Latest news with #JohnPaul
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Daywatch: Trump cuts may end oversight of Illinois special ed school
Good morning, Chicago. A short video taken inside an Illinois school captured troubling behavior: A teacher gripping a 6-year-old boy with autism by the ankle and dragging him down the hallway on his back. The early April incident would've been upsetting in any school, but it happened at the Garrison School, part of a special education district where at one time students were arrested at the highest rate of any district in the country. The teacher was charged with battery weeks later after pressure from the student's parents. It's been about eight months since the U.S. Department of Education directed Garrison to change the way it responded to the behavior of students with disabilities. The department said it would monitor the Four Rivers Special Education District, which operates Garrison, following a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation in 2022 that found the school frequently involved police and used controversial disciplinary methods. But the department's Office for Civil Rights regional office in Chicago, which was responsible for Illinois and five other states, was one of seven abolished by President Donald Trump's administration in March; the offices were closed and their entire staff was fired. And here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including why the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into Mayor Brandon Johnson, how Chicago is settling the parking meter lawsuit and a new book that tells stories behind the Malnati pizza empire. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History The archbishop of Chicago doesn't know when the Holy Father will return to his hometown for a visit – an appearance many have been clamoring for as the city celebrates its new homegrown pontiff. Vice President JD Vance invited the pope to visit the United States during a private meeting Monday and the pontiff could be heard responding 'at some point' in video provided by Vatican media. 'We need to give him some breathing space here,' Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich said, with a little laugh. 'He's got a lot of things on his plate right now. He has to make that decision.' Only one pope has ever traveled to Chicago: In 1979, Pope John Paul II's three-hour Mass in Grant Park attracted anywhere from 500,000 to 1.5 million attendees. Chicago White Sox honor Pope Leo XIV with new Rate Field artwork Vintage Chicago Tribune: Pope John Paul II's visit in 1979 U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood announced that she will not enter the Democratic primary race to succeed retiring Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate. The four-term congresswoman from west suburban Naperville was the youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress in 2018 and has been viewed as a rising star in the party. Who will fill Dick Durbin's US Senate seat in Illinois? Here are the candidates. The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation into Mayor Brandon Johnson yesterday over allegations of race-based discrimination, citing his recent remarks at a Woodlawn church in which he emphasized how many Black people he's hired in his administration. ComEd customers may be feeling the heat this summer after a spike in electricity supply charges goes into effect in June, just in time for air conditioning season. Chicagoans who overwhelmingly loathe the Daley meter lease may indeed be hard-pressed to feel victorious over paying to hire 10 more people to ticket them for not staying current on their payments to the company for the privilege of parking on public streets. Former Portage Mayor James Snyder and his legal team have until Friday to object to prosecutor's filing to proceed to sentencing on the IRS charge conviction and drop a third trial on the bribery charge. If a response isn't filed by Friday, Judge Gretchen Lund wrote that she would request probation office officials to file a revised presentence report and set a date for sentencing. The New Lenox Crossroads Sports Complex set to open this summer is also getting a new name. The village signed a three-year naming rights agreement with Wintrust Financial Corporation, rebranding the $70 million facility as the Wintrust Crossroads Sports Complex. Former Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill has emerged as a top contender for the Chicago Blackhawks, according to reports. Blashill, 51, has a wide-ranging background. He has been a head coach and assistant in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, United States Hockey League, American Hockey League and with USA Hockey in addition to the NHL. The Philadelphia Eagles' famous tush push play has been a topic of conversation for years, reaching a new level when owners agreed to consider a proposal from the Green Bay Packers to ban the short-yardage scheme that has helped the Eagles win one Super Bowl and reach another. 