Thousands of people are gathered in Rome to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.

WATCH THE FUNERAL OF POPE FRANCIS ON SCRIPPS NEWS

The pope's funeral is being held at St. Peters Square, the same place where he often celebrated Mass and spoke to the faithful.

Those in attendance include approximately 250 cardinals, along with Catholic bishops, priests, and nuns. The Vatican said 12 reigning monarchs and 55 heads of state would also attend the service, including President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Following the funeral, the Francis body will be taken to Saint Mary Major, the largest church in Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where he will be buried beneath a simple marble headstone.

Pope Francis died on Monday after suffering a stroke. He had spent nearly six weeks in the hospital in February and March battling pneumonia and was released on March 23. Although his public schedule remained limited, he made a brief appearance to greet the faithful on Easter Sunday in St. Peters Square.

As mourners paid tribute to the pope around the world this week, church officials said about 250,000 people passed through St. Peters Basilica to view the late pontiff and offer prayers since Wednesday.

The Vatican said nine days of mourning and Masses will be held to honor the pope and offer prayers, followed by a conclave to elect his successor.

The woman who accused Britain's Prince Andrew and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager trafficked by financier Jeffrey Epstein has died. She was 41.

Virginia Giuffre died by suicide Friday at her farm in Western Australia, her publicist confirmed.

Deeply loving, wise and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims, publicist Dini von Mueffling said in a statement. She adored her children and many animals. She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.

The American-born Giuffre, who lived in Australia for years, became an advocate for sex trafficking survivors after emerging as a central figure in Epstein's prolonged downfall.

The wealthy, well-connected New York money manager killed himself in August 2019 while awaiting trial on U.S. federal sex trafficking charges involving dozens of teenage girls and young women, some as young as 14. The charges came 14 years after police in Palm Beach, Florida, first began investigating allegations that he sexually abused underage girls who were hired to give him massages.

Giuffre came forward publicly after the initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made a secret deal to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009.

RELATED STORY | Settlement Between Epstein, Prince Andrew Accuser Now Public

In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago President Donald Trump's Palm Beach club when she was approached in 2000 by Epstein's girlfriend and later employee, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Giuffre said Maxwell hired her as a masseuse for Epstein, but the couple effectively made her a sexual servant, pressuring her into gratifying not only Epstein but his friends and associates. Giuffre she was flown around the world for assignations with men including Prince Andrew while she was 17 and 18.

The men denied it and assailed Giuffre's credibility. She acknowledged changing some key details of her account, including the age at which she first met Epstein.

But many parts of her story were supported by documents, witness testimony and photos including one of her and Andrew, with his his arm around her bare midriff, in Maxwells London townhouse.

Giuffre said in one of her lawsuits that she had sex with the royal three times: in London during her 2001 trip, at Epsteins New York mansion when she was 17 and in the Virgin Islands when she was 18.

Ghislaine said, I want you to do for him what you do for Epstein, Giuffre told NBC News Dateline in September 2019.

Andrew categorically rejected Giuffres allegations and said he didn't recall having met her.

His denials blew up in his face during a November 2019 BBC interview. Viewers saw a prince who proffered curious rebuttals such as disputing Giuffre's recollection of sweaty dancing by saying he was medically incapable of perspiring and showed no empathy for the women who said Epstein abused them.

Within days of the interview, Andrew stepped down from his royal duties. He settled with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, agreeing to make a substantial donation to her survivors' organization. A statement filed in court said that the prince acknowledged Epstein was a sex trafficker and Giuffre an established victim of abuse.

She also filed, and in at least some cases settled, lawsuits against Epstein and others connected to him. In one case, she dropped her claims against a prominent U.S. attorney, saying she might have erred in identifying him as one of the men to whom Epstein supplied her.

Epstein's suicide put an end to his accusers' hopes of holding him criminally accountable.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She said said she wasnt to blame for Epsteins abuse.

Prosecutors elected not to include Giuffre's allegations in the Maxwell case, but Giuffre later told the court that the British socialite had "opened the door to hell.

RELATED STORY | What to know about names released in Jeffrey Epstein court docs

Giuffre, born Virginia Roberts, told interviewers that her childhood was shattered when she was sexually abused as a grade-schooler by a man her family knew. She later ran away from home and endured more abuse, she said.

