Charlize Theron is back as warrior Andy in the official trailer for The Old Guard 2.
The trailer for the sequel arrives almost five years after the original The Old Guard film released on Netflix in 2020. It follows Andy and her team of immortal warriors who are back to protect humanity from a new enemy.
"Andy grapples with her newfound mortality as a mysterious threat emerges that could jeopardize everything she’s worked towards for thousands of years," according to the film's official synopsis.
This mysterious threat involves new cast member Uma Thurman, who plays the first of the immortals.
"For centuries I've watched you fight to protect humanity while forsaking your own kind," Thurman says in the trailer. "I will destroy you and everything you stand for with a power you can't even imagine yet."
The crew of Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) all return for the sequel. They're joined by Tuah, played by Henry Golding, an old friend who may provide the key to unlocking the mystery behind immortal existence.
Victoria Mahoney directed the sequel, which Netflix describes as "an emotional, adrenaline-pumping" movie based on the world created by Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernandez.
(NEW YORK) -- Former President Joe Biden, in a wide-ranging interview on ABC's "The View" on Thursday, said he was not surprised by Vice President Kamala Harris' loss in the 2024 presidential election, but not because of her qualifications as a candidate -- instead, pointing to sexism and racism he said had been leveled against her.
"I wasn't surprised, not because I didn't think the vice president was the most qualified person to be president … I wasn't surprised because they went the route of -- the sexist route, the whole route," Biden said.
He continued: "I've never seen quite as successful and consistent campaign, undercutting the notion that a woman couldn't lead the country -- and a woman of mixed race."
But Biden, separately, said he still thinks he would have beaten Trump if he had stayed in the race.
"Yeah, he still got seven million fewer votes," Biden said of Trump, noting by how much he beat Trump in the 2020 election popular vote.
His comments come after several months out of the spotlight for the former president as he and Democrats look to sort out his role post-presidency. Last month, Biden emerged from private life to deliver a speech on Trump's potential impact on Social Security and made an appearance at Harvard University.
Questions persist on the party's priorities and who may be the best to message and communicate on the Democrats' behalf -- questions that extend to both Biden and Harris.
Biden, for his part, told "The View" that he's in the midst of self-reflection -- and, to that end, writing a book.
"Things are moving along and we're getting squared away trying to figure out what the most significant and consequential role I can play, consistent with what I've done in the past," he said.
The former president also addressed his relationship with his former running-made-turned-candidate, saying that he and Harris had spoken as recently as Wednesday. Yet, he quickly stopped himself from addressing specifics of their "frequent" conversations, including side-stepping any chatter about Harris' possible gubernatorial or potential presidential ambitions.
Sources have told ABC News previously that Harris may be mulling a run for governor of California, her home state; others have speculated she could mount a run for president in 2028 -- a controversial notion within the Democratic Party.
Many of Harris' longtime national supporters told ABC News in March that they are lukewarm on her potentially running for president in 2028; others have called for a full break from the Biden-Harris administration and for the party to consider new standard bearers.
But on Harris' broader political future, Biden said he was hopeful that she stayed involved in some significant way, but stopped short of sharing which route he hopes she takes.
"She's got a difficult decision to make about what she's going to do. I hope she stays fully engaged. I think she's first-rate, but we have a lot of really good candidates as well. So, I'm optimistic. I'm not pessimistic," Biden said.
Biden's remarks don't seem to have mollified progressives who felt he hamstrung Democrats' chances in 2024. Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green said in a statement after the interview that the former president is in "denial" over both his and Harris' viability as strong candidates on the 2024 ticket, suggesting that anti-establishment Democrats would fare better to lead the party.
"Joe Biden is in denial about the fact that neither he nor Kamala Harris should have been the 2024 Democratic nominee if we wanted to defeat Donald Trump. In this moment, voters demand authentic anti-establishment figures who will shake up a broken political system and economic status quo rigged for billionaires against working people, and that's not Biden or Harris."
Asked on "The View" to respond to claims that he should have dropped out of the race and endorse Harris sooner, Biden said that Harris still had a long period to campaign and that they worked together "in every decision I made."
Biden also denied reporting that claimed he had advised Harris to suggest that there was no daylight between the two of them -- saying that they were partners and worked together.
