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Texas House advances bill that prohibits land sales to people and entities from certain countries

AUSTIN – The Texas House agreed late Thursday to let the governor determine the countries whose residents, governments and other entities could be banned from buying property here.

Members granted the governor such power when they amended Senate Bill 17, whose real estate sales restrictions were limited to countries that the U.S. national director of intelligence has designated as national security threats. Currently, that list includes only China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.

After giving the governor the ability to expand the list of restricted countries, the House then gave SB 17 preliminary approval in a 85-60 vote. The bill now heads back to the Senate.

State Rep. Nate Schatzline, the Republican from Fort Worth who introduced the amendment, said the goal was to make sure that any threats to Texas could quickly be addressed.

“Our governor can act swiftly rather than waiting for a year for that to be added into the [director of national intelligence’s] designated country list,” he said.

That amendment drew rebuke from Democrats.

“This gives the governor unfettered power to add whatever country he wants to in this bill,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, chair of House Democratic Caucus. “It’s kind of dangerous to say one person can decide whatever country he or she wants to add to this without any oversight, without any controls — this is the definition of overreach.”

Schatzline’s amendment also allows the governor to add “transnational criminal organizations” to the list of entities barred from buying Texas property. Schatzline pointed to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as an example.

State Rep. Cole Hefner, the Mt. Pleasant Republican carrying SB 17 in the lower chamber, described the bill during Thursday’s hourslong debate as “securing Texas land and natural resources and making sure that this precious resource does not fall prey to adversarial nations and oppressive regimes that wish to do us harm.”

The bill’s advancement came over opposition from Democrats who are concerned that it could be used to potentially discriminate against Asian Americans.

The bill will need one more House vote before it goes back to the Senate. The upper chamber previously approved a version of the bill, but House members amended several key portions of it Thursday.

The Senate’s previous version would have exempted anyone or any entity that leased the property to someone else for under 100 years. The House limited that exemption to property leased to someone else for one year or less. Rep. Mitch Little called the 100-year lease exemption “a loophole that you could drive a Mack truck through.”

The House also previously amended the bill to exempt lawful permanent residents.

But Democrats failed to make changes to the bill several times Thursday. Their failed amendments included provisions that would have exempted visa holders such as medical students and researchers, performers and athletes. They also raised concerns that the law could hurt the Texas economy.

SB 17 is Brenham Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst’s second attempt at limiting who can buy property in Texas. Similar legislation she authored in 2023 died in the House. In committee hearings this year, she described the legislation as protecting Texas’ assets from “hostile nations.”

“This is a matter of national security,” she said in March. “Texas must act now to protect our land, food sources, water, and natural resources.”

A batch of new, more conservative lawmakers were elected to the House last year, giving new life to legislation that struggled in previous sessions. Chief among those measures are the creation of school vouchers.

If passed, the bill goes into effect Sept. 1 and would only apply to purchases or acquisitions after that date.

It would require the attorney general’s office to create a process to investigate possible violations and refer the matter to a district court. If the court finds a violation, it would be authorized to order the purchaser to divest from the property either by selling it or terminating the lease, according to the House Research Organization’s most recent analysis of the bill. The court also would be required to refer the matter for potential criminal offenses.

The amount of Texas property owned by entities from outside the U.S. is not tracked in detail, aside from agricultural land. But Joshua Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law, said it is likely a very small fraction. In the U.S. overall, Chinese investors own less than 1% of total foreign-held acreage, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Investors from Russia, Iran and North Korea collectively own less than 3,000 acres.

But to Abraham George, chair of the Texas Republican Party, 1% is too much — which is why the bill was a party priority.

Rep. Angie Chen Button, who was only the second Asian American woman to serve in the Legislature and whose parents fled from China, also spoke in support of the bill Thursday night, saying the bill aims to “protect our freedom, liberty and national security.” She introduced a similar bill last session.

Some Asian Texans are concerned the bill would create animosity and “state-sanctioned racial profiling,” said Lily Trieu, executive director of the civic engagement group Asian Texans for Justice.

The bill doesn’t prohibit purchases of land based on national origin, which would violate federal civil rights laws. Instead, it prohibits people based on their permanent residence.

Wu, who immigrated to the United States from China as a child, said the bill could impact not just Chinese people in Texas, but members of all Asian communities in the state.

“Nobody knows the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean, right? Nobody knows what your immigration status is,” he said in an interview. “When they discriminate against you … when they look for people to assault, they don’t really care what you are. They care that you have Asian face.”

Trieu said the group’s No. 1 concern is that individuals shouldn’t be conflated with governments.

“Just like how no one here would want to travel to another country and be held individually accountable for what Governor Abbott does or what President Donald Trump does,” she said.

“These individuals should not be held accountable for what the government of their national origin does, or what their ideology is, or what, you know, the government does as an entity.”

Trieu said the group was formed to engage Asian Texans in civic participation such as voting, but this bill galvanized people into getting involved in legislation.

Wu expects the bill is just the start of that. And even with its passage, he sees it as a loss for the Republican Party because it could push Asian American voters to shift to the Democratic Party in the 2026 midterm elections.

“I think the Republicans are heading into gale force winds in 2026 if they want to alienate and make enemies of an entire community who for a large part has stayed out of politics,” he said in an interview.

