WORLD NEWS FLASH
THE VATICAN
After the loss of one beloved pontiff, a conclave convened and elected another – with a red, white and blue twist.
In the span of two days, over 130 Cardinals descended upon the Sistene Chapel to name a new Pope of the Catholic Church upon the death of Pope Francis. After just two days, they made their selection, and it was unprecedented.
For the first time in history, the new Pope was someone born in the United States of America. Robert Francis Prevost, born 1955 in Chicago, was raised on the South Side by his Louisiana Creole Hispanic family. After being heavily involved in church activities as a youth, he would go on to Villanova University, where he earned a B.S. in Mathematics (so if the Knicks and their bevy of former Villanova Wildcats do well in the playoffs, there you go.)
After college, he would join the Order of Saint Augustine and eventually do missionary work in Peru. Over the years, he would rise up the chain to obtain ranks such as Prior provincial and prior general from 1998-2013, and Bishop of Chiclayo from 2014-2023. During his time there, he impressed Pope Francis with his work, and was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023, followed by more oversight positions by His Holiness.
On May 8, white smoke would be seen from the Chapel on the fourth ballot, with Prevost coming out on top. Not long after, he would take the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica for his first public appearance, now bearing the moniker Pope Leo XIV. The new pontiff selected the name in honor of Pope Leo XIII who championed labor rights.
Among the people speaking on the occasion were two powerful Newark leaders, with one of them actually having voted on the matter.
“With a grateful heart, I thank God for the gift of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church has been blessed once again with a beloved shepherd to lead us in faith and unity. I offer my fervent prayers for our new Pope as he embraces this sacred ministry of service. May God endow him with wisdom, courage, and compassion, and may his leadership inspire the whole Church to walk ever more closely with Christ and to love one another more deeply,” said Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., on the Election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
“All of Newark is joined in prayer for the global ministry of Pope Leo XIV, an American known for his deep commitment to social justice, the protection of migrants, and environmental stewardship,” Mayor Baraka said in a statement. “Praised for his sentiment that a ‘bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom,’ the world’s new pontiff arrives with the kind of hand-to-hand and heart-to-heart leadership that the world is in desperate need of.”
UNITED STATES
FEDS MAKE RECORD SETTING BUST
Last week, federal authorities have arrested 16 individuals and seized record-breaking quantities of fentanyl, cash, firearms, and vehicles across multiple states, dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous drug trafficking organizations in U.S. history.
“This historic drug seizure, led by the DEA, is a significant blow against the Sinaloa Cartel that removes poison from our streets and protects American citizens from the scourge of fentanyl,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle every cartel network operating illegally in the United States.”
Albuquerque, NM:
- Approximately $610,000 in U.S. currency
- 49 firearms, some with switches, and some ghost guns
- 396 kilograms of fentanyl pills
- 11.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder
- 1.5 kilograms of cocaine
- 3.5 kilograms of heroin
- 7 pounds of methamphetamine
- A Ford Raptor and GMC Denali Two vehicles valued at approximately $140,000
Salem, OR:
- More than $2.8 million in U.S. currency
- Jewelry valued at approximately $50,000
- A Mercedes AMG and Ford F-150 Shelby valued at approximately $150,000
Layton, UT:
- Approximately $780,000 in U.S. currency
- A Dodge TRX Mammoth valued at approximately $150,000
Phoenix, AZ:
- Approximately $390,000 in U.S. currency
- 72 pounds of methamphetamine
- 13 kilograms of fentanyl pills
- 2.4 pounds of heroin
- 5 kilograms of cocaine.
Las Vegas, NV:
- Illegal alien apprehended and removed
- More than $93,000 in U.S. currency
- 2.7 kilograms of cocaine
- 1 pound of methamphetamine
“Our communities are safer today because of the tireless dedication and coordination among federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison for the District of New Mexico. “By dismantling one of the largest and most dangerous fentanyl trafficking organizations in U.S. history, we have removed millions of lethal doses from our streets and sent a clear message: those who profit from poisoning our citizens will be held accountable. The fight continues, but this operation marks a decisive step in protecting families across the western United States.”
“Behind the three million fentanyl pills we seized are destructive criminal acts thwarted and American lives saved. This wasn’t just a bust—it was a battlefield victory against a terrorist-backed network pumping death into our cities,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy. “This case represents DEA’s largest single seizure of fentanyl pills to date. I commend the men and women of DEA for their extraordinary work, day in and day out, and I remind the cartels that DEA is relentlessly in pursuit and will not stop until we destroy your networks.”