"The View" co-anchor Sunny Hostin brought up Harris' comments on "The View" in October, toward the end of her presidential campaign, when asked if she would have done "something differently" from what Biden had done over the last four years. She responded, "there is not a thing that comes to mind," a moment widely seen as one that hurt her among voters who felt she needed to make a cleaner break from the Biden White House.
"I did not advise her to say that," Biden said, adding that he thought Harris meant she would not change any of the successes that the Biden-Harris White House had achieved.
"She was part of every success we had. We'd argue like hell, by the way," Biden added, stressing that the disagreements were all signs of a positive working relationship.
Even though he indicated no tension between himself and Harris, Biden did not answer directly when asked about tension between him and other longtime supporters, including former President Barack Obama, whose administration he served in as vice president.
Asked about what his relationship with Obama is like now, and how he addresses concerns Obama and others reportedly raised over his ability to serve a second term as president, Biden pivoted to why he got out of the race -- and did not mention Obama.
"The only reason I got out of the race was because I didn't want to have a divided Democratic Party ... I thought it was better to put the country ahead of my interest, my personal interest," Biden said.
Biden did say, in his response, that concerns over his age -- 81 during the campaign -- were valid, but pointed to what he still accomplished at the end of his presidency as evidence against claims he had cognitively declined.
ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler and Zohreen Shah contributed to this report.
Gollum is coming back to movie screens in time for Christmas 2027.
According to Variety, Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will arrive in movie theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.
Andy Serkis, who has played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings franchise for decades, will direct the upcoming film.
This release date confirms that the film has been delayed for a year. When the project was announced in May 2024, the studio said the film would be ready in 2026.
The Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will produce The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with the studio saying the creatives will be on board every step of the way.
“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” Serkis said at the time the project was announced.
Jackson, Walsh and Boyens also gave a joint statement at the time the project was first announced.
“It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker - Gollum!" they said.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Texas man associated with a neo-Nazi group was convicted on Wednesday of posting threats to lynch and kill Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk after another group member was charged with attacking a downtown bar worker.
David Aaron Bloyed, 60, of Frost, Texas, was found guilty by a federal jury in Nashville of one count of communicating a threat in interstate commerce, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. He faces up to five years in prison at sentencing.
Bloyed was found to have posted a photograph of Funk with the caption, “Getting the rope,” and an emoji finger pointed towards Funk’s image. A second post included a drawing of a person hanging by the neck from a gallows, with the phrase, “The ‘Rope List’ grew by a few more Nashville jews today.” Both included swastika symbols.
Funk was targeted after a group of white supremacist, antisemitic and neo-Nazi provocateurs came to Nashville last summer and began livestreaming antics for shock value — waving swastika flags through crowded streets, singing hate songs on the downtown courthouse steps, and even briefly disrupting a Metro Council meeting.
At one point, a fight broke out between a bar worker and a member of the group, who used metal flagpole with a swastika affixed to the top to hit the employee. The group member was charged with aggravated assault. The bar worker was also charged in the tussle.
“Antisemitic hate has no place in Nashville or anywhere, and this verdict shows these hateful threats for what they are: a crime,” Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee, said in a news release.
GOLDEN OAKS – According to a report from our news partner KETK, a woman was attacked by a pack of dogs in Golden Oaks Wednesday night and had to be airlifted to a local hospital.
Around 8:41 p.m., Payne Springs Fire Rescue volunteers received a call about a woman who was attacked by a pack of dogs and experienced traumatic injuries, officials said. When volunteers arrived, they requested UT Health Air 1 launch to the Gun Barrel City Fire helicopter pad.
(VATICAN CITY) -- Pope Leo XIV's first message to the world shortly after becoming the new pontiff focused on bringing more peace to the world and connections.
The new pope stood and admired the huge, cheering crowd after stepping out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basicala.
"This is the first greeting of the risen Christ. May the peace be with you," Leo said in Italian, before taking a break amid cheers. "This is the peace of the risen Christ."
The pope gave his regards for his predecessor, Pope Francis, who passed away on a day after Easter.
"Of course we preserve our prays for Pope Francis," he said.
Leo spoke about the community going forward "hand and hand with God." The pope stressed unity and community and encouraged followers to continue in Francis' mission.