'I kind of love that mix of excitement and fear, like on a roller coaster,' says Lydia Cash. Those warring emotions permeate Cash's latest body of work, including the singles 'We Can Never Go Back' and 'A Whole Summer of Loving You,' which were both released earlier this year. Confident and lyrically naked, Cash (yes, of that Cash family) peels back the layers of her own life — including the end of an eight-year relationship and marriage — to share rich, evocative Americana-inspired rock music. New and old fans can hear her latest tracks during a solo set at the Empty Bottle on May 23. Parachute HiFi, the creative Korean American restaurant and cocktail bar in Avondale, retains its original Michelin-starred DNA, but has been reimagined beautifully with casual cuisine and amplified style by James Beard award-winning chefs, owners and spouses Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim for the world we live in right now. Kim describes the newest incarnation of Parachute, which just celebrated its 11th anniversary this month, more specifically as a listening bar. These bars trace their lineage back a hundred years or so to jazz kissa cafe culture in Japan, where listening to jazz records through high-fidelity equipment brings music to the forefront. 'Deep Dish: Inside the First 50 Years of Lou Malnati's Pizza' is a surprising book in that it has a welcome lack of recipes but also because it is self-aware and, frankly, occasionally chilling, writes Rick Kogan. As Marc Malnati's younger brother, Rick, puts it in a short preface, 'This is not a story about great pizza, although we do serve the best pizza in the world. This is the story about how a somewhat dysfunctional family led to the growth of a more functional family.'
Irish Examiner
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Gareth O'Callaghan: Is Pope Leo the key to a radical shift in global consciousness?
My late colleague and great friend Larry Gogan once said to me: "Don't try to fix it if it's not broken". I was reminded of those words as I watched Pope Leo XIV on his arrival last Sunday in the small town of Genazzano, on the outskirts of Rome, much to the surprise of hundreds of locals who couldn't believe what they were witnessing. Two weeks ago, I wrote in this column that the world more than ever before needs a great pope, not a good pope, to follow in the footsteps of Francis, whose legacy will forever be his humanitarian conscience. My fear was that the new pope would unhitch all the fundamental goodness of his predecessor, and drag the church back into the dark ages. I was afraid he might set about fixing what's not broken. Ten days into his papacy, it's becoming obvious that's not going to happen. Am I alone in thinking there's more to the providential surprises that have occurred since the death of Francis than just coincidence? Moments that make it difficult not to believe that some supernatural power — the Holy Spirit, even — is laying the groundwork for a radical shift in global consciousness on a scale we haven't witnessed since Ronald Reagan joined forces with John Paul II to defeat atheistic Soviet communism. Was it a coincidence that Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy sat face to face, knees almost touching, beside the Baptistry Chapel in the heart of the Basilica, under the 18th century mosaics of Jesus baptising Peter, and Saint Peter as he baptises the Centurion Cornelius, minutes before the pope's funeral — their first encounter since the disastrous showdown at the White House last February? Was it just luck on the second day of the Conclave that an American from Dolton, Illinois, where 20% of the population live below the poverty line, stepped onto the balcony overlooking Saint Peter's Square as the new pope? Or was it the hand of God? Coming at a time when his president back home is untethering the laws of democracy and human rights, including threats to free speech and habeas corpus (the legal weapon against unlawful detention, which allows people who are being imprisoned unjustly to petition in court for their release). You'd have to wonder if it was the work of a greater power that has given the world an American pope at a time when his country badly needs one. As Americans struggle to make sense of the stranglehold Trump has dragged their country into in less than four months, and what the future holds under him, has some otherworldly presence arbitrated with a papal antidote to his anarchy — one who might inspire some moral decency in him, considering no one else can? It's 45 years since Ronald Reagan became president. Late one evening in June 1979, Reagan was engrossed in the television coverage of John Paul II's visit to his homeland. President Ronald Reagan sitting with Pope John Paul II in Vizcaya Mansion. Picture: Getty Images Suddenly, he stood up and shouted 'that's it!' at the television, as he watched the son of Poland's visit to Warsaw with his close aide Richard Allen. 