Texas lawmakers want to lower homeowners’ insurance costs, but have few options

DALLAS (AP) — Texas lawmakers hope to rein in homeowners’ rising insurance bills even as they acknowledge there’s only so much they can do to tackle costs.

Legislators have advanced bills to limit how much insurance companies can hike rates and help homeowners make their homes more insurable. They’ve also sought to compel insurers to be more upfront with homeowners when they decide to yank coverage, or deny it in the first place.

Texans pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the country. On average, Texas homeowners saw their insurance rates spike by double digits in recent years — a far cry from the previous decade when such increases were unheard of. Homeowners’ insurance rates climbed by nearly 19% in 2024, according to the Texas Department of Insurance, slightly down from more than 21% the previous year.

A number of factors have spurred insurance costs in recent years, insurance experts say. For one, property values in Texas surged amid the state’s population boom — raising the cost to ensure homes and businesses. Climate change has intensified extreme weather events like hailstorms, hurricanes, and winter freezes and made severe weather more common. With the state’s population growth, more people have moved into the path of that severe weather. Higher labor and construction material costs have driven up the cost of repairing damage when severe weather events damage a home.

Buying homeowners insurance isn’t an optional cost. Lenders require homebuyers to purchase insurance to obtain a mortgage. Even if a home is paid off, insurance experts say it’s unwise to go without coverage in case disaster strikes.

Even as lawmakers look for ways to tackle the insurance crisis, they acknowledge many of the drivers of insurance costs are beyond lawmakers’ control, they say.

“We can’t control the weather, we can’t control inflation,” state Rep. Tom Oliverson, a Cypress Republican behind one such proposal, told a House committee last month. “I can’t control the availability of building materials, and I can’t control how the houses that are already built were built, what standard they were built to.”

And they find themselves in the position of trying to rein in exorbitant insurance costs without scaring off insurers and cratering the state’s insurance market.

One proposal by state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, aims to give policyholders a check against steep rate increases. In Texas, insurers can file proposed rate increases with the Texas Department of Insurance, the state’s insurance regulator, and implement the new rates right away. If the agency later decides the increase is unreasonable, they can disapprove it.

Senate Bill 1643, which has cleared the Senate but awaits a committee hearing in the House, would require the insurance department to approve any rate increase above 10% before it can go into effect.

“As companies make significant rate changes, it is incumbent upon the Legislature to ensure that the regulatory environment is giving these filings the level of scrutiny they necessitate,” Schwertner said ahead of a Senate vote on the bill in April.

That proposal has drawn pushback from the insurance industry. Capping rate increases does nothing to address the underlying drivers of the rising cost of providing insurance, said Beaman Floyd, who heads the Texas Coalition for Affordable Insurance Solutions, a group that represents major insurance companies including Allstate, State Farm and USAA. Insurers might pursue lower rate increases than they otherwise would have if they worry regulators wouldn’t approve larger ones, Floyd said — leaving them with mounting financial liabilities that could lead to policy cancellations because insurers can’t afford to provide coverage.

“That’s not good for consumers,” Floyd said.

Requiring the state insurance regulator to review rate increases above 10% doesn’t necessarily mean the regulator will automatically reject those increases, Schwertner said in a statement. The bill “simply seeks to curb unchecked rate filing and review practices,” he said.

Consumer advocates argue the state’s current system doesn’t provide a real check on insurers — one that Schwertner’s proposal could theoretically help create. But they also worry insurers will thwart the intent of the law simply by asking for multiple rate increases, a practice the bill doesn’t cap. Ware Wendell, executive director of the consumer rights group Texas Watch, posited that an insurer could theoretically file a 9% increase one month and seek the same increase the next month.

“Insurance companies could come in and nibble,” Wendell said.

The Texas Department of Insurance would still require insurers to justify their rate increases even if they filed multiple increases a year, Schwertner said. If those increases aren’t justified, the state could still reject the increase, he said.

Insurers and consumer groups agree on some proposals. House Bill 1576, authored by Oliverson, would create a state grant program to help homeowners retrofit their homes to withstand hurricanes and windstorms, modeled after a similar program in Alabama. The idea is that insurers will be more likely to insure a home if it’s hardened against severe weather, and the cost of insuring that home will be lower.

“It’s a very unique way for us to basically drive the cost of insurance down by encouraging folks — not mandating, this isn’t a mandate — to rebuild your home to a higher standard that experiences less risk and less cost,” Oliverson told the House Insurance Committee in April.

That bill cleared the House late last month. The Senate has yet to take action. How much money the state would spend on the program depends on the bill clearing both chambers, and on the outcome of budget negotiations between the House and Senate.

Lawmakers have considered other ideas. The state insurance department is overseen by a single commissioner appointed by the governor. Another Schwertner proposal would expand that to three commissioners, one of which would be required to have expertise in consumer advocacy. Lawmakers have also advanced bills to prevent insurers from forcing consumers seeking homeowners insurance to also purchase auto insurance, and to require insurers to actively disclose why they may deny coverage to homeowners or cancel their policies.

Destined to be pope: Brother says Leo XIV always wanted to be a priest

(NEW YORK) -- When Robert Prevost was in the first grade, his neighbor told him he would be the first American pope, one of his brothers told ABC News.

On Thursday, that prophecy came true, when the 69-year-old cardinal was elected to be the 267th pontiff -- and the first from the United States.