She said she met her now-husband in 2002 while taking massage training in Thailand at Epstein's behest. She married, moved to Australia and had a family.

Giuffre founded an advocacy charity, SOAR, in 2015.

Giuffre was hospitalized after a serious accident, her publicist said last month. She didnt answer questions about the date, location, nature or other specifics of the accident and about the accuracy of an Instagram post that appeared to come from Giuffre on Sunday. The post said she had been in a car that was hit by a school bus and her prognosis was dire.

The AP does not identify people who say they were victims of sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly.

Steelers first-round draft pick Derrick Harmon's mother, Tiffany Saine, died late Thursday night shortly after Pittsburgh selected the defensive lineman from Oregon with the 21st overall pick.

Harmon said after he was drafted that he planned to visit his mother, who he said was on life support at a hospital in the Detroit suburbs. Saine had endured several brain surgeries and a stroke in recent years. Harmon, 21, pointed to his mother as an inspiration for him to keep going as he made his way from Michigan State to Oregon.

Steelers President Art Rooney II extended the team's condolences to their newest star.

Though we are excited to select Derrick in the first round of the NFL Draft, our hearts are heavy as we mourn the death of his mother, Tiffany Saine, Rooney said in a statement. We will support Derrick and his family however we can as he navigates this period of grief. In times like this, we hope Derrick finds comfort in the love and support from the organization and Steelers fans around the world.

RELATED STORY | 2025 NFL Draft: Cam Ward goes No. 1 to Titans

The Yellowstone Caldera, a volcanically active region under and around Yellowstone National Park, has long been the subject of research, speculation and science fiction regarding the possibility of a volcanic eruption.

But a new study shows that such an event may be even less likely than we thought: Scientists have discovered a magma cap that may play a role in releasing pressure that contributes to large eruptions.

Scripps News spoke with Michael Poland, the scientist in charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, for more insight into the new findings and how they affect Yellowstone.

Scientists "were bouncing earthquake waves off of the top of the magma chamber," Poland said. "And that can tell you something about the characteristics of the top. And they found the top was full of bubbles. Now on the surface that might seem more concerning because those bubbles might indicate that pressure could be increasing. But the key was they didn't find that many bubbles. And in fact, the gases that are coming out of Yellowstone that we can measure at places like Old Faithful and Mud Volcano. Those have magmatic composition. So the whole system together seems to be very efficiently moving these bubbles up to the surface. So no pressure is actually building. This cap is sort of allowing bubbles to accumulate and then get transferred up to the surface."

"I think the real take-home message is that we could even see this in the first place," Poland said. "I mean, this is incredible that we have the resolution now to be able to use seismic imaging techniques. It's sort of like taking an MRI of the Earth. And we can see this few hundred foot thick cap to the Yellowstone magma reservoir that's over 2 miles deep. I think that says a lot about our ability to see into the Earth. This same technique, now that it's been tested out in a place like Yellowstone, might be applied in other places. And it could potentially tell us whether or not we might expect eruptions in other locations."

RELATED STORY | Over 150 killed as major earthquake rocks Myanmar, Thailand

In the meantime, Poland says, Yellowstone is not likely to generate a massive volcanic explosion like those seen in fictional movies.

"The vast majority of eruptions at Yellowstone are lava flows," Poland said. "If you're standing at Old Faithful and you look all the way around, you can see sort of high topography, cliffs and hills. Those are all lava flows that erupted since the last really massive explosion at Yellowstone."

But "even that isn't that common. The last lava flow erupted about 70,000 years ago. Far more common on human timescales in the region are hydrothermal explosions, those sort of really, really energetic geyser eruptions that can throw rocks."

Watch the full interview with Poland in the video above.

United Airlines said it is flying into the future with a start-up called JetZero that is developing blended wing body (BWB) aircraft technology that promises improved fuel efficiency.

The investment includes a conditional path to order up to 100 of the innovative planes, with an option for an additional 100.

JetZero's design is said to reduce drag and produces lift across the entire wingspan, which could lead to as much as 50% reduction in fuel burn per passenger mile compared to a similar sized aircraft, United said.

The design could improve passenger experience with flexible seating options, larger seats across all classes and dedicated overhead bin space for each seat.

RELATED STORY | Free Wi-Fi coming to more than 2 million American Airlines flights

Since the main boarding door is wider, it could streamline the passenger boarding process and its wider aisles and bigger bathrooms make it more handicap-accessible.