'The Pope is the key!' he shouted, telling Allen that it was imperative he became president, and how he intended reaching out to the pope and the Vatican to 'make them an ally'. Three years later, on June 7, 1982, in the pope's private study on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace, with heavy curtains blocking out the stifling heat of the Italian summer, a president met a pope alone for the first time in history. To this day, no one knows what Ronald Reagan and John Paul II discussed for almost an hour. There are no minutes of the meeting, no notes, no recordings. Here were two men who knew they needed each other if either of them had any hope of ending communism, which had first taken root in 1917 Russia. Neither of them — the leader of the free world face to face, knees almost touching, with Christ's Vicar on earth — ever spoke about the meeting, but whatever was discussed, in the six years that followed, Ronald Reagan and John Paul II united to crush the Soviet Union, bringing communism to its knees. Half a century later, the world is edging closer to nuclear confrontation and its unthinkable consequences; not unlike back then, when it took a pope and a president together to create an era of peaceful prosperity As I write this, I'm looking at a one dollar bill that I found in my wallet after a recent visit to Boston. On the left hand side of the bank note is an emblem, a seal bearing the Latin words Novus Ordo Seclorum, which translates as 'new order of the ages'. The phrase, taken from the Great Seal of the United States, signifies the beginning of a new generation. Pope Leo XIV prays in the Sanctuary of the Madre del Buon Consiglio (Mother of Good Counsel) in Genazzano, near Rome, where he made a surprise visit two days after his election. It represents a time of peace and prosperity — a new era and a departure from the old ways. Is it a coincidence — yet again — that I discovered the dollar bill while watching Leo XIV step out onto the Vatican balcony? He had opted for more traditional vestments as he introduced himself to the ecstatic crowd, including the bright red pellegrina and the ornate red and gold stole — both worn by John Paul II following his election in 1978. Commentators have been talking in recent days about the dawn of a new era for the Catholic Church, and perhaps for America too. Let's face it: it's the first time in a while that the most famous American in the world is not the president — it's the Pope. In Time last week, Christopher Hale wrote: 'This is more than a Catholic triumph; it's a cultural watershed for the United States. In a society that often equates American influence with might or money or celebrity, now our foremost representative on the global stage is a humble man in white robes, preaching love, justice, and mercy.' I believe Pope Leo will accomplish great things. Can he forge a relationship with Donald Trump? I believe he can, provided Trump is not allowed to dictate the terms. Anything is possible After all, back in 1980, no one could have imagined the reunification of Europe within 10 years, and that the threat of global nuclear war would be resolved. In 1981, during a visit to Hiroshima, John Paul II launched a 'great challenge' to scientists and world leaders that urged 'harmonising the values of science and the values of conscience'. He was referring to the ever-present risk of nuclear annihilation. 'Humanity must implement a moral upheaval,' he told the world's press. Our generation is at that crossroads once again, clueless about what to do in order to avoid, as Pope Francis called it, the 'suicide' of humanity. Donald Trump has so far kept his views on the new pope to himself, apart from claiming credit for his election to the papacy. In a comment he shared on his Truth Social site last Monday, he implied that it was his personal success with Catholic American voters in the presidential election that helped Pope Leo get his new role. If he's really that fond of the millions of Catholics who voted for him, then the least he could do would be to introduce himself to their new boss. Or does it make him uncomfortable that here's his polar opposite — a fellow American whose shoes walk the path of decency and equality, of moral renewal and integrity, whose life is committed to leading by example? Acknowledging holiness is not part of the Trump mindset; but the day will come when, just like Ronald Reagan, he will need to pick up the phone. America is broken, badly in need of fixing. I can just hear him now: 'The Pope is the key.' Read More Sarah Harte: Anxious generation needs to be faced with academic challenge of Leaving Cert
TimesLIVE
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Rare Ferrari Enzo attracts bids of £1.65m+ at online auction
