Good Morning! Today’s edition is 1,087 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Phone-free classroom legislation

• Gold prices hit a record high

• How much federal funding does your state get

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Big Story

Pope Francis Passes

Pope Francis died Monday morning of a stroke and heart failure at age 88 in his Vatican apartment, following a lengthy hospitalization for pneumonia in February-March.

• Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, Francis made history as the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope when elected in 2013. He worked as a chemical technician before joining the priesthood, and his modest background shaped his lifelong focus on social issues.

• Pope Francis transformed the papacy through his "everyman humility.” He chose to live in simple Vatican guest house quarters instead of ornate papal apartments, traveled in ordinary vehicles rather than limousines, and was known for preparing his own meals and taking public transportation even as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

• Francis deliberately reached out to those on society's margins - visiting refugees in Lampedusa, meeting with sex abuse victims, and maintaining that the church was for "everyone," including LGBTQ+ people, though he didn't change official doctrine.

• A nine-day mourning period begins now, with the pope's body to lie in state in St. Peter's Basilica before his funeral. Cardinals under 80 will gather for a conclave to elect his successor within 15-20 days.

Big Story

Veep Visits India

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a four-day visit that mixes personal travel with high-stakes diplomacy.

• His agenda centers on talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as India scrambles to avoid Trump's threatened tariffs within a 90-day deadline.

• The meetings will review progress on bilateral priorities outlined during Modi's February meeting with President Trump in Washington. Key focus areas include addressing the $45.7 billion US trade deficit with India and expanding defense cooperation. India is reportedly open to cutting tariffs on over half of its $41.8 billion US imports.

• Beyond trade negotiations, Vance's trip serves dual purposes: personal connection (his wife Usha is the daughter of Indian immigrants) and diplomatic groundwork for a potential Trump visit later this year for the Quad summit, including India, Australia, Japan, and the US.

Big Story

Phone-free Classrooms

Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) have proposed legislation offering up to $5 million to help school districts develop phone-free classroom programs.

• Nine states have already implemented statewide restrictions, and 39 more are considering similar measures. Nationally, 77% of schools say phones can only be used for academic purposes, but it doesn’t mean students are following those rules or that schools are enforcing them.

• Virginia has already pioneered restrictions under Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, with policies varying by grade level. At Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, high schoolers store phones in classroom caddies during lessons while middle schoolers keep devices in locked pouches all day.

• School administrators report positive results but acknowledge finding the right balance is challenging. The Senators reflect this sentiment and say local officials responsible to voters must try to figure out the right fit for each situation instead of the federal government.

Quick Stories

US News

• The Department of Education will restart involuntary collection of defaulted federal student loans on May 5, seizing tax refunds and other government payments. These collections were paused in 2020 during Trump's first term as a COVID response. (More)

• Harvard University sued the Trump administration after the government froze $2.2 billion in grants and demanded what the school called “unusual control” over the university. (More)

• Patrick Crusius, who killed 23 people at a Texas Walmart in 2019. pleaded guilty Monday to capital murder. He accepted a plea deal, avoiding the death penalty after already receiving 90 consecutive life terms for hate crimes. (More)

World

• World Economic Forum chairman Klaus Schwab resigned from both his chairman position and board membership. Vice chair Peter Brabeck-Letmathe will serve as interim chair while a search committee selects a new leader. (More)

• President Bukele of El Salvador offered to swap 250 Venezuelan deportees from his Terrorism Confinement Center for Maduro's political prisoners. Venezuela quickly rejected the offer as cynical and an admission of illegal detention. (More)

• China warns it will retaliate against countries working with the US at China's expense. This comes as Trump's administration plans to use tariff talks to pressure US partners into limiting their China dealings. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Monday (S&P -2.36%, Nasdaq -2.55%, Dow -2.48%). The “Magnificent Seven” tech titans dragged the major indexes down. (More)

• Chipotle will open its first Mexico location early next year through a development agreement with Alsea. Chipotle also plans to explore additional expansion throughout Latin America. (More)

• Gold prices broke $3,400 on Monday, hitting a new record as Trump's threats against Fed independence and his tariffs shook investor confidence. It jumped 3.15% as the dollar hit a three-year low. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN personality Shannon Sharpe faces sexual assault allegations in a lawsuit filed Sunday by "Jane Doe." The woman seeks $50 million in damages, claiming multiple assaults during their two-year "rocky consensual relationship." (More)

• Kenyan runner John Korir won the 2025 Boston Marathon Monday with a time of 2:04:45. Sharon Lokedi of Kenya smashed the women’s course record at the Boston Marathon by more than two minutes, finishing first in 2:17:22. (More)

• Duke star Cooper Flagg, the Wooden Award winner and projected No. 1 pick, officially entered the NBA draft Monday. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• Microblogging social media service Bluesky announced Monday it's rolling out blue check verification to confirm notable accounts are legitimate. (More)

• Cancer death rates declined steadily for men and women from 2001-2022, according to the NIH Annual Cancer Report. Men's cancer diagnoses decreased until 2013, then stabilized, while women's rates increased slightly yearly from 2003-2021, except in 2020. (More)

• A Penn State team created a stretchable patch that detects genuine emotions by tracking multiple physiological signals simultaneously. It addresses the gap between expressed and felt emotions for better mental health monitoring. (More)

Extra Credit

☄️ Watch: A fireball lights up the sky over Mexico City.

💰️ See how much your state receives in federal funding.

🐊 Watch: Two alligators ring the doorbell at a Florida home.

🤖 China pits humanoid robots vs real humans in a half marathon.