"We have to be a church that works together to build bridges and to keep our arms open, like this very piazza, welcoming," he said.
Leo, who did missionary work in South America, paid tribute to the people of Peru and the citizens of Rome.
The new pope also thanked the cardinals who elected him as Francis' successor before reciting the "Hail Mary" prayer.
ABC News' Julia Jacobo contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) -- Senate Democrats sparred with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday over whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia will be returned to the United States, as well as the Department of Homeland Security's spending.
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia, asked if the Trump administration would comply with the Supreme Court's decision that the U.S. government must facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, Noem replied that the government is following the law but didn't say yes or no.
"What I would tell you is that we are following court order," Noem shot back. "Your advocacy for a known terrorist is alarming."
Van Hollen said he isn't "vouching for the man" but rather due process.
"I suggest that rather than make these statements here, that you and the Trump administration make them in court under oath," he added.
Van Hollen then accused Noem of a political speech, and Noem said she would suggest Van Hollen is an "advocate" for victims of illegal crime.
Last month, after Abrego Garcia's family filed a lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the Trump administration to facilitate his return to the U.S. The Supreme Court affirmed that ruling on April 10.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., pressed Noem on whether she read the Supreme Court decision, noting that the court ruled 9-0 that the U.S. must facilitate his release.
"Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador. It is up to the president of El Salvador to make the decision coming back," Noem replied. "It's been a big topic of conversation between all of us. ... The president has been very clear on this issue, as the secretary of state and I have as well. Abrego Garcia is not a citizen of this country and is a dangerous individual."
Earlier in the hearing, Murphy blasted Noem, saying, "Your department is out of control."
"You are spending like you don't have a budget. You're on the verge of running out of money for the fiscal year. You are illegally refusing to spend funds that have been authorized by this congress and appropriated by this committee," he said. "You are brazenly violating the law every hour of every day. You are refusing to allow people showing up at the southern border to apply for asylum. I acknowledge that you don't believe that people should be able to apply for asylum, but you don't get to choose that."
He added that DHS will run out of money by July on immigration and argued that the department isn't giving migrants due process.
"What you are doing both the individuals who have legal rights to stay here, like Kilmar Abrego Garcia or students who are just protesting Trump's policies is immoral, and to follow the theme, it is illegal. You have no right to deport a student visa holder with no due process, simply because they have spoken in a way that offends the president. You can't remove migrants who a court has given humanitarian protection from removal," he said.
Noem also noted that the Biden administration let in upward of 20 million people into the country illegally.
Noem was also asked about the Trump administration's plan for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Noem has said she wants to get rid of FEMA and return the funds to the states.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., asked Noem to "tread lightly" on dismantling FEMA, marking the first time a Republican has raised caution about the president's plan to dismantle FEMA. Moore Capito said she is "concerned" that there could be issues with small states "subject to a lot of natural disasters, flooding," in providing relief.
"I think it's [a] vital function, and I'm concerned, if you turn it all over to the states, capacity for the state to really handle this is something that -- so I would ask you to tread lightly," she added.
On CISA, she said previously it was operating as the "ministry of truth" during the Biden administration and that the Trump administration is returning CISA to accomplish the stated goals of DHS.
"They were out doing election security missions where censorship and deciding what was truth and what wasn't truth, and we have eliminated those functions within CISA," Noem said. "CISA was created to be an entity that supported small and medium businesses and also critical infrastructure, our electrical grid, our water systems that are vulnerable to hacking attempts and influence from foreign countries but enemies of the United States of America."
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., noted that there were 15 employees out of 3,000 who were working on misinformation.
(VATICAN CITY) -- The Catholic Church has a new pope.
American Cardinal Robert Prevost has been elected the 267th pontiff. He has chosen the name Leo XIV, a senior cardinal deacon announced.
The 69-year-old Chicago native is the first American pope and is seen as a diplomat in the church.
Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the 133 cardinals -- the church's highest-ranking clergy -- gathered to elect a new pope for the Catholic Church in the secret conclave in Rome.
On Thursday afternoon local time, white smoke billowed from the stovetop chimney atop the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out, signifying the cardinals had elected a new pope. The cardinals cast at least four ballots at the Vatican before a cardinal received at least two-thirds of the vote.