One of the most iconic hypercars of the modern era is now up for grabs on UK-based auction platform Collecting Cars: a 2004 Ferrari Enzo, finished in classic Rosso Corsa and certified by Ferrari Classiche. It's a rare UK-delivered example with less than 25,000km on the clock, and it's already drawn a bid north of £1.65m (R3.8m) — with four days still to go before the hammer falls. First registered via Meridien Modena in Hampshire back in 2004, the car has remained with its current owner for nearly 20 years. It's in excellent shape, backed by a detailed service history. Power comes from the original 6.0l F140B V12, paired with Ferrari's six-speed F1-style automated manual gearbox. With 485kW on tap, it'll rocket from 0 to 100km/h in 3.1 seconds and reach a top speed as high as 355km/h. Its most recent service was handled by Autofficina in June 2024, and it passed its latest MOT (Ministry of Transport test) the following month. The cabin features carbon-fibre racing seats trimmed in Nero leather with Rosso centre panels and embossed Cavallino logos, while the dashboard and steering wheel are accented in red leather. One rare detail is the Rosso leather finish on the steering wheel centre — a touch reportedly found on just two of the 277 Rosso Corsa Enzos ever built. Rosso dials, carbon paddle shifters, and LED shift lights round out the F1-inspired cockpit. Outside, the car sits on 19-inch BBS twin-spoke alloy wheels, refinished in a darker silver that contrasts nicely with the red paintwork. Carbon-ceramic brakes provide stopping power and the lower bodywork has been resprayed in Rosso Corsa to match the upper panels, replacing the original black finish for a cleaner, more unified look. Ferrari Classiche gave the car its seal of approval in 2016, and it comes with its original handbook pack and red certification book. While the Enzo did suffer some early damage, it was professionally repaired by Carrozzeria Zanasi, Ferrari's official body shop in Maranello. Crucially, the car remains mechanically original, with all work thoroughly documented. Unveiled in 2002, the Enzo was Ferrari's flagship — a tribute to the company's founder and a showcase for its then-dominant Formula 1 technology. It followed in the tyre tracks of the F40 and F50, but it was the last Ferrari hypercar to feature a naturally aspirated V12 without any form of hybrid tech. Built around a carbon-fibre tub with pushrod suspension, active aerodynamics, and a stripped-out interior, the Enzo was as raw and focused as road cars came in the early 2000s. Only 400 were built, with the final one presented to Pope John Paul II. Today, many live quietly in private collections, rarely surfacing — especially UK-registered examples with this level of documentation and originality. The auction wraps up on Tuesday May 13. Click here to view the listing in full.
Newsweek
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
The Bulletin May 10, 2025
The rundown: Newly elected Pope Leo XIV's significance as leader of the Catholic Church is beyond dispute, but the papacy's role has historically extended far beyond the altar and pews. Find out how it has shaped America. Why it matters: For more than a century, the papacy has shaped American affairs—through spiritual and cultural guidance—but also by quietly influencing major geopolitical shifts and cultural developments. From Cold War diplomacy to modern discussions on climate change and human rights, various popes have engaged with U.S. leaders behind the scenes, acting as mediators, moral voices and, at times, catalysts for historic change. Perhaps the most famous example of a pope's role in global affairs is Pope John Paul II's association with the fall of communism. A more recent example is Pope Francis' involvement in thawing relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Read more in-depth coverage: Pope Leo XIV in His Own Words: Immigration, Euthanasia, Abortion and More TL/DR: Some historians have suggested that the medieval papacy pioneered the concept of ambassadors, said Ben Wiedemann, lecturer at Cambridge University who specializes in the political role of the medieval papacy. What happens now? The pope also has a more direct role on everyday Americans, in the sense that he is the head of a church followed by 20 percent of the country. Some 53 million U.S. adults are Catholic, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2024. Deeper reading The Pope's Behind-the-Scenes Role in America
Miami Herald
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
The Pope's Behind-the-Scenes Role in America
