A North Carolina woman is being celebrated after a video clip of her physically detaining a suspected pickpocket in Venice went viral on social media.
In the video, Christina Cadieu Greene can be seen holding onto a teenager’s ponytail and refusing to let go for just under an hour until law enforcement arrived.
Greene’s daughter Karis McElroy shared the video and later posted a longer explanation on TikTok. She said that Greene and her husband were walking in a crowded area when they noticed three girls getting close to them. When the couple arrived at their Airbnb, they realized Greene’s purse containing her passport, Apple AirPods, credit cards, and cash was missing. 
The North Carolina resident decided to use Find My Friends to locate the AirPods and the suspected thief.
“She was frantic trying to get this back. Her and my stepdad immediately started tracking her purse through her AirPods on Find My Friends and they were able to track it down back to those three girls because my mom already knew, like, these people must have been it,” McElroy said in the video.
Once she tracked down the girls, she grabbed one by the hair. This inspired a second accomplice to flee the scene while the third girl stood by her friend. Greene did not let go of her hair even as the girl struggled and screamed at her. 
“You stole my purse with my passport in it,” she told the teen. “You are not getting away. I&#8217;m not stopping, kid. You are not getting away. I have eight kids, you don&#8217;t get to me.”
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McElroy shared a screenshot of a text thread from her mom on the post that said, “Something just came over me and I was so angry, and I went after them and grabbed the youngest of the three by the ponytail and wrapped my hand around the ponytail and would not let go.”
“One girl stayed [and] another one ran off. I ended up holding her by her ponytail with it wrapped around my hand for 50 minutes. She would be screaming at me, cussing at me, and I would scream back and tug harder on her hair. I would pull her down and I would pull her up with her hair.”
Greene said the crowd was cheering “because pickpockets are so bad in this area.”
“The man who runs the Airbnb was wonderful. He came out and called the police, but [it] still took a long time for the police to get there. When the police got there, I released the girl and the [other] one with her went crazy. They were insane,” McElroy said. “They started kicking and fighting with police to get away.”
Greene said one of the girls swung her bag with a metal water bottle in it, which injured her face. “I was bleeding pretty bad. I had a gash on my head and it was running down my face,” she said.
Meanwhile, the third accomplice who had run away with the bag had returned it to a United States liaison office at the airport to avoid being prosecuted. Greene did get her bag back, minus $200 in cash and the AirPods that helped her track it down in the first place.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@karismcelroy/video/7539305072782626078" data-video-id="7539305072782626078" data-embed-from="oembed" style="max-width:605px; min-width:325px;">
<section> <a target="_blank" title="@karismcelroy" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@karismcelroy?refer=embed">@karismcelroy</a> 
Replying to @kennedy STORY TIME <a title="pickpocketing" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/pickpocketing?refer=embed">#pickpocketing</a> <a title="foryoupage" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/foryoupage?refer=embed">#foryoupage</a> 
 <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - karis" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7539305136381463327?refer=embed">♬ original sound &#8211; karis</a> </section>
</blockquote>
 <script async src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
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Per <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15017655/You-messed-wrong-mom-Daughter-US-tourist-held-ponytail-14-year-old-pickpocket-50-MINUTES-reveals-brilliant-way-tracked-thief-Venice-crowds.html">The Daily Mail</a>, the two underage suspects were arrested and released on bail.

Venice

North Carolina Mom Of 8 Goes Viral For Holding Ponytail Of Italian Pickpocket For 1 Hour

