When Ari Ne'eman heard Robert F. Kennedy Jr. call autism an "epidemic" that "destroys families," Ne'eman felt like he had stepped into a time machine — heading in the wrong direction It was during an April 16 press conference where Kennedy went on to claim that autistic children will "never pay taxes" or "hold a job" and that their condition is preventable "This is a throwback to how people talked about autism 25 years ago," Ne'eman said Ne'eman knows this history well, having studied it as a Harvard health policy researcher, lived it as an autistic person and shaped it as the co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network Disabled people are under unique threat," Ne'eman told Tradeoffs when we sat down recently for an interview about the sharp policy shifts in Washington He said he derives much of that hope from the successful history of the disability rights movement "The Americans with Disabilities Act and a whole host of other priorities only exist because people with developmental disabilities people with mental illness and many other categories decided we have to all hang together or we'll surely hang separately," Ne'eman said "The word disability is as much a coalition as the term people of color or LGBTQ." Below are highlights from our wide-ranging conversation which has been edited for length and clarity DAN GORENSTEIN: In this moment of great uncertainty about how our health care system is changing why are the stakes especially high for people with disabilities ARI NE'EMAN: So disabled Americans really have a uniquely challenging position in that they are very frequently devalued and dehumanized by the health care system they have a tremendous need for health care Some of it is the same kind of medical care that people are very familiar with — things like prescription drugs or doctors visits unique needs — the person who helps you use the bathroom the person who helps you find and keep a job These are often very intimate and very personal kinds of support without which people would not be able to live for many people with disabilities to survive and thrive on their own terms For people with developmental disabilities — things like Down syndrome cerebral palsy — it's common for home- and community-based services to cost $40,000 or $50,000 a year So having a service system that is adequately financed and responsive to people's desires about how they want to live is absolutely crucial GORENSTEIN: That 'service system' as you call it is taking some real hits in Washington right now The Trump administration has moved, for example, to dismantle a federal agency dedicated to helping older and disabled Americans live independently Congressional Republicans are also contemplating deep cuts to Medicaid the public health insurance program that covers some 15 million Americans with disabilities Has the disability community faced potential cuts this sweeping before NE'EMAN: The most notable comparison comes in the early 1980s when the Reagan administration first came in. The disability community had just won major civil rights victories — the federal law that guarantees children with disabilities the right to attend public school as well as the first nationwide civil rights law that protects disabled people against discrimination the Reagan administration moved quickly to try and roll back both of those key protections GORENSTEIN: Disability right advocates ended up winning that fight and a key reason was this sort of ingenious two-pronged strategy NE'EMAN: That's exactly right. The first part of that strategy was massive mobilization. You had key advocates across the country mobilizing tens of thousands of people to write letters, show up at hearings There were points in time where you couldn't walk down the hallway of the Department of Education without having to step over mail bags full of the tens of thousands of letters that had come from disabled people and parents across the country At the same time you also had this really interesting insider strategy in which a number of advocates sought to reframe long-standing disability rights priorities in terms [that appealed to people] across the political spectrum you saw an ongoing effort to activate many socially conservative parents who saw support for keeping disabled children in their family homes as a reflection of family values There's this fantastic quote I came across in my book research talking to someone who was very active on the Hill in the 1980s "When I saw the Republican women in their Halston suits show up to lobby against the rollback of special education rights GORENSTEIN: Do you think a similar playbook can work this time around Disability has been foregrounded in both the defense of Medicaid and in the efforts to push back on the elimination of the Department of Education And the reason for that is kind of a dark reality: There are many people in this country who "This will hurt racial and ethnic minorities or the LGBTQ community," their reaction is That's what I intended to do." But many of those people can still be influenced [if you say] "This will hurt disabled people." That's an unfortunate reality but it's a reality that exists right now in American politics because disabled people are a constituency that still has crossover appeal we've talked about what advocates did in the 1980s and what they are doing today to push back on potential budget cuts But I'm wondering how you as a researcher plan to track these cuts What's the evidence that you're going to be watching for to see the effects of these policy choices on human beings There are three things that I'm worried are going to happen as a result Number one: Disabled people are going to end up forced into nursing homes and institutions are going to be more likely to fall out of the labor force in order to provide uncompensated care I think we are likely to see a lot more unmet health care needs GORENSTEIN: I've got to ask you about Secretary Kennedy's recent announcement that called autism "preventable." He also promised to investigate the "environmental toxins" that he believes are responsible for the rise in autism rates not this again." Secretary Kennedy's approach is particularly ill-advised but in some respects it's an extension of a long standing problem we've seen autism research focus disproportionately on questions of biology in 2020 this country spent $418 million on autism research Only about 8.5% of that was spent on research on how to improve the quality of the services and supports autistic people receive And I think it's unfortunate — not because there isn't the role for research on the causation of autism When the average autistic person or family member of an autistic person wakes up in the morning "Have they found a new biomarker yet?" They ask "Are there better strategies available to help me or my loved one live independently to be in the general education classroom?" And we really owe it to people to have a research agenda that is in some way responsive to that Dan Gorenstein is executive editor and Leslie Walker is a senior reporter for Tradeoffs, a nonprofit news organization that reports on health care's toughest choices. You can also sign up for Tradeoffs' weekly newsletter to get the latest stories in your inbox each Thursday morning listen to the full Tradeoffs podcast episode below Become an NPR sponsor his relationship with Hudson is "real despite the age difference," a source tells PEOPLE Linda Marx is a writer and reporter for PEOPLE in the areas of entertainment She has been writing about these topics for more than 20 years Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker told