Catholic bishops rally behind Pope Leo on Iran war, counter Vance's remarks

The group representing the nation’s Catholic bishops has issued a statement in support ofPope Leo XIV’s remarks on the Iran war, an apparent rebuff of Vice PresidentJD Vance’sadmonitionsuggesting the pope “be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

“For over a thousand years, the Catholic Church has taught just war theory and it is that long tradition the Holy Father carefully references in his comments on war,” readthe statementissued by Bishop James Massa, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ doctrine committee.

Pope Leohas expressed opposition to the war in favor of peace negotiations and said in an April 10 social media post that those who are disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

Look back as Pope Leo marks his first year as pontiff

On April 14, Vance, a Catholic convert who describes himself as deeply religious, addressed a Turning Point USA rally audience in Georgia. While saying he welcomed the pope commenting on immigration and abortion, he suggested the pope’s opposition to political leaders wielding the sword would have meant opposing U.S. liberation of France and concentration camps during World War II.

“I like that the pope is an advocate for peace. I think that’s certainly one of his roles," Vance told the gathering. "On the other hand, how do you say that God is never on the side of those who wield the sword?”

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The April 15 statement from the bishops’ conference committee directly addressed those remarks, noting that a tenet of the church’s "just war" tradition teaches that nations “can only legitimately take up the sword” in self-defense after peace efforts have failed.

“To be a just war, it must be a defense against another who actively wages war, which is what the Holy Father actually said,” the statement said, quoting the pope’sMarch 29 homilyat St. Peter’s Square in Rome: “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”

On April 7, after Trump’s Easter Sunday threats to annihilate Iranian infrastructure, Pope Leo called such rhetoric “truly unacceptable.”

“When Pope Leo XIV speaks as supreme pastor of the universal Church, he is not merely offering opinions on theology,” the committee statement said. “He is preaching the Gospel and exercising his ministry as the Vicar of Christ. The consistent teaching of the Church is insistent that all people of goodwill must pray and work toward lasting peace while avoiding the evils and injustices that accompany all wars.”

Reporter Bart Jansen contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Catholic bishops back Pope Leo on Iran war

byJastin

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4/19/2026 08:17:00 AM

Catholic bishops rally behind Pope Leo on Iran war, counter Vance's remarks

The group representing the nation’s Catholic bishops has issued a statement in support ofPope Leo XIV’s remarks on the Iran war, an app...

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What is next for Stephen Colbert after his 'Late Show' is done?

Stephen Colbert'stime in late night TVis coming to an end.

In May, Colbert will film his final episode after more than a decade on air.

Here's all you need to know on the final weeks of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and what's next for the host.

Why was The Late Show with Stephen Colbert cancelled?

Colbert announced the end of the program, which David Letterman hosted for two decades prior to Colbert's reign, in July.

"It's not just the end of our show, it's the end of the 'Late Show' on CBS," Colbert said last year.

"I'm not being replaced. This is all just going away."

The show, which is filmed in the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC, was cut for financial reasons, Paramount Global, CBS's parent company, said at the time.

"We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire 'The Late Show' franchise at that time," the statement said. "We are proud that Stephen called CBS home."

The cancellation followeda $16 million settlement with President Donald Trumpfrom a defamation suit the president filed over a "60 Minutes" interview with 2024 presidential hopefulKamala Harris.

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"I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings," Trump said on Truth Social following the announcement.

What is Stephen Colbert doing next?

The late-night host is moving on to something completely different after the show ends in May.

Last month, Colbert announced that he'd be working on a Lord of the Rings movie with his son, Peter McGee, who is a screenwriter.

"I knew I couldn't do that and do this show at the same time, but it turns out, I'm going to be free starting this summer," Colbert said.

"So if you'll excuse me, I've got to finish a television show, and I've got to write a movie script, but I will see you all in The Shire."

What's replacing the Late Show time slot?

"Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen"will be taking the Late Show's time slot when it's up in May, CBS announced.

The program, which first debuted two decades ago, is filmed in California, according toIMDb.

It isn't immediately clear what's next for NYC's Ed Sullivan Theater.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What is next for Stephen Colbert after 'Late Show' goes off air?

byJastin

in

4/19/2026 08:15:00 AM

What is next for Stephen Colbert after his 'Late Show' is done?

Stephen Colbert'stime in late night TVis coming to an end. In May, Colbert will film his final episode after more than a deca...