Crime

Italy

North Carolina

Theft

World

BERLIN/MILAN (Reuters) -A Ukrainian man was arrested at a holiday bungalow in Italy on suspicion of coordinating attacks on three Nord Stream gas pipelines in 2022, officials said on Thursday, a breakthrough in an episode that sharpened tensions between Russia and the West.
Described by both Moscow and the West as an act of sabotage, the explosions largely severed Russian gas supplies to Europe, prompting a major escalation in the Ukraine conflict and squeezing energy supplies on the continent. No one has taken responsibility for the blasts and Ukraine has denied any role.
The arrest comes just as Kyiv is engaged in fraught diplomatic discussions with the United States over how to end the war in Ukraine without giving away major concessions and swathes of its own territory to Russia.
&#8220;Politically we are firmly on Ukraine&#8217;s side and will continue to be so,&#8221; said Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig when asked if the arrest would affect Berlin&#8217;s ties to Kyiv. &#8220;What is important for me is that Germany is a country of law, and crimes in our jurisdiction are fully investigated.&#8221;
The suspect, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, was part of a group of people who planted devices on the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, a statement from the prosecutor&#8217;s office said.
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He and his accomplices had set off from Rostock on Germany&#8217;s northeastern coast in a sailing yacht to carry out the attack, it said. The vessel had been rented from a German company with the help of forged identity documents via middlemen, it added.
Authorities acted on a European arrest warrant for the suspect, who faces charges of collusion to cause an explosion, anti-constitutional sabotage and destruction of important structures.
An official in the Ukrainian president&#8217;s office said he could not comment as it was not clear who had been arrested. The official reiterated Ukraine&#8217;s denial of any role in the blasts.
Successive Ukrainian governments have seen the pipelines as a symbol of, and vehicle for, Russia&#8217;s hold over European energy supplies that Kyiv argued made it hard to act against Moscow ever since Russia&#8217;s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
FORMER UKRAINIAN OFFICER?
The Wall Street Journal reported that the suspect was a retired captain in Ukraine’s armed forces and previously served in Ukraine’s security service SBU, as well as in an elite unit that defended Kyiv in the early months of Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The officer purportedly headed a team of two soldiers and four civilian divers covertly recruited by a special Ukrainian military unit to lay explosives that damaged the undersea pipelines, the WSJ said, citing investigators.
German prosecutors declined to comment on the WSJ report.
Carabinieri officers arrested the suspect overnight in San Clemente on Italy&#8217;s Adriatic coast, where he was supposed to spend a few days with his family.
&#8220;Once his presence had been verified, the Carabinieri surrounded the bungalow and launched a raid, during which the man surrendered without resistance,&#8221; a statement by the Carabinieri said, adding the suspect was 49 years old.
A police official told Reuters the suspect was arrested because, when providing documents at a hotel check-in, an alert flagging he was wanted popped up at the police headquarters, which dispatched a Carabinieri police patrol.
In September 2022, one of the two lines of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was damaged by mysterious blasts, along with both lines of Nord Stream 1 that carried Russian gas to Europe.
Moscow, without providing evidence, blamed Western sabotage for the blasts, which cut off most Russian gas supplies to the lucrative European market. The U.S. denied having anything to do with the attacks.
The Washington Post and Germany&#8217;s Der Spiegel magazine have previously said the team that carried out the attack was put together by a former Ukrainian intelligence officer, who denied involvement.
In January 2023, Germany raided a ship that it said may have been used to transport explosives and told the United Nations it believed trained divers could have attached devices to the pipelines at about 70 to 80 metres deep.
The boat, leased in Germany via a Poland-registered company, contained traces of octogen, the same explosive that was found at the underwater blast sites, according to the investigations by Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Russia&#8217;s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered Europe&#8217;s deadliest conflict in 80 years, in which analysts say more than 1 million people have been killed or injured.
(Reporting by Rachel More, Philippe LeroyBeaulieu, Sarah Marsh, Giulio Piovaccari, Gavin Jones, Thomas Escritt, Tom Balmforth, Stine Jacobsen; writing by Matthias WilliamsEditing by Gareth Jones and Philippa Fletcher)

Gas leak at Nord Stream 2 as seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm

Ukrainian Man Arrested For Nord Stream Attacks Heightens Tensions Between Russia And The West

