Prevost was elected pope on May 8, becoming Pope Leo XIV. Here’s what we know about the first American pope. 
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| “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” |
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The United States and the UK have struck a tentative trade deal.
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Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected pope on May 8, becoming Pope Leo XIV. Here’s what we know about the first American pope.
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The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee is urging federal officials to investigate anonymous pizza deliveries being made to various judges.
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As China’s ailing economy increasingly faces headwinds, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has again called on young Chinese to look for work in the countryside.
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🍵 Health: Six exercises to strengthen hands and increase functional abilities.
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☀️Good morning! It’s Friday. Thank you for reading the Morning Brief, an exclusive newsletter for Epoch Times subscribers. |
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| Ivan Pentchoukov
National Editor |
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The newly elected Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV is seen for the first time from the Vatican balcony on May 8, 2025. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) |
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was elected on May 8, becoming Pope Leo XIV.
The Chicago-born clergyman is the first American to be raised to the highest position in the Catholic Church. He began his pastoral career as an Augustinian missionary in 1985 and served communities in South America for more than a decade, working in the Peruvian cities of Chulucanas and Trujillo. He was ordained bishop in 2014 and appointed to the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, in 2015. He was appointed prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops—the Vatican office that assigns bishops around the world—by Pope Francis in January 2023 and became a cardinal in September 2023. Prevost was close to Pope Francis, suggesting he may continue the direction Francis established for the church.
Here’s what we know about the new head of the Catholic church.
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President Donald Trump and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer shared a broad overview on Thursday of a prospective trade deal between the United States and the U.K. The preliminary deal is the first by the United States since Trump announced his comprehensive tariff plans last month.
While the U.S. president stopped short of offering the contours of the deal, he noted that the arrangement will bolster market access for U.S. exports as the United Kingdom will “reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminate against American products.” Nothing was signed during the announcement. “In the coming weeks, we’ll have it all very conclusive,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office. The UK tariff rate will also be lowered from 5.1 percent to 1.8 percent. The 10 percent U.S. universal baseline tariff rate on UK goods entering the country will remain in place. Starmer, speaking at a Jaguar Land Rover facility in the UK’s West Midlands shortly after talking to Trump by phone, revealed more details of the trade agreement. “This is just the start,” he said. “We are hammering out further details to reduce barriers to trade with the United States and across the world.” As part of the deal, the United States will lower tariffs on UK automobiles from 27.5 percent to 10 percent and remove tariffs on steel and aluminum.
The pact will establish a quota of 100,000 UK vehicles that can be exported to the United States at a 10 percent levy. (More) More Politics: |
- President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Judge Jeanine Pirro, best known for her role as a Fox News commentator, had been tapped to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, one of the most influential prosecutorial positions in the country.
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A bipartisan group of 24 House lawmakers is calling for federal investigations into China-based Unitree Robotics, warning that its products pose a national security risk.
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Cameron Hamilton, acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has been terminated and replaced. In testimony before a House panel, Hamilton opposed eliminating FEMA, apparently contradicting the view of President Trump and Secretary Noem.
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President Donald Trump is asking Republican leaders to raise taxes on millionaires to help fund major tax cuts, according to a source familiar with his thinking. The president is considering restoring the top individual income tax rate for those earning $2.5 million or more from the current 37 percent back to the pre-2017 level of 39.6 percent, the person told The Epoch Times.
- The Department of Government Efficiency said on May 7 that it has canceled about half a million “unneeded” credit cards used by federal agencies.
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President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted an early Mother’s Day celebration at the White House on May 8 with military mothers and spouses.
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Former President Joe Biden on May 8 gave his first interview since leaving office, defending his administration and denying reports that he told former Vice President Kamala Harris to mirror his priorities in her 2024 campaign.
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The House passed a bill that would ban the Department of Homeland Security from providing grants to colleges and universities that partner with the entities of the Chinese Communist Party.
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The FBI has been investigating at least 250 subjects allegedly tied to violent online networks that prey on minors. The networks, under investigation by all of the FBI’s 55 field offices, are known as “764” but have other names.