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UN nuclear chief urges strict Iran checks in any deal to end war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that “very detailed” measures to verifyIran’s nuclear activitiesmust be included in a potential U.S.-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East.

South Korea IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency Director GeneralRafael Grossistressed the need for the thorough verification regime for Iran’s nuclear program, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday thata second round of talkswith Iran could happen over the next two days.

The Trump administration has said that preventing Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon is a key war aim. Iran has previously said it isn't developing such weapons but rejected limits on its nuclear program.

Last weekend in Pakistan,an initial round of talksbetween the two countries failed to produce an agreement. The White House said Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a central sticking point. But an Iranian diplomatic official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the closed-door talks, denied that negotiations had failed over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Iran has a very ambitious, wide nuclear program so all of that will require the presence of IAEA inspectors,” Grossi told reporters in Seoul. “Otherwise, you will not have an agreement. You will have an illusion of an agreement.”

He said that any agreement on nuclear technology “requires very detailed verification mechanisms.”

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Iran has not allowed the IAEA access to its nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the United States during a 12-day war in June, according to aconfidential IAEA reportcirculated to member states and seen by The Associated Press in February.

The report stressed that it “cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities,” or the “size of Iran’s uranium stockpile at the affected nuclear facilities.”

Iran has long insisted its program is peaceful, but the IAEA and Western nations say Tehran had an organized nuclear weapons program up until 2003.

The IAEA has maintained Iran has a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program, Grossi said earlier.

Such highly enriched nuclear material should normally be verified every month, according to the IAEA’s guidelines.

byJastin

in

4/18/2026 08:18:00 AM

UN nuclear chief urges strict Iran checks in any deal to end war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that “very detailed” measures to verifyIran’s nuclear ...

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A new, forceful Pope Leo steps onto the world stage

By Joshua McElwee

Pope Leo XIV holds a holy Mass near Japoma Stadium in Douala

YAOUNDE, April 17 (Reuters) - Pope Leo has debuted a new, forceful speaking style on his four-nation Africa tour this week, issuing sharp denunciations of war and inequality that have sparked repeated attacks on the pontiff from U.S. President Donald Trump.

The change in rhetoric reflects Leo's growing ‌concern with the direction of global leadership, experts said, after he maintained a relatively low profile for a pope during the first 10 months of ‌his papacy.

Trump first attacked Leo as "terrible" on Sunday, in an apparent response to the pope's criticisms of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. He lobbed more criticism again on Thursday, suggesting the pope didn't understand foreign ​policy issues.

The first U.S. pope, speaking earlier that day in Cameroon, had said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants", without naming individuals.

"Normally popes and the Vatican are cautious when it comes to international politics, preferring diplomacy to public censure," said John Thavis, a retired Vatican correspondent who covered three papacies.

"(Leo) seems convinced that the world needs to hear explicit condemnation of injustice and aggression, and he seems aware that he is one of very few people who have a global pulpit."

POPE SEEN AS MORAL LEADER ON GLOBAL ‌STAGE

The pope, known for choosing his words carefully, mostly avoided ⁠comment about the U.S. until March, when he emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war.

He first mentioned Trump by name publicly only at the beginning of April, suggesting that the president find an "off-ramp" to end the war.

In Africa, the pope has been speaking ⁠much more firmly. In speeches this week in Algeria and Cameroon, he warned that the whims of the world's richest threaten peace and decried violations of international law by "neocolonial" global powers.

"Pope Leo is establishing himself as a moral leader for the global scale," Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, told Reuters.

Stowe, president of a U.S. Catholic peace organization, said Leo's recent messages carried ​more ​weight by being given during a visit to Africa, "delivered face-to-face with the people who have lived ​with war, violence, famine and chronic poverty".

POPE DOESN'T WANT TO BE 'SOFT ‌ON TRUMPISM'

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Popes have long been a moral voice on the global stage, loudly decrying situations of injustice. But they have also generally striven for the Church to remain neutral in world conflicts, allowing the Vatican to act as a mediator if asked to do so.

It is a balance of roles that is difficult to maintain.

Massimo Faggioli, an expert on the papacy, pointed to the example of Pope Pius XII, who directed a clandestine network to shelter Jews during the Holocaust but is accused by some modern critics of not speaking loudly enough about the ongoing genocide.

"There's always the ghost of Pius XII hanging there," said Faggioli, a professor at Trinity College Dublin, referring to why Leo ‌may be deciding to speak more forcefully now.

"I don't think he wants the Vatican to be ​accused of being soft on Trumpism because he's an American."