Over an hour after the white smoke emerged, the new pope, clad in his papal vestments, stepped out onto the balcony and greeted the world. Pope Leo delivered his first Apostolic Urbi et Orbi blessing -- meaning to "the city and the world."
His full authority and jurisdiction begins immediately upon his acceptance of the office, prior to the public announcement.
Significance of papal name
Leo is the fifth-most-popular name chosen by popes.
Leo XIII was a founding figure of the Catholic social justice tradition.
While popes aren't obliged to change their name, every pontiff for the past 470 years has done so, usually choosing the name of a predecessor to both honor them and signal their intention to emulate his example. Pope Francis was a notable exception, choosing not the name of a former pope but that of St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century cleric and patron saint of animals and the environment.
Seen as front-runner
Pope Leo started to emerge as a front-runner for the papacy in the days before the conclave began, according to Father James Martin, a papal contributor to ABC News.
He was the only U.S. cardinal on a short list of front-runners for pope, also known as "papabiles," compiled in the aftermath of Pope Francis' death by The Associated Press.
He received priestly ordination on June 19, 1982, after studying canon law at the Pontifical Saint Thomas Aquinas University, according to his bio on the Vatican Press website.
Francis brought Pope Leo to work at the Vatican after first appointing him in 2014 to serve as the bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. He has spent a majority of his time in Peru, where he has also worked as a teacher, missionary and parish priest.
In April 2020, Francis appointed him to be the apostolic administrator of the diocese of Callao, also in Peru, his profile said.
Since 2023, he has held the position at the Vatican as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, in charge of vetting nominations for bishops around the world.
Pope Leo told Vatican News in October 2024 that a "bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom, but rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them and to suffer with them."
He also currently serves as the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
In a 2023 interview with the Catholic News Service, he was asked how he responds to problems with bishops or dioceses -- to which he said he reminds clergymen to reflect on their oath to "live and work in communion with the Holy Father."
"The spirit of synodality includes a need and desire to listen to not only the bishop himself, but to many people in the diocese to see what's the best way to promote authentic church in each and every diocese in the world," he said at the time.
(NEW YORK) -- Plans for a new air traffic control system were announced Thursday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy amid a spotlight on the out-of-date ATC system and the air traffic controller shortage.
The Transportation Department said in a statement the current ATC system is "antiquated" and said the new "state-of-the-art" system 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.
Duffy stressed the old equipment in the current ATC system, noting how air traffic controllers still use floppy disks.
"We shop on eBay to replace parts, to fix our equipment in the system that keeps you safe, keeps your family safe," he said at a news conference, calling it "100% unacceptable."
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.
President Donald Trump called Duffy’s cellphone during the secretary’s news conference and Duffy put the president on speaker phone. Via the phone, Trump reiterated that flying is still safe and said there will be "one big beautiful contract" to replace the system.
The announcement comes as an outage at Newark Liberty International Airport last week 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 Federal Aviation Administration 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 where controllers work the airspace around Newark airport is located in Philadelphia and was already short on air traffic controllers.
The proposal is supported by many other groups in the aviation industry, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the Airlines Pilot Association and Airlines for America.The FAA in a statement Monday said the "antiquated air traffic control system is affecting our workforce."
"As Secretary Duffy has said, we must get the best safety technology in the hands of controllers as soon as possible," the FAA said.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is in support of Duffy’s proposal, with association president Nick Daniels saying in a statement Thursday, "NATCA has advocated for the modernization of air traffic control systems and infrastructure for decades, and it is past time that it is addressed.”
Dakota Johnson has her heart pulled between Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal in the new trailer for Materialists.
A24 released the second official trailer for the film on Thursday. It features the classic movie trailer voice-over that was a staple of films of a different era.
In the trailer, Johnson stars as Lucy, an ambitious New York City-based matchmaker who is torn between her perfect match and her imperfect ex-boyfriend.
Set to a cover of Madonna's "Material Girl," we watch Lucy celebrate one of her clients getting married to the person she set them up with.
Although Lucy is skilled at helping people find their perfect partner, she seemingly can't figure out her own love life.
Then she meets Pascal's Harry at a fancy event. "You're the matchmaker. You must know a lot about love," Harry says to Lucy in the trailer.