Both the airplane's shape and the way JetZero plans to enter the plane into service address industry pain points, said United.

"For instance, a flight from New York/Newark to Palma de Mallorca, Spain would use up to 45 percent less fuel compared to the twin-aisle aircraft that operate that route today," the airline said.

The purchase agreement depends on JetZero meeting specific development milestones and the airline's safety, business and operating requirements including flying a full-scale demonstrator by 2027, United said.

The U.S. Air Force has also invested millions into JetZero to fast-track the development of its full-scale demonstrator, according to United.

This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

California has the fourth-largest economy in the world, surpassing Japan in the global rankings, according to newly released data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

Only the United States, China and Germany have larger economies than California when it comes to the global rankings based on gross domestic product numbers.

The state is also outpacing the world's top economies. Last year, Californias growth rate of 6% outpaced the U.S. (5.3%), China (2.6%) and Germany (2.9%).

RELATED STORY | California sues to stop Trump from imposing tariffs that are 'wreaking chaos'

California leads the country in agricultural production and has over 36,000 manufacturing firms, among other avenues of business and commerce.

California isnt just keeping pace with the worldwere setting the pace. Our economy is thriving because we invest in people, prioritize sustainability, and believe in the power of innovation," said California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement. "Californias economy powers the nation, and it must be protected.

Last week, the state sued the Trump administration, challenging the president's authority to impose sweeping tariffs that have set off a global trade war.

Jack in the Box is closing up to 200 restaurants across the nation as part of a financial plan that includes the potential sale of its Del Taco brand.

A news release issued by the company on Wednesday detailed its JACK on Track plan, which includes shutting down 150-200 locations considered underperforming with 80-120 restaurants closing by the end of 2025.

In a statement, Jack in the Box CEO Lance Tucker said, In my time thus far as CEO, I have worked quickly with our teams to conclude that Jack in the Box operates at its best, and maximizes shareholder return potential, within a simplified and asset-light business model. Our actions today focus on three main areas: addressing our balance sheet to accelerate cash flow and pay down debt, while preserving growth-oriented capital investments related to technology and restaurant reimage; closing underperforming restaurants to position ourselves for consistent net unit growth and competitive unit economics; and, an overall return to simplicity for the Jack in the Box business model and investor story.

RELATED STORY | Trader Joe's plans on opening 21 new stores. Here's where they will be located

When it comes to Del Taco, Jack in the Box officials said it is exploring strategic alternatives for its Mexican fast-food chain, "including a possible divestiture of the business."

Jack in the Box purchased Del Taco in 2022 for $575 million.

As of April 2025, Jack in the Box has 2,200 restaurants across 22 U.S. states; Del Taco has 600 restaurants across 17 states.

This story was originally reported Jermaine Ong with the Scripps News Group in San Diego.

The federal government is reversing the termination of legal status for international students after many filed court challenges around the U.S., a government lawyer said Friday.

Judges around the country had already issued temporary orders restoring the students' records in a federal database of international students maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The records had been suddenly terminated in recent weeks, often without the students or their schools being notified.

A lawyer for the government read a statement in federal court in Oakland that said ICE was manually restoring the student status for people whose records were terminated in recent weeks. A similar statement was read by a government attorney in a separate case in Washington on Friday, said lawyer Brian Green, who represents the plaintiff in that case. Green provided The Associated Press with a copy of the statement that the government lawyer emailed to him.

RELATED STORY | More than 1,000 international students have had their visas or legal status revoked

It says: ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations. Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain Active or shall be re-activated if not currently active and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination."

Green said that the government lawyer said it would apply to all students in the same situation, not just those who had filed lawsuits.

SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems database that tracks international students' compliance with their visa status. NCIC is the National Crime Information Center, which is maintained by the FBI. Many of the students whose records were terminated were told that their status was terminated as a result of a criminal records check or that their visa had been revoked.

International students and their schools were caught off guard by the terminations of the students' records. Many of the terminations were discovered when school officials were doing routine checks of the international student database or when they checked specifically after hearing about other terminations.

Maritsa Georgiou, who hosts the podcast "Grounded" with former Sen. Jon Tester, joined Scripps News to discuss numerous topics from a busy week in politics.