LEO SPEAKING MORE DIRECTLY THAN PREDECESSOR FRANCIS

Leo, the ​former Cardinal Robert Prevost, spent decades as a missionary and bishop in ​Peru before becoming pope.

He lived there during an intense period of internal conflict between Peru's government and the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path, ‌when tens of thousands were killed in bloody warfare.

"In rural Peru, ​Prevost... was immersed in what poverty, corruption, ​globalization of indifference, climate catastrophe, (and) governmental violence does to people," said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, an academic at Fordham University.

"He's uniquely qualified to speak about the dangers of... political corruption and violence," she said.

Pope Francis, Leo's predecessor, was from Argentina and was also known for forceful denunciations of conflict. He too clashed with Trump, who ​once called Francis "disgraceful".

With his comments this week, Thavis said, Leo ‌may have spoken more forcefully than Francis or any previous pope.

"Other popes, including John Paul II and Francis, have spoken about the dangers of ​ideological tyrannies and neocolonialism," said Thavis.

"But when Leo says the world is 'ravaged by a handful of tyrants,' that strikes me as a much more ​direct challenge to the leaders of powerful nations."

(Reporting by Joshua McElweeEditing by Gareth Jones)

byJastin

in

4/18/2026 08:15:00 AM

A new, forceful Pope Leo steps onto the world stage

By Joshua McElwee Pope Leo XIV holds a holy Mass near Japoma Stadium in Douala YAOUNDE, April 17 (Reuters) - Pope Leo has debu...

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Was Jack Harlow on 'SNL?' One relative certainly thought so

A “Saturday Night Live” impression ofJack Harlowwas so spot on that even his own aunt thought it was actually him.

The rapper revealed in anInstagram storyon April 13 that a relative mistook “SNL” cast member Ben Marshall for Harlow during an April 11 “Weekend Update” sketch that poked fun at backlash over comments he made about his latest album.

During the segment, “Weekend Update” co‑anchor Michael Che and Marshall, who portrayed Harlow, joked about criticism tied to the release of the rapper’s fourth studio album, "Monica." Specifically, a comment he made to The New York Times about his music getting "Blacker."

“White rapper Jack Harlow recently made headlines for describing the sound of his new album by saying, ‘I got Blacker,’” Che said. “Here to explain himself is Jack Harlow.”

Marshall’s version of Harlow then struggled to talk his way out of the controversy, repeatedly digging himself deeper over the course of the bit. TheKentucky-born rapperdropped the surprise album on March 13, which coincided with his 28th birthday.

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Speaking withthe Times on release day, Harlow said he had reached a moment of reflection, explaining that he had “[got] to a point where as much as you’re trying to find your voice, you’re also hoping to escape yourself.”

Watch 'SNL's' Jack Harlow impression

Jack Harlow's aunt was 'proud' after 'SNL' appearance

Harlow said his aunt later texted him to say she was proud of him for going on “Saturday Night Live” and “addressing everything.”

“My aunt that I am related to actually thought that was me,” Harlow said in a now‑expired Instagram story.

While Harlow did not appear on “SNL” this past weekend, he has been featured on the late‑night sketch show before. According to NBC, the rapper made his musical guest debut in March 2021 and returned in October 2022 to pull double duty as host and musical guest.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jack Harlow's aunt thought 'SNL' impression was him

byJastin

in

4/17/2026 08:18:00 AM

Was Jack Harlow on 'SNL?' One relative certainly thought so

A “Saturday Night Live” impression ofJack Harlowwas so spot on that even his own aunt thought it was actually him. The rapper rev...

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‘I Know This Woman.’ Michelle Pfeiffer on Inhabiting the Role She’s Been Longing to Play

Michelle Pfeifferis one of our most fearless actors, but she doesn’t think of herself that way. Admittedly, fearlessness is hard to define, more a you-know-it-when-you-see-it quality than a goal you can shoot for. But Pfeiffer doesn’t believe she was ever fearless, especially in the early days. “One thing I didn’t like about my work is that I would watch other actors who took all of these risks, and I always felt like I was playing a little safe,” she says over tea in New York City. In fact, in one of her earliest big movies—oppositeAl Pacinoin the 1983Scarface—she felt panicky the whole time. “I was really young, and I was working alongside so many seasoned actors. I was terrified every second.”

