Social media posts give insight into first American pope's politics

Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. It's Friday, May 9th, 2025, and these are your Unbiased Updates

Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Mass at the Sistine Chapel less than 24 hours after the

College of Cardinals named the 69-year-old Chicagoan the first ever Pope from the United States

And trade talks this weekend between the United States and China. Representatives will come face to face in Switzerland. The big question

will there be a thaw in the stare down over the tariffs that both sides have imposed on each other

From the Straight Arrow News Studio, bringing the stories that matter to you

from across the United States and around the world, these are today's Unbiased Updates

As more than one billion Catholics across the world celebrate the election of the first American

Pope, we are learning more about the Chicago-born pontiff, including his politics

Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on social media

And some of those messages appeared to be critical of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance

While it appears Prevost did not personally write any of the critical posts

multiple articles and headlines from others were reposted on an X account under his name

President Trump said Thursday he's very happy about news of the first American pope

Robert Prevost, a native of Chicago who studied at Villanova University in Philadelphia

In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said he looks forward to meeting the

new pope, saying it will be a very meaningful moment, while Vice President Vance, a recent

convert to the Catholic Church, posted his congratulations on X. President Trump also

confirmed to reporters Thursday he had received a call from the new pope's team. Pope Leo XIV

is hitting the ground running, paying a visit to greet staff at his former residence just outside

the Vatican, then leading mass for the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel. On Sunday

he will pray the Regina Chaley, a special prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary. The new pontiff will

lead the prayer from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at noon local time. On Monday

he's set to have his first meeting in the Vatican with journalists. Russia is marking 80 years since

the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade at Red Square

attended by President Vladimir Putin and a slew of foreign leaders, including Chinese

President Xi Jinping, as well as the Brazilian president. Ukraine is accusing Russia of violating

its own ceasefire The Ukraine foreign minister posting on X calling the ceasefire a farce and saying Russian forces continue to attack across the entire front line claiming from midnight to midday Russia committed 734 ceasefire violations

and 63 assault operations, 23 of which are still ongoing. At the same time, Russia claims Ukraine

has carried out 488 attacks on Russian targets and tried to break through the border in the

Kursk region twice. This all comes as President Trump is proposing a 30-day unconditional ceasefire

in the Russia-Ukraine war and has threatened additional sanctions against Russia if the

pause in fighting is not respected. Also, Ukraine's parliament unanimously voted to ratify a landmark

minerals deal with the United States on Thursday afternoon, which includes the Trump administration

sending $50 million in defense goods to Ukraine as the war with Russia continues

Top U.S. and Chinese officials are heading to Switzerland this weekend to begin talks about de-escalating the trade war

And now the New York Post is reporting sources close to the negotiations

say the Trump administration is weighing a plan to slash the 145 percent tariff

on Chinese imports by more than half as early as next week

The source also says tariffs on neighboring South Asian countries would be cut to 25 percent, according to The Post

This comes as the U.S. has reached its first official trade deal since President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on more than 100 countries worldwide

Straight Arrow News reporter Lauren Keenan has a deeper look into the agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom

I want to thank Prime Minister Starmer and his very talented team for their outstanding work and partnership

Today's agreement with the UK is the first in a series of agreements on trade that my administration has been negotiating over the past four weeks

With this deal, the UK joins the United States in affirming that reciprocity and fairness is an essential and vital principle of international trade

Many of the details of the trade agreement remain unknown. A general 10 percent import tax that Trump recently imposed on goods from Britain and other countries will stay in effect

Some specific tariffs on British exports like steel, aluminum and automobiles will be reduced or eliminated

The White House says that the first 100000 vehicles that UK carmakers export to the US each year will face a reduced tariff of 10 percent under the agreement

while any vehicles beyond that quota will be taxed at a higher rate of 25 percent