reporters on Saturday morning that 177 Cardinals were present at the ninth General Congregation in preparation for the upcoming conclave The Congregation began at 9:00 AM with prayer 127 of them were electors. There were 26 speeches made during the Congregation - A dual task: communion within the Church and fraternity in the world - Gratitude was expressed for Pope Francis often citing his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, and the processes he initiated which must be carried forward - Collaboration and solidarity among Churches - The role of the Roman Curia in relation to the Pope - The service of the Church and the Pope in promoting peace - The value of education - The hope that the next Pope will be prophetic that the Church will not shut itself in the upper room but go out and bring light to a world desperately in need of hope (citing this year’s Jubilee) Among the recurring themes that have emerged in recent days Bruni mentioned synodality and collegiality as well as: - The Jubilee and the theme of hope - A look at the world and the thirst and interest it shows toward the Church - A Church that lives in the world to avoid becoming insignificant - Ecumenical dialogue and mission The Cardinals drawn by lot to assist the Cardinal Camerlengo in the Particular Congregations for the handling of ordinary affairs were announced: Cardinals Francis Prevost and Marcello Semeraro The third member of the Commission remains Cardinal Reinhard Marx in his role as coordinator of the Council for the Economy Peter’s Basilica is organizing the Rosary every Saturday evening at 9:00 PM during the month of May any Cardinals who wish may celebrate Mass in their titular churches Bruni noted that work at the Casa Santa Marta to accommodate the Cardinals has reached an advanced stage and will be completed by Monday He added that the Cardinals will enter the Casa Santa Marta starting from Tuesday evening but that they must move in before the Mass Pro Eligendo Romani Pontifice the Cardinals will meet in a General Congregation at 9:00 AM and will hold an afternoon session the press briefing to update journalists on the Congregations may take place only in the evening after the second session of the General Congregation ends at 7 PM Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here Lawsuit brought under Helms-Burton could spur others pursuing compensation for property seized by Castro Long before it became one of Cuba’s most popular tourist destinations in the 1990s, the small island of Cayo Coco, with its pristine beaches and powdery white sands and his observations of shack-dwelling fishermen scratching out a meager living Ernest Hemingway set scenes from two of his most famous books there including the 1952 classic The Old Man and the Sea Then came the giant all-inclusive mega-resort hotels that have proliferated in recent decades along the island’s northern coast, and brought in millions of desperately needed dollars for a largely destitute Cuban government Mario Echeverría, head of a Cuban American family in Miami that says it owned Cayo Coco, and saw it stolen from them in Castro’s aggressive land reforms, won a $30m verdict this month from the travel giant Expedia after a two-week trial illegally profited from promoting and selling vacation packages at hotels there The rare lawsuit was one of the first brought under Title III of the 1996 Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, also known as the Helms-Burton Act The act was designed to finally open a legal pathway for such compensation claims but was suspended by successive presidents until Donald Trump made the decision to activate it in 2019 The intention was to deter US and international companies from investing in Cuba by exposing them to potentially huge financial penalties for conducting business there For Echeverría, who reminisced about his grandmother tending the beachfront at Cayo Coco in a moving Spanish-language interview with UniVista TV earlier this year He and his family may never see a penny after Federico Moreno the district court judge overseeing the case paused the award and set a further hearing for August seeking “specific evidence” that the family itself legally acquired the land on Cuba’s independence from Spain in 1898 The only other previously adjudicated Helms-Burton penalty, a $439m illegal tourism ruling in 2022 against four major cruise lines operating from Havana, was overturned last year An appeals court said a claim by descendants of the original dock owners was essentially out of time A handful of other cases, meanwhile, have stalled – including one by the oil giant Exxon Mobil that claims various Cuban state corporations are profiting from its confiscated land But those at the forefront of the fight for justice say the Expedia case in particular brings hope to scores of others pursuing compensation for property they insist was illegally seized “There are 45 other suits that are making their way through the courts there may be more new ones after this verdict also,” said Nicolás Gutiérrez president of the National Association of Sugar Mill Owners of Cuba Gutiérrez is a Miami-based consultant who has worked with hundreds of dispossessed exiles and their families in addition to pursuing amends for his own family’s lost houses “We are hopeful that this is just the beginning to have the key provisions of Title III be put into effect by President Trump and now there’s new generations of families in these cases I’m working with,” he said but in many cases their kids have continued with their crusade some have been sort of reactivated along the way and it’s not only justice for the families We sacrificed and built up prosperity in Cuba that was taken for no good reason.” Gutiérrez also believes that desperate conditions on the island could hasten the fight “They never recovered from the pandemic with tourism Remittances and trips are going to be further cut by the Trump administration and that’s really what they’re relying on now,” he said “They don’t even have electricity for more than a couple hours a day and if a future Cuba wants to attract the serious level of investment it will need to dig itself out of the hole that this totalitarian nightmare has dug over the last 66 years what better way to inspire confidence than to recognize the victims of the illegal confiscations?” Analysts of Cuban politics say the government is taking notice of the Helms-Burton actions. These analysts are also looking into the ramifications of Trump’s existing and planned crackdowns designed to increase financial pressure on the communist regime “There are people looking at the impact it’s having overall in the investment scenario in the island, and apparently it’s having some chilling effect,” said Sebastian Arcos director of Florida International University’s Cuban Research Institute “The most important chilling effect is the fact that the Cuban economy is going nowhere “The government stole properties from many thousands of Cubans and what we’re seeing now is a systematic attempt of many of the people who inherited these claims from their families not to try to recover because it’s impossible to recover anything as long as the Cuban regime is there but at least to punish the regime financially for doing what they did.” It’s unclear if Echeverría’s family will become the first to actually receive compensation but with stretches of Cayo Coco’s northern coastline now consumed by the concrete of almost a dozen super-resorts offering more than 5,000 hotel rooms Their attorney, Andrés Rivero, said in a statement: “This is a major victory not only for our client but also for the