But anyone who has been watching carefully, through a career spanning more than 45 years, can see that Pfeiffer has always been a quiet risk taker, a performer more intent on rooting out the truth of a character than courting easy likability. This was as true in her early roles—as the disillusioned but self-determined Mafia housewife Angela de Marco inMarried to the Mob,or the grimly funny cokehead ice princess Elvira inScarface—as it is in the roles she chooses today, two of which are now landing almost simultaneously. InTaylor Sheridan’ssix-partParamount+dramaThe Madison,Pfeiffer plays Stacy Clyburn, a hardcore (and very wealthy) New Yorker drawn to the mountains of Montana as she grieves for her husband,Kurt Russell’sPreston, whose spirit lives on for her in that landscape. And in Apple TV’sMargo’s Got Money Troubles,produced by Pfeiffer’s husbandDavid E. Kelley, she plays Shayanne Millet, a woman who has struggled to raise a child by herself, Elle Fanning’s Margo, and now sees her daughter headed for similar hardship.

Pfeiffer’s early performances could have been given only by someone who doesn’t know how much power she has, a special gift of certain great actors. And now, at 67, she’s finding that there are good roles for women her age that hadn’t presented themselves before. So when Kelley gave her the Rufi Thorpe novel on whichMargo’s Got Money Troublesis based, she was intrigued. “David handed me the book and very casually said, ‘There’s a part in here, and everybody thinks you should play it.’”

Shayanne says what she thinks and wears what she wants, essentially a wardrobe of spike-heeled boots and tiny leather jackets in a rainbow of hues. She used to be aHooterswaitress. Now she works at a Bloomingdale’s in Fullerton, Calif., and her daughter Margo is building her own life as a grownup. A student at the local community college, Margo is a good writer and a star pupil, such that she attracts the not exactly wholesome attentions of one of her professors (Michael Angarano). He and Margo have an affair; when she becomes pregnant, he wants nothing to do with the baby. Margo weighs her options and decides to keep the child, only to realize she can’t make enough money to support herself and the baby. Her solution? Becoming anOnlyFanscreator, a secret she tries, but ultimately fails, to keep from her mother. Their relationship is the series’ heartbeat: Shayanne doesn’t want her daughter to make the same mistakes she did, though both need to reframe their ideas of what a mistake really is.

Pfeiffer loved Shayanne from the start. “I know Fullerton,” she says. “I grew up in Orange County. I know this woman. In some ways, I’ve been longing to play this part.” She also saw the story’s authenticity; its characters’ predicaments feel lived in. Margo and Shayanne’s lives become more complicated when Shayanne’s semi-estranged old flame, and Margo’s father, retired wrestler Jinx (Nick Offerman), re-enters the picture—just as Shayanne becomes engaged to a reliable, straitlaced guy (Greg Kinnear). “Even though each of these characters is eccentric in a different way, I feel like they’re all grounded. We’ve all met these people here and there. I just loved it.”

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In person, Pfeiffer is both mildly intimidating and a little goofy. She’s wearing a black silk blouse and dark, elegant trousers, plus a pair of enormous yet delicate gold hoop earrings: they have presence, as she does, but they’re also somehow discreet and understated, as she is. Her carriage is both casual and regal. She’s also the kind of person who, once the recorder is off and the notebook is closed, will ask to see pictures of your pets. She has a dog and a cat herself.

Her demeanor is so generally affable that it’s easy to forget how many genuinely fantastic performances she’s given. She’s been great in movies nearly everyone has heard of(Scarface, Batman Returns, Dangerous Liaisons),but also in pictures that don’t show up in the average Letterboxd account(The Russia House, Love Field, Natica Jackson,I Could Never Be Your Woman).You could program a complete film retrospective with “forgotten” Pfeiffer performances alone.

While it’s impossible to identify a single explanation for her longevity, the ease with which she shifts between comedy and drama—and sometimes blurs the lines between them—hasn’t hurt. Pfeiffer is circumspect about her gifts as a comic actor. “I don’t really understand it,” she says. “But I remember [film producer] Marty Bregman saying to me, ‘You know, you have a funnybone.’ Which I guess is different. I sort of understood what he meant.” Yet her knack for comedy—even the kind that isn’t ha-ha funny—is key to her sly, effervescent portrayal of Shayanne, a woman who both yearns for security and wants to have fun. She’s engaged to Kinnear’s upstanding churchgoer, yet she goes to great lengths to pretend she doesn’t love to drink and gamble: when she does let loose, her sailor-on-shore-leave joy is something to behold. And the way Shayanne literally holds her infant grandson at arm’s length—as if she could somehow erase Margo’s “mistake” by refusing to cradle him close—is both piercing and funny.

