Pope Leo brushes off Trump’s attack: The Rundown
Good afternoon! It’s Monday, and get ready for summerlike temperatures this week — plus a chance of thunderstorms every day. Here’s what else you need to know today.
Catholic leaders, along with Gov. JB Pritzker and gubernatorial rival Darren Bailey, are defending Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV as President Donald Trump faces backlash for calling the head of the Catholic Church “terrible for foreign policy” and posting a since-deleted AI-generated image of the president as Jesus.
“I think [the pope is] going to rally people of faith to say, ‘Thank God he’s standing up,’ and that we stand with him,” Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church said. “I think Trump unconsciously is waking up a sleeping giant... I think [Pope Leo is] going to be a very strong voice, and he’s not going away. He’s not going anywhere.”
“...And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States,” Trump also said in the post, which also mentioned Democratic strategist David Axelrod’s visit with the pope at the Vatican last week.
Trump later posted an AI-generated image which portrayed himself as Jesus healing a sick man. The post was removed amid backlash from several corners of the religious right. The president told reporters outside the Oval Office today the image was “supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better.”
After nearly a year of addressing concern over Trump administration policies but never name-dropping, Pope Leo directly addressed the president’s attack today aboard the papal plane headed to Algeria, The Associated Press reports.
“I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for,” Pope Leo said. [Chicago Sun-Times]
2. Trump’s deportation blitz last fall evoked painful memories of Latin American ‘disappearances’
Neris González was captured and brutally tortured in El Salvador decades ago before moving to Chicago. Now, she worries the U.S. could eventually head down a similar path, my colleague Kade Heather reports.
“When I see Border Patrol here in Chicago, I never imagined ... that in a country called the United States and here in Chicago, there would be such an aggressive, violent, unaccountable and military migration response,” González, 70, told the Chicago Sun-Times in Spanish through an interpreter.
That response included a military-style overnight raid of a South Shore apartment building with federal agents rappelling from a helicopter, knocking down doors and rounding up 37 people, mostly Venezuelan migrants but also a handful of U.S. citizens and children.
Masked agents in unmarked vehicles deployed tear gas on residential streets, shot two people, killing one, and swept up people at courthouses, schools, gas stations, grocery stores and work sites, often without warrants. An unreliable locator system meant some detainees effectively disappeared for days at a time.
“We need to do more documentation of what happened … even if there [are] less aggressive tactics today, [they] could be repeated in the future,” said Ariel Dulitzky, an expert in the inter-American human rights system. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Last year, more than 3,500 Chicago Public Schools students earned the seal, a new record, my colleague Emmanuel Camarillo reports. That number was much higher than in 2015, the first year awards were presented to graduates, when 91 students received the recognition. Forty-one languages were represented, including Swahili, Afrikaans and Hungarian.
Educators and experts say that growth is due to a combination of factors, including increased awareness of the program among families, expanded language testing and a rising interest in multilingualism, which can make students more marketable when applying for colleges or jobs.
It can also be a financial boon because public colleges and universities in Illinois award college credit to students who have the seal, saving time and money as they work toward their degrees. And students say the award makes them proud of themselves and their skills. [Chicago Sun-Times]
4. The Chicago Latino Film Fest takes cinephiles to Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba and beyond
This year’s event presents more than 80 titles from around the world, including timely period pieces, stop-motion animation and four locally made shorts, Ambar Colón reports for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Organizers said they are using the festival as a cultural bridge between Latin American countries and the United States by showcasing international cinema alongside local independent works for two weeks at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema in Lake View, starting Thursday.
“The stories are universal,” founder Pepe Vargas said. “But you have to be willing to get exposed and really get connected.” After more than 40 years under Vargas’ leadership, the event is the largest and longest-running festival dedicated to showcasing work by Latino filmmakers in the United States. [Chicago Sun-Times]
5. Knitting and crocheting devotees swarmed YarnCon for threads and thrills
As Erica Thompson reports for the Chicago Sun-Times, the annual fair launched in 2007 to support local, independent fiber producers who could not afford to participate in major craft shows. After a small start at the Pulaski Fieldhouse, the event has now grown to feature more than 60 vendors from Illinois and throughout the United States.
In contrast to the frenzied environment at the fair, the act of knitting or crocheting has a calming effect for hobbyists. YarnCon attendees reported benefits to their mental health, praising the activity for helping them build community, learn a skill and find an alternative to the fast-fashion craze.
“Because of the slow nature of the craft, it’s really allowing you to sit and spend time with yourself,” said attendee Michael Smith of Rogers Park. “Everything’s so fast-paced. Whether you’re scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, it’s very overstimulating.” [Chicago Sun-Times]
Here’s what else is happening
- Trump vowed to sink Iranian ships approaching a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. [NPR]
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lost his bid for a fifth consecutive term after voters turned out in numbers not seen since the fall of communism in the 1990s. [NPR]
- More than 1,000 movie stars, writers, directors and other Hollywood professionals announced their “unequivocal opposition” to the proposed Paramount merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. [AP]
- The Federal Aviation Administration took a rare step to head off a traffic jam at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport amid competition between United Airlines and American Airlines. [NPR]
Oh, and one more thing …
Education behind bars, including its possibilities and obstacles, was the theme of this past weekend’s special broadcast of WBEZ’s “Prisoncast!,” a radio program exploring the prison system through questions and requests from people incarcerated in Illinois and their loved ones.
You can listen to the program in the link, where you’ll hear why some people choose to pursue an education — even if they’re serving a life sentence — and why some people say Illinois needs more prison education.
Also in the broadcast: why Illinois prisons are still providing abysmal health care despite years of court oversight, the transportive power of music for people locked up and the creative ways people preserve their dignity through beauty routines.
Heads up: The recording is long but well worth a listen, whether you have a loved one inside or just want to learn. [WBEZ]
Tell me something good …
Last week, I changed my travel plans and will now be going on what the tour company describes as a summer camp-inspired trip to Switzerland. That has me wondering, what nature-related travel memories stand out to you, whether it’s camping, hiking or something else?
Feel free to email me, and your response may be included in the newsletter this week.
Discussion in the ATmosphere