Georgiou had Sen. Chris Van Hollen on the podcast this week to discuss his trip to El Salvador, where he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was living in Maryland with his wife and children before being mistakenly deported.

"The concern for Senator Chris Van Hollen and others is that if we suddenly start just sending people off without any due process without any phone calls, without any way of defending themselves or even showing papers that that could be a problem for the rest of us because what's going to stop the government from saying, 'Hey, you're guilty,'" Georgiou said.

RELATED STORY | Kilmar Abrego Garcia is 'traumatized' by his experience in CECOT prison, senator says

Another big topic of discussion this week was President Trump's tariff policy and the impact they are having on Americans.

"I've talked to a couple of different business owners here in Montana in the last few days," Georgiou said. "One of them said that they had seen a drastic decrease in their customers from Canada coming down"

Watch the full interview with Georgiou in the video above. And don't forget to listen to "Grounded." You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

A Russian general was killed by a car bomb on Friday, Russia's top criminal investigation agency said, in the second such attack on a top Russian military officer in four months that Moscow blamed on Ukraine.

The Investigative Committee said that Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha, just outside Moscow.

The committee's spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said that the explosive device was rigged with shrapnel. She said that investigators were at the scene.

Russian media ran videos of a vehicle burning in the courtyard of an apartment building.

RELATED STORY | Trump says 'Crimea will stay with Russia' as he seeks end to war in Ukraine

The committee did not immediately mention possible suspects, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova declared without offering evidence that "there are reasons to believe that Ukrainian special services were involved in the killing."

Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the attack.

"If the investigation confirms the Ukrainian trace in this case, this will once again demonstrate to the world community the barbaric and treacherous nature of the Kyiv regime, which is betting on an escalation of military confrontation with Russia and irresponsibly ignoring constructive proposals aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict," Zakharova said.

The attack follows the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov on Dec. 17, 2024, when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office. Russian authorities also blamed Ukraine and Ukraine's security agency acknowledged it was behind the attack.

Kirillov was the chief of Russia's Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, the special troops tasked with protecting the military from the enemy's use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and ensuring operations in a contaminated environment. Kirillov's assistant also died in the attack.

Friday's bombing came as U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin on a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Ukraine. The meeting was their fourth encounter since February.

Former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York was sentenced Friday to 87 months in prison.

Santos, who pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft as part of a plea deal, pleaded for mercy in court.

I offer my deepest apologies, he said, according to the Associated Press.

I cannot rewrite the past, but I can control the road ahead.

U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert, however, said she did not believe Santos was truly remorseful and handed down the same sentence prosecutors had requested.

"For the defendant, it was judgment day, and for his many victims including campaign donors, political parties, government agencies, elected bodies, his own family members, and his constituents, it is justice, stated U.S. Attorney John. Durham.

Santos was allowed to walk out of the courtroom on Friday, but will have to surrender before 2 p.m. on July 25.

Santos brief political career was marred by controversy.

Almost immediately after his election in 2022, it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his background, including his education and work history.

RELATED STORY | Former Rep. George Santos says he's reprising drag queen persona

A subsequent House ethics report alleged Santos knowingly caused his campaign committee to file incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission and used campaign funds for personal expenses, including luxury items and Botox injections.

Following the release of the report, the House voted 311-114 to expel him.

After being removed from the House, Santos launched a short-lived independent run for Congress. He also began offering videos on the platform Cameo, which allows people to purchase content from the former congressman.

A Milwaukee County judge was taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday, following allegations that she assisted an immigrant, who is not legally in the U.S., in evading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

In a post on X that was immediately deleted and then republished a while later, FBI Director Kash Patel said agents had evidence that Judge Hannah Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also confirmed the arrest on X.

RELATED STORY | International students ordered to leave US wonder: Why me?

The Scripps News Group in Milwaukee spoke with law enforcement officials who said Dugan was arrested around 8:30 a.m. in the courthouse parking lot by FBI agents and subsequently transferred to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.

Dugan was released from custody later on Friday after appearing in U.S. District Court. She was charged with obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a United States department or agency and concealing an individual to prevent their discovery and arrest, according to a criminal complaint.

A note posted on the door of Dugans courtroom Friday morning read, If any attorney, witness coordinator, or other court official knows or believes that a person feels unsafe coming to the courthouse to courtroom 615, please notify the Branch 31 clerk to request court appearance via Zoom.

