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      ‘Viva Papa Leo!’ At U.S. Masses, Dawn of Homegrown Pope Brings an Air of Electricity.

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      The Rev. Gosbert Rwezahura opened Mass on Sunday morning by saying what everyone in the pews was thinking. “Habemus papam!” he exclaimed at Christ Our Savior Parish in South Holland, Ill. Beaming, he added, “He is one of our own!”It was the first Sunday in American history with an American pope seated on the throne of St. Peter in Rome. At parishes across the country, Catholics filed into the pews with a sense of wonder, hope and pride over Pope Leo XIV.At Christ Our Savior, the pride was personal: Today’s parish was formed from others in the area around the South Side of Chicago that includes a now-closed church where the pope attended as a child.Father Rwezahura put it simply: “We are the home parish of the pope!”“I’m so full and so proud, I don’t know what to do,” said Janice I. Sims, 75. “I’m definitely blessed because I lived long enough to see it happen.” Others there traded anecdotes about brushes with the future pope, back when he was known as Robert Prevost: the music director who played at a wedding he officiated, the deacon who went to high school where his mother was the school librarian.At the standing-room-only 10:30 a.m. Mass at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, the Rev. Ton Nguyen began his homily by exclaiming “Viva Papa Leo the 14th!” The congregation applauded. Outside the church, yellow and white bunting hung in celebration.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      How Front Pages Around the World Covered the Selection of Pope Leo XIV

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      In a digital age, the front pages of print newspapers can still capture a historic moment as they did on Friday with word-playing headlines, splashy photos and a dose of solemnity.Newspapers around the world on Friday covered the election of a new pope, Robert Francis Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV, with big photos, plays on words and nods to his nationalities.Pope Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago, made history as the first North American pope, and plenty of tabloids and broadsheets played up his background as an American.Many newspapers used the Latin phrase “Habemus papam,” which means “We have a pope.” For English newspapers, it was a rare appearance of a foreign phrase in a headline.Chicago TribuneDaily RecordCardinal Dominique Mamberti of France used that phrase, prompting cheers, after he emerged on the papal balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to introduce the new pope.Overwhelmingly, newspapers ran with images of Leo XIV as he greeted the world as pope for the first time, waving to crowds from the papal balcony.L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, which is in Italian, had a full-page spread with a Latin headline that translated to: “We have a Pope. Robert Francis Prevost who gave himself the name Leo XIV.”Many foreign outlets highlighted Pope Leo XIV’s American roots.The Irish Daily Mirror led with “Let U.S. Pray” and Le Temps, a Swiss French-language newspaper, went with “HabemUS Papam.”The Sun, a British tabloid, declared “God Bless American.”Irish Daily MirrorThe SunNewspapers in Chicago highlighted the pope, who grew up in Dolton, Ill., a Chicago suburb, as a hometown hero.The Chicago Tribune claimed Pope Leo XIV for the city, writing “Chicago’s pope.”The front page of The Chicago Sun-Times read “DA POPE!” in a cheeky allusion to the Chicago Bears, the football team nicknamed by fans as “Da Bears.”The front page of The Chicago Sun-Times on Friday.Nam Y. Huh/Associated PressThe Philadelphia Inquirer, which carried the headline “An American Pope,” was quick to note in a subhead that Pope Leo XIV is an alumnus of Villanova University, the Catholic school based in a Philadelphia suburb.While Corriere della Sera of Milan said “Il Papa americano,” Peru’s Correo proclaimed “UN PAPA PERUANO.”Though Pope Leo XIV is not of Peruvian birth, some in the country have claimed him as one of their own. He lived in Peru as a missionary for many years, before serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, a city in northern Peru, from 2015 to 2023.The Record, El Mercurio, Blick, World JournalA display of front pages from Peruvian newspapers celebrating the new pope at a newsstand in Chiclayo, Peru.Marco Garro for The New York TimesEl Mercurio, a Chilean newspaper, compromised in its headline, calling Pope Leo XIV both Peruvian and American. (He is a dual citizen.)Some newspapers decided to lead with the pope’s papal name instead of his background or nationality.Plenty of outlets, from Diário de Notícias in Portugal and Libération in France, had headlines that said “Leo.” These outlets chose to publish a more pious posture, picturing Pope Leo XIV with his hands clasped in prayer.Others quoted Pope Leo XIV’s first message as the leader of the Catholic Church: “‘Peace be with you,’” read The San Francisco Chronicle headline.Diário de Notícias LibérationNewspapers featuring the new pope on the front page at a vendor in downtown Nairobi, Kenya.Simon Maina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images More