Global Politics

Nord Stream Pipeline

Politics

Russia

Ukraine

Ukraine Russia

Ukraine-Russia War

On Wednesday, I had a pretty incredible experience. I went to the Vatican for an event at St. Peter&#8217;s Square that’s held every Wednesday when the Pope holds a general audience.
It’s an amazing event. There are tens of thousands of people — divided by country of origin — who gather in St. Peter&#8217;s Square from all over the world. It&#8217;s a reminder that godly, Biblical values are the guiding force for billions of people around the world. The world seems like a very dark place from time to time, but the reality is that if you stick to eternal values, it does make the world a brighter place.
The Pope came in his vehicle, drove around, greeted the entire audience, and then he came up in the center of St. Peter&#8217;s Square, right in front of the basilica, and gave an address about the Bible which was read out loud in a variety of different languages.
I got to sit up there near where the Pope was. What the Pope said was quite beautiful. He quoted from the Book of John, the story about the Pool of Bethesda, in which Jesus goes to the Pool of Bethesda, where there are people who are ill and people who are paralyzed. There&#8217;s a man there who&#8217;s been sick and infirm for 38 years. And Jesus goes to that man and he tells him that he ought to get up, take his mat with him, and walk.
And the Pope said we should all reflect on Jesus&#8217; statement. At that moment when we feel stuck and trapped in a dead end, instead of allowing that to become an excuse for others to take care of us, we should not allow this to become a justification to avoid making decisions about our lives. Instead, we should get away from fatalism and embrace personal responsibility.
It is these kinds of messages that are implicit in the Biblical narrative that the Pope is spreading, and that is a wonderful thing for our civilization.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2220-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
I&#8217;ve talked about this before — I&#8217;m an Orthodox Jew. Obviously. I don&#8217;t have a dog in the fight when it comes to internal battles over doctrine in Catholicism, except to the extent that the Catholic Church remains a lodestone for Western civilization, a great spreader of Biblical values to humanity.
In the same way, there are Protestant churches that do the same. People of God, people of the book, people of the Bible are spreading eternal values. It is worth acknowledging that and honoring that.
That&#8217;s actually what I said to the Pope when I had an opportunity to meet him. I handed him a letter asking for an interview and introduced myself. You&#8217;re supposed to bring the Pope a gift.
I explained who I was. (Obviously, he has a lot of things to do, so I doubt he&#8217;s a regular listener to my show.) At this point, I explained to him that I was there to pay honor to the fact that he was representative of biblical values in the world. Then I added, “I happen to have been a devout White Sox fan since the time I was a child.”
Of course, Pope Leo is a White Sox fan. He recently spoke at Comiskey Park via video to some 30,000 people.
I told him that while he is Catholic and I am Jewish, one of the miracles that we can agree on is the 2005 White Sox winning the World Series. I brought with me from my personal collection a 2005 World Series White Sox baseball signed by the entire team, and gave it to him.
He seemed a little bit surprised, not by the fact that I was giving a gift, but because it was a gift and not just me showing him something cool, I suppose. You could see him crack a bit of a smile as he received it. He was pretty delighted by it.
So it was really a terrific experience. Honestly, the entire event was amazing.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It was an honor to meet His Holiness, <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pontifex</a> in Vatican City today, and to thank him for standing up for Biblical values in a chaotic world…and to present him with a signed 2005 White Sox World Series baseball I had in my collection (we’re both fans). <a href="https://t.co/hxlhUnKU7F">pic.twitter.com/hxlhUnKU7F</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1935350580458733762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
My impression of him is that Pope Leo seems to be a man who has enmeshed himself in the office. And when you meet the Pope, you can see he’s a deeply humble man. You can tell that right away just from meeting him. And you could see the sheer joy that he had, I think, from getting the baseball, which is such a small thing for this man who has the weight of the spiritual fate of over a billion people on his shoulders.
I share that because there are a lot of moments in the political world that are not uplifting. There are a lot of moments that are fraught, that feel as though darkness is encroaching.
And so, there needs to be a meeting of the minds between all of us who believe in Biblical values, and that those Biblical values ought to be purveyed. It&#8217;s one of the reasons why I have encouraged people who are Catholic to go to church, people who are Protestant to go to church, and Jews to go to synagogue and relearn their traditions and engage with those traditions.
I&#8217;m very much in favor of the strengthening of the Catholic Church and the strengthening of Protestant churches all over the United States and the rest of the West.
I&#8217;m very much in favor of people reengaging with the values that made the West what it was in the first place.

Pope Leo XIV Arrives To Lead His Weekly General Audience At St Peter’s Square In The Vatican On June 18, 2025.

I Met The Pope. It Was Amazing.

Ben Shapiro

Bible

Catholic Church

Catholics

Major League Baseball

Opinion

Pope Leo

The Vatican

A security camera captured the moment when a tourist broke a Swarovski crystal-studded museum display dubbed the “Van Gogh” chair after sitting in it.
The incident occurred in April, but has been circulating on social media after just being released by the Palazzo Maffei museum, which is located in the Italian city of Verona.
The video shows a woman at first pretending to sit in the chair art piece, which was made by Italian artist Nicola Bolla. Next, her male companion gets into the same pose, only in his case puts his weight on the chair, causing both of the front legs to buckle. The man stumbles before the camera captures the pair rushing out of the room.
“They waited for the staff to leave the room,” museum director Vanessa Carlon said in a video posted on its social media. “And then … off they went, indifferent to what had happened.”
“Sometimes we lose our brains to take a picture, and we don’t think about the consequences,” Carlon added. “Of course it was an accident, but these two people left without speaking to us—that isn’t an accident. This is a nightmare for any museum.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lUpa_gM9_Ww?si=Lh14F6HPsGQoqf74" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
“On the chair was a note warning people not to touch, and of course it is placed on a pedestal, so it’s quite clear it’s not a real chair,” Carlotta Menegazzo, an art historian who works at Palazzo Maffei, told <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn05dd4pz0jo">BBC</a>. She added that the sculpture only resembled a chair, but was actually crafted out of crystal-studded tinfoil.
The piece, which was inspired by Van Gogh&#8217;s famous 1888 painting &#8220;Van Gogh&#8217;s Chair,&#8221; has since been repaired by the museum’s restoration department and is on display to the public again. Reps said the video has been released as a reminder to visitors about how to treat the artwork at their facility.
&#8220;Art must be respected!&#8221; the museum said in a press release, per USA Today. They added that the video was released &#8220;to make this serious event an opportunity for reflection for everyone.&#8221;
The couple has not been identified.