John Prevost told "Good Morning America" he was able to speak with his younger sibling on Thursday for about 30 seconds to congratulate him.

He said that if their parents were still alive they would be feeling "extreme joy" and "extreme pride" about their son, but they would also be concerned as to how he would handle his new role because "it's a heavy weight on his shoulders."

"I'm concerned," John Prevost told "GMA" on Friday. "It is quite a responsibility that he's going to face now because he's got the task of trying to bring the world's Catholics together. I think we're splitting apart quickly. Maybe he can do something to bring it back. People are leaving the church. There are factions in the church. ... I think he's got to face those things and somehow talk about it and bring people together to talk about it, to get worldwide opinion."

Before he was Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost grew up the youngest of three brothers in the South Chicago suburb of Dolton.

He always wanted to be a priest, his older brother, John Prevost, told ABC News outside his home in Illinois on Thursday.

"He knew right away. I don't think he's ever questioned it. I don't think he's ever thought of anything else," John Prevost said.

As a child, Pope Leo XIV "played priest," John Prevost said. "The ironing board was the altar."

The pope is a White Sox fan, his brother confirmed. "He's a regular, run-of-the-mill person," he said.

Leo started to emerge as a front-runner for the papacy in the days before the conclave began, according to the Rev. James Martin, a papal contributor to ABC News.

John Prevost said he also spoke to his brother on Tuesday, before the cardinals went into the secretive conclave, and told his younger brother that he also believed he could be the first American pope. At the time, his younger brother called it "nonsense" and "just talk," saying, "'They're not going to pick an American pope," John Prevost said.

"He just didn't believe it, or didn't want to believe it," John Prevost said.

John Prevost said he expects his brother will follow in the late Pope Francis' footsteps as a voice for the disenfranchised and poor.

"I think they were two of a kind," John Prevost said. "I think because they both were in South America at the same time -- in Peru and in Argentina -- they had the same experiences in working with missions and working with the downtrodden. So I think that's the experience that they're both coming from."

Louis Prevost, the eldest of the three Prevost brothers, was feeling under the weather and lying in bed at his home in Florida when the big moment came.

"My wife called to tell me there's white smoke from the chapel," he said.

Louis Prevost said he tuned in to the live broadcast of the Vatican announcement.

"They started reading his name, and when he went, 'blah, blah, blah, Roberto,' immediately I knew -- that's Rob," he said. "I was just thankful I was still in bed lying down, because I might have fallen down."

Louis Prevost said he got out of bed and started "dancing around like an idiot."

"It's just incredible," he said. "I'm suddenly wide awake and feeling wonderful."

He described his brother as "down to earth," someone who has a good sense of humor and is "smart as a whip." He loved his work as a missionary in Peru and being with the people, and through his work with the Vatican has traveled the world, Louis Prevost said.

"I thought I had done traveling in the Navy, but, my God, he blew me away," he said.

His brother surmised that global experience may have stood out to the other cardinals in electing him pope.

Louis Prevost said his brother seemed to always know his calling, and that as young as 4 or 5, the family knew he was destined for great things in the Catholic Church. When his brothers were playing cops and robbers, Leo would "play priest" and distribute Holy Communion with Necco wafers, Louis Prevost said.

“We used to tease him all the time -- you’re going to be the pope one day," he said. "Neighbors said the same thing. Sixty-some years later, here we are."

David Rancken’s App of the Day 05/09/25 – Clocks!

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Radar screens at Newark airport went black again overnight

(NEWARK, N.J.) -- Radar screens at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport went black again early Friday morning.

The outage happened at 3:55 a.m. and lasted about 90 seconds, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Air traffic controllers could be heard telling a FedEx plane that their screens went dark and then asking the aircraft to tell their company to put pressure on to get the problem fixed.

In another transmission, a controller told an arriving private jet that the airport just had a brief radar outage and to stay at or above 3,000 feet in case the controllers couldn't get in touch during the aircraft's descent.

The FAA called it a "telecommunications outage that impacted communications and radar display at Philadelphia TRACON Area C," which is the facility that covers the airspace around Newark.

Last week, an outage at Newark caused ATC computer screens to go dark for roughly 60 to 90 seconds and prevented controllers from talking to aircraft during that time, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the incident. As a result, the FAA briefly halted all departures to the airport.

Following the outage, several controllers went on medical leave, calling the experience a traumatic event. The controllers are entitled to at least 45 days away from the job and must be evaluated by a doctor before they can return to work.

The facility in Philadelphia which covers Newark was already short on air traffic controllers.

This increased shortage sparked massive delays and cancellations at Newark over the last two weeks.

On Thursday, the Department of Transportation announced plans for a new, "state-of-the-art" air traffic control system to replace the "antiquated" system, saying it will improve safety and cut back on delays.

Changes include swapping out old telecommunications for "new fiber, wireless and satellite technologies"; "installing new modern hardware and software"; replacing 618 old radars; and building six new air traffic control centers and replacing towers, the Transportation Department said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he hopes to have the system built in the next three to four years.

Duffy didn’t ballpark a price tag, simply saying it will cost "billions." Duffy said he will ask for the full amount up-front from Congress, which has previously signaled support over calls for the modernization of ATC systems.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Weekend Watchlist: What’s new in theaters, on streaming

Ready, set, binge! Here's a look at some of the new movies and TV shows coming to theaters and streaming services this weekend:

CBS, Paramount+
The Neighborhood: The seventh season of the sitcom ends with an hourlong finale.

