Most Notable Newsworthy Events of May
Editor Zach Myers writes “Pope Francis recently passed away from pneumonia” (Jadyn Jacobs).
June 23, 2025
Zachary Myers, Editor
I usually never get interested in following up on the news. I never watch it on the news because nowadays it has become so untrustworthy and biased towards certain sides of the aisle (republican or democrat). What I usually do is read articles for anything interesting, and I thought of something. Why not break down the most important/notable news headline of each week of each month? I will break down the news of the week based on the facts and offer my insight into them.
Thursday the 1st-Saturday the 10th:
As most people know, Pope Francis recently passed away from pneumonia. Meetings were held at the conclave to elect a new pope, and a new pope has been elected. Cardinal Robert Prevost will serve as Pope Leo XIV. Prevost, being from Chicago, Illinois, will be the first U.S.-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church. In his first speech after being elected, he emphasized peace and missionary evangelization while wearing the traditional red cape of the papacy. Prevost was brought into the Vatican by Pope Francis to head the office that vets bishops from across the globe, giving him more prominence in the Conclave elections. Congratulations have been in order from all across the world, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Even as someone who is not into religion, it was pretty jarring to see someone other than Pope Francis be elected as the new head of the Catholic Church. I do not know much about the incoming pope, Robert Provest, but judging from the worldwide reactions to his election, he seems like a likable guy. I can understand his message of peace around the world, which is something we desperately need (even if we need to do more than just pray). A funny thing circulating about Provest is whether he was a Cubs or White Sox fan (footage from the 2005 World Series would prove he was a fan of the latter team). I hope our new Pope can make a difference in this chaotic world we are living in.
https://apnews.com/live/conclave-pope-catholic-church-updates-5-8-2025
Sunday the 11th-Saturday the 17th:
The two biggest economies in the world seem to be reconciling in their relations. Recently, the United States and China agreed to pause most of their tariffs against each other. Both countries' reciprocal tariffs will be cut from 125% to 10%, while the US’s 20% duty tariff on fentanyl from China will remain at 20%. The cuts come after the two countries met in Switzerland for high-stakes talks, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent remarking that “We had very productive talks and I believe that the venue, here in Lake Geneva, added great equanimity to what was a very positive process.” The pause has caused stocks like the Nasdaq and the Dow to go up between 2% and 3%, while oil sales and prices continue to rise.
While there is still probably work to be done, it is good that the US and China are getting to an agreement on how they handle goods from each other. Considering the economic status of both countries, it is vital that they both work in relative harmony so that the world economy flows smoothly. While we only have the word of those who attended to base what was said in the secret meetings in Switzerland, it seems those involved were level-headed and discussed the best options for each country. If both the US and China are working together in somewhat peace, the world will be better off, especially economically.
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/12/us-and-china-agree-to-slash-tariffs-for-90-days.html
Sunday the 18th-Saturday the 24th:
There are times when you have to put political affiliations aside when the story goes beyond politics. Former US President Joe Biden was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. His office released a statement saying his Gleason score (which determines how aggressive the cancer is) is 9, which indicates that Biden has severe cancer. While this indicates that the cancer will spread rapidly, his diagnosis is hormone sensitive, which should be easier to manage, as noted in the statement. Biden’s health was a cause for concern throughout and especially late in his presidency, as he had another cancerous lesion removed from his chest in 2023. Statements of support have been going around the political world, namely from President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama (who Biden served under as vice president), and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
This is one of those times when you have to feel bad for the man, not the politician. Even if you are a hardcore conservative and very much against Joe Biden, you have to feel a little bad for him. Cancer is not something anyone should have to go through at any point, and those who are not sympathetic to Biden show they only see him as a politician. I was not a fan of Biden throughout his presidency, but I do feel sorry for him, considering the ordeal cancer puts someone through. I wish President Biden a safe recovery from his cancer.
Sunday the 25th-Saturday the 31st:
While this story broke weeks ago, it still has some developing information and is still very relevant. Ten inmates escaped from a New Orleans, Louisiana jail on the 16th of May by ripping a toilet and sink out of a wall and going through the hole they left. Eight out of the ten inmates have been caught and sent back to prison, with their crimes ranging from armed robbery to multiple charges of second-degree murder. There have also been family members charged with aiding their relatives in their escape and evasion of police. The two inmates still on the run are Antione Massey and Derrick Groves. Groves is charged with multiple counts of second degree murder and attempted murder, and Massey is charged with domestic abuse with a seperate warrant for rape and kidnapping.
Inmates do escape from prisons, but you rarely ever see it at the scale we saw in this case. We don’t know the goings-on of this prison in New Orleans, but likely, the prison was not very secure in keeping the inmates locked up, or the inmates had lots of control over the prison (more than they should). It is also interesting to see the families of the criminals help them. While I understand family loyalty, there has to be a point where families understand that their relative committed a horrible crime and disown them. Hopefully, these inmates never see the light of day again, prisons get more enforced to prevent these escapes, and families understand what they were doing.
