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Vice President Vance, Sec’y of State Rubio extend White House invitation to Pope Leo XIV during Vatican meeting

Pope Leo XIV welcomed U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Vatican for a series of discussions on Monday. The visit began with a private audience between the Pope and the two American officials, followed by broader talks that included Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. The diplomatic meeting followed the previous day’s inaugural Mass for Pope Leo XIV, which Vance and Rubio attended at the Vatican.

According to a Vatican statement, the conversation was described as “cordial” and touched on several significant issues concerning the life of the Church and the protection of religious liberty. The Vatican’s statement also noted that the group also shared perspectives on various global matters: “there was an exchange of views on several pressing international concerns, with an emphasis on the importance of upholding humanitarian and international law in conflict zones, and encouraging negotiated settlements among the parties involved.”

The White House added that Vance and Archbishop Gallagher also talked about global threats to religious freedom, persecution of Christians, and the mutual goal of President Trump and Pope Leo to put an end to the violence in Ukraine and the Middle East.

During the meeting, Vance presented the pope with a copy of two of St. Augustine’s seminal works, “The City of God” and “On Christian Doctrine.” He also gifted a personalized Chicago Bears T-shirt bearing the pope’s name, a nod to their shared hometown. In return, Pope Leo XIV gave Vance a bronze sculpture inscribed with the Italian phrase “Peace is a fragile flower” and a large-format photo book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

Vance and Rubio also extended a formal invitation from President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for the pontiff to visit the United States. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters that Vance passed a long a letter to the pope from the President and First Lady “extending their warm wishes and inviting him to the White House as soon as he possibly can” visit.

After briefly greeting Pope Leo at the conclusion of Sunday’s Mass, Vance spent much of the day in bilateral meetings, including with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who expressed optimism that the trilateral talks could mark a “new beginning.” According to a statement from Meloni’s office, he spoke by phone with President Trump and several other European leaders ahead of Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

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News Daypop

Supreme Court allows Trump administration to revoke protections for thousands of Venezuelan immigrants

The U.S. Supreme Court approved a request from the Trump administration on Monday to move forward with ending special immigration protections for thousands of Venezuelans, potentially opening the door for their deportation.  The high court will permit the Trump administration to move forward with terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for nearly 350,000 Venezuelan migrants

The court granted the Justice Department’s emergency appeal to lift San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Edward Chen’s order that had halted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate the deportation protection conferred to Venezuelans under the TPS program. The court’s brief order was unsigned, as is typical when the justices act on an emergency request. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole member of the court to publicly dissent from the decision. Legal proceedings will now continue in lower federal courts.

TPS was established by Congress in 1990, and provides temporary refuge to people from countries facing severe crises such as armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Individuals granted TPS are allowed to live and work legally in the United States for up to 18 months at a time, with the possibility of renewal. The Biden administration designated Venezuela for TPS due to its ongoing political and humanitarian turmoil in March 2021.

The legal challenge focused on a subsequent extension of Venezuela’s TPS designation issued in October 2023 and renewed again in January 2024, just before Trump returned to office. That extension was intended to last until October 2026. However, in February, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to revoke that extension, aiming to end the protections much sooner—by the end of this year.

In the emergency petition to the Supreme Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that Noem’s decision was not subject to judicial oversight, writing that “his ruling interferes with core executive branch powers and unnecessarily delays urgent immigration policy decisions in an area where Congress has demanded speed, adaptability, and discretion.”

The Biden administration also established or expanded TPS programs for countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, and Ukraine. The Venezuelan TPS program is the largest, covering roughly 600,000 people through two separate designations, though only the most recent extension from 2023 is currently contested before the Supreme Court.

Editorial credit: Fedor Selivanov / Shutterstock.com

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Sports Daypop

Indiana Pacers fan harassed in NYC invited by Tyrese Haliburton to Game 4 of Eastern Conference finals

After enduring harassment in New York City for wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey, an Indiana Pacers fan has received an incredible gesture from the star player himself—an invitation to attend Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Indianapolis.