broader community of Cuban Americans whose property was wrongfully taken and has been exploited by US companies in partnership with the Cuban communist dictatorship “We are proud to have played a role in securing justice under a law that had never before been tested before a jury.” Expedia did not reply to specific questions A spokesperson said in a statement to the Guardian: “We are disappointed in the jury’s verdict which we do not believe was supported by the law or evidence We believe the court was correct to decline immediate entry of judgment and look forward to the court’s consideration of the legal sufficiency of the evidence presented to the jury.” by Tori Garcia Texas — Before most of Abilene even wakes up folks are already lining up outside Breakfast on Beech Street The organization helps both families and individuals—working poor “A lot of people know the homeless crowd in Abilene is pretty significant and that’s just one thing we can do to help them survive on a daily basis," said Joe Hawkins Five local churches work together to keep B.O.B.S “We all try to come here and sit down with them and talk to them and just hear their life stories and stuff like that "Some of them have some really interesting stories they serve more than 1,400 breakfasts and hand out over 2,000 sandwiches because we’re so consistent everyday," Hawkins said Got some great people on the board that look after everything You can already make an early donation to the B.O.B.S or other non-profits using this link The Abilene Gives event is on May 6th from 8 a.m and is powered by the Community Foundation of Abilene and its donors '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/the-day-everything-changed-pain-healing-hope\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=sWezSXu.2uiCTkeR1hN1n8Q.7P3sHZzQVqi6PBFHtUw-1746498347-1.0.1.1-NekCFw0_TVkHzPO.uHLn0PE3s._pBYakPlyYLUQbCqs" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); Do you feel like everything is falling apart By working within our communities and recontextualizing our own contributions we can both provide a stronger foundation for change and allow ourselves to keep living This workshop will involve group and individual discussions and hope generating activities to re-energize ourselves Some topics we will be discussing are applied hope By the end of this workshop you will have had an opportunity to hear about how other people benefit the world around them and think about your own life in terms of benefiting your communities.  Join us at WWU in Academic Instructional Center West room 403 on May 10 at 10-11:30 a.m. This is free, you don’t need to bring anything but an open mind! Email lawsonm5@wwu.edu for questions or disability accommodations Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — May 5 2025 — Hope Found of Northeast Arkansas is inviting the community to ride against human trafficking in June with its annual outdoor event.adButlerLazyLoad("931515122539889960",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); The Ride Against Trafficking will be held on June 7 from 8:30 a.m and a family fun ride as participants ride to end human trafficking It will take place at Craighead Forest Park at Access 3 Rides are followed by a BBQ lunch for all participants which begins at 11:30 a.m.adButlerLazyLoad("1163972839253424996",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); riders will learn facts about human trafficking and participate in a dice run The winners with the highest number receive $100 The cycle and the Family Fun Ride will take place within Craighead Forest Park utilizing the cycling path around the park with a $10 charge for an extra rider on motorcycles It is $10 for adults in the Family Fun Ride To register or to learn more, click here or call Brown at 870-761-1098. Information about each type of ride is below: and kickstands go up at 9:30 a.m.adButlerLazyLoad("934970483782604034",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); Motorcyclists will ride for two hours through south Jonesboro according to registration information on Hope Found of NEA’s website Cyclists can choose to ride 15 miles or 30 miles around the path at Craighead Forest.adButlerLazyLoad("560210905962395883",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); Participation in the dice run for bicyclists is optional A table to roll dice will be at the path’s starting point at which riders can choose to stop and roll Riders must roll at least four times along the path although when those stops occur is up to the rider Children and families can ride at their own pace and however long they want.adButlerLazyLoad("1884111022545838128",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); A routine traffic stop near the intersection of East Nettleton Avenue and Stevens Street led to felony drug charges and a $500,000 bond for a Jonesboro woman already out on bond for a separate drug-related offense Hope Found of Northeast Arkansas is inviting the community to ride against human trafficking in June with its annual outdoor event breeds and sizes are available through area animal rescues and shelters as well as opportunities to help homeless animals through foster programs and help with fundraisers and other family-friendly activities The most outstanding graduating students in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication were recognized during Arkansas State University’s Convocation of Scholars ARDOT will host a public involvement meeting on Thursday to discuss the proposed widening of Highway 91 west of County Road 132 to West Parker Road in Jonesboro Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again This week I am in the middle of production week for Cat Wranglers Productions’ live show at the Belfield Theater and Performance Center Production week is kind of like finals week in college Our home theater in Belfield is a working movie theater That means we rehearse five nights a week onstage there are movies shown on that huge screen with which we share the stage Most actors rehearse with a set around them Instead of putting up the set for our rehearsals we put masking tape lines on the floor and write “wall” on the masking tape with a felt-tip pen “door,” “window,” and “please don’t walk through this imaginary wall,” on the tape lines The walls go where the tape says “wall” and the windows and doors are set on their marked spots because what looks good on tape does not always work well in performance Then we have two nights of tech rehearsals and two dress rehearsals We place our collective fates in the hands of the Gods of Technology Lights often stop working or become un-programmed for no particular reason The computer forgets how to interface with the soundboard I have learned to keep two backups for each prop in the hands of actors who are in the zone I once glued a plastic glass back together on a nightly basis only volunteers who give of their time and talents to build furniture and sets We even video our own theatrical trailers which are shown before the movies at the theater In our early days we performed at various venues in Dickinson About ten years ago we moved to the Belfield Theater and we found new friends in Belfield and the nearby towns And this weekend we look forward to performing for them once again “Break a leg!” cast and crew of “Look Who’s Laughing” by John Randall Students within SOE are weighing what the gift could mean for their programs their professional development and the future of the school itself The landmark grant, intended to elevate SOE’s standing as a leading institution for education and policy research, comes on the heels of a report