Immigration attorney believes Trump administration is sending message of fear to judges

According to court documents, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a native of Mexico, had a court appearance on April 18 for charges of battery/domestic abuse before Judge Dugan.

Six agents from ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI learned of his court appearance and obtained a warrant for his arrest as part of Enforcement and Removal Operations.

A criminal complaint for Dugan said that Flores-Ruiz was previously deported back to Mexico in 2013 and did not have authorization to be back in the U.S.

RELATED STORY | Trump admin ordered to facilitate return of another man deported to El Salvador

On the day of Flores-Ruiz's hearing, the group of agents went to the courthouse with the intention to take him into custody and notified the courtroom deputy before posting up in varying positions in the hallway outside of Dugan's courtroom.

Upon learning of the agents' presence outside of her courtroom, Dugan left the bench and then confronted the agents in the hallway in an "angry demeanor," according to the criminal complaint.

Dugan instructed the agents to speak with the chief judge about executing the warrant and escorted part of the arrest team to the chief judge's office.

While most of the arrest team was in the chief judge's office speaking with him on the phone, witnesses in the courtroom reported seeing Dugan speaking with Flores-Ruiz's defense counsel while he sat in the jury box instead of the gallery. The criminal complaint pointed out that this is not normal protocol, as the jury box is typically reserved for a jury.

When Flores-Ruiz and his attorney began walking toward the public courtroom exit, Dugan allegedly directed them to leave through a door that is reserved for jury members, court staff, deputies and defendants who are in custody instead, according to the complaint.

Agents that were not in the chief judge's office saw Flores-Ruiz and his counsel enter the hallway outside of the courtroom and followed him out of the courthouse before identifying themselves as law enforcement and attempting to arrest him. The complaint stated he was ultimately taken into custody after a foot chase.

Dugan is currently in her ninth year as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge, primarily overseeing cases in the misdemeanor division, according to the court's website.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement upon learning of Dugan's arrest: In the United States, we have a system of checks and balances and separations of power for damn good reasons. The Presidents administration arresting a sitting judge is a gravely serious and drastic move, and it threatens to breach those very separations of power. Make no mistake, we do not have kings in this country and we are a Democracy governed by laws that everyone must abide by. By relentlessly attacking the judicial system, flouting court orders, and arresting a sitting judge, this President is putting those basic Democratic values that Wisconsinites hold dear on the line. While details of this exact case remain minimal, this action fits into the deeply concerning pattern of this President's lawless behavior and undermining courts and Congress's checks on his power.

Famed stunt pilot Rob Holland was killed when his MX Aircraft MXS plane crashed on approach at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia on Thursday morning, according to his official Facebook page.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they are "investigating the crash of an experimental MX Aircraft MXS."

Based on initial gatherings, the plane crashed while "on approach" to the air force base in Hampton.

Watch: JB Langley-Eustis Col. Altman gives update on fatal crash of Rob Holland's plane

Langley colonel provides update on stunt pilot's fatal base crash

This crash happened days before the biennial Air Power Over Hampton Roads air show. Holland had recently performed at the 2023 Air Power show and is a frequent sight at air show events.

Officials said Thursday evening they expect to continue with the air show.

Just after 4 p.m., officials with Joint Base Langley-Eustis said they were canceling a media availability scheduled for Thursday afternoon with U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilots "due to unforeseen circumstances."

The base confirmed the fatal crash at 11:39 a.m., and said it was related to the air show.

Using FlightAware data, the aircraft type, and information from the air show's schedule indicating only one aircraft of that type slated to appear, internet sleuths put together the tragedy before media outlets like us could comfortably confirm.

Today we lost a friend of our Air Force family, said Col. Matthew Altman, Joint Base Langley-Eustis commander. On behalf of our entire JBLE team, I want to express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of this incredible aviator.

An NTSB investigator is expecting to arrive Friday at Langley to begin looking into the cause of the crash.

This story was originally published by the Scripps News Group in Norfolk.

When Random House Publisher Andrew Ward met recently with staff editors to discuss potential book projects, conversation inevitably turned to current events and the Trump administration.

"It seemed obvious that we needed to look back to the country's core documents," Ward said. "And that we wanted to get them out quickly."