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      John Prevost, Pope Leo XIV’s Brother, Reflects on His Election and Values

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      From his home in suburban Chicago, one of the pope’s brothers described Leo as “middle of the road” but not afraid to speak his mind.John Prevost knew there was a chance his brother could be elected pope. “Last Saturday when I was at church, one of the priests came over and told me the odds in Las Vegas were 18 to 1,” said Mr. Prevost, who lives in suburban Chicago. “He didn’t have a doubt. He thought it would definitely be my brother.”But Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was preparing for the conclave, shrugged it off when his older brother called from Illinois.“He said, ‘No way, not going to happen,’” recalled Mr. Prevost, 71, who is retired from a career as an educator and school principal.Of course, it did happen. Cardinal Prevost is now Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff. And for his friends and family back in Illinois, where the pope grew up, everything is different.In a wide-ranging interview on Thursday afternoon at his home in New Lenox, a tidy city of 27,000 people about 40 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, John Prevost reflected on his brother’s ascent to the papacy, the new pope’s values and his American roots.Leo, whom Mr. Prevost is accustomed to calling Rob, “has great, great desire to help the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, the people who are ignored,” Mr. Prevost said. He predicted that his brother would carry on the legacy of his predecessor, Pope Francis.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Glitch on Apple Weather and Google Shows Scary Air Quality in Chicago

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      Some popular weather apps had reported a dangerously hazardous Air Quality Index.Readings from several popular weather apps had people across Chicago spending much of Wednesday wondering whether their air was safe to breathe — until the dangerously unhealthy levels were revealed to be a glitch.Early in the morning, Google’s air quality map showed that Chicago had the worst air in the country. Apple’s weather app, too, showed that the Air Quality Index had climbed into the 400s, a reading so hazardous that people are encouraged to stay indoors. (The Air Quality Index, which ranges from 0 to 500, is a measure of the density of five pollutants in the air: ground-level ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide.)To put that in perspective, that’s as high as the levels reached in 2023 when smoke from wildfires in Canada blanketed much of the East Coast and turned the sky in New York City orange.A little before 1 p.m., Apple’s weather app showed the Air Quality Index at a very hazardous 486.AppleAt those levels, people are advised to stay indoors, and Madeline Blair, 24, did just that. She checked her Apple weather app when she woke up and, seeing unhealthy air quality levels, skipped her morning walk. Ms. Blair instead headed down into her basement to retrieve her air filter.“I live on the northwest side, and my area on the map was dark purple on the Apple radar, so I’m like, No thanks, I’m just staying inside,” Ms. Blair said. (That color would indicate the air quality is at hazardous levels.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Biden Condemns Trump Over Social Security in First Speech Since Leaving Office

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      In Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s first extensive speech since he left office, he accused the Trump administration of “taking a hatchet” to the Social Security Administration.In his first expansive public comments since leaving the White House, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke out against the Trump administration’s cuts to the Social Security Administration.AJ Mast for The New York TimesJoseph R. Biden Jr. forcefully defended Social Security in a speech to disability advocates in Chicago on Tuesday, condemning the Trump administration for “taking a hatchet” to the Social Security Administration.In his first expansive public comments since leaving the White House, Mr. Biden said that President Trump had taken aim at Social Security, doing “damage and destruction” to a program that millions of Americans depend on.“Social Security deserves to be protected for the good of the nation as a whole,” Mr. Biden said, adding that Trump officials are applying a Silicon Valley mantra of “move fast and break things” to the government. “Well, they’re certainly breaking things. They’re shooting first and aiming later.”Mr. Trump has promised not to cut Social Security benefits for the 73 million Americans enrolled, but offices around the country have been flooded with calls and questions from Americans who are worried that changes to their benefits and to their local Social Security offices may be imminent.At local offices, many staff members have taken buyouts or early retirements promoted by the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts, leading to longer phone waits and lines. The Social Security Administration has said it wants to shed thousands of jobs at its headquarters.Mr. Biden said that during his own administration, the Social Security Administration cut wait times, improved antifraud measures and made the appeals system for benefits more uniform.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      New York Warns Trump It Will Not Comply With Public School D.E.I. Order