Van Gogh chair

WATCH: Man Sits On, Breaks Swarovski-Encrusted ‘Van Gogh Chair’ At Italian Museum

General

Tourism

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have invited Pope Leo XIV to the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Daily Wire on Monday.
Leavitt took questions from the press at a 9:00 a.m. briefing, where she responded to The Daily Wire&#8217;s question about Vice President JD Vance&#8217;s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome.
“My understanding was it was a good meeting, a productive meeting, and we&#8217;re grateful that the vice president did it and that he also went to the Pope&#8217;s first mass in Rome,&#8221; Leavitt shared.
&#8220;I also have an update on that,&#8221; the press secretary added, sharing: &#8220;The Vice President passed along a letter to the Pope from the President and from the First Lady, extending their warm wishes and inviting him to the White House as soon as he possibly can come.”
Pope Leo and Vance sat down together for a 45-minute one-on-one discussion, after which Rubio joined them. Second Lady Usha Vance and Rubio&#8217;s wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, joined the leaders afterward for an exchange of gifts. Vance gifted the Holy Father a Chicago Bears jersey with &#8220;Pope Leo XIV&#8221; on the back, a gesture towards the pope&#8217;s American heritage.
<div id="attachment_921995" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-invites-pope-leo-to-the-white-house-as-soon-as-he-possibly-can-come/pope-leo-xiv-meets-with-jd-vance-and-marco-rubio-the-day-after-inauguration-mass-2" rel="attachment wp-att-921995"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-921995" class="wp-image-921995 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215850546-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215850546-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215850546-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215850546-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/GettyImages-2215850546.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Pope Leo XIV exchanges gifts with Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife, Usha (Photo by Simone Risoluti Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)</div>
Vance also gave the pope &#8220;The City of God&#8221; and &#8220;On Christian Doctrine,&#8221; by St. Augustine. Vance chose St. Augustine as his patron saint when he converted to Catholicism, and Pope Leo is the first pope from the Order of St. Augustine.
&#8220;This morning in Vatican City, Vice President JD Vance met privately with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,&#8221; the Vice President&#8217;s office said in a Monday statement about the visit. &#8220;The Pope also held expanded meetings with the Vice President, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the U.S. delegation.&#8221;
&#8220;Following his meetings with the Pope, the Vice President met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;The Vice President and Archbishop Gallagher discussed religious freedom, the persecution of Christians around the world, and the shared commitment of President Trump and Pope Leo XIV to stop the killing in Ukraine and the Middle East.&#8221;
Vance met with Zelensky on Sunday in Rome, where the two leaders &#8220;discussed their shared goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine and provided updates on the current state of negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace,&#8221; according to a readout from the vice president&#8217;s office.
<div id="attachment_921975" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-invites-pope-leo-to-the-white-house-as-soon-as-he-possibly-can-come/unnamed-2-4" rel="attachment wp-att-921975"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-921975" class="wp-image-921975 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-864x576.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy of the Office of the Vice President. " width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/05/unnamed-2-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Photo courtesy of the Office of the Vice President.</div>

Pope Leo XIV Meets With JD Vance And Marco Rubio, The Day After Inauguration Mass

Trump Invites Pope Leo To The White House ‘As Soon As He Possibly Can Come’

Donald Trump

J.D. Vance

Rome

An American tourist was impaled on a spiked fence at the Colosseum in Rome on Friday after climbing the structure in an attempt to snap a photo, per multiple news reports.
The 47-year-old American, currently living in Taiwan, climbed the fence to get the photo and lost his footing, causing him to become stuck on the pointed top. Italian outlets, including Informazione.it and Il Messagero, <a href="https://www.ilmessaggero.it/roma/centro_storico/turista_infilzato_cancello_colosseo_scavalca_cosa_e_successo-8813470.html">reported</a> that the man was screaming in agony for about twenty minutes before emergency personnel arrived to free him.
Per Il Messaggero, the unidentified man was administered a sedative so he could be removed from the spikes in a process that took an additional twenty minutes. Once freed, he was transported to a hospital where he received emergency surgery, including more than 80 stitches.
The outlet noted that the man was unable to speak for several hours after the accident, but was questioned by local police on Sunday. All that’s been reported so far is that the man was on vacation with family and friends. The police have not yet released specific details on how the accident occurred.
&#8220;It was terrible,&#8221; a witness told the outlet. &#8220;I saw that man impaled on a railing and he couldn&#8217;t free himself.&#8221;
There has also been talk of what punishments the man should face for breaking the rules. In 2023, a British tourist made headlines for carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the Colosseum walls. The crime meant he faced up to five years in prison and fines up to €15,000 ($16,850).
Then, a few weeks later, a Swiss girl attempted to do the same thing, per <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/teenage-girl-colosseum-carve-name-rome-b2376482.html">The Independent</a>. 
“It is the first time I have managed to film an act of vandalism at the Colosseum but in six years I have seen dozens, there are also those who rip off parts of the wall,” David Battaglino told Repubblica Roma at the time. “They even spat on me once for scolding a boy.”