of major restructuring While details of the restructuring were unknown conversation around the possibility of SOE being absorbed into the College of Arts and Sciences circulated widely creating a climate of uncertainty and concern recalls the moment she learned about the restructuring and possible absorption into CAS “I remember [receiving the email] so vividly I was sitting by The Bridge and I got the email,” Cohen said Carlos Gamez, a second-year graduate student in SOE’s online program “There was real fear that SOE would be dissolved or diminished,” Gamez said it was tied to the value of our degrees and the long-term vision for the school.” the new donation has — at least temporarily — eased those concerns But he and others remain cautiously optimistic noting that the true impact of the gift depends entirely on how it’s allocated and how transparently those decisions are communicated but what really matters now is strategic leadership,” Gamez said “SOE has to use this opportunity to define who it wants to be and to do that Central to the changes accompanying the donation is the introduction of a new position: an endowed leadership chair which will be the first endowed leadership position at any school at AU “[The donation] will provide permanent endowed resources for the school and establish an endowed leadership chair, which will be the first endowed leadership position for a school at AU,” Rodney Hopson, interim dean and professor at SOE wrote in an official announcement published Feb the University has not publicly announced who will fill the newly established leadership chair.  “SOE needs a leader who’s not just managing operations but actively building relationships across AU and within the wider educational landscape.” will empower SOE to assert itself in institutional decision-making and forge stronger collaborations.  “Higher education is now in a very tumultuous space with different policy actors especially at the federal level,” Gamez said “I would hope that this leadership chair really allows for SOE to be innovative and competitive and truly bring out the best of students One of the most anticipated outcomes of the gift is the expansion of scholarships for graduate students — aid that is especially critical as tuition continues to rise and federal student loan reforms remain uncertain I’ve felt the financial pressure firsthand,” Gamez said “Funding for scholarships isn’t just helpful It could be the difference between someone pursuing this path or walking away from it entirely.” students are calling for meaningful investment in faculty development.  “I’ve had phenomenal young professors — smart mentoring them and giving them the chance to lead is where the real value lies It has to be a home for talented educators.” Gamez also advocated for more structured research opportunities With part of the grant allocated for community partnerships Gamez said he’s hopeful that SOE will strengthen its ties to local organizations and public institutions and become a “key player in D.C.’s education network.” He also emphasized that community engagement can’t be an afterthought.  then SOE has to show up — not just in name “Students need pathways into those partnerships.” Cohen also looks forward to seeing SOE strengthen connections beyond AU notably with DC Public Schools and educational outreach nonprofits.  “That’s what students really care about and what they really come here for — they come from experiential learning experience,” Cohen said “That is what sets this major aside from other majors at AU and our school aside from other schools with education programs.” Cohen hopes to see an expansion of the course offerings.  so it would be great to keep adding,” Cohen said “I think we should use [the donation] to continue growing these programs.”  the strength of the program for Cohen lies t in its academics I love bragging about this program and I encourage anybody who’s looking to go to school for education or even anyone who’s already here who’s thinking about adding a major or minor in SOE Correction: A previous version of this article specified an incorrect donation amount from H The article has since been updated and the number removed This correction was also updated to include additional context of the number’s removal Olivia Citarella Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Hannah Langenfeld features@theeagleonline.com  Section 202 hosts Connor Sturniolo and Gabrielle McNamee are joined by fellow Eagle staff member and phenomenal sports photographer Follow along as they discuss the United Football League and the benefits it provides for the world of professional football 2025 at 7:12 AM EDT|Updated: 15 hours agoEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCINCINNATI (WXIX) - Cincinnati police are investigating the weekend homicide of a 40-year-old man in Hartwell Jorrie Hope was found shot dead in the 8400 block of Woodbine Avenue in Hartwell homicide investigators announced in a news release Monday Officers responded to the area for a report of a shooting Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call CPD’s Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542 or Crime Stoppers: 513-352-3040 See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? 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Pool Scouts Expands Hope Floats Fundraising Efforts for 2025, Aiming to Surpass $100,000 in Total Donations Pool Scouts Closes Out 2024 With Record-Breaking Franchise System Growth and Looks Ahead to 2025 Pool Scouts: Delivering Exceptional Service and Franchisee Support PoolPro: Pool Scouts Welcomes David Mele as Brand President the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California If you are a resident of one of these states we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction Franchise offerings are made by Franchise Disclosure Document only The statues atop Bernini's colonnade in St Peter's Square It was very sad to hear that the late Pope had died (on Easter Monday morning) with heaven having its biggest celebration of the year and how characteristic of the last Pope to make his last appearance blessing all of us and we pray for the repose of his soul with serene confidence and hope But now what?  The people responsible for the recent film Conclave The effect is that far more people than usual will have an informed understanding of the process of choosing a new Pope but Robert Harris has done his homework on the procedures just as Morris West did in The Shoes of the Fisherman because otherwise the novels would not be remotely convincing (Dan Brown as we Catholics have not done a very good job of getting our message across and the general ignorance of Christian (let alone Catholic) basic beliefs regularly surprises me You would think that people would absorb more by straightforward osmosis and observation in a country with as old a Christian history as the United Kingdom but it’s entirely possible to have grown up here over the last fifty years and yet to regard Christianity as on a par with morris dancing or well dressing So we’re not managing to transmit a living faith to those around us but at least if they go and see a film like Conclave they will be exposed to some of the ideas involved This means there has been quite a lot of discussion about the papal election as it’s difficult even for your average Catholic in the pew to have much of a grasp of it Cardinals seem a very long way away from most of us Actually many bishops seem a very long way away from most of us and this is one area where I think Francis really stood out because his manner was such that you could easily imagine having