The viral story began when Hans Perez, a New York firefighter and devoted Pacers fan, was confronted by a large crowd of Knicks fans on the streets of NYC (after Friday night’s Game 6 win over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals) and proceeded to follow and heckle him.  Perez was struck twice with bags of trash at on point, but kept moving as the taunts continued, as shown in footage widely shared on social media.

Perez appeared on The Pat McAfee Show Monday afternoon, where he showed off a Pacers tattoo on his wrist and shared his story. During the segment, Haliburton surprised Perez via video call with the news of the invitation: “Our whole organization wants to make sure you’re treated right. The entire team is excited to meet you. You’ve been the talk of the locker room.”  Haliburton and McAfee extended an invite to Perez and a guest for next Tuesday’s Game 4 in Indiana.

Perez replied: “I think I can figure out how to get the day off,” and ended the segment by thanking Haliburton and leading an enthusiastic “Let’s Go Pacers!” chant.

The Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Knicks will kick off with Game 1 on Wednesday night in New York at Madison Square Garden.

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Sports Daypop

Philadelphia Eagles sign head coach Nick Sirianni to multi-year contract

The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Monday that head coach Nick Sirianni has signed a multi-year contract extension, ensuring his continued leadership beyond the 2025 season. Specific terms of the new agreement were not made public.

Sirianni, 43, was approaching the final year of the five-year deal he signed when he joined the team in 2021 (after previously working as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts; he also held coaching roles with both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.) He has compiled a 48-20 regular-season record since taking over the team four years ago, highlighted by a 14-3 run that led to a Super Bowl title in the 2024-25 season over the Kansas City Chiefs.  Under his leadership, the Eagles have reached the playoffs in every season, with a postseason record of 6-3 and two trips to the Super Bowl during his tenure.

Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement: “As an organization, we have always strived to create a championship culture of sustained success. Nothing is more important to fostering such an environment than having tremendous leadership. Nick has embodied everything we were looking for in a head coach since we hired him four years ago. His authentic style of leadership, football intelligence, passion for the game, and growth mindset have helped to bring out the best in our team. I am excited for what the future holds for the Philadelphia Eagles.”

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Country Daypop

Post Malone adds Los Angeles stadium date ft. special guest Jelly Roll

Post Malone has added a Los Angeles show to his “Big A** Stadium Tour,” playing at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on June 19th. Jelly Roll will be his special guest, and Wyatt Flores and Chandler Walters will be supporting acts.

The tour, which kicked-off at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, is in support of Post’s debut country album, F-1 Trillion, which was released last summer and earned him a Grammy nomination for “Best Country Album.” Posty will also make stops at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ford Field in Detroit, Toronto’s Rogers Centre, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High.

Tickets can be purchased at LiveNation.com.

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Pop Daypop

Post Malone adds Los Angeles stadium date ft. special guest Jelly Roll

Post Malone has added a Los Angeles show to his “Big A** Stadium Tour,” playing at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on June 19th. Jelly Roll will be his special guest, and Wyatt Flores and Chandler Walters will be supporting acts.

The tour, which kicked-off at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, is in support of Post’s debut country album, F-1 Trillion, which was released last summer and earned him a Grammy nomination for “Best Country Album.” Posty will also make stops at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ford Field in Detroit, Toronto’s Rogers Centre, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High.

Tickets can be purchased at LiveNation.com.

Editorial credit: L Paul Mann / Shutterstock.com

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Country Daypop

Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers to co-headline 2025 ‘Healing Appalachia’

Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton headline the sixth annual Healing Appalachia. The goals of Healing Appalachia include “spreading addiction and recovery awareness, fostering empathy, and inspiring life-saving action throughout communities worldwide.”

Healing Appalachia, which bills itself as “the largest recovery-based music festival,” moves to eastern Kentucky this September after five years in West Virginia. The festival will take place Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, with the location described as “a mountaintop near the Boyd County Fairgrounds in Ashland, Kentucky.”