"I know about dating," she responds. "I'm probably not somebody you'd wanna date. Because the next person I date, I'm gonna marry."
"Are you hitting on me?" Harry responds, as Lucy's ex-boyfriend John, played by Evans, watches the interaction from afar.
Academy Award nominee Celine Song wrote and directed the film, which was partly inspired by her time working as a matchmaker.
(WASHINGTON) -- Attorneys for wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia said in a court filing Thursday that after conducting three depositions, they are "still in the dark about the Government's efforts to facilitate Abrego Garcia's release from custody and return to the United States."
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, seeking to determine how the government has failed to return Abrego Garcia after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, last month ordered expedited discovery in the case which included the depositions of the four government officials who submitted status updates on Abrego Garcia to the court.
In their filing on Thursday, attorneys for Abrego Garcia asked Judge Xinis to authorize three additional depositions of officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of State, and the Department of Justice.
"As the Court stated in that Order, "discovery is necessary in light of Defendants' uniform refusal to disclose 'what it can' regarding their facilitation of Abrego Garcia's release and return to the status quo ante," the lawyers wrote.
The motion comes a day after Judge Xinis, in a court order, said that the Trump administration had invoked the rarely used state secrets privilege to shield information about the case, and scheduled a May 16 hearing on the matter.
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who has been living with his wife and children in Maryland, was deported in March to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison -- despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution -- after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13. His wife and attorneys deny that he is an MS-13 member.
The Trump administration, while acknowledging that Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in error, has said that his alleged MS-13 affiliation makes him ineligible to return to the United States.
"Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador and should never have been in this country and will not be coming back to this country," Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Thursday in an appearance at a budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
"There is no scenario where Garcia will be in the United States again. If he were to come back, we would immediately deport him again," Noem said.
CBS has ordered a new spinoff series of the hit Taylor Sheridan-helmed franchise with the working title of Y: Marshals. The Y, of course, stands for Yellowstone, as this spinoff will serve as a direct offshoot of the original series.
Luke Grimes will star in the show as Kayce Dutton, reprising the role he played on Yellowstone. In the spinoff, Kayce joins an "elite unit of U.S. Marshals, combining his skills as a cowboy and Navy SEAL to bring range justice to Montana," according to its official logline. With the Yellowstone Ranch in his rear view, Kayce "and his teammates must balance family, duty and the high psychological cost that comes with serving as the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence."
It will premiere in spring 2026 and then air on Sundays as one of the seven new shows CBS is planning to roll out.
Sheridan and Grimes will executive produce alongside Spencer Hudnut, who will also serve as showrunner.
(VATICAN CITY) -- Pope Francis has been laid to rest, the conclave has been assembled and, after due deliberation by the participating cardinals, the world at last has seen white smoke wafting from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling that a new pope has been elected.
So, what happens next?
There have been just seven papal elections in the last 100 years, with more than a quarter-century passing between the election of Pope John Paul II in October 1978 and that of his successor, Benedict XVI, in April 2005. And now as then, longstanding tradition dictates both the practical and ceremonial steps that occur between the new pontiff's election and when he is officially installed as the leader of the world Catholic Church.
While it can take days, weeks or longer for the cardinals comprising the conclave to reach the two-thirds majority required to elect a new pope – the record is 1,006 days, set in the 13th century – once the election is over, the subsequent events transpire with impressive speed.
Countdown to first public appearance
The first announcement to the world that a new pope has been selected is signaled per tradition by ringing the bells as St. Peter's Basilica as white smoke – fumata bianca – issues from the stovepipe chimney atop the Sistine Chapel. With those ceremonial notices, an informal countdown begins to the moment that the new pope's identity is revealed to the world.
While the faithful typically congregate in St. Peter's Square daily during the conclave, the public signal that a pontiff has been chosen precipitates a surge of observers rushing to be among the first to see the new pope in person.
Although much ceremony remains, it's important to note that the newly elected pope's full authority and jurisdiction begins immediately upon his acceptance of the office, which he of course must do before any public announcement – if he refuses the office, the conclave continues the balloting.