a conversation with him on to the unscripted discussions on the papal plane What are we hoping for as the cardinals gather in Rome to make their choice In some ways it is easier to describe what we are not hoping for You cannot go back in human life; you cannot undiscover or unreveal something which has already happened; the past is over Nostalgic hope to return to a perfect past where the Church had all the authority and not what we need in the current circumstances Dreadful things happened in that past which some of us are so nostalgic for and we are still discovering new instances of the Church’s sins and failures all around the world This destroys the impact of the message we are supposed to be bringing the world Whether our past or present practice matches what we say is another crucial element in our evangelisation because if we don’t believe or do what we are saying I gave up on Justice and Peace in a Church context when I was old enough to realise that it only meant for some people; I discounted the Church’s stand on human rights when it became clear that (like the words “man” and “men” and contrary to the excuses made so often for non-inclusive language) human rights did not include the rights of half the humans on the planet The Church has moved on from considering other races inferior based purely on skin colour but it still regards sex as uniquely qualifying or disqualifying without offering a single theological reason This is only one of the obstacles to being an effective evangelising Church which is what the hierarchy always claims to want One thing we do know is that the late Pope broadened the geographical range of where cardinals come from and tried to make the College look more like the Church as a whole This means that there are several new cardinals that we know almost nothing about (the Conclave narrative uses this very well as a plot mechanism) are currently having the opportunity to get to know each other better for the first time.  Lay Catholics naturally will know even less You tend to know of the cardinal(s) from your own country but have limited awareness of all the others despite the current heroic efforts of The Tablet. Nationalism should have no part in this though; just because a Cardinal (however papabile) comes from your own country this does not immediately make him a saint or even the best man for the job Perhaps we would all be grateful for a regular column entitled “Cardinal of the week” We need someone who is comfortable among the sheep; someone for the present day and present circumstances and will therefore of course get some things wrong; one of Francis’ best gifts to the Church was his readiness to admit the possibility of error even if some wish that he had done it more extensively than he did Papal infallibility is a relatively modern invention and deliberately set aside by many popes in modern times Whatever the new Pope does will alienate some One thing we should all deeply regret is the factionalism evident in some people’s behaviour during Francis’ papacy The bitter and stubborn opposition to him in some church quarters from people who really ought to have known better and who had been so determined that no one should criticise his predecessors You cannot support the Holy Spirit only when it agrees with you; its agenda is probably different The most important thing we can do is to pray There are various initiatives out there trying to organise this I heard about one which was a bit like a holy raffle where everyone was randomly allocated a Cardinal to pray for I think this sounds like a good way to make sure no one is left out and it could be quite funny if you were assigned a Cardinal whose ideas are very different from yours; that would be an incentive to pray more rather than less Of course any Catholic will be praying for any Cardinal that they know personally probably with a certain relief that they have to make the decisions rather than we I find that my understanding of my fellow-Catholics has simplified considerably I’m not too fussed about differences of opinion but I don’t feel I have to conform to anyone else’s view of what makes me a ‘real’ Catholic and I similarly wouldn’t judge anyone else I find the only serious distinction I make nowadays is between ‘yes-Catholics’ and ‘no-Catholics’ I am simply happier among the yes-Catholics which means that you have a chance to correct your mistakes I hope the new Pope will be a yes-Catholic; I would like him finally to do something about the regrettable sexism and misogyny in the Church and I would like some evidence of Rome actually listening to the consultations which we all seem required to do quite regularly now The laity needs to be regarded as an important part of the Church I do not expect anything like this to happen in the short term The messages come very clearly back from the pews Next week the Sistine Chapel is the Upper Room and we await the sound “like the rush of a mighty wind” and “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:2) Those are my italics; the imprecise ungraspableness of the event is a characteristic of divine intervention One of the best moments in the Conclave film is when there is a shocking explosion just outside the Sistine Chapel and a window implodes in the sunshine (but it’s just blast I don’t think anyone in the Conclave gets hurt) I vaguely remember it as happening almost in slow motion and I don’t remember exactly when it occurs or what the men say about it afterwards except that they discuss the possibility of terrorists; I think the power of it is that What it made me think of was how the Holy Spirit might irrupt into the group of voters shattering the status quo along with the window I’m not sure whether this is what the director or the novelist intended (I really need to reread the book) but I found it an enormously powerful and hopeful moment Let’s see what happens next; if the Holy Spirit is allowed to take charge Get the latest news and special offers delivered to your inbox Subscribe Advertise Jobs About us Permissions Help Contact us LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — For more information, click here. an unassuming room tucked behind a classroom has become a sanctuary for students in need It’s called Lavender Lane—a boutique created not by adults or corporations but by three courageous and compassionate seniors: Aldijana Srdanović What started with a few bags of clothes and the backing of their health teacher has grown into something profoundly beautiful: a place where dignity is restored Aldijana watched classmates lose everything in a fire She didn’t want to just watch—she wanted to do something paperwork-free space where students in crisis could get clean clothes A toddler’s coat request brought Aldijana to tears—it reminded her of her own baby brother A boy walked in during winter wearing only a hoodie “I really needed one because my old one ripped.” That coat didn’t just warm his body—it restored a sense of worth The impact of Lavender Lane goes far beyond material support Students once quiet and withdrawn now smile and attend school regularly their confidence slowly mending with each act of care The trio handles everything—sorting donations they make it a welcoming space filled with empathy Another powerful arm of their mission is donating suitcases to foster children many of whom are forced to move between homes with their belongings stuffed in trash bags That didn’t sit right with these young women “We wanted to give them something better—something that says and you are not forgotten,” Aldijana wrote Building trust with students who are scared to ask for help takes