Hulu
Murder Has Two Faces: Robin Roberts hosts the three-episode true crime binge series.

Netflix
Forever: The classic Judy Blume novel has been adapted into a romantic drama series.

Nonnas: Vince Vaughn opens an Italian restaurant with only local grandmothers as chefs in the new film.

Max
Conan O'Brien Must Go: The comedian travels to even more destinations in season 2.

Peacock
Poker Face: Natasha Lyonne stars in the three-episode premiere of season 2.

That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!

Pope Leo shared content critical of Trump, Vance’s immigration policies in social media posts

(VATICAN CITY) -- Prior to being elected pontiff, Pope Leo XIV had a presence on Twitter, and later X, where he sometimes shared messages that appeared to be critical of some of President Donald Trump's policies.

Cardinal Robert Prevost appears to have an X account with the handle @drprevost and posted, replied and reposted content since 2011, according to his page.

A picture of Prevost and Pope Francis holding each others arms in their robes inside a church is the profile image for the account.

While most of the new pope's 439 posts involved posting articles about the latest developments from the Vatican and dioceses from around the world, he did share other posts from time to time dealing with political matters.

He last posted on April 14, when he shared a post from prominent American Catholic commentator Rocco Palmo that criticized Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's controversial immigration policies.

"As Trump & Bukele use Oval to ? Feds' illicit deportation of a US resident …, once an undoc-ed Salvadorean himself, now-DC Aux +Evelio asks, "Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?" Palmo's post read.

Palmo linked to a Catholic Standard editorial written by Bishop Evelio Menjivar, an auxiliary bishop of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

In an interview with ABC News on Thursday, Pope Leo's brother John Prevost in Chicago said immigration is an important issue for his brother.

"I think because the way our country is going, I don't think he necessarily will always agree [with] what's happening. I think a big thing for him is immigration and is it right -- what's going on? I think that will be a challenge for him, because I think he'll say something about it, too."

Asked about his brother's X account, John Prevost said, "I know that's his feelings, but I didn't know he was putting it out on social media."

The pope's last original X post was on Feb. 13, when he posted a link to an America magazine editorial that criticized Vice President JD Vance about his interpretation of the Latin phrase "ordo amoris." Vance contended in a Fox News interview, that the idea meant that one must love their family first before the community.

Pope Francis sent a letter to bishops after Vance's comment rebuking that interpretation without naming the vice president.

Pope Leo, however, appeared to criticize Vance directly in a Feb. 3 post, where he linked to a National Catholic Reporter editorial that dismissed the vice president's stance on immigration.

He shared the headline of the article "JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others" and linked to the full story in his post.

Leo had not posted on X between July 2023 and Feb. 3.

The Vatican has not immediately commented about the social media account or posts.

Vance and Trump both congratulated the pope on his election on social media posts.

"I'm sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!" Vance wrote on X Thursday.

Former US Supreme Court Justice David Souter dies at 85

(L-R, Standing) Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Associate Justice David H. Souter, (L-R, Seated) Associate Justice Antonin Scalia and Associate Justice John Paul/ Mark Wilson/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) -- Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a lifelong public servant, judicial moderate and advocate for humanities and civics education, has died. He was 85 years old.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said of Souter: "Justice David Souter served our Court with great distinction for nearly twenty years. He brought uncommon wisdom and kindness to a lifetime of public service. After retiring to his beloved New Hampshire in 2009, he continued to render significant service to our branch by sitting regularly on the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for more than a decade. He will be greatly missed."

Souter was nominated in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, who praised him as "a remarkable judge of keen intellect and the highest ability."

In more than 19 years on the bench, he authored notable opinions on abortion, religion and property rights.

His moderate positions surprised and disappointed many Republicans, who had hoped Souter would solidify as conservative the seat vacated by Justice William Brennan, a longtime leader of the court's liberal wing.

Just five years after his appointment, the conservative Weekly Standard branded Souter a "stealth justice," excoriating his position as "one of the staunchest liberals on the court."

For many conservatives, Souter became a symbol of what future Republican presidents should avoid in a nominee.

His most controversial opinion came in 1992, jointly authored by Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy, reaffirming the right to abortion under Roe v. Wade and creating an "undue burden" standard for judging state restrictions on the procedure.

"To overrule under fire, in the absence of the most compelling reason to re-examine a watershed decision, would subvert the Court's legitimacy beyond any serious question," the three justices wrote in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

Souter's defenders have long denied he was a secret liberal, emphasizing his respect for precedent and the philosophy of "originalism," which emphasizes the historical meaning behind constitutional clauses and federal laws.

"The original meaning of conservatism was reluctance to embrace radical change," Ernest Young, a former clerk of Souter's and Duke law professor, told ABC News in 2009.

Souter, who was Episcopalian, was also known for advocating strict government neutrality in matters of religion and consistently opposing religious displays in public spaces.

During his confirmation hearing, he called it an "appalling fact" that Jewish children felt excluded when Christian prayers were recited in public schools.

In 2005, he authored a 5-4 decision blocking three Kentucky counties from displaying framed copies of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and public schools. He also voted against allowing organized prayers at high school graduation ceremonies and football games.

"He had no predisposed answer. He really relied on an analysis of [historical] materials to decide how he would come out in that case," Stuart Benjamin, former clerk to Souter and Duke law professor, said in 2009.