On Wednesday, Random House announced that it would publish a hardcover book in July combining the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, followed in November by a hardcover edition of the Federalist Papers. Both books include introductions by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, who has written biographies of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson among others.

The Random House volumes, released through its Modern Library imprint, will join a prolific market that has surged in recent months. According to Circana, which tracks around 85% of the print retail market, editions of the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers and the U.S. Constitution are selling at their fastest pace since Circana began compiling numbers in 2004.

Around 162,000 combined copies have been sold through mid-April, compared to 58,000 during the same time period the year before and around 33,000 in 2023. Sales were around 92,000 in the early months of Trump's first term, in 2017, more than double the pace of 2016.

RELATED STORY | Librarians aren't being quiet when it comes to the Trump administration's funding cuts

Brenna Connor, a book industry analyst for Circana, said the jump "is likely in response to the recent change of administration" and cited increased interest in other books about democracy and government, among them Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny" and the Michael Lewis-edited "Who Is Government?" a collection of essays about civil servants by Dave Eggers, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell and others.

"This pursual of political understanding is playing out in a few different areas," Connor added.

Meacham, during a recent phone interview with The Associated Press, said that the founders had sought to make sense of a revolutionary era whether breaking with England or debating how to form a federal government with enough power to rule effectively, without giving it the kind of monarchical authority that enraged the colonies.

Reading the Declaration and other texts, he believes, can give today's public a similar sense of mission and guiding principles.

"It is a tumultuous moment ... to put it kindly," Meacham said. "One way to address the chaos of the present time, what Saint Paul would call the 'tribulations' of the present time, is to re-engage with the essential texts that are about creating a system that is still worth defending."

The Modern Library books will have many competitors. The 18th century documents all are in the public domain, can be read for free online and anyone can publish them. According to Circana, popular editions have been released by Skyhorse, Penguin, Barnes & Noble and others.

"We generally see increased sales of editions of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution every election cycle, but particularly this year," said Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble's senior director of book strategy. "This could be because next year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," she said, "or the fast and furious current political conversations and policy changes."

A judge ruled Thursday that prosecutors can pursue the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger if he is convicted of murdering four University of Idaho students in 2022, despite the defendant's recent autism diagnosis.

Kohberger, 30, is charged in the stabbing deaths of Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022.

Prosecutors have said they intended to seek the death penalty if Kohberger is convicted at his trial, which is set to begin in August.

But his attorneys asked Judge Steven Hippler to remove the death penalty as a possible punishment, citing Kohbergers diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. They have also filed several other motions challenging the death penalty, including one based on purported violations by the state in providing evidence.

Mr. Kohbergers autism spectrum disorder (ASD) reduces his culpability, negates the retributive and deterrent purposes of capital punishment, and exposes him to the unacceptable risk that he will be wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, defense attorneys wrote in court papers.

RELATED STORY | Mangione to be arraigned in health care CEO's murder, could face death penalty

They argued that executing someone with autism would constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Prosecutors argued that under U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the only mental disability that precludes imposition of the death penalty is an intellectual disability and Kohbergers diagnosis was of mild autism without accompanying intellectual ... impairment.

The judge agreed.

Not only has Defendant failed to show that ASD is equivalent to an intellectual disability for death penalty exemption purposes, he has not shown there is national consensus against subjecting individuals with ASD to capital punishment, Hippler wrote. ASD may be mitigating factor to be weighed against the aggravating factors in determining if defendant should receive the death penalty, but it is not (a) death-penalty disqualifier.

Kohberger was a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University, in Pullman, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Moscow, at the time of the killings. He was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks later. Investigators said they matched his DNA to genetic material recovered from a knife sheath found at the crime scene.

Autopsies showed the four victims were all likely asleep when they were attacked, some had defensive wounds and each was stabbed multiple times.

RELATED STORY | Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates so Trump can't have them executed

Following Kohberger's arrest, his attorneys had him examined by a clinical neuropsychologist, Dr. Rachel Orr, who diagnosed him with with Autism Spectrum Disorder, level 1, without accompanying intellectual or language impairment.

In a separate ruling Thursday, the judge agreed that jurors will likely be able to hear much of the 911 call made from outside the house by two surviving roommates roughly eight hours after the killings, as they realized one of their roommates wasnt waking up.

