NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. stocks rose after the United States and United Kingdom announced a deal on trade. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% Thursday, marking its 11th gain in the last 13 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1.1%.

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Before flying to Italy’s southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on Friday celebrating the importance of humor.

NEW YORK (AP) - Former President Joe Biden says he’s responsible for Donald Trump’s victory last fall, but he attributed Kamala Harris ‘ loss, at least in part, to sexism and racism. The 82-year-old Democrat said he has intentionally avoided speaking out publicly until this week.

VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Catholic Church has a long and controversial history of the faithful claiming to have had visions of the Virgin Mary, of statues that purportedly wept blood tears and stigmata that erupted on hands mimicking the wounds of Christ.

SCHIAVON, Italy (AP) - Pope Leo XIV ‘s choice of name signals a commitment to social justice which is very much in line with the late Pope Francis ‘ global ministry. "I think a lot us had a question mark when they elected an American, and then he selected the name Pope Leo XIV"

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VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis brought Robert Prevost to the Vatican in 2023 as the powerful head of the office that vets bishop nominations, one of the most important jobs in the Catholic Church. On Thursday, he ascended to become Pope Leo XIV - the first American pontiff.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Last fall, weeks before Donald Trump was elected U.S. president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy floated a pitch that proposed, among other things, an economic deal that would allow Washington access to Ukraine's largely untapped minerals and deepen strategic ties.