Souter was one of four justices who strongly dissented from the 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore, which ended the contested Florida ballot recount and effectively handed the presidency to George W. Bush.

"To recount these manually would be a tall order, but before this Court stayed the effort to do that the courts of Florida were ready to do their best to get that job done," Souter wrote. "There is no justification for denying the State the opportunity to try to count all disputed ballots now. I respectfully dissent."

He was reportedly so distraught over the decision he contemplated resigning from the court, sources familiar with his thinking told Jeffrey Toobin, author of "The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court." Some of the justice's friends strongly rejected the notion.

In 2005, Souter joined the court's more liberal members to expand the ability of local governments to seize private land for public use. His vote drew fierce protests and even prompted a ballot measure to seize his 200-year-old New Hampshire farmhouse as payback. It failed.

In testimony during his confirmation hearings, Souter also surprised conservatives with a robust defense of affirmative action.
"There will be a need -- and I am afraid for a longer time than we would like to say -- a need for affirmative action which seeks out qualified people who have been discouraged by generations of societal discrimination from taking their place in the mainstream of America," he said at the time.

Souter's rejection of political ideology has been celebrated among his former clerks and friends.

"He was a classic frugal Yankee Republican," former Souter clerk and Harvard law professor Rebecca Tushnet told ABC News in 2009.

"The Republican Party now has moved considerably to the right," University of Pennsylvania law professor Kermit Roosevelt, who clerked for Souter in 1999 and 2000, told ABC News. "He doesn't look like a modern Republican; he's not a modern person in a lot of ways."

Souter rarely spoke publicly about his jurisprudence, but when he did he pointedly rejected what he considered a simplistic approach to constitutional interpretation embraced by some of his Republican-appointed peers.

"Constitutional judging is not a mere combination of fair reading and simple facts," Souter said in a 2010 commencement address at Harvard University.

"Judges have to choose between the good things that the Constitution approves, and when they do, they have to choose, not on the basis of measurement, but of meaning," he added, rejecting the strict textualism endorsed by conservative icons Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Retiring at just 69 years old, the never-married Souter quickly escaped Washington to return to his native New Hampshire and beloved two-centuries-old farmhouse.

To admirers, Souter brought a sense of compassion to the high court.

"He urged all judges to recognize the human aspect of their decisions, and to use all the power of their hearts and minds and beings to get their decisions right," said Subra Suresh, former president of Carnegie Mellon University, where Souter spoke in October 2014.

Announcing Souter's retirement in 2009, President Barack Obama hailed the justice as a "fair-minded and independent" judge who combined a "feverish work ethic" with a good sense of humor and integrity.

"He consistently defied labels and rejected absolutes, focusing instead on just one task -- reaching a just result in the case that was before him," said Obama, who later appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor to fill his seat.

"He really was someone who saw himself as someone working in Washington but not being of Washington," Meir Feder, one of Souter's clerks from the 1990 term, told ABC News in 2009.

For years, he had shied from the Washington social scene when the court was not in session, retreating to the White Mountain woods where he loved to hike and read by the fire. Souter famously had no television or access to email.

"Far from being out of touch with the modern world, he has simply refused to surrender to it control over aspects of his own life that give him deep contentment," said David McKean, former CEO of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, at a joint appearance with the retired justice in 2010.

Born in Massachusetts an only child, Souter spent most of his life in the rural town of Weare, New Hampshire. He enrolled in Harvard University as an undergraduate, studying philosophy, and later attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

He returned to Boston to complete his law degree at Harvard, where he graduated in 1966. He quickly climbed the ranks of the legal world, rising to attorney general of New Hampshire and, later, associate judge in the state's Supreme Court.

When Souter was plucked out of New Hampshire by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, he was little known outside of the state. The U.S. Senate confirmed Souter to the Supreme Court by a vote of 90-9.

"I loved my colleagues. I liked the work that I was doing. There were days when I wished things had turned out differently, but I still loved the court and just about everybody in that building," Souter said in 2010, during a rare public appearance at the JFK Presidential Library. "But I feel liberated to do things that I couldn't do on that court."

For years after leaving the high court bench, Souter continued to be a judge, hearing more than 300 cases by designation for the 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston and authoring dozens of opinions.

While he stayed largely out of the limelight, Souter spoke passionately about the need to bolster the humanities and civics education across America.

"I don't believe there is any problem in American politics or American public life which is more significant today that the pervasive civic ignorance of the Constitution of the United States and the structure of government," Souter said in a speech at the University of New Hampshire Law School in 2012.

"Some of the aspects of current American government that people on both sides find frustrating are in part a function of the inability of people to understand how government can and should function," he said.

Asked in 2010 to name the most important part of the U.S. Constitution, Souter singled out the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

"Ultimately, it is the golden rule," he said. "Treat others the way you want to be treated with the corollary that if you don't, you are not going to be treated that way either."

ABC News' Huma Khan contributed to this report.

House follows Trump’s lead with a vote to change the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and direct federal agencies to update their documents and maps to incorporate the new name.

President Donald Trump already signed an executive order during his first day in office to rename the Gulf. House Republicans are looking to show their support, though it is unclear whether he Senate will go along. The bill passed by a vote of 211-206.