time And the shelves—though sometimes full—never seem to meet every need she dreams that Lavender Lane will continue to grow “like giving a pair of socks—can change someone’s life.” A reminder that when young people lead with heart This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here When my final copies of my memoir Better arrived I opened the box with my five-year-old son and turned to the final page of acknowledgements to show him I make a joke about one of our conversations that I included in the book The conversation is a rare moment of comic relief in a book that was constantly at risk of drowning in despair: Theo is obsessed with death and here he shares a theory about the afterlife that he calls Butt World I write that I hope he doesn’t mind I’ve shared Butt World with the real world and it’s an easy disclaimer because it’s an easy laugh more fearful admission: I hope you don’t mind that I’ve shared you I don’t know a single memoirist who hasn’t held tight usually recalled with varying levels of accuracy: Anne Lamott’s reassurance that you own all of your story and “if people wanted you to write warmly about them the insistence that “everything is copy.” When Ephron died in 2012 that copy was still mostly siloed in those traditional media with high barriers of entry: film far from the various platforms’ expansions into publishing Mommy bloggers were amassing readers by chronicling (and soon monetizing) the intimate details of their children’s lives but not yet with the hyper-speed and reach powered by our awesome and awful algorithms Could Ephron have predicted the granularity of details shared We might update the saying she learned from her screenwriter mother: Everything It would be years before the effects on those bloggers’ children would come to light but now that the first generation of children have grown old enough to tell their side of the story we’re facing a social and political reckoning with the ethics of exposing children to an audience of exploiting them for profits they rarely share this reckoning has involved re-evaluating my participation both as a consumer—Babies are cute Their videos make me smile!—and as a chronic poster Far be it from me to take on the “influencer” mantle but “content creator,” with its consumerist implications I share my life on social media; I share my life in my newsletter; now for the first time in my decades of public oversharing I’ve developed sort of squiggly parameters for social media—when Theo was a baby I shared photos of him only on a private account; now that he’s older I mostly don’t show his face anywhere—but books and it was impossible for me to write mine without re-evaluating Theo’s presence and role within it when so much of my describing him was really describing my reaction to him my understanding of him—the faraway look in his eyes that I read as contemplative the rapid kicking of his legs that I liked to imagine as his eagerness to get out into the world the same type of observations felt almost like objectification treating him like a curiosity to be analyzed I tried to limit his appearances to dialogue usually captured through my obsessive documenting of our lives Writing about Theo was—is—painful because it’s a distillation of my general anxiety When Theo and I are in bed and he starts asking his big questions my phone is always close at hand so I can grab it and the conversation—the moment—is tinged with my own ego and ambition; it’s the transmutation and sanitization of existence into art And when I revisit those recordings to post his insights—so fascinating as any child’s insights are while they’re trying to make sense of the world—in an Instagram story or print them on the page I can’t help considering his reaction if he understood the reach of those words he asked me about the conversation I put in the book and he was giddy having his words presented to him Maybe he’ll resent it in ten or twenty years; that’s part of his story But the conversation—which is one in a series of quick scenes about all of the ways Theo brings his preoccupation with death to me—isn’t about Theo so much as it’s about us It’s there because it passed the one-question test that determined his every inclusion: Does this moment reveal more about me than it does about him Better is a book about being a mother with depression ______________________________________________ Better by Arianna Rebolini is available via Harper Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature Masthead About Sign Up For Our Newsletters How to Pitch Lit Hub Privacy Policy Support Lit Hub - Become A Member Lit Hub has always brought you the best of the book world for free—no paywall you'll keep independent book coverage alive and thriving policies and people of New York State government A coalition of food policy advocates, farmers and legislators held a press conference at the state Capitol on April 29, urging lawmakers to pass the Good Food NY bill (S.7638/A.8091) The legislation aims to overhaul current procedures for how public institutions purchase food across New York state municipalities buy large volumes of food for public programs that serve schools senior centers and correctional facilities Advocates say these purchases offer an untapped opportunity to support local farms promote healthier diets and create a more equitable food system that reinvests in local economies At the center of the effort is a push to amend General Municipal Law 103 which currently requires public agencies to select the “lowest responsible bidder” when awarding contracts Supporters of the Good Food NY bill argue that this restriction prevents institutions from considering other important factors — such as local sourcing worker treatment and nutritional quality — when deciding how to spend public food dollars “While the federal government disinvests in local agriculture — collapsing the markets farmers need to stay in business and canceling food deliveries meant to feed our communities — we are fighting for state-level policies like the Good Food NY bill that support New York’s family farms and build new pathways to deliver local nursing homes and all public institutions,” said Michelle Hinchey The bill is sponsored by Crystal Peoples-Stokes schools and hospitals are often required to buy products from out-of-state suppliers even when similar goods are available locally institutions have been locked into contracts to buy apples from Washington state one of the nation’s top apple-producing states according to the Good Food Purchasing Program of New York State The proposed bill would also give preference to minority- and women-owned businesses and builds on the principles of the Good Food Purchasing Program a national framework that helps public institutions shift toward a values-based procurement model This program promotes five core values: local economies technical support and transparency measures to help agencies meet procurement goals while holding vendors accountable Advocates say the bill would not only improve the practices of large suppliers but also expand access for small and mid-size farms particularly those run by historically marginalized producers the Good Food NY bill would expand on successful procurement reforms already adopted in cities like New York City and Buffalo It would formally allow local governments across the state to implement GFPP guidelines and use public food spending to promote long-term community well-being It opens up the opportunity for farmers to feed their community wherever that is,” said an advocate and farmer from the Northeast Organic Farming Association In 2024, the bill was passed by the