However, statements made during that call by an unidentified woman who relayed information she had not observed first-hand will be barred from the trial, Hippler said.

Jurors will also be able to see text messages the two surviving roommates sent around the time of the attack, after 4 a.m., when one reported seeing a masked man in the house, the judge said, assuming prosecutors can lay a foundation for the admission of the evidence.

Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges in the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione, 26, was indicted last week on charges of murder, two counts of stalking, and a firearms violation.

During the arraignment, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett asked Mangione if he understood the charges against him. He responded "yes" before entering a not guilty plea. A trial date will be scheduled in December.

Federal prosecutors filed a formal notice with the court on Thursday that they plan to seek the death penalty, as directed by Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Luigi Mangiones murder of Brian Thompson an innocent man and father of two young children was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America," Bondi said on April 1.

RELATED STORY | AG seeks death penalty for Luigi Mangione in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, was critical of the DOJ's decision to pursue the death penalty against her client, saying it "goes against the recommendation of the local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent."

State prosecutors have already charged Mangione with 11 other counts, including one of murder in the first degree "in furtherance of an act of terrorism" and two of murder in the second degree. He has pleaded not guilty to the state charges.

If convicted on state charges, Mangione faces the possibility of a life sentence without parole.

President Donald Trump said in an interview published on Friday that Crimea will stay with Russia," the latest example of the U.S. leader pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to end the war while it remains under siege.

Zelenskyy understands that, Trump said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and everybody understands that its been with them for a long time."

The U.S. president made the comments in a Time magazine interview conducted on Tuesday. Trump has been accusing Zelenskyy of prolonging the war by resisting negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Crimea is a strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. It was seized by Russia in 2014, while President Barack Obama was in office, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.

Theyve had their submarines there for long before any period that were talking about, for many years. The people speak largely Russian in Crimea, Trump said. But this was given by Obama. This wasnt given by Trump.

RELATED STORY | Trump urges Putin to 'STOP!' after attack on Kyiv kills at least 12

Meanwhile, Russia has continued its bombardment. A drone struck an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, killing three people and injuring 10 others, officials said Friday, a day after Trump rebuked Russias leader for a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv.

A child and a 76-year-old woman were among the civilians killed in the nighttime drone strike in Pavlohrad, in Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk region, the head of the regional administration, Serhii Lysak, wrote on Telegram.

Russian forces fired 103 Shahed and decoy drones at five Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraines air force reported. Authorities in the northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv regions reported damage to civilian infrastructure but no casualties.

The war could be approaching a pivotal moment as the Trump administration weighs its options. Senior U.S. officials have warned that the administration could soon give up attempts to stop the war if the two sides do not come to an agreement. That could potentially mean a halt of U.S. military aid for Ukraine.

Amid the peace efforts, Russia pounded Kyiv in an hourslong barrage Thursday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 87 in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since July.

RELATED STORY | Trump admin threatens to 'walk away' from peace negotiations with Ukraine, Russia

The attack drew a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin from Trump, who has said that a push to end the war is coming to a head.

I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!

Trumps frustration is growing as his effort to forge a deal between Ukraine and Russia has failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet with Putin in Moscow on Friday, their second meeting this month and the fourth since February.

Trump accused Zelenskyy on Wednesday of prolonging the killing field by refusing to surrender the Russia-occupied Crimea Peninsula as part of a possible deal. Russia illegally annexed that area in 2014. Zelenskyy has repeated many times during the war that recognizing occupied territory as Russian is a red line for his country.

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plan to arrive in Rome on Friday for the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vaticans St. Peters Square on Saturday. It wasnt immediately clear if they would meet separately.

An explosion in Moscow targets a senior officer

Meanwhile, a senior Russian military officer was killed by a car bomb near Moscow on Friday, Russias top criminal investigation agency said.

The attack follows the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov on Dec. 17, 2024, when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office. Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the killing of Kirillov.

Since Russia invaded, several prominent figures have been killed in targeted attacks believed to have been carried out by Ukraine.

Russian forces used Thursday's attack on Kyiv as cover to launch almost 150 assaults on Ukrainian positions along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, Zelenskyy said late Thursday.

When the maximum of our forces was focused on defense against missiles and drones, the Russians went on to significantly intensify their ground attacks, he wrote on Telegram.

Western European leaders have accused Putin of dragging his feet in the negotiations and seeking to grab more Ukrainian land while his army has battlefield momentum.