Colosseum

American Tourist Impaled On Colosseum’s Spiked Fence After Climbing Up To Snag A Photo

American Tourist Impaled On Colosseum's Spiked Fence After Climbing Up To Snag A Photo

President Donald Trump and Ukraine&#8217;s President Volodymyr Zelensky met early Saturday in St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica at the Vatican to discuss peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.
The last face-to-face meeting Trump had with Zelensky took place in February at the White House, and did not end well, with Trump saying Zelensky was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-cancels-meeting-sends-zelensky-packing-he-can-come-back-when-he-is-ready-for-peace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not ready for peace talks</a>.
Trump and Zelensky met minutes before the start of Pope Francis&#8217; funeral, which took place at 10 a.m. Rome time and 4 a.m. Eastern. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, drawing leaders from around the world to Rome.
The meeting <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/26/europe/zelensky-trump-talks-pope-funeral-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> lasted about 15 minutes, and Trump and Zelensky will continue such talks. The meeting this go-around, according to both sides, went more smoothly than the last face-to-face.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Behind Scenes, Vatican City—President Trump sat down to meet privately with Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica… <a href="https://t.co/zzC78AgbNh">pic.twitter.com/zzC78AgbNh</a>
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scavino47/status/1916097251954278581?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm9y4ze6g00023b6mu3rvhrjv@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true" data-analytics-observe="off">Zelensky said on X that they had a &#8220;good meeting&#8221; and thanked President Trump.
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm9y4zifh00063b6mykc3w9nn@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true" data-analytics-observe="off">“We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered,” Zelensky wrote. “Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you [President Trump].”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to… <a href="https://t.co/q4ZhVXCjw0">pic.twitter.com/q4ZhVXCjw0</a>
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1916089502088524203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph" data-uri="cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/cm9y2sojk000c3b6mb0t99v0x@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-article-gutter="true" data-analytics-observe="off">A White House spokesman said the pair “met privately today and had a very productive discussion,&#8221; according to a CNN report.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump and Zelensky met in St. Peter’s Basilica for about 15 minutes (pictures per Team Zelensky) <a href="https://t.co/PP7iwK6qzi">pic.twitter.com/PP7iwK6qzi</a>
— Mathieu von Rohr (@mathieuvonrohr) <a href="https://twitter.com/mathieuvonrohr/status/1916069398537724361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
On Friday, Trump said Russia and Ukraine were “very close” to a peace deal, and called for top leadership of the countries to “finish it off.”
Trump made the comments on Truth Social just as he landed in Rome for Saturday&#8217;s funeral. On the same day, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/team-trump-arrives-in-russia-as-ukraine-hit-by-more-strikes-top-russian-general-assassinated?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Team+Trump+Arrives+In+Russia+As+Ukraine+Hit+By+More+Strikes%2C+Top+Russian+General+Assassinated" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrived</a> in Moscow to speak with President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials and push for a peace deal.
“Just landed in Rome. A good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’ Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Nothing like some tough diplomacy in one of the most beautiful places in the world. <a href="https://t.co/v23MhfVoBJ">pic.twitter.com/v23MhfVoBJ</a>
— Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelgwaltz/status/1916105166484316187?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump also said earlier on Friday that Zelensky needs to sign a mineral deal with the United States, saying that he was “at least three weeks late.”
“Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States,” Trump posted online. “It is at least three weeks late. Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY. Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future!”
Leif Le Mahieu contributed to this report.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-lands-in-to-rome-for-pope-francis-funeral-heres-what-to-expect?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Mairead+Elordi&amp;category=News+and+Analysis&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Lands+In+Rome+For+Pope+Francis%E2%80%99+Funeral.+Here%E2%80%99s+What+To+Expect." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump Lands In Rome For Pope Francis’ Funeral. Here’s What To Expect.</a>

Funeral Takes Place For Pope Francis

Trump Meets With Zelensky At Vatican Ahead Of Pope’s Funeral: ‘Very Productive’