The body of water has shared borders between the United States and Mexico. Trump’s order only carries authority within the U.S. Mexico, as well as other countries and international bodies, do not have to recognize the name change.

Democrats said the vote demonstrated that Republicans are not focusing on the priorities of most Americans. New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House’s top Democrat, asked Democrats to vote against this “silly, small-minded and sycophantic piece of legislation.”

“It’s easy to mock this legislation because it’s so inane and embarrassing — and we have,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa. “But its very existence and the fact that House Republicans have chosen to waste time and taxpayer dollars to bring it up for a vote, is worth considering.”

Republicans said the nomenclature of the Gulf extended back to a time before the U.S. existed and when Spanish influence over Central American and the Caribbean was at its zenith. But now, it is the U.S. that dominates economic activity in the Gulf.

“In short, this legislation recognizes the strategic influence America has over this geography, not to mention the existing economic, cultural, and commercial might that we passively exert on the Gulf,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Trump ally and an influential voice in the Republican conference who wore a red “Make American Great Again” hat during last year’s State of the Union address.

“The Gulf of America is one of the most important things we can do this Congress,” Greene said, adding that it promotes pride in the country.

Only one lawmaker broke party ranks on the measure. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., joined with Democrats in voting against the bill.

The Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years. The Associated Press refers to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen. The White House moved in February to block the AP from being among the small group of journalists to cover Trump in the Oval Office or aboard Air Force One, with sporadic ability to cover him at events in the East Room.

The AP sued three Trump administration officials over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the blocking of its journalists.

A federal judge ordered the White House last month to restore The AP’s full access to cover presidential events, affirming on First Amendment grounds that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech.

The GOP leadership in the House promoted the legislation during a news conference earlier in the week.

“The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the Gulf of America. It’s only right that it’s named appropriately,” said House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan.

Several Democrats spoke out against the bill on the House floor.

Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., said that “instead of mind-bending tariffs, giveaways to billionaires, and renaming bodies of water, we should be voting on bills that lower costs for the average family.”

“No one is clamoring for a newly named body of water,” Latimer said. “They want lower grocery bills.”

In brief: ‘Ginny & Georgia’ season 3 official trailer and more

The official trailer for season 3 of Ginny & Georgia has arrived. Netflix released the trailer on Thursday, teasing all the chaos that is set to happen as Brianne Howey's Georgia is put on trial for murder. Antonia Gentry and Scott Porter also star in the third season of the show, which drops June 5 on Netflix ...

Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU have both been renewed at NBC. These will be the 25th and 27th seasons of the shows, respectively. The network also announced that the popular shows reached over 44 million viewers across both linear and digital platforms during the 2024-25 season ...

M. Night Shyamalan's upcoming supernatural romantic thriller Remain will arrive in theaters on Oct. 23, 2026. Deadline reports that the film, which will star Jake Gyllenhaal, comes from an original story co-created by Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks. Phoebe Dynevor and Ashley Walters will also star in the movie ...

Bipartisan pair of senators applaud DOJ investigation into egg producers

(WASHINGTON) -- A bipartisan pair of senators applauded the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into major egg producers over rising prices and called on the department to look even further into the issue in a letter to Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater late Thursday evening.

"We write to express support for the Department of Justice's reported investigation into anticompetitive practices in the U.S. egg industry," Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. Jim Banks wrote. "As you are aware, the sustained increase in egg prices has placed a significant financial strain on American families, particularly workingclass households. While egg producers and trade associations point to recent avian flu outbreaks as the cause of high prices, we are concerned that record high egg prices reflect noncompetitive behavior among large producers."

ABC News reported in March that the Department of Justice was in the early stages of investigating major egg producers over soaring egg prices. Sources told ABC News at the time that department investigators were looking into whether the major egg companies were sharing information about supply and pricing, possibly contributing to price increases.

The average retail price of a dozen eggs climbed from $4.95 in January to $6.22 in March, the most recent month for which data is available, per Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That amounts to a 25% increase in consumer cost.

By contrast, wholesale prices of eggs are falling. The average price of a dozen large white eggs was $3.69 over the week ending May 3, the most recent week available, according to Department of Agriculture data. Over the week ending Jan. 17 -- the last week of data before Trump took office -- the average price of a dozen large white eggs stood at $6.14, data showed. That's a nearly 40% decline.

Egg producers, including the industry's trade association, have said that the hike in consumer egg costs is due to the avian flu. But in their letter, the senators cast doubt on this claim and encourage the Department of Justice to continue its efforts to determine whether "noncompetitive behavior among large producers" could be to blame.

"Egg prices began to drop from their record peaks only after the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation into whether large egg producers had engaged in anticompetitive practices to raise egg prices or restrict egg supply," Banks and Warren write. "Large egg producers and trade associations have previously been found liable for price fixing. Given this history, we urge DOJ to thoroughly review whether recent trends in egg prices reflect impermissible coordination among egg producers and trade associations."

In a statement to ABC News, Warren said Americans deserve answers over the cause of rising cost of eggs at the grocery store.

"While rising egg prices are hurting working families, giant egg producers are raking in record profits. Americans deserve to know if those sky-high prices are the result of out-of-control corporate greed. We're pressing the Justice Department to get answers," Warren said.

Banks said the egg industry is "long overdue" for an antitrust investigation.