Newly elected Pope Leo XIV's significance as leader of the Catholic Church is beyond dispute, but the papacy's role has historically extended far beyond the altar and pews. For more than a century, the papacy has shaped American affairs—through spiritual and cultural guidance—but also by quietly influencing major geopolitical shifts and cultural developments. From Cold War diplomacy to modern discussions on climate change and human rights, various popes have engaged with U.S. leaders behind the scenes, acting as mediators, moral voices and, at times, catalysts for historic change. Some historians have suggested that the medieval papacy pioneered the concept of ambassadors, said Ben Wiedemann, lecturer at Cambridge University who specializes in the political role of the medieval papacy. "Kings would keep semi-permanent 'proctors' at the papal court," he told Newsweek. "In the middle ages, the papal court was where international disagreements tended to be mediated." Perhaps the most famous example of a pope's role in global affairs is Pope John Paul II's association with the fall of communism. John Paul, a bishop from Poland who was head of the Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005, embarked on a 1979 pilgrimage to Poland when it was still under Soviet rule and officially an atheist country. This is widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the Cold War, as his words are believed to have helped inspire the Polish Solidarity movement. Historian John Lewis Gaddis wrote in his account of the Cold War: "When John Paul II kissed the ground at the Warsaw airport on June 2, 1979, he began the process by which communism in Poland – and ultimately everywhere – would come to an end." Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who would capture his first term in the White House the following year, said at the time: "I have had a feeling, particularly in the pope's visit to Poland, that religion may turn out to be the Soviets' Achilles' heel." A more recent example is Pope Francis' involvement in thawing relations between the U.S. and Cuba. In 2014, he facilitated secret negotiations by sending personal letters to Presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro, urging them to restore diplomatic ties. After finally agreeing on a deal, both leaders thanked Francis for the role he played. "His Holiness Pope Francis issued a personal appeal to me and to Cuba's president," Obama said at the time. He called the deal some of the "most significant changes in our policy in more than 50 years." "We will end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries," Obama said. Grant Kaplan, professor of theology at Saint Louis University, explained why he thinks popes are able to play such a unique role in global politics. "A lot of recent popes have actually been former diplomats," he told Newsweek, "and so this kind of network of diplomacy that the Catholic Church has is an advantage in the sense that they're not a state that has economic interests or is looking to expand its territory or something - they're naturally seen as like a Switzerland kind of place." "You don't have to worry about their angle on things, so they can be more trusted," he added. "The Vatican is always sending people to intervene in the Middle East, in Ukraine - sometimes it's not very successful, but sometimes it's quite successful." The pope also has a more direct role on everyday Americans, in the sense that he is the head of a church followed by 20 percent of the country. Some 53 million U.S. adults are Catholic, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2024. "There's a lot of Catholics in the United States who take seriously what the pope says as part of their faith," Kaplan said. "So even if the pope isn't trying to speak to leaders, he can still influence the political wins by speaking to people as the leader of their faith community." He cited John Paul's Theology of the Body, which taught that sexuality was more than a mere biological drive but rather a "sacrament"—a sign of God's love. "It was basically insisting that the person can't be divorced from the body," Kaplan explained. "He famously said that 'the problem with pornography isn't that it reveals too much, it's that it reveals too little,' in the sense that it divorces the soul from the body as an object." John Paul delivered 129 lectures on this from 1979 to 1984, during the years following America's sexual revolution of the 1960s and early '70s. The theology "became very popular and was taught at parish levels and in schools," Kaplan said. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops incorporated it into its doctrine and family planning resources. Kaplan argued that this kind of power wielded by the pope may actually be more potent than his strength pertaining to diplomacy. "Cultural and spiritual impact matter more in the long term," he said. "One of the phrases that people use is that 'politics is downstream from culture' and I generally believe that's a good way to understand influence." Related Articles Pope Leo XIV in His Own Words: Immigration, Euthanasia, Abortion and MoreFirst American Pope Bridges Cultural, Political Divides | OpinionLGBTQ+ Catholics React to New Pope Leo XIVDoes the New Pope Root for the Chicago Cubs or White Sox? An Investigation 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