Zelenskyy noted Thursday that Ukraine agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago, as a first step to a negotiated peace, but that Russian attacks continued.

During recent talks, Russia hit the city of Sumy, killing more than 30 civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, battered Odesa with drones and blasted Zaporizhzhia with powerful glide bombs.

Pope Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, has died at the age of 88.

The Vatican announced Francis died at 7:35 a.m. on Monday, one day after Easter.

"Francis returned to the house of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church," said Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Apostolic Chamber. "He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite merciful love of the One and Triune God."

The pope was recently released from the hospital after complications from pneumonia in both lungs.

Francis was born in Argentina in 1936 as Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He's the son of Italian immigrants.

As a student, he worked as a nightclub bouncer and considered a career in chemistry before entering a Jesuit school in 1958.

There, he rose through the ranks, becoming a priest, archbishop of Buenos Aires and finally a cardinal in 2001.

In 2013, he became the first Latin American and the first Jesuit pope.

He chose his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the poor a name he strove to embody throughout his papacy.

Much of his teachings focused on the impoverished. He denounced certain tenets of capitalism in early writings, remarking, "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?"

He also emphasized environmental stewardship, referring to the planet as our "common home" and urging the faithful to take responsibility for its care.

His tenure was also marked by efforts to address financial scandals within the Vatican and the global crisis of clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups.

In 2018 he took a small step in reconciliation, apologizing to abuse survivors after defending a Chilean bishop accused of turning a blind eye to abuse. Later, he apologized to scores of Indigenous people in Canada who suffered abuse at Catholic-run schools.

He also formally defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was accused of abusing men and children for decades.

He helped establish a handbook that encouraged clergy members to report sexual abuse allegations to legal authorities.

Francis also addressed other areas of contention, including the role of women in the church, placing women in more senior roles at the Vatican.

His progressive leadership was also felt in the LGBTQ+ community. He made headlines in 2016 after saying the church "should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended" and encouraged parents to welcome their LGBTQ children.

In 2023, the Vatican stated that transgender people could be baptized under certain circumstances. Pope Francis also approved the blessings of same-sex couples.

His inclusive stances and focus on issues of social justice often put him at odds with more conservative members of the church.

Francis didn't shy away from international political conflicts. Placing himself in the center of Russia's war with Ukraine, allowing a Ukrainian and Russian woman to participate together in Easter services and repeatedly calling for an end to the violence.

He also met with Israeli and Palestinian families impacted by the war there; praying for both sides and calling the conflict 'terrorism,' a comment that stirred controversy in Israel.

Later in his papacy, he was frequently hospitalized and suffered from nerve pain, mobility issues and respiratory illnesses.

Francis hinted at stepping down in 2022, saying the door was open to a resignation, and "it's not strange. It's not a catastrophe. You can change the pope."

The dream of striking it rich is even more expensive now.

Last week, lottery officials raised the price of a Mega Millions ticket from $2 to $5, and while they say the prize amounts were five times greater for last weeks initial drawing, others are a little turned off by the more than 100% increase.

If you think about it, it's more than double. She just hasn't played it, Jim Prather said of his wife. She might, she hasn't played it since, but she may play it again, you never know, he continued before purchasing the scratch-off game he prefers to lottery tickets.

Tanya Golden was also a Mega Millions player in the past, and she is already reconsidering.

Probably lay off, cut back a little on it, not play as much. $5 kind of expensive, Golden said inside a Sunoco gas station, where lottery tickets and other games of chance are sold at a brisk pace.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Indiana woman gets $500,000 from lottery ticket she won in a white elephant gift exchange

People used to play (Mega Millions) a lot more, said station manager Deepti Patel. They would come in before, buy like 10 tickets at a time, or 20 tickets, but now they're reduced to 2 or 5 because it costs them more."

Patel thinks sales of Mega Millions tickets wont be depressed for too long, attributing some of the decline to peoples lack of knowledge over the price change.

A manager at another station was told by his lottery representative that Mega Millions increased the price of a ticket to distinguish itself from its Powerball competitor, whose ticket remains $2.

Lottery officials say the odds of winning are slightly increased under this new matrix, and they estimate the jackpots will be much larger, too.

This story was originally published by Michael Berk with the

Scripps News Group.