Legislature but vetoed by the governor who was concerned that it could set different bidding standards across local municipal governments It currently resides in the Senate Procurement and Contracts Committee and the Assembly Committee on Local Governments Exiting the NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have high hopes that third-round pick Dylan Fairchild can come in and make some noise on the starting offensive line they're hoping for a repeat of Amarius Mims last year Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown agreed with this notion recently while chatting about what it's like to keep track of prospects such as Fairchild for three-plus years "We've had a lot of success identifying some guys here recently from that program," Brown told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com "Last year came right out of the same offensive line that Dylan was on And Mims was an outstanding prospect for us and now it's great having him blocking for Joe Burrow at that right tackle position When you look at the Georgia Bulldogs program especially on the offense and defensive lines." RELATED: Bengals free agents remaining after 2025 NFL draft It certainly helps Fairchild's outlook that Mims came in and appeared to win a starting job last summer before a poorly-timed injury that cost him the start of the season But the Bengals entered the offseason with needs at both guard spots they added Lucas Patrick and brought back Cody Ford two moves that seemed to suggest a Round 1 guard the pressure goes on Fairchild to come in and compete with the mentioned names He'll do so on a team that revamped the coaching staff and hopes to better develop players than it has in the past RELATED: 2025 NFL draft: RAS scores for new Bengals rookie class The documentary series Hope in the Water which profiles some of the world's most sustainable seafood producers has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Science and Technology category features lifestyle guru Martha Stewart visiting a scallop farm off the coast of Maine Produced by Andrew Zimmern’s Intuitive Content and executive produced by Patrick Weiland the series explores the frontlines of ocean innovation – spotlighting scientists entrepreneurs and communities working to revolutionise the way we source and consume seafood It also dives deep into sustainable solutions to protect marine ecosystems and address the global food crisis “We are incredibly honoured by this Emmy nomination,” said Patrick Weiland executive producer at Intuitive Content in a press release “This recognition affirms the importance of science-based storytelling in addressing urgent food system challenges It’s a tribute to the passionate individuals and communities we featured who are reshaping the future of foods from water and the contribution they will make to future food systems.” Featuring powerful voices such as Shailene Woodley Hope in the Water has reached millions of viewers and sparked nationwide conversations about ocean health sustainable aquaculture and responsible food systems during the News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony in New York City If the administration can change its mind on Ukraine (see above) it can change its mind on South Africa (see.. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing India (AP) — Rain washed out Sunrisers Hyderabad’s slim chance of qualifying for the Indian Premier League playoffs on Monday Captain Pat Cummins’ three-wicket burst with the new ball limited Delhi Capitals to 133-7 before heavy rain and the wet outfield denied further play Both teams received one point each but Hyderabad became the third team to drop out of the playoffs race after Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals Delhi was lucky to get away with one point after more dismal batting from its top order and was still in playoffs contention in fifth place Cummins perfectly read the tricky grassless pitch and ran Delhi into all sorts of trouble with three wickets off his first 13 balls after he won the toss and elected to field He had Karun Nair caught behind off the first ball of the match and Faf du Plessis was beaten by a short ball and edged behind to Ishan Kishan who kept wickets for the first time this season in place of Heinrich Klaasen who took the new ball after Mohammed Shami was left out made it 15-3 when Kishan took a smart running catch at square leg after Abhishek Porel top-edged an attempted flick Cummins added a brilliant catch over his right shoulder when he back-pedalled from mid-off to dismiss Delhi captain Axar Patel Kishan’s fourth catch made it 29-5 when Lokesh Rahul edged Jaydev Unadkat helped Delhi cross 100 but all of Hyderabad’s sterling work in the field was washed away by the rain AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket BOSTON -- To say the Celtics have dominated the Knicks over the past two seasons would be an understatement New York lost all four of its meetings with Boston this season by an average of 16.5 points per game That came after the Celtics won four of the teams' five matchups during their 2023-24 championship season It's more than enough reason for the defending NBA champs to feel confident heading into their Eastern Conference semifinals pairing with the Knicks which isn't taking anything -- or anyone -- for granted at this point of the season So everything we did in the regular season doesn't really mean a whole lot now," Celtics guard Derrick White said A big part of the reason why Boston is on guard against New York is the play of All-Star Jalen Brunson The recently named NBA clutch player of the year is averaging 31.5 points 8.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game this postseason It includes a 40-point performance and what proved to be the winning three-pointer in New York's 116-113 Game 6 closeout win over Detroit Seems to make all the big plays for them," White said And obviously this playoffs he's taken it to another level So it's going to be a group effort to try to slow him down and to understand that he's a really good player but just trying to make it as difficult as we can for 48 minutes and just have a lot of different guys to try to slow him down." While Boston swept the season series with New York it took a 119-117 overtime win that included late three-pointers by Kristaps Porzingis and Jayson Tatum for the Celtics to prevail in the final regular season meeting on April 8 Brunson believes how they learned and adjusted from the first three meetings showed up in that game But he also knows progress isn't enough at this point "I feel like we played better in that game Obviously still not getting it done," Brunson said "Played and competed better than the first three games so that's something we can look at and build off of." Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is expected to return from a strained right hamstring in Game 1 No Celtics players were listed on Sunday's injury report whose been dealing with a right knee issue it's the first time he hasn't been on the injury report since he missed the final three games of Boston's first-round win over Orlando 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the opening two games of the Magic series Though Orlando proved to be overmatched in their 4-1 series loss to Boston one thing they were successful at was limiting the Celtics' success from the three-point line Boston connected on an NBA record for three-pointers made (1,457) and attempted (3,955 total and 48.2 per game) during the regular season But the Celtics averaged only 31.2 three-point attempts per game and only once hit at least 10 three-pointers in their series with the Magic Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau said replicating that blueprint is the challenge for his team He also said they don't mind being a heavy underdog in this series "We always have the belief that whether it's praise or criticism The only thing that really matters is what we think," he said This will be his first playoff matchup for Porzingis against the team that drafted him fourth overall in 2015 before trading him to Dallas in 2019 He has been back to Madison Square Garden several times since the trade and said he's mostly able to play emotion-free basketball at this point against his former team "I love playing there on the road," Porzingis said "My first couple of games there were pretty crazy there getting booed and stuff But I think now the time has passed and it's not as recent anymore and I've changed a couple of teams But it's always fun to go up against them." They want to make it easier to get to other communities Rostraver commissioners recently discussed transit options in the township and what they might look like in the future the transit discussion started when Commissioner Devin DeRienzo announced that they need someone to attend a Mon-Yough Planning District meeting Township Planner Tamira Spedaliere said their meetings aim to promote intergovernmental cooperation On the Monday, May 5 episode of The Bold and the Beautiful Liam shares his wish with Steffy as Hope hesitates to take Carter back You should check out today’s episode for yourself Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) begged Hope (Annika Noelle) to take him back Carter convinced Hope that they were meant to be together They reminisced about all the things they did including late nights when they slow danced in the kitchen Carter noticed a change in Hope’s behavior but she couldn’t help but think about when he gave back the company Hope also can’t forget when she nearly walked in on him kissing Daphne Rose (Murielle Hilaire) But Carter’s not giving up on Hope this time He didn’t want to talk about Forrester Creations MORE: Find out what’s happening next on B&B. Meanwhile, at the cliff house, Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) is concerned about Liam (Scott Clifton). She told him that it’s time to open up to Hope. It’s only fair Liam admitted that he couldn’t say he was dying The weight of those words is too much to deal with Liam admitted that he was the reason for their feud He wanted his death to bring them back together He feels responsible for tearing them apart It’s important for the sake of their daughters That’s not all that’s happened in Los Angeles Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) tried to get Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) to remember the good times and Brooke got rejected for the 1000th time Taylor (Rebecca Budig) makes him happy now We can’t wait to see what happens next Watch B&B weekdays on CBS and Paramount+ Former Hungarian President János Áder has called for a more balanced approach to environmental storytelling—one that not only highlights problems but also explores how negative ecological trends might be reversed Áder made the remarks in a new episode of his Blue Planet podcast ahead of the 10th Planet Lens International Nature Photo and Film Festival which will be held in Veszprém from 15–18 May has drawn submissions from 45 countries this year Films are categorized into four sections: classical nature documentaries and works focused specifically on the Carpathian Basin The photo competition also includes international and regional categories editor-in-chief of Élet és Tudomány and Természet Világa the event aims to attract audiences of all ages and interests Screenings will be held at six locations across Veszprém with award-winning entries also broadcast via public media and online platforms documents the transformation of the Hévíz Lake ecosystem as invasive species from abroad reshape the underwater world ‘It’s like visiting a new continent,’ Gózon noted Áder underscored the need to preserve and share well-documented knowledge of such changes He praised the evolving style of modern nature films which increasingly move beyond stunning visuals to incorporate educational aims and solution-oriented narratives pointing to a Hungarian documentary about the rapid loss of the country’s natural standing waters—80–90 per cent of which have vanished in the past two decades—as an example of filmmakers grappling with both the causes and the possible remedies of environmental decline Áder concluded by saying that audiences respond positively when films present hope alongside hardship Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective Kopion and Kazushi Kimura win the Derby City Distaff Stakes at Churchill Downs As he made the walk down the Churchill Downs tunnel pausing briefly to accept congratulations from some of his Hall of Fame comrades Richard Mandella came to halt outside of the entrance to the winner's circle and openly wondered 'Where am I supposed to go?'" It was a genuine query given that the Hall of Fame trainer hadn't run a horse beneath the twin spires since 2018 and hadn't won a race at the historic Louisville His reacquaintance to all of the above fittingly came from a daughter of his former trainee that many believed at the time was poised to put the legendary horseman in the middle of the most famous celebration the track has to offer besting a Breeders' Cup-quality field that featured four grade 1 winners "She's starting to make it look like I know something," Mandella quipped who himself was trained by Mandella and was installed as the favorite for the 2019 Kentucky Derby (G1) before being scratched due to an entrapped epiglottis Sign up for BloodHorse Daily Kopion was bringing her own strong résumé to the table having won the seven-furlong Santa Monica Stakes (G2) in her seasonal bow Feb "You know she's an extremely talented filly toughest field," said Spendthrift Farm general manager Ned Toffey but we also knew that everyone else had a tough horse to contend with Hope Road began to advance to Mystic Lake's outside and put the pressure on as they reached the half in :45.19 Kimura moved Kopion off the rail and swung her to the far outside giving her clear aim at Hope Road as that one opened up by two lengths at the top of the stretch I had some concerns about her getting buried," Mandella said "She did get off a step slower than I thought she would but the jockey had a lot of confidence in her and he rode her that way It's nice to see her handling everything so smart and so confident." Hope Road gamely dug in and tried to maintain her advantage down the lane but she was overtaken by a surging Kopion to her outside as the latter edged clear at the sixteenth pole en route to stopping the teletimer in 1:21.76 over a sloppy track but when I saw her swing out and switch leads I was pretty confident at that point," Toffey said "But they are such good fillies in there Hope Road held for second with Ways and Means third "For about 10-15 seconds I thought I'm finally going to win a big race here," Baffert said of Hope Road "Then I saw a horse coming and saw it was (Kopion) and was like 'Oh boy I'm in trouble.' But we're proud of our filly Mandella said that given the way Kopion finishes her races he believes she can handle added distance but isn't willing to test that before an expected run in the Breeders' Cup this season.  She's done a lot already," he said but I don't want to fool with it until after the Breeders' Cup Don't want to break it if it ain't broke." 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