"America’s egg industry has been controlled by a handful of companies for years, and it’s long overdue for an antitrust investigation to bring down prices and create more competition," Banks said. "I fully support the Department of Justice’s probe into whether these companies have exploited the avian flu outbreak to manipulate prices.”

The ballooning cost of eggs was an ongoing political flashpoint during the 2024 presidential race. Then-candidate Donald Trump made lowering the cost of groceries a cornerstone of his campaign. Since returning to the Oval Office, he's often spoken about egg prices and in recent days, he's touted repeatedly that egg prices are lower because of his leadership.

"Gas is down, gasoline is down, energy is down, groceries are down, eggs are down. Eggs, thank you very much. But eggs are down," Trump said during remarks in the Oval office on Thursday.

Warren and Banks say the cost of eggs continues to be a burden on American families.

"The sustained increase in egg prices has placed a significant financial strain on American families, particularly workingclass households," they write. "Eggs have long been an affordable staple in Americans' diets. Yet, the cost of eggs reached an unprecedented high this year."

The senators said that they "support" the DOJ investigation into the behavior of egg producers and urged the agency to consider whether a "precipitous drop" in egg prices just "days" after news of the investigation broke suggest that egg producers had conspired to artificially inflate prices.

They also seek additional information from DOJ by mid-May about whether egg prices can be reasonably explained by bird flu, what sort of profit increases were seen by large egg producers, and whether DOJ analysis shows a sudden price decrease in eggs following the announcement of its investigation.

Melania Trump unveils stamp honoring Barbara Bush, with George W. Bush absent

(WASHINGTON) -- First lady Melania Trump hosted the unveiling of a U.S. Postal Service stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush at the White House on Thursday -- with a notable absence of former President George W. Bush.

A number of family and friends of the Bush family, including Neil Bush and Dorothy Bush Koch, filled the East Room for the event honoring the former first lady, who died in 2018 at the age of 92.

Dorothy Bush Koch, the youngest child of the 41st president and first lady, spoke about her mother's impact in transforming the White House into a "true home."

Melania Trump, who has made few appearances in Washington during her husband's first three months in office, celebrated Barbara Bush's political and family life.

"Mrs. Bush's legacy is marked by her respect for tradition while also breaking with convention," Melania Trump said.

Other Bush children, George W. Bush and Jeb Bush, did not attend the event.

George W. Bush, who has kept a relatively low profile since leaving office, was in Washington for President Donald Trump's inauguration earlier this year. He was seated near former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Bill Clinton and former President Barack Obama.

But he has otherwise kept Trump, a fellow Republican, at arm's length and the two have a history of mutual criticism.

ABC News reached out to George W. Bush's office for comment on Thursday's event.

George W. Bush didn't endorse Trump in any of his presidential campaigns. In 2020, he said he didn't vote for either Trump or Joe Biden, but rather wrote in Condoleezza Rice, who served as his secretary of state between 2005 and 2009.

He and his father, late President George H.W. Bush, were critical of Trump in a 2017 book, in which they expressed concern about his impact on the Republican Party and conservative values. In a rare public speech that same year, George W. Bush condemned the brand of politics embraced by Trump and his supporters, though didn't explicitly mention Trump by name.

Barbara Bush once said of Trump, "I don't understand why people are for him."

Trump's criticism of the Bush family ramped up during the 2016 Republican presidential primary as he went after Jeb Bush as "low energy." He later bragged of beating the "Bush Dynasty" after his election victory.

Trump has also repeatedly criticized George W. Bush's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Iraq war.

"Bush led a failed and uninspiring presidency. He shouldn't be lecturing anybody!" Trump said in 2021 after George W. Bush gave a 20th anniversary speech in which he warned domestic terrorism posed as much of a threat as foreign terrorists.

Acting FEMA head fired a day after he testified against closing the agency: Sources

(WASHINGTON) -- Cameron Hamilton, who had been acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was fired Thursday, a day after telling Congress the agency should not be disbanded, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump's suggestions that FEMA be downsized or dissolved.

The change at the top of the agency that coordinates federal disaster relief comes a few weeks before the start of of hurricane season on June 1.

“Cameron Hamilton is no longer the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Administrator,” Julia Moline, the acting chief of staff, wrote in an email to all employees Thursday that was reviewed by ABC News.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Hamilton was called to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s office at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. He returned to the FEMA office a short time later and told staff he was fired, according to sources.

Speaking to the House Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Hamilton told lawmakers that FEMA should not be disbanded, putting him at odds with public comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that the agency has “failed” and should be “eliminated” or downsized.

“I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he told lawmakers.

His comments came on the same day as Noem testified before the same committee.

“The president has indicated he wants to eliminate FEMA as it exists today, and to have states have more control over their emergency management response. He wants to empower local governments and support them and how they respond to their people,” Noem said.

Trump has been sharply critical of the agency's work, and suggested that the federal government send funds directly to states to assist with disaster relief, rather than have a role coordinating responses to major disasters.

David Richardson, who recently served as DHS assistant secretary for countering the weapons of mass destruction office, will now lead the agency on an interim basis, an administration official told ABC News.

The email sent to all FEMA employees also announced the news of Richardson's new role.

"Effective today, David Richardson is now serving as the Senior Official Performing the duties of the FEMA Administrator," a FEMA spokesperson told ABC News. "Cameron Hamilton is no longer serving in this capacity."

A DHS spokesperson also confirmed to ABC News that Richardson is serving as acting administrator but didn't mention Hamilton.