Pope Francis

Vatican

Volodymyr Zelensky

President Trump declared &#8220;there will be a trade deal, 100%&#8221; with Europe before a meeting Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the first European leader to visit the White House since he paused planned tariffs last week.
The meeting comes just days after both the European Union and Trump paused respective tariffs for 90 days to allow time for negotiations.
The Italian Prime Minister has been <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2025/04/17/europes-trump-whisperer-arrives-00295414">dubbed</a> the “Trump Whisperer” by the media, meeting with Trump before even EU Commission leader Ursula von der Leyen, who Trump has yet to schedule a meeting with 88 days into his presidency.
&#8220;I&#8217;m sure we can make a deal, and I am here to help with that,&#8221; Meloni said to the media prior to her lunch with Trump.
“I cannot lock this deal in the name of the European Union,” she <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/04/17/us-news/trump-vows-there-will-be-a-trade-deal-100-with-europe-as-italy-pm-georgia-meloni-visits-white-house/">added</a>, per the New York Post. “My goal would be to invite President Trump to pay an official visit to Italy and understand if there’s a possibility when it comes to organizing such a meeting with Europe.”
The White House sees Meloni as a possible bridge between Trump and the 27-member European bloc, who Trump has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/meloni-trump-tariffs.html?smid=url-share">accused</a> of trying “screw” the United States on trade, establishing what officials describe as a &#8220;bespoke&#8221; trade deal.
Aside from trade, another issue likely to be addressed in the meeting is NATO, with Trump likely to prod Meloni on Italy’s failure to hit the requisite 2% of GDP on defense spending agreed to decades ago.
Italy is currently one of eight countries failing to hit that benchmark, at only 1.5%, per The New York Times.
Meloni addressed this point, saying, &#8220;Europe, as you know, is committed to do more, is working on tools to allow and help the [NATO] member states in increasing the defense spending. And we are convinced that everyone has to do more.&#8221;
Administration officials indicated Trump will also pitch having Italy import more American energy as part of his broader goal to &#8220;unleash American energy exports to the rest of the world.&#8221;
In 2024, the United States trade deficit with the European Union <a href="https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/c0003.html">stood</a> at approximately $236 billion, with American manufacturers often competing against European products while facing higher tariffs and more restrictive regulations when exporting to EU markets.
Trump&#8217;s approach seeks to address these disparities through bilateral negotiations with key European partners.
Meloni&#8217;s visit carries particular significance as both leaders share common ground as populist conservatives who have emphasized national sovereignty and border security.
The Italian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63351655">rose</a> to power in 2022 as the country&#8217;s first female leader, campaigning on a platform that resonated with conservative voters concerned about immigration and traditional values.
The &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs that Trump temporarily suspended <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/09/european-union-approves-first-set-of-retaliatory-tariffs-on-us-imports.html">included</a> a 25% tariff on European luxury cars, steel, and aluminum, and a 20% levy on billions of dollars of European goods ranging from food products to machinery.
Following their discussions, Trump and Meloni are scheduled to hold a joint press conference in the Rose Garden, where further details about potential trade agreements and bilateral cooperation may be announced.

US-ITALY-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-MELONI

‘There Will Be A Trade Deal, 100%’: Trump Eyes EU Agreement In Meeting With Meloni