In exchange Britain has agreed to allow more American goods especially agricultural products like beef and ethanol into its market White House officials say the deal makes it easier and more profitable for American farmers

and food producers to sell their products in the UK, potentially boosting U.S. exports

by $5 billion. In the end, it comes down to, as you say, Donald, economic security is national security

On national security, we've been absolutely the closest of allies for so many years, keeping

the peace through that close alliance, that friendship. And now we add to that this deal

on trade and the economy. The United States and Britain have a significant trade relationship

valued at $148 billion in 2024, according to the White House. It's unclear when the full

agreement between the two countries will be signed. That was our Lauren Keenan reporting

President Trump has put a 90-day delay on sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries

to allow for similar negotiations, but he has kept the blanket 10 percent baseline tariff in place

Another familiar face from cable news is up for a big job in the Trump administration

at least temporarily. President Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he is appointing Jeanine Pirro to be interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia

The president called her a powerful crusader for victims of crimes in her role as an assistant

District Attorney in Westchester County, New York, later the DA and a county judge

She has been a legal expert on Fox News for nearly two decades and hosted her own show

The move came after President Trump on Thursday pulled the nomination of Ed Martin when it

appeared Martin would not get Senate confirmation. Republican Senator Tom Tillis said he would not

vote to confirm him to be the top federal prosecutor in D.C. because Martin had supported

the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, and represented defendants who were

prosecuted. President Trump is now assigning Martin to the Department of Justice. In another

matter, President Trump has fired the librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden. Hayden was the first

woman and first African-American to be confirmed to that position in 2016. Her term was set to

expire next year. A conservative group known as the American Accountability Foundation had called

for her to be fired, calling her woke and anti-Trump, while also claiming she and other

librarians promoted children's books with radical content. And one other major move on Thursday

the Trump administration fired the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management

Agency. Cam Hamilton had testified before a House committee that he was against the dismantling of

FEMA and now he out It was the stunning storyline that pretty much took over the NFL draft a few weeks ago The drop of quarterback Shadur Sanders not only out of the first round but all the way into the fifth round and well into day three

Now a fan has filed a lawsuit in Atlanta against the NFL, claiming there was a concerted effort by all the teams not to draft Shadur

In other words, collusion. The fan, identified as John Doe, is seeking $100 million

Sanders, who had a great year as quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes and was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year

after passing for more than 4,000 yards and accounting for 37 touchdowns

waited and waited and waited to get drafted as the drama played out in front of millions of viewers on TV

The fan claims, quote, The NFL's actions and the spread of harmful statements about Sanders

have caused me severe emotional stress and trauma, end quote. In legal terms, he claims the NFL teams violated the Sherman Antitrust Act

that there might have been racial discrimination when it comes to the Civil Rights Act

And he alleges the NFL misled fans about how the draft process works

and how players are evaluated, violating consumer protection laws. Sanders was expected to go in the first round before the Cleveland Browns finally drafted him on day three on Saturday

as draft ysts tried over and over again to explain why the son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was not getting picked

So far, no comment from the NFL. Finally this morning, things are heating up a few hundred miles off the U.S. West Coast

A mile-wide underwater volcano is showing signs it could soon erupt, scientists say

The video is pretty neat. Current forecasts project the volcano, known as Axial Seamount, could erupt any time between now and the end of the year

The volcano is located about a mile underwater on a geological hotspot

And while hotspot volcanoes are common on the seafloor, Axial Seamount also happens to be located on the Juan de Fuca Ridge

where two massive tectronic plates are constantly spreading apart, causing a steady buildup of pressure beneath the Earth's surface

Scientists say Axial Seamount is similar to volcanoes in Hawaii that erupt and spew lava

But you likely will never know when it happens because it will be undetectable on land

By the way, the last time it erupted was April of 2015

Those are your unbiased updates for this Friday. Before we go, whether it's brunch or just taking flowers to her, don't forget mom on Sunday

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. It should be an absolutely wonderful day

We'll see you back here on Monday. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DiGrelli

Have a great day and a fantastic weekend