistan of being behind an attack where gunmen killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in India-administered Kashmir on April 22. Pakistan denies it.

The latest on the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan

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Cam Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security oversight hearing of FEMA on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Cam Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security oversight hearing of FEMA on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

National

FEMA's acting administrator is replaced a day after congressional testimony

The abrupt change came the day after Cameron Hamilton testified on Capitol Hill that he did not agree with proposals to dismantle an organization that helps plan for natural disasters and distributes financial assistance.

NIH Director Jayanta Bhattacharya, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak before a news conference at the Health and Human Services Department on April 22.

NIH Director Jayanta Bhattacharya, left, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak before a news conference at the Health and Human Services Department on April 22. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

National

RFK Jr. says autism database will use Medicare and Medicaid info

The National Institutes of Health will partner with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to create a database of Americans with autism, using insurance claims, medical records and smartwatch data.

Pope Leo XIV appears on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after being chosen the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV appears on the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica after being chosen the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. Alessandra Tarantino/AP hide caption

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Alessandra Tarantino/AP

Religion

Transcript of Cardinal Robert Prevost's first speech as Pope Leo XIV

Cardinal Robert Prevost made his first speech as Pope Leo XIV on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, shortly after being elected pontiff. This is a transcript of the speech, translated from its original Italian.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at an event unveiling a new U.S. air traffic control system at the Department of Transportation on Thursday in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at an event unveiling a new U.S. air traffic control system at the Department of Transportation on Thursday in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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National

Trump administration unveils a plan to modernize the air traffic control system

The transportation secretary announced a far-reaching plan to drastically overhaul the current technology used by thousands of controllers responsible for guiding planes in and out of airports.

Trump administration unveils a modernization plan for air traffic control system

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Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at a campaign rally for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, in Nov., 2024. Under President Trump's second term, Sanders announced plans to reprise work requirements for Medicaid

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at a campaign rally for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, in Nov., 2024. In January, Sanders announced plans to reprise an effort to institute work requirements for Medicaid, as Arkansas did under the first Trump administration. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Health

States try to revive Medicaid work requirements, worrying some low-income Americans

13 states got the greenlight to add work requirements during the first Trump Administration, but courts halted those plans. Now that Trump is back in the White House, some states are trying again.

Some states are reviving plans to require adults to work in order to get Medicaid

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From apps to gadgets, 'Second Life' considers how tech is changing having a baby
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Author Interviews

From apps to gadgets, 'Second Life' considers how tech is changing having a baby

When Amanda Hess learned her unborn child had a genetic condition, she turned to the internet — but didn't find reassurance. "My relationship with technology became so much more intense," she says.

From apps to gadgets, 'Second Life' considers how tech is changing having a baby

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Mikal Mahdi was executed by a firing squad of three South Carolina Department of Corrections employees on April 11. An autopsy report shows that the bullets did not pierce his heart and likely caused the prisoner pain and suffering while he was still conscious. Mahdi is seen here in 2023 at the Broad River Correctional Facility in Columbia, S.C.

Mikal Mahdi was executed by a firing squad of three South Carolina Department of Corrections employees on April 11. He is seen here in 2023 at the Broad River Correctional Facility in Columbia, S.C. David Weiss hide caption

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David Weiss

Investigations

A firing squad tried to shoot a prisoner in the heart. They missed, autopsy indicates

The autopsy notes two bullet wounds even though there were three shooters, and a forensic expert says the misfires likely caused "excruciating conscious pain and suffering."

A firing squad tried to shoot a prisoner in the heart. They missed, autopsy indicates

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Michael Beach, former deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at CDC, attends a weekly protest outside the agency’s main campus in Atlanta.

Michael Beach, former deputy director of the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases at CDC, attends a weekly protest outside the agency's main campus in Atlanta. Pien Huang/NPR hide caption

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Shots - Health News

Former CDC staff warn of 'a five-alarm fire'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid off thousands of workers since January. Current and former CDC staff members are grappling with uncertainty about both their futures and public health.

CDC conference

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Kimberly Drennan, CEO and CO-founder, checking on her bees in Boulder, Colorado

Kimberly Drennan, CEO and cofounder of Colorado company HiveTech Solutions, checking on her bees in Boulder. Kimberly Drennan hide caption

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Kimberly Drennan

Economy

Americans are already seeing Trump's tariffs kick in. They sent in receipts to prove it

There's new tariffs on almost everything that is imported. Some of that increased cost is being eaten by exporters in other countries, but a lot of the higher prices are being picked up by Americans, who are seeing it in their receipts.

This photo shows Spencer Hospital CEO Brenda Tiefenthaler (second from left), behavioral health services director Kerri Dandy (left), nursing director Jen Dau (third from left) and outreach navigator Jill Barr. They are standing outdoors on the grass in front of Spencer Hospital.

Spencer Hospital CEO Brenda Tiefenthaler (second from left) vows to maintain the facility's mental health services, with help from behavioral health services director Kerri Dandy (left), nursing director Jen Dau (third from left) and outreach navigator Jill Barr. Tony Leys/KFF Health News hide caption

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Tony Leys/KFF Health News

Shots - Health News

Medicaid payments barely keep hospital mental health units afloat. Federal cuts could sink them

KFF Health News

Patients seeking mental health care are more likely to be on Medicaid than patients in more profitable areas of care, such as cancer or cardiac treatment.

Members of media and local residents walk through the rubble of a building damaged by suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7.

Members of media and local residents walk through the rubble of a building damaged by suspected Indian missile attack, in Muridke, a town in Pakistan's Punjab province, Wednesday, May 7. K.M. Chaudary/AP hide caption

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K.M. Chaudary/AP

Asia

Not taking India-Pakistan escalation seriously a 'huge risk,' warns conflict expert

Efforts to mediate the India-Pakistan conflict are not going to work "unless the U.S. steps in with full sincerity," Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, told NPR.

Where the conflict between India and Pakistan could be heading

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting at the William McChesney Martin Jr. Federal Reserve Board Building on May 7 in Washington, D.C.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting at the William McChesney Martin Jr. Federal Reserve Board Building on May 7 in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America

Up First Newsletter

Fed keeps interest rates steady. And, Catholics around the world wait for a new Pope

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady amid uncertainty over President Trump's trade war. And, the Trump administration has plans to deport migrants without legal status to Libya.

India And Pakistan Latest, Libya Deportations, The Fed And Interest Rates

Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new pope, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025.

Black smoke billows from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel during the conclave to elect a new pope, at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. Andrew Medichini/AP hide caption

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Andrew Medichini/AP

Conclave 2025

No new pope elected yet after black smoke pours out of Sistine Chapel's chimney

Black smoke streamed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday morning in Rome, signaling that the 133 cardinal electors have not come to a two-thirds agreement about who the next pontiff should be.

Kellen and his classmates, including his best friend, Nolan Robbins (left), learn about the structure of the U.S. government with teacher Robyn Fox.

Kellen and his classmates, including his best friend, Nolan Robbins (left), learn about the structure of the U.S. government with teacher Robyn Fox. Katrina Ward for NPR hide caption

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Katrina Ward for NPR

Education

On Teacher Appreciation Week, union leaders say teachers are underpaid and under attack

The presidents of the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers say the political climate has added to age-old money problems for teachers, such as underfunded schools.

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