As soon as the new pontiff has assented to his election the conclave ends, though the assembled cardinals will remain at the Vatican until the attendant ceremonies are over. In 2013, Francis requested that the cardinals remain in Rome for an extra day to pray with him.
Meanwhile, the new pope is formally asked by what name he will be known. While popes aren't obliged to change their name, every pontiff for the past 470 years has done so, usually choosing the name of a predecessor to both honor them and signal their intention to emulate his example. Pope Francis was a notable exception, choosing not the name of a former pope but that of St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century cleric and patron saint of animals and the environment.
The only pontifical name that hasn't been used more than once is Peter, the name of the first pope, though there's no prohibition against doing so.
Papal clothing for his first appearance
The next step is to get the new pope attired for his first public appearance. The liturgical garments – such as robes, stoles and hats – worn by the pope and other Christian church officials are known as vestments. Since 1798, the pope's vestments have been manufactured by the Gammarelli family tailors in Rome, who first made the garments for Pope Pius VI. This year, however, ecclesiastical tailor Ranieri Manchinelli, also in Rome, has prepared the new pope's vestments.
Since no one knows who will be elected pope – and therefore, what size clothing the new pope will require – three sets of vestments are prepared ahead of time for his first public appearance, in sizes small, medium and large.
The vestments are placed in the Stanza delle Lacrime, or Room of Tears, which is a small sacristy, or clergy preparation area, just off the Sistine Chapel. It's here that the new pope will dress in his temporary vestments as the world awaits his first public appearance. However, there's still a final bit of ceremony to complete.
The Fisherman's Ring
Once attired in his vestments, the pontiff returns to the Sistine Chapel and sits on a papal chair. The camerlengo – that is, the cardinal who oversees the conclave, in this case Cardinal Kevin Ferrell – then escorts the master of ceremonies who bears the Fisherman's Ring on a velvet cushion to the new pope. Pope Francis' ring was ceremonially broken after his death – a ritual signifying the formal end of his papal authority and marking the transition of leadership and the close of his chapter in Church history.
Perhaps more than any other item, the Fisherman's Ring in popular culture is most closely identified with papal authority. So named in honor of St. Peter the Apostle, a fisherman and the first pope, Catholics who meet the pope traditionally kiss the ring to demonstrate both their respect for the pontiff and their devotion to the Church.
The camerlengo places the Fisherman's Ring on the fourth finger of the pope's right hand, then kneels and kisses it. The pope then removes the ring and gives it to the master of ceremonies, who will have the new pope’s name inscribed on it.
The assembled cardinals next step up in turn and pay homage to the new pope, who leads them in a hymn and also gives them his benediction – the first blessing of his pontificate.
'Habemus papam'
Now fittingly attired in his temporary vestments, the new pope enters St. Peter's Basilica for the formal announcement of his election and the revelation of his identity to the faithful and the world.
With thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square below, the attendant cardinals first emerge onto the side balconies of the St. Peter's Basilica facade. The senior cardinal deacon then appears on the central balcony and declares in Latin: "Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus papam" – "I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope."
The senior cardinal deacon then announces both the birth name of the elected cardinal, and the pontifical name the new pope has chosen for himself.
It is only now – typically a mere hour or so after the white smoke first emerged from the stovepipe chimney of the Sistine Chapel – that the new pope, clad in his papal vestments, steps out onto the balcony and greets the world. He immediately delivers his first Apostolic Urbi et Orbi blessing – meaning to "the city and the world."
Formal installation in office
A ceremonial mass to formally install the new pope is held about a week after his election, either in St. Peter’s Square or basilica, with cardinals, bishops and other international dignitaries present. While the ceremony historically featured far more pomp and pageantry akin to a coronation – including the pope being literally crowned with a triregnum, or three-tiered tiara, and sitting on an ornate papal throne – much of that pageantry has been abandoned.
Pope Paul VI was the last to wear the triregnum, during his installation in 1963. He also was the first to hold the ceremony outdoors, in St. Peter's Square, to accommodate the enormous crowds that wished to attend.
ABC News' Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office that he will soon announce a new nominee for the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, replacing his pick, Ed Martin.
"He is a terrific person. He wasn't getting the support from people that I thought," Trump said during a White House event. "I'm very disappointed in that. But I have so many different things that I'm doing now with the trade. One person, I can only lift that little phone so many times in a day. But we have somebody else that will be great."