Chicago reacts to the election of the city’s own Pope Leo XIV

(Photo by Francesco Sforza - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

(CHICAGO) -- When Sherry Stone learned that childhood friend Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, she got on her computer and did what few people can do: She emailed him a note of congratulations.

"I told him we're thinking of having our next grade school reunion at the Vatican," she said.

The election of a former Hyde Parker named Barack Obama to the White House in 2009 catapulted this city into a joyous frenzy for months, and having produced a president still remains a source of pride.

When news broke Thursday about Prevost's election as the first American pope, the mood throughout the city was similar. Immediately, memes went viral showing Pope Leo XIV holding a hot dog, dipping his Italian beef into gravy and gripping a bottle of Malort, the city's unofficial liqueur. Outside Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs marked the moment by announcing on its legendary sign: "Hey Chicago, He's a Cubs Fan!" Similarly, Bennison's, a bakery in Evanston, just north of the city, announced a new sugar cookie with Prevost's likeness that it promised was "as divine as the moment."

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement calling the news "historic."

"Pope Leo XIV ushers in a new chapter that I join those in our state welcoming in at a time when we need compassion, unity, and peace," he said.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson used the news to send a more informal message to the new pope: "Everything dope, including the pope, comes from Chicago!" he posted on X. "Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon."

While Leo spent two decades in northern Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen, his early roots are in the southwest side, an area known for its legacy of steel mills and auto plants, White Sox and Blackhawks fans, rows of brick bungalows and neighborhood churches and grade schools.

Born in Chicago in 1955, Leo attended St. Mary's of the Assumption, a now-shuttered grade school on the city's edge, and he grew up in Dolton, a southwest suburb located just across the street from the school. He later earned his Master of Divinity in 1982 from Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, which is situated along the lakefront, and was ordained the same year. He started his ministry with the Augustinian Province of Chicago and later was named prior general of the worldwide Augustinian Order, according to the Catholic Theological Union.

The Rev. William Lego, who is also a member of Augustinian Order, attended grade school, high school and seminary with Leo before both men became young priests. He said on Thursday that he is still getting used of calling "Father Bob" by his new name.

"He was always very intelligent, never jumped to conclusions, he held people with respect, and he listened. I'm sure that's what he will bring to the papacy," said Lego.

As for their shared Chicago roots, Lego added, "There will always be a note of pride."

As with Obama, many locals have a personal connection with Leo. Because their last names both ended with a "P" at the time, Nadia Weer sat next to Leo for eight years in the classroom. She said even back then he was so devout and studious his nickname was "Father Robert."

"We always assumed he would be a priest," she said. "He was true blue. He was good. I'm really proud of him. You like people to be successful when they deserve it. And Robert does deserve it."

The intensity Leo had with his faith, even as a young boy, impressed Stone, who said he once told people he wanted to eventually lead the church as pope.

"Midwest people are very even keeled. I think having grown up in that environment that he'll be a centralist pope. He'll bring people together. He'll be one of the great popes," she said.

Leo's brother John Prevost told ABC News on Thursday that Leo never "questioned" his vocation in life and that, as a child, he often "played priest" using the ironing board as his altar.

"I don't think he's ever thought of anything else," John Prevost said.

Many remembered Leo's family as similarly dedicated to their faith. His father, a school principal on Chicago's South Side, volunteered at the Archdiocese of Chicago in the 1990s. Janet Sisler, associate superintendent of schools for the archdiocese at the time, remembered that "Father Bob" would stop by when he returned to his hometown.

It was obvious, there was "a family history of being dedicated to their faith and dedicated to service," she said. "He grew up in that life and continued to imbue his life decisions with service of faith and the promotion of justice."

Chicago's roots in the labor movement were likely an influence, as well.

"He came from a family where both his mother and father worked. He understood how people can have a commitment to work and to family and to their faith," she said. "This is a new pope who understands the importance of community and the importance of church interacting in a positive way to serve the world."

Destined to be pope: Brother says Leo XIV always wanted to be a priest

John Prevost, brother of newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost, speaks with ABC News in New Lenox, Illinois, May 8, 2025. Image via ABC News.

(CHICAGO) -- When Robert Prevost was in the first grade, his neighbor told him he would be the first American pope, his brother told ABC News.

On Thursday, that prophecy came true, when Prevost, a 69-year-old cardinal, was elected to be the 267th pontiff -- and the first from the United States.

Before he was Pope Leo XIV, Prevost grew up the youngest of three brothers in the South Chicago suburb of Dolton.

He always wanted to be a priest, his older brother, John Prevost, told ABC News outside his home in Illinois on Thursday.

"He knew right away. I don't think he's ever questioned it. I don't think he's ever thought of anything else," John Prevost said.

As a child, Pope Leo XIV "played priest," John Prevost said. "The ironing board was the altar."

The pope is a White Sox fan, his brother confirmed. "He's a regular, run-of-the-mill person," he said.

Leo started to emerge as a frontrunner for the papacy in the days before the conclave began, according to the Rev. James Martin, a papal contributor to ABC News.

John Prevost said he spoke to his brother on Tuesday, before the cardinals went into the secretive conclave, and told his younger brother that he also believed he could be the first American pope. At the time, his younger brother called it "nonsense" and "just talk," saying, "'They're not going to pick an American pope," John Prevost said.