European Union

Giorgia Meloni

Tariffs

Trade War

French opposition leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for political office following her conviction — along with several others in France&#8217;s Right-leaning National Rally Party — on charges of embezzling public funds.
The charges against Le Pen involved funding from the European Parliament to her party — some of which prosecutors said she had used to pay her own personal assistant and bodyguard.
Prosecutors asked that Le Pen receive two years in prison and five years of political ineligibility — the latter ensuring that she would not be able to run for president in 2027, a race she is currently favored to win.
Le Pen, who claimed prior to her sentencing that barring her from running would amount to &#8220;political death,&#8221; came in second to current French President Emmanuel Macron in the last two elections, and her party has been steadily gaining support. She argued that the court&#8217;s move to declare her ineligible to run would effectively disenfranchise millions of voters.
&#8220;There are 11 million people who voted for the movement I represent. So tomorrow, potentially, millions and millions of French people would see themselves deprived of their candidate in the election,&#8221; she said ahead of the sentencing. She stormed out of the courtroom on Monday before her full sentence had been announced.
Le Pen, who claimed prior to the sentencing that the prosecution&#8217;s goal had been to sideline her in the 2027 election, doubled down in a Monday appearance on French television network TF1: &#8220;It was a political decision that was made. The magistrate took it upon herself to implement the provisional execution of the ineligibility, to render my appeal on this matter useless in order to prevent me from standing and being elected President of the Republic.&#8221;
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C’est une décision politique qui a été rendue.
La magistrate a assumé de mettre en œuvre l&#39;exécution provisoire de l&#39;inéligibilité, de rendre mon appel inutile sur ce sujet pour m&#39;empêcher de me présenter et d&#39;être élue présidente de la République. <a href="https://t.co/N7TlTc4r9f">pic.twitter.com/N7TlTc4r9f</a>
&mdash; Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLP_officiel/status/1906777645557408031?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Le Pen is not the only person to believe that the move was primarily political. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini summed up his thoughts in a post on X, saying, &#8220;Those who fear the judgment of voters often seek reassurance from the courts. In Paris, they have condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to remove her from political life. A bad situation that is also being observed in other countries such as Romania. What is happening against @MLP_officiel is a declaration of war from Brussels, at a time when the belligerent impulses of Von der Leyen and Macron are terrifying. We are not intimidated, we are not stopped: full speed ahead, my friend!&#8221;
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Ceux qui craignent le jugement des électeurs cherchent souvent à se rassurer par celui des tribunaux. À Paris, ils ont condamné Marine Le Pen et aimeraient l’écarter de la vie politique. Un mauvais film que l’on observe également dans d’autres pays comme la Roumanie. Ce qui se…
&mdash; Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) <a href="https://twitter.com/matteosalvinimi/status/1906666355572511062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A number also pointed out via X that what had happened to Le Pen was exactly what Vice President JD Vance had been sounding the alarm about when he said that the major threats Europe faced would come from within.
&#8220;Less than 2 months after @JDVance warned that the greatest threat to Europe was from within, leftists in France have banned Marine Le Pen from running for President despite being the leading candidate. Fill up the JD Vance was right jar!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Less than 2 months after <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> warned that the greatest threat to Europe was from within, leftists in France have banned Marine Le Pen from running for President despite being the leading candidate. Fill up the JD Vance was right jar! <a href="https://t.co/J0kylN0R8F">pic.twitter.com/J0kylN0R8F</a>
&mdash; Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/robbystarbuck/status/1906709158499328259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

FRANCE-POLITICS-JUSTICE-TRIAL-RN

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister On Le Pen Conviction: ‘A Declaration Of War From Brussels’

France

Marine Le Pen

Second lady Usha Vance announced that she will lead a presidential delegation on Friday to the 2025 Special Olympics Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
“Ms. Vance and the Presidential Delegation will join approximately 1,500 Special Olympic athletes and unified partners from 100 nations along with their families, coaches, volunteers, and thousands of fans,” a press release from the Office of the Second Lady read.
“Athletes will compete in varying Olympic events including, skating, snowboarding, floorball, etc, in hopes of bringing home Olympic gold,” it added. “The Second Lady plans to attend several events including the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony. The Presidential Delegation will return to the United States on Monday, March 10, 2025.”
The list of Americans who will be part of the presidential delegation, per the release, includes Fox News host and wife of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Rachel Campos-Duffy, T.H. Trent Michael Morse, Deputy Assistant to the President, Shawn Crowley, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., U.S. Embassy to Italy and San Marino, Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn, Mr. Douglass Benning, the consul general of the U.S. Consulate Milan, Italy, Riley M. Barnes of the State Department, and Richard Walters of FGS Global.
The American lawyer and Vice President JD Vance have been married for 11 years and share three children in Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel.
During the second lady&#8217;s recent trip to France with her husband and their kids, it was Usha and JD’s 5-year-old son, Vivek, who clearly stole the show during a family outing to see the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Vance&#8217;s trip to Paris was for an international summit on Artificial Intelligence, where he encouraged world leaders to look at AI development as more of an opportunity than a risk: “The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEWS: Tomorrow, Second Lady Usha Vance will lead a presidential delegation to the 2025 Special Olympic Winter Games in Italy.
The delegation includes Fox News host Rachel Campos Duffy, Richard Walters of FGS Global, Trump advisor Boris Epshteyn, Mr. Douglass Benning, the consul… <a href="https://t.co/xiGi4Cv9YC">pic.twitter.com/xiGi4Cv9YC</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/1897733769542746164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
“‘Daaaaad, can we go now? I want chicken nuggets.’ Seriously, though, it’s great that JD and Usha are trying to give the kids as normal a family life as possible for the next 4 (8? 12?) years,” Mark Krikorian posted after the video surfaced on social media of the family at the cathedral.
“The 5 year old who will absolutely not stop asking questions in church is the realest,” Emily Zanotti added.
“Vance’s daughter won’t let go of him, his youngest son is talking to him like they’re just hanging at home in the living room and the oldest is chatting it up with Usha. It’s nice to see an average American family dynamic in leadership,” Brianna Lyman posted.
“I want a reality show about life as VP raising 3 little kids that don’t care that you’re the VP, you’re just dad and we follow them around on all the cool places they go and the kids just complain and ask questions nonstop,” another posted.
Virginia Kruta contributed to this piece.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jd-vance-tours-notre-dame-in-paris-with-his-family-5-year-old-vivek-steals-the-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Vance Tours Notre Dame In Paris With His Family, 5-Year-Old Vivek Steals The Show</a>