Trump said his administration will "have somebody else that we’ll be announcing over the next two days who’s gonna be great.”
Trump tapped Martin in mid-February to stay on permanently as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a role that requires Senate confirmation.
But Martin's past, specifically his defense of Jan. 6 rioters and inflammatory rhetoric around the Capitol attack plagued his nomination.
Martin had to apologize in an interview for his past praise of a Jan. 6 rioter who had a lengthy history of antisemitic statements and had infamously posted photos of himself dressed as Adolf Hitler.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a key Republican vote on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told ABC News this week he would not support Martin and that he had relayed his opposition to the White House.
The opposition from Tillis, who is up for reelection next year, combined with that from all Democrats, could block Martin's nomination from getting out of committee.
Trump stood by choosing Martin and called the waning support for him "disappointing" -- but that ultimately the decision was up to senators.
"They have to follow their heart and they have to follow their mind," Trump said when asked about Martin's uphill battle in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Martin has been acting interim U.S. attorney since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. In that time, he has moved to fire or demote career attorneys who investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and has sent letters to top Democrats and other political opponents threatening them with potential criminal investigations.
Martin's term as interim U.S. attorney, which can only last 120 days, is set to expire on May 20.
-ABC News' Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin and Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
AUSTIN – Texas lawmakers want to help young learners who are lagging behind in math and reading, an early setback that threatens to derail their path to high school graduation.
More than half of third graders in the state are not at grade level in reading or math, meaning they lack the key foundational skills they need to thrive as learners.
Students who are behind in third grade rarely catch up, which can lead to serious consequences later in life. Research shows students who struggle to read by third grade are more likely to drop out of high school. Math proficiency is tied to economic mobility as an adult.
The Texas House gave final approval Wednesday to House Bill 123, which aims to provide struggling students extra learning support as early as kindergarten, before learning gaps compound.
“The whole bill presupposes…there’s nothing wrong with these children, but there was simply something wrong with what we were giving them,” state Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, said from the House floor on Tuesday.
Last month, the Senate passed a similar bill, Senate Bill 2252. Members from both chambers are now expected to reconcile differences in their proposals in a closed-door conference committee.
The legislation would require districts to use literacy and numeracy screeners to identify students who are struggling early on. The screeners would assess students three times a year between pre-K and 3rd grade on skills like phonics, vocabulary and spelling. Those who are furthest behind would get extra tutoring in small group settings.
The Texas Education Agency would develop a screener that districts could use for free, though districts would be allowed to continue using their own screening methods.
Students are assessed on school readiness when they first enter kindergarten. After that, the state has limited visibility into literacy development until the third-grade STAAR test, with two dyslexia screenings currently acting as the only formal checkpoints.
“We simply cannot afford to wait past third grade to intervene,” said Amber Shields with the education policy nonprofit Commit Partnership, in testimony before lawmakers last month.
Both the House and Senate bills would require schools to share the screening results with parents. Advocates say the information could improve parent engagement and encourage them to help build their children’s skills after school.
Gabe Grantham, an education policy adviser for the think tank Texas 2036, said the information from the screenings could bridge discrepancies between how students are performing in school and how their parents think they are performing.
The legislation would also expand educators’ access to math and reading instructional materials. Teachers often work unpaid hours to complete training known as math and reading academies, which give them the tools to help build students’ skills in those subjects. HB 123 would give districts funding to pay teachers who take those courses after their regular workday.
The efforts to reduce financial barriers for teachers to take this training come at a time when lawmakers are also trying to limit uncertified teachers from leading classes in foundational skills like math and reading. School districts around the state have increasingly leaned on uncertified teachers to lead classrooms as they’ve struggled to hire and retain trained instructors.
The Texas legislation mimics literacy interventions in Louisiana and Mississippi, states that have made significant leaps in student achievement in recent years. Mississippi fourth-grade reading scores soared — a phenomenon referred to as the Mississippi Miracle — after the state implemented regular literacy screening and provided intensive literacy training to K-3 teachers.
Meanwhile, Texas’ fourth-grade reading scores ranked 37th in the nation, even as students have started to rebound from learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article originally published by The Texas Tribune. To read the originally published article, click here.