Heriberto Salazar Amaya, 36, is the leader of the drug trafficking organization. He, along with Cesar Acuna-Moreno, 27, Bruce Sedillo, 26, Vincent Montoya, 35, David Anesi, 42, George Navarette-Ramirez, 25, Alex Anthony Martinez, Jose Luis Marquez, Nicholas Tanner, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young, Alan Singer, and David Altamirano Lopez are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Seven defendants face additional charges of distributing fentanyl: Cesar Acuna-Moreno, Brian Sanchez, Kaitlyn Young, Alan Singer, Bruce Sedillo, and Nicholas Tanner.
Jose Luis Marquez and Bruce Sedillo are each charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Bruce Sedillo is also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Heriberto Salazar Amaya faces three additional immigration-related charges: illegal reentry after deportation, hiring an unauthorized alien, and conspiracy to harbor unauthorized aliens.
The DEA’s El Paso Division investigated this case with assistance from the IRS Criminal Investigation. The following law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement operation: Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Lea County Drug Task Force, United States Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, Isleta Police Department, Laguna Pueblo Police Department, Pojoaque Police Department and Sandoval County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew McGinley, Blake Nichols and Raquel Ruiz-Velez for the District of New Mexico are prosecuting the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information from 5-13-2025
2025 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker, https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2025)
- Total Mass Shootings: 129
- Total Dead: 171
- Total Wounded: 512
- Shootings Per Day: 0.97
- Days Reached in Year 2025 as of noon May 13: 133
ASIA
RUSSIA FOUND RESPONSIBLE FOR CRASH
A UN body has found that Russia was responsible for the July 17, 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine that killed all 298 people on board.
The council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted on May 12 that Russia failed to uphold its obligations under international air law which requires that States “refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight.”
The case was brought by the Netherlands and Australia.
“This represents the first time in ICAO’s history that its Council has made a determination on the merits of a dispute between Member States under the Organization’s dispute settlement mechanism,” the UN agency said.
Flight MH17 was heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine amid the armed conflict between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian military forces.
All 283 passengers and 15 crew members were killed. They represented some 17 nationalities and included 196 Dutch citizens, 43 Malaysians and 38 Australian citizens or residents.
ICAO develops and implements global aviation strategies and technical standards and the council is its governing body. The UN agency created a special task force on risks to civil aviation arising from conflict zones in the weeks following the crash.
The Netherlands established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in August 2014 together with Australia, Malaysia and Belgium, as well as Ukraine.
The JIT determined that flight MH17 was shot down by a missile launched from a Buk TELAR installation that was transported from Russia to a farm field in eastern Ukraine in an area controlled by separatists.
In November 2022, a Dutch court convicted three men – two Russians and a Ukrainian – for murder. They were tried in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. Another Russian man was acquitted.
That same year, the Netherlands and Australia launched the case with ICAO.
It centered on allegations that Russia’s conduct in the downing of the aircraft by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine constituted a breach of the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
War in Ukraine has escalated since the crash following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
WORLD
MILLIONS DISPLACED
A record 83.4 million people have been forced from their homes around the world, fueled by an increase in disasters and conflict, the UN migration agency, IOM, said on May 13.
“These figures are a clear warning: without bold and coordinated action, the number of people displaced within their own countries will continue to grow rapidly,” said Amy Pope, Director General of International Organization for Migration.
The recent rise in conflicts worldwide – particularly in Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Ukraine and Palestine has pushed millions more into displacement, adding to the tens of millions who already live in protracted displacement in countries such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Syria and Yemen.
The number of displaced due to disasters has risen massively, climbing from last year’s 26.8 million to 45.8 million. “The number of disaster displacements in 2024 was nearly double the annual average of the past decade,” IOM said in a new report issued by the internal displacement monitoring center (IDMC).
Almost 30 countries and territories have reported unprecedented disaster displacement – with cyclones accounting for more than one in two people forced from their homes. The United States alone makes up about one in four of those displaced globally by disasters.
With the frequency, intensity and duration of weather hazards continuously worsening owing to climate change, there is little to suggest that the trend will not continue.
“This report is a call for preventive action, to use data and other tools to anticipate displacement before it happens and for the humanitarian and development sectors to work together with governments to develop longer-term solutions to prevent displacement,” Ms. Pope stressed.
Displacement caused by conflict and violence remains high and continues to be a major cause for displacement, too – although it did decrease slightly in 2024, compared to the previous 12 months.
Over 20 million conflict-related displacements have been recorded and almost half of these stem from Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“These latest numbers prove that internal displacement is not just a humanitarian crisis; it’s a clear development and political challenge that requires far more attention than it currently receives,” said Alexandra Bilak, director of IOM’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.
