Robert Francis Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV, has been selected to lead the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Donald Trump reconsiders raising taxes on the nation’s highest earners. And an underwater volcano 300 miles off the coast of Oregon is showing signs of erupting soon.
Here’s what to know today.
Pope Leo XIV’s path from Chicago to the Vatican
There’s a new pope in the Vatican: Leo XIV.
He’s the first American-born pope, originally from Chicago — and, according to his brother, a White Sox fan. Most recently, Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, was the head of the dicastery responsible for the appointment of bishops and the archbishop emeritus of Chiclayo, Peru.
After white smoke billowed yesterday morning from the Sistine Chapel, the new Pope Leo XIV greeted a joyful crowd of around 150,000 people from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. His first public words: “Peace be with you all.” Notably, Leo addressed his flock in Spanish and Italian but not in his native English.
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Chants of “USA! USA! USA!” sounded throughout Vatican City after the new pope was announced. Despite the excitement, the reaction among Americans who spoke to NBC News was a mixture of pride and stunned surprise.
That Leo is American goes against conventional wisdom, which has held that the U.S. holds enough power in the world already. But Leo has spent much of his life outside the United States, so he is also considered to have a global perspective. He holds a Peruvian passport in addition to his American and Vatican ones. In addition to English, Italian and Spanish, he also speaks French and Portuguese, and he reads Latin and German.
He led his first Mass as pontiff this morning in multiple languages, calling on the Church to show humility by making itself “small” so as not to obscure the glory of Christ.
The pontiff stressed that the Catholic Church’s missionary outreach around the world was “desperately needed” as he condemned “the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.”
The new pope is widely considered a moderate and has indicated that he favors a pastoral approach over doctrinal dogma. In public statements, Leo, 69, often echoed Pope Francis with calls for “reaching out to the poor, to the neediest, to those on the margins.” His online footprint has shown him expressing support for gun reform and immigration but indicating some disagreement with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
As a young boy growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Leo was recognized as “just godly” by his elementary school classmates. He attended a seminary high school in Michigan and earned a bachelor’s degree in math at Villanova University.
In Peru, Leo served as a missionary and taught canon law and was later appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo and later the bishop of Chiclayo. For just over a decade in between, Prevost was back in Chicago and appointed the leader of the Augustinian order’s Midwestern region. Pope Francis promoted him to archbishop in 2023 and made him a cardinal a year later.
He has faced at least two accusations that he failed to investigate allegations of abuse while in leadership positions in Chicago and Peru.
Read the full story here.
More coverage of Pope Leo XIV:
- Follow our live blog for more reaction and updates as Pope Leo XIV leads his first Mass.
- The pontiff inherits a packed in-tray, from a world on fire to sex abuse scandals.
- See photos of nuns from around the world gathering in and around St. Peter’s Square to witness history.
Trump suggests raising taxes on the wealthy
Trump privately pressed Speaker Mike Johnson to raise the tax rate on the highest earners and close the so-called carried interest loophole, two 11th-hour requests that add a new wrinkle in the House’s efforts to reach an agreement and vote on the massive package for the president’s agenda. With House Republicans struggling to make the math work for their massive bill, leadership is now reconsidering its options.
A GOP source said Trump is considering allowing the rate on individuals making $2.5 million or more annually to revert from 37% to the pre-2017 39.6% to protect Medicaid and help pay for middle- and working-class tax cuts. Just last month, Trump opposed the idea of increasing taxes on millionaires, saying it would be “disruptive.” Read the full story here.
Also complicating Johnson’s effort to get Trump’s agenda passed: A key group of New York House Republicans, who yesterday rejected what they called an “insulting” offer on how to expand the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT. They want to lift the $10,000 limit imposed by Trump’s 2017 tax laws, but Johnson and the House Ways and Means Committee proposed a $30,000 cap.
More politics news:
- The U.S. is working toward finalizing a trade deal with the U.K., which is expected to see duties on car imports reduced from 27.5% to 10%, while all tariffs on steel imports will be dropped. The U.K. in return is lowering trade barriers on U.S. beef imports and ethanol.
- Trump fired the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who was the first woman and first African American to occupy the role. Trump also fired the acting head of FEMA, Cameron Hamilton. Both Hayden and Hamilton’s firings came after they testified to Congress this week.
- Trump appointed Jeanine Pirro, a Fox News host who pushed conspiracy theories about Trump’s 2020 election loss, as interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. Earlier yesterday, Trump withdrew the nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin.
- Trump’s fight against the Iran-backed Houthis has cost America more than $1 billion since March, but success has been hard to measure.
- From changes to traditional meeting schedules to frequent appearances at professional sporting events, some critics of FBI Director Kash Patel are worried he’s not taking the job seriously enough.
FAA announces upcoming changes in wake of criticisms
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a three-year plan to modernize air traffic control systems and phase out outdated technology. The overhaul comes after mounting pressure on the federal government to address a recent string of fatal crashes, ongoing delays and a recent near-disaster communication blackout at Newark Airport, during which air traffic controllers temporarily lost all contact with pilots.
Some of the changes include replacing decades-old analog technology and legacy radios, as well as building six new ATC centers “for the first time since” the 1960s, the FAA said. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the changes alongside the top Republican and Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who vowed a bipartisan effort on increasing efficiency. “We don’t want the effort to span generations,” one said. Read the full story here.
Read All About It
- Doctors often gaslight women with pelvic disorders and pain, sometimes leading them to stop seeking care or experience a delayed diagnosis, new research shows.
- President Trump gave a break to luxury British carmakers like Rolls-Royce but threatened more tariffs on Mattel toys after the company’s CEO said he doesn’t see the company moving to the U.S.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates fan who fell 20 feet onto the field said he has “broken everything” in his first public comments since the incident.
Staff Pick: Signs an underwater volcano may soon erupt
About 300 miles off the coast of Oregon and about a mile deep underwater, a volcano, known as Axial Seamount, is showing signs of rumbling to life. As science reporter Denise Chow writes, scientists have recorded an uptick of earthquakes in the vicinity and the structure itself is steadily swelling, a telltale sign that it’s filling with molten rock. Current forecasts predict an eruption anytime between now and the end of the year.
But don’t panic — the underwater volcano’s eruption doesn’t pose any real danger to humans. In fact, it offers scientists a chance to refine tools that can help save scores of people in the future. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
The NBC Select staffers are big fans of e-readers, so they tested brands such as Amazon Kindle, Kobo and Boox and went over the pros and cons of each. Plus, sneaker loafers are the latest footwear trend, and they’re exactly what they sound like. See options from brands like New Balance, Hoka, G.H. Bass and more.
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