Both Childers and Stapleton are native Kentuckyans; Dave Lavender, board president for Hope in the Hills and the president of Healing Appalachia, said in a statement:  “In our first year of moving to Eastern Kentucky, we are beyond grateful and honored to have two of the greatest singer/songwriters to hail from the perpetual talent wellspring that is the Country Music Highway. Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers have each dug a deep and distinct furrow through the heart of the music industry. They also embody the heart and soul of what it means to be from here, from Appalachia. That Bill Withers ‘Lean on Me’ coal-camp spirit drives them to always be calling out to help neighbors and folks in need both here and the world over.”

Tickets for Healing Appalachia can be purchased here.

Editorial credit: Adam McCullough / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

See Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy in trailer for new Netflix series ‘Sirens’

Netflix has released the trailer for “Sirens,” a new limited series starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock. The cast also includes Kevin Bacon, Glenn Howerton, Bill Camp, Josh Segarra, Felix Solis, Trevor Salter, Lauren Weedman, Britne Oldford and Jenn Lyon.

The five-episode limited series is an adaptation of Metzler’s play Elemeno Pea.The series follows three women at a beach estate over Labor Day weekend. Fahy plays Devon, who is troubled by her sister Simone’s (Alcock), attachment to her socialite employer, Michaela Kell (Moore). In trying to step in between the two, Devon discovers that “she has no idea what a formidable opponent Michaela will be,” according to the official logline. The trailer shows that Michaela, better known as Kiki, runs a cultish-ish group that has taken over Simone’s life.

Sirens debuts on May 22 on Netflix; watch the trailer HERE.

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Entertainment Daypop

John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Stanley Tucci star in ‘Fountain of Youth’ for Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has shared the trailer for Fountain of Youth, the forthcoming action-adventure movie from filmmaker Guy Ritchie.

Fountain of Youth, directed by Ritchie from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, features an ensemble cast including John Krasinski, Natalie Portman, Eiza Gonzalez, Domhnall Gleeson, Arian Moayed, Laz Alonso, Carmen Ejogo and Stanley Tucci.

The official synopsis says the film “follows two estranged siblings who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives . . . and possibly lead to immortality.”

Fountain of Youth is scheduled to start streaming on May 23; see the trailer – HERE.

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Rock Daypop

The Who unveil star-studded guests for final North American Tour

Legendary rock band The Who have announced the lineup of guest artists who will join them on their final North American tour, dubbed ‘The Song Is Over Tour.’

The farewell trek will feature appearances from artists including: Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters, Billy Idol, Booker T. Jones, Candlebox, Feist, Joe Bonamassa, and The Joe Perry Project—featuring rock veterans Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Buck Johnson, Chris Robinson, Robert DeLeo, and Eric Kretz. Also slated to appear are Tom Cochrane and ZZ Ward, with different artists joining at select tour stops.

Additionally, due to overwhelming demand a second concert in Chicago has been added, set for Tuesday, September 9th at the United Center. Guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa is confirmed to support both those dates. Presale tickets for the newly announced Chicago date will be available starting Tuesday, May 20th.

In other news, the band made headlines over the weekend with the announcement they were parting ways with longtime drummer Zak Starkey—marking the second time he’s been dismissed in just a month. Replacing him is Scott Devours, best known for his work with Daltrey’s solo project.  A statement from the band read: “The Who are heading for retirement, whereas Zak is 20 years younger and has a great future with his new band and other exciting projects. He needs to devote all his energy into making it all a success . We both wish him all the luck in the world. Scott Devours – Who fans will know him from Roger’s solo shows – will be replacing Zak. We hope all our fans will welcome him. — Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey”

Starkey, however, shared a different version of his departure in an Instagram post: “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit the who to pursue my other musical endevours this would be a lie. I love the who and would never had quit. So I didn’t make the statement ….quitting the who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) thru the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an out an in an out an in an out like a bleedin squeezebox.”

Editorial credit: Adam McCullough / Shutterstock.com