Autor: Al Punto Hoy from ANASTACIO ALEGRIA

For most of the past century, the relationship between the White House and the Vatican has been one of the more carefully managed diplomatic arrangements in American foreign policy. Popes and presidents have disagreed — over Vietnam, nuclear weapons, abortion, immigration, the death penalty — but the disagreements have been conducted through established channels of statecraft, quiet diplomacy, back-channel messaging, and carefully worded statements. The Holy See, which maintains diplomatic relations with 184 sovereign states, has navigated the rise of fascism, two world wars, the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and outlasted emperors, dictators, and democracies. …

Yves here. In a talk with Ben Norton, Michael Hudson discusses how borrowing in the US has increasingly served to fund speculation in assets, as opposed to productive investment, with one of the perverse results that companies buy back stock and offshore/outsource activities as opposed to invest in the business of their business. We discussed this ultimately Ponzi-like activity early on, in a 2005 article in the Conference Board Review, The Incredible Shrinking Corporation. The discussion below looks at how post-crisis policies turbo-charged this sorry tendency and provides current data on some of its effects, such as an acceleration of…

Washington — The Senate adopted a budget resolution after a marathon overnight vote series, a key step as Republicans move ahead with a plan to fund immigration agencies under the Department of Homeland Security without help from Democrats.In a 50 to 48 vote, the Senate adopted the resolution just after 3:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday after about five hours. Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only members of their party to break ranks and vote against the resolution, which now goes to the House for adoption before the final funding bill can be crafted and…

Chloe Bailey had time to check a social media user who claimed she was forcing “baddie energy” when she’s really just a good girl. The singer wasn’t here for the shade at all, clapping back quick and letting them know that balance exists.RELATED: And, What About It? Chloe Bailey Claps Back At Troll Who Commented On Her Weight During Livestream (WATCH)Chloe Bailey Shuts Down Troll & Stands On BusinessRecently, Chloe Bailey hopped on X (formerly Twitter) responding to a post asking, “what is life teaching you right now?” Bailey said, “that she’s a bad b*tch.” A X user ended up peeping…

Mark Vientos blooped a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the New York Mets snapped their 12-game losing streak Wednesday night, beating the Minnesota Twins 3-2 after getting one superstar back only to see another exit with a similar injury.Juan Soto went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk in his return from a strained right calf, but shortstop Francisco Lindor was removed with left calf tightness after laboring around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez’s go-ahead double in the fourth.Byron Buxton tied it 2-all with a leadoff homer in the sixth against Clay…

A SK Hynix flag (R) and a South Korean national flag (L) flutter outside the company’s Bundang office in Seongnam on Jan. 26, 2024. Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty ImagesSouth Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix posted yet another quarter of record profit and revenue on Thursday, as prices for its products continue to surge amid strong AI demand. While its earnings were broadly in line with estimates, revenue missed forecasts.Here are SK Hynix’s first-quarter results versus LSEG smart estimates, which are weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate:Revenue: 52.58 trillion won ($35.55 billion) vs. 53.55 trillion…

Like nature itself, politics abhors a vacuum. So the hole in the California Democratic gubernatorial field caused by front-runner Eric Swalwell’s sudden, scandal-driven withdrawal from the race (and resignation from Congress) created a whole new dynamic. And now, there’s growing evidence that Xavier Becerra, the former Health and Human Services secretary and California attorney general, is exploiting this situation to leap into contention in the state’s nonpartisan top-two primary.

An attorney representing the wife of an active-duty U.S. Army sergeant said she was told Wednesday she would be released from immigration detention after more than a week in custody — but instead she’s facing deportation to Mexico. Deisy Fidelina Rivera Ortega was taken into custody April 14 in El Paso while attending a routine immigration interview related to a «Parole in Place» application — a program that can allow undocumented family members of U.S. military personnel to remain in the country legally.On Wednesday afternoon, her legal team said they received information that Rivera Ortega would be released.The wife of an…

Lupe Fiasco paired his signature blend of sharp lyricism and cerebral hip-hop with HUGE energy to the streets this weekend — literally. The Grammy-winning Chicago rapper headlined the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, a three-day, full-throttle spectacle that reads like a car culturist’s dream. We’re talking super trucks, drift challenges, vintage sports car competitions, and more, all set against a backdrop of auto expos and live music right on the bay. It’s an event the city has been hosting for decades, but this year felt special as one of hip-hop’s most innovative artists brought his full catalog of hits…

Two people are dead and one is in critical condition after a “chemical release” at a West Virginia manufacturing facility, officials said Wednesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The incident occurred at 9:46 a.m. at Catalyst Refiners, Inc. Institute in Kanawha County, authorities said in a news release. Twenty-one people sought medical care or evaluation at the plant, which manufactures silver catalyst, according to the release. Five employees from the county’s emergency ambulance authority were being evaluated for possible exposure, the officials said.The facility was in the process of shutting down its…