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      The New York State Education Department on Friday issued a defiant response to the Trump administration’s threats to pull federal funding from public schools over certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a remarkable departure from the conciliatory approach of other institutions in recent weeks.Daniel Morton-Bentley, the deputy commissioner for legal affairs at the state education agency in New York, wrote in a letter to federal education officials that “we understand that the current administration seeks to censor anything it deems ‘diversity, equity & inclusion.’”“But there are no federal or state laws prohibiting the principles of D.E.I.,” Mr. Morton-Bentley wrote, adding that the federal government has not defined what practices it believes violate civil rights protections.The stern letter was sent one day after the federal government issued a memo to education officials across the nation, asking them to confirm the elimination of all programs it argues unfairly promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Title I funding for schools with high percentages of low-income students was at risk pending compliance, federal officials said.New York’s stance differed from the muted and often deferential responses across academia and other major institutions to the Trump administration’s threats. Some universities have quietly scrubbed diversity websites and canceled events to comply with executive orders — and to avoid the ire of the White House.A divide emerged last spring as the presidents of several universities, including Harvard and Columbia, adopted cautious responses when confronted by House Republicans at congressional hearings regarding antisemitism. In contrast, K-12 leaders, including David C. Banks, chancellor of New York City’s public schools at the time, took a combative approach.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Consumer Bureau Seeks to Undo Settlement and Repay Mortgage Lender

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      The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to return a $105,000 penalty it collected last fall when it resolved a discrimination lawsuit.Under President Trump, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dropped nearly a dozen enforcement cases brought during the Biden administration, ending lawsuits against banks and lenders for a variety of financial practices that the watchdog agency no longer considers illegal.But on Wednesday, the bureau went a step further: It is seeking to give back $105,000 that a mortgage lender paid to settle racial discrimination claims last fall.In an especially strange twist, the case — against Townstone Financial, a small Chicago-based lender — was brought during Mr. Trump’s first term by Kathleen Kraninger, the director he appointed to run the consumer bureau.Russell Vought, who became the agency’s acting director last month, said it had “used radical ‘equity’ arguments to tag Townstone as racist with zero evidence, and spent years persecuting and extorting them.”In its filing asking the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to set aside the settlement it approved in November, the bureau said it had found “significant undisclosed problems” in its handling of the lawsuit, which the new leadership called an “unmerited” complaint that violated the defendants’ First Amendment free-speech rights.The case began in 2020 when the consumer bureau accused Townstone of redlining and breaking fair-lending laws by discouraging residents living in majority-Black neighborhoods from applying for its housing loans. It homed in on comments made during the company’s radio show and podcast, “The Townstone Financial Show,” saying they were intended to rebuff Black borrowers or those seeking to buy homes in certain neighborhoods.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Jury Awards $120 Million to Illinois Men Wrongfully Convicted of Murder

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      John Fulton and Anthony Mitchell were teenagers when they were coerced into giving false confessions in a 2003 murder in Chicago.A federal jury in Chicago awarded $120 million on Monday to two Illinois men who spent more than 16 years behind bars for a 2003 murder they did not commit.John Fulton and Anthony Mitchell were teenagers when they were convicted in 2006 for the murder of Christopher Collazo, whose body was found bound and partly burned in an alley on the South Side of Chicago in the early hours of March 10, 2003. Their convictions were vacated in 2019.Mr. Fulton and Mr. Mitchell each filed a federal lawsuit in 2020 against the City of Chicago, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and several Chicago police officers, arguing that the men had been framed and were coerced into giving false confessions.After a month of testimony, a federal jury deliberated for two days before finding that the men had been railroaded into giving false confessions and that detectives had fabricated evidence against them, according to court records. Mr. Fulton and Mr. Mitchell were each awarded $60 million in damages.Mr. Fulton said in a phone interview on Tuesday that he knew his day of justice would come.“It was a sense of relief,” he said of the verdict. Referring to others still serving time for crimes they did not commit, he added, “I also thought about all the others who haven’t gotten a chance to see this day for themselves.”Jon Loevy, a lawyer for Mr. Fulton and Mr. Mitchell, described the moment the jury read its verdict as “very emotional.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More