Vice-Presidential Dinner Held In Honor Of J.D. Vance Held At National Gallery Of Art

Usha Vance To Lead Presidential Delegation To 2025 Special Olympic Winter Games

Entertainment

JD Vance

Special Olympics

Usha Vance

Pope Francis remains in critical condition following a significant health &#8220;crisis&#8221; early this morning, the Vatican has announced. 
According to a statement from the Holy See, the pontiff suffered an &#8220;asthmatic respiratory crisis of prolonged magnitude&#8221; requiring high-flow oxygen therapy, raising renewed concerns over his fragile health.
&#8220;The Holy Father&#8217;s condition continues to be critical, therefore, as explained yesterday, the Pope is not out of danger,&#8221; the Vatican announced. &#8220;Today&#8217;s blood tests also showed plateletopenia, associated with anemia, which required the administration of blood transfusions.”
 According to the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thrombocytopenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20378293?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Mayo Clinic</a>, Plateletopenia, also known as thrombocytopenia, is a condition characterized by an abnormally low level of platelets in the blood. Platelets are essential for blood clotting and help prevent excessive bleeding. Low levels lead to significant bleeding risks.
The Pope, 88, who has faced ongoing health issues—including a recent diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia—continues to be monitored closely by medical personnel. As reported in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vatican-says-popes-condition-has-stabilized-after-hospitalization">The Daily Wire on February 19</a>, Pope Francis had already been facing complications stemming from bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, which led to his hospitalization at Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic. At the time, the Vatican had confirmed his condition was serious but stable, noting the necessity of additional drug therapies to manage pneumonia. 
Despite the severity of his condition—which saw a significant change after yesterday’s press briefing by doctors at Gemmelli Hospital—the Holy See reported that Pope Francis remained &#8220;alert and spent the day in an armchair, although in more pain than yesterday.&#8221; The prognosis remains guarded as doctors continue to evaluate his response to treatment, considering additional concerns associated with his prior gastrointestinal issues, low platelet count, and oxygen levels.
This latest episode has further intensified concerns about the Pope’s ability to fulfill his papal duties. While Vatican officials have not discussed contingency plans, Pope Francis himself has previously acknowledged the possibility of resignation should his health prevent him from effectively leading the Catholic Church. As previously reported, he signed a resignation letter in 2013, entrusting it to the Vatican’s Secretary of State for use in the event of incapacitation.
As the situation unfolds, prayers and messages of support continue to pour in from around the world, with faithful Catholics and global leaders expressing solidarity with the ailing Pope. The Vatican has assured that further updates will be provided as his medical team continues treatment and assessment.

Vatican Pool Images 2023

After ‘Crisis’ This Morning, Pope Francis Remains In Critical Condition

Christianity

The Holy See Press Office announced that Pope Francis, hospitalized late last week for bronchitis, has been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia.
“Laboratory tests, chest X-rays, and the clinical condition of the Holy Father continue to present a complex picture,” The Holy See <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-02/pope-condition-remains-complex-but-he-is-in-good-spirits.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a message to journalists, per Vatican News.
“Nevertheless, Pope Francis remains in good spirits” and has “received the Eucharist,” while splitting his time between rest, prayer, and reading, the statement added. He asked that supporters continue praying for him and expressed gratitude for the worldwide outpouring of concern.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Update from the Holy See Press Office. <a href="https://t.co/0flY1suEMs">pic.twitter.com/0flY1suEMs</a>
&mdash; Vatican News (@VaticanNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/VaticanNews/status/1891932817249997182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The pope was hospitalized on Friday due to a respiratory tract infection, which was later referred to as bronchitis by the Vatican.
Medical staff at Rome’s Gemelli hospital reportedly acted quickly after discovering clear signs of spread in both lungs, though there has been no public statement about the possible duration of this advanced treatment plan.
The statement describes the Pope as having a &#8220;polymicrobial infection, which has arisen in the context of bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, and has required the use of corticosteroid[s] and antibiotics, makes the therapeutic treatment more complex.”
Pope Francis, 88, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/18/pope-francis-has-double-pneumonia-on-top-of-earlier-respiratory-tract-infection" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffered</a> from several bouts of illness since 2023, and he now requires a cane or wheelchair due to sciatic nerve pain and knee pain, per The Guardian.

Pope Francis Attends The Weekly General Audience

Pope Francis Diagnosed With Bilateral Pneumonia, Vatican Confirms

Religion

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