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Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor, has died at age 88.

From his first greeting as pope — a remarkably normal “Buonasera,” or “Good evening" — Pope Francis signaled a different tone for the papacy, stressing humility over hubris for a Catholic Church beset with scandal and indifference.

The Argentinean-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought a breath of fresh air into a 2,000-year-old institution when he took over the papacy in March 2013. He took over as the Catholic Church’s influence waned during the troubled tenure of Pope Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation led to Francis’ election.

Francis invited troubles of his own and conservatives grew increasingly upset with his progressive bent and crackdown on traditionalists, often critical of his views on capitalism and climate change. His greatest test came when he botched a notorious case of clergy sexual abuse in Chile in 2018, and suddenly the scandal that had festered under his predecessors erupted anew under his watch.

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A federal judge has ordered the White House to restore The Associated Press' full access to cover presidential events. He ruled on a case that touched at the heart of the First Amendment and affirmed that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech.

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Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in “Top Gun,” donned a voluminous cape as Batman in “Batman Forever” and portrayed Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” has died. He was 65.

Kilmer died Tuesday night in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends, his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, said in an email to The Associated Press.


Val Kilmer died from pneumonia. He had recovered after a 2014 throat cancer diagnosis that required two tracheotomies.

(AP Photo by Mark Humphrey)


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President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives. Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology.

However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979. And the White House says the department would not close completely right now.

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Authorities revealed Friday that actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died of hantavirus in their home.

Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative.

Arakawa, 65, was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter. Authorities linked her death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Hackman, 95, was found in the home’s entryway. His death was tied to heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease contributing.

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The IRS is drafting plans to cut its workforce by as much as half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose the plans.

A reduction in force of tens of thousands of employees would render the IRS “dysfunctional,” said John Koskinen, a former IRS Commissioner. The federal tax collector employs roughly 90,000 workers total across the United States, according to the latest IRS data. People of color make up 56% of the IRS workforce, and women represent 65%.

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"Anora,” a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, was crowned best picture at the 97th Academy Awards.

The film's director, writer, producer and editor Sean Baker made Oscar history, winning four awards in one night for one film. Read more here:  https://bit.ly/4in7BUV 

Roberta Flack, the Grammy-winning singer and pianist whose intimate vocal and musical style made her one of the top recordings artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after, died Monday. She was 88.

She died at home surrounded by her family, publicist Elaine Schock said in a statement. Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing.

Little known before her early 30s, Flack became an overnight star after Clint Eastwood used “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” as the soundtrack for one of cinema’s more memorable and explicit love scenes, between the actor and Donna Mills in his 1971 film “Play Misty for Me.” The hushed, hymn-like ballad topped the Billboard pop chart in 1972 and received a Grammy for record of the year.

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The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists.

The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech — in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.

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The Senate has narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI, moving to place him atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite doubts from Democrats about his qualifications and concerns he will do Trump’s bidding and go after the president’s adversaries.

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