Tributes pour in for Pope Francis, a progressive who reshaped the image of the Catholic Church, after his death aged 88. Pete Hegseth shared Yemen strike information in a Signal chat with his wife and brother. And Trump’s tariffs have small business owners in this Atlanta town worried they’ll be crushed by corporations.
Here’s what to know today.
Pope Francis has died at age 88
Pope Francis, a reformer from Argentina who rattled the Catholic Church’s traditionalists and inspired progressives by reaching out to gay people and championing the rights of immigrants and the poor, has died, the Vatican announced. He was 88.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the Pope’s death in a statement released by the Vatican during the early hours of Easter Monday.
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“He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and the marginalized,” Farrell said.
Francis, who had suffered from ill health and spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year, made an appearance yesterday as part of Easter Sunday celebrations at the Vatican, greeting the crowds and blessing babies. He also met privately with Vice President JD Vance, who is a Catholic.
He did not lead the Easter Mass, with Cardinal Angelo Comastri, a retired archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, taking his place and delivering the homily that Francis had prepared.
Read more:
- From working as a bouncer at a Buenos Aires nightclub to presiding over the Vatican, the path Pope Francis forged as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was as unlikely as it was unprecedented.
- The death of Pope Francis sets into motion a series of rituals, some of which go back more than 2,000 years, including how to choose the new pope. Here’s what happens next.
- Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 and elected pope in 2013, Francis was the first pope from the Americas. See his life in pictures.
- As tributes pour in from world leaders, crowds of mourners have begun to fill St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Follow live updates.
Hegseth shared Yemen strike information in second Signal chat with wife and brother
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent information about U.S. military operations in Yemen to a second Signal chat that included his wife and brother, two sources confirmed to NBC News. He did so despite prior warning from an aide not to share sensitive information on an unsecure communications system before the Yemen operation, the sources said.
Thirteen people were in the second Signal group chat, but no other Cabinet-level officials were included, the two sources said. It is unclear why the family members included would need to know information about the military strikes in Yemen.
The development comes about a month after it was revealed that Hegseth shared similar Yemen strike details, such as the flight schedule of the FA-18 planes being used, in a Signal chat with administration officials which the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was mistakenly added to. In both instances, Hegseth used his personal phone, rather than his official one, the sources said.
Anna Kelly, a White House deputy press secretary, downplayed the incident. “No matter how many times the legacy media tries to resurrect the same non-story, they can’t change the fact that no classified information was shared,” she said.
However, a former aide to Hegseth suggested in an op-ed that President Donald Trump might soon remove him after weeks of turmoil in the Pentagon, including the leaked texts and the abrupt firings of top officials.
Supreme Court weighs challenge to Obamacare preventive care panel
The Supreme Court will today weigh a chunk of the Affordable Care Act that recommends preventive care services that insurers have to provide at no cost to patients.
The challenge is brought by Christian employers and several individuals who objected on religious grounds to the Preventive Services Task Force, established under Obamacare, backing free coverage for HIV prevention medication. They say the task force is unconstitutionally structured because its members are not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
A ruling in favor of the employers would have a significant impact, casting doubt over the task force’s previous decisions and no longer requiring insurers to cover the affected preventive services. The Trump administration is defending the provision, arguing that the task force members are lawfully appointed because they are ultimately under the supervision of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Here’s what else we know about the case.
Small business owners in this Atlanta town fear tariffs will crush them
Trump’s tariff rollout has shaken Wall Street and corporate leaders in recent weeks, but it’s also rattling small-business owners who are struggling to plan around the chaos. The anxiety is palpable in East Atlanta Village, a tight-knit community of local storefronts in a city known for its entrepreneurialism and anchored by headquarters for major brands.
Nate Minor, a device repair shop owner in the area, is afraid he’ll have to slash his workers’ health benefits to pay for supplies, as tariffs on Chinese imports increase the cost of the tech parts he relies on. Pet supply shop owner Victoria Park shares a similar concern, worried she’ll have to shrink her assortment of products as dog supplies from Canada become more expensive.
Reporter J.J. McCorvey spoke to these entrepreneurs on Main Street, who fear the trade war will make it harder to compete with corporations for increasingly value-conscious shoppers. “This is going to put people out of business,” one said. Read the full story here.
Read All About It
- New York City’s $9 congestion toll will remain in effect, despite the federal government’s Sunday deadline to scrap it.
- An Israeli investigation into the killing of 15 Palestinian aid workers cited "professional failures" as the IDF expressed regret for the incident.
- An Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine frayed quickly as both sides accused the other of launching hundreds of attacks.
- Louisiana, Missouri and Virginia reported their first measles cases of 2025 amid the largest outbreak in the U.S. in six years. Nearly all of the cases are among unvaccinated people, but a small percentage of vaccinated people can still get sick. Here’s how breakthrough infections work.
- Amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies, queer people are joining self-defense classes to find community and feel less vulnerable.
Staff Pick: Star witness
Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will each go on trial in the coming weeks.
But there’s a common thread in the proceedings that you might not know: A clinical and forensic psychologist named Dawn Hughes.
Daniel Arkin’s breakdown of how Hughes was a key voice in other high-profile legal sagas — the NXIVM sex cult case and the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial — offers a potential preview of what’s to come this spring.
– Jeremy Mikula, weekend platforms director
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Confused about the difference between Korean and American sunscreens? Dermatologists weigh in on what sets them apart and whether the Korean brands are better. Plus, the NBC Select team spoke to experts about finding the best cleaning solutions for grout so your floors don’t turn into an eyesore.
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