A weak Pope Francis thanks people for their prayers ‘from the bottom of my heart’ in audio message

A weak and breathless Pope Francis thanked people for their prayers for his recovery in a remarkable audio message broadcast Thursday, the first public sign of life from the 88-year-old pope since he was hospitalized three weeks ago with double pneumonia. Francis’ feeble voice, discernible through his labored breaths and in his native Spanish, was … Read more

Trump’s labor secretary pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer advances to final Senate vote 

Labor Secretary-designate Lori Chavez-DeRemer inched closer to Senate confirmation Thursday after lawmakers voted to end debate on her nomination.  In a 66-30 vote, 15 Democratic senators signaled support for President Trump’s pick, as Chavez-DeRemer advanced to a final vote on her nomination – which is scheduled to take place on Monday.  Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet … Read more

Adrien Brody’s nearly 6-minute Oscar speech was insufferable — and yet another eye-roll moment for the actor

The Oscars love record breakers. On Sunday, “Anora” director Sean Baker made history with his four Academy Award wins, including Best Picture, in one night. And Paul Tazewell (“Wicked”) became the first black man to accept the trophy for Costume Design. Fun, nice. But a grotesque and sickening achievement was also notched at the Dolby … Read more

House panel subpoenas Google parent Alphabet over content moderation

The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Alphabet on Thursday seeking its communications with former President Joe Biden’s administration about content moderation policies. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a Republican, also asked the YouTube parent company for similar communications with companies and groups outside government, according to a copy of the subpoena seen by Reuters. The subpoena … Read more

AOC, other Dem congresswomen roasted over ‘Choose your fighter’ TikTok

It’s more like Mortal Kringe-bat. A handful of Democratic congresswomen — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — were ruthlessly roasted after appearing in a cringey “Choose your fighter” TikTok clip that quickly went viral. The White House and other social media commenters mocked the nearly 20-second video that was initially posted by author and influencer Sulhee … Read more