One of the joys ofMargo’s Got Money Troublesis the way it allows its characters to recontextualize their own life choices, an idea that’s not lost on Pfeiffer. “Disappointments often lead you down the path you’re supposed to be on,” she says. One of the things she loves aboutMargois that “it’s so much like real life. All of these characters are really grappling with who they thought they would become, vs. who they are and where they find themselves.”

Pfeiffer’s role as grieving widow Stacy Clyburn inThe Madisonis more somber—though again, it’s easy to see how an actor at home with the breeziness of comedy can also bring intense human emotions to life onscreen without turning them into leaden, lifeless things. Stacy isn’t just mourning her late husband; she’s forging new connections with her spoiled—but not irredeemable—daughters, played by Beau Garrett and Elle Chapman, as well as her two young granddaughters (Amiah Miller and Alaina Pollack).

“One of the themes inThe Madisonis that it’s very hard to find that line of allowing your kids to stumble, allowing them to fall, to build character, build self-esteem,” Pfeiffer says. “When do you need to come in and swoop them up, give them support?” Sometimes, in real life as inThe Madison,it’s the grandparents who step in with a little tough love. Pfeiffer recalls how her own grandmother, whom she adored, would sometimes intervene. “I had a certain kind of reverence for her, and I was a little afraid of her. She felt somehow more powerful than my mother. Maybe that just comes with getting older,” Pfeiffer says. “And I think, is it possible that she saw me sassing my mother, and that was her way of defending her daughter from me?” This is one example of how the people we used to be inform the people we grow up to be, something to which the best actors are attuned. Pfeiffer puts it all to use, seemingly without overthinking any of it. Come to think of it, that right there may be the definition offearlessness.

byJastin

in

4/17/2026 08:17:00 AM

‘I Know This Woman.’ Michelle Pfeiffer on Inhabiting the Role She’s Been Longing to Play

Michelle Pfeifferis one of our most fearless actors, but she doesn’t think of herself that way. Admittedly, fearlessness is hard to def...

Read More

Reba McEntire’s Son Reveals Singer Is Soon To Become Grandma

Country music legendReba McEntirehas plenty of reasons to celebrate this year. Her son,Shelby Blackstock, recently shared some life-changing news that has fans and family overjoyed. Through a series of heartwarming photos, the world learned that a new generation is joining the Blackstock family. As Shelby and his wife, Marissa Blackstock, prepare for their biggest adventure yet, McEntire is getting ready to step into a brand-new role: grandma.

Reba McEntire to become grandma as son Shelby Blackstock is expecting baby no. 1

The big announcement came through a beautiful and festive Instagram post tagged at Disney World. Shelby Blackstock and his wife, Marissa Blackstock, chose “the happiest place on earth” to share their joy. In the first photo, the couple is seen sharing a sweet kiss in front of the iconic Cinderella Castle. They are holding up a tiny white baby onesie featuring a sleeping Mickey Mouse, a clear sign that a little “mouseketeer” is on the way.

The couple didn’t stop at just one photo. They shared a gallery of images that captured the magic of the moment. One close-up shot shows a professional ultrasound of “Baby Blackstock,” alongside a custom cake decorated with blue Mickey Mouse ears. The cake features the words “Oh Boy!”, confirming that Reba McEntire will be welcoming a grandson. Another fun photo shows a pair of classic Mickey ears embroidered with “Baby Blackstock October 2026,” giving fans a clear timeline for the baby’s arrival.

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Marissa looked radiant in a blue and yellow floral puff-sleeve dress, perfectly matching the sunny Disney backdrop. Shelby kept it classic in a white button-down and light blue shorts. Both wore “First Time Parents” buttons, showing off their excitement.

The caption was simple and full of love: “Oh, BOY! We’re beyond excited to FINALLY announce our little man is coming in October.” This will be the first child for the couple, who married in a fairy-tale ceremony at Walt Disney World in 2022. For McEntire, this news is the ultimate fancy surprise, and there is no doubt she will be an incredible grandmother to her first grandchild.

Originally reported by Samridhi Goel onMomtastic.

The postReba McEntire’s Son Reveals Singer Is Soon To Become Grandmaappeared first onReality Tea.

byJastin

in

4/17/2026 08:15:00 AM

Reba McEntire’s Son Reveals Singer Is Soon To Become Grandma

Country music legendReba McEntirehas plenty of reasons to celebrate this year. Her son,Shelby Blackstock, recently shared some life-changin...

Read More