“The FBI is growing increasingly concerned about a loose network of violent predators who befriend minors and other vulnerable individuals through popular online platforms and then coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior,“ the FBI said in a May 8 statement to The Epoch Times.
The coercion includes “pushing victims to create graphic content, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), harm family pets, cut themselves with sharp objects, or attempt suicide.” The FBI previously warned about the activity of “764” and other such online networks in March.
The predators use social media, gaming platforms, and mobile apps. The victims are usually between the ages of 10 and 17, though some aged 9 have also been targeted, according to the FBI.
“These violent actors target vulnerable populations to include children, as well as those who struggle with a variety of mental health issues, such as depression, eating disorders, or suicidal ideation,” the bureau said. (More) More U.S. News |
- U.S. authorities will soon release records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, FBI Director Kash Patel told Congress.
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A local grassroots advocacy group in New York City, which promotes quitting the Chinese Communist Party, says it received near-daily threats of bomb and terror attacks for over a week before a man smashed up one of the organization’s booths last week.
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Federal health officials are warning about a surge in reports of serious health issues tied to tianeptine, commonly referred to as “gas station heroin.” The drug is being sold as a supplement despite not being approved for any medical use in the United States.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a plan to overhaul and upgrade the nation’s air traffic control systems. Duffy said the plans include upgrading telecommunication lines to fiber optics, rebuilding some air traffic control towers and Terminal Radar Approach Controls, and implementing new radios in towers.
- Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday announced his plans to donate around $200 billion of his fortune over the next two decades to his own foundation and said that it would shut down by the year 2045.
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As China’s ailing economy increasingly faces headwinds, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping has again called on young Chinese to look for work in the countryside. The CCP’s official media reported on May 3, the eve of China’s “Youth Day,” that Xi sent a letter to a group of volunteer teachers at a remote boarding school in the Xinjiang region.
Xi allegedly said that “there have been more and more young people in recent years going to rural or border areas to serve.” He called on young people nationwide to “go to where the motherland and the people need you most to shine and give your best.”
Party authorities have repeatedly urged young Chinese to seek work in rural areas amid poor prospects for them in the general economy.
In a 2023 letter, Xi encouraged college students to go to the countryside at a time when the unemployment rate among Chinese urban youth aged 16 to 24 had reached a historic high of 21.3 percent, with 11.58 million college graduates entering the job market in June that year.
That same year, the Guangdong Provincial Communist Youth League Committee planned to organize 300,000 young people to move to the countryside over the following three years. The announcement evoked sensitive memories for many Chinese people.
About 17 million Chinese college and high school students, known as the “sent-down youth,” were forcibly sent to the countryside from 1968 to 1978, to be “re-educated by poor and lower-middle peasants.” (More) More World News: |
- Chinese leader Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 8, further strengthening the collaboration between their nations in the face of external challenges.
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Toyota Motor Corporation says fresh U.S. import tariffs and an unfavorable exchange rate will sharply reduce earnings this year, even as vehicle sales rise.
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Five members of Venezuela’s political opposition who had taken refuge at the Argentine diplomatic residence in Venezuela’s capital for over a year arrived safely in the United States this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 6, calling the extraction a “successful rescue.”
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Pakistan shot down more than two dozen Indian drones overnight, as one attacked a military target near the city of Lahore in the east of the country, causing damage and wounding soldiers, Islamabad said Thursday.
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Here’s what we know about the India-Pakistan conflict.
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📷 Photo of the Day: A woman stands outside her house destroyed by Pakistani artillery shelling at the Salamabad village in Uri, in India-controlled Kashmir, on May 8, 2025. India's government said on May 8 that Pakistan launched an overnight air attack using “drones and missiles,” before New Delhi retaliated to destroy an air defense system in Lahore. Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images |
Ground Picture/Shutterstock |
There’s an emerging field of study evaluating the potential for hand grip strength as a vital sign measurement alongside blood pressure, temperature, pulse rate, and respiration. Additionally, strong hands help you hold onto things better, open containers more easily, and perform tasks with greater control and endurance.
The following six exercises grab ahold of your hands, so they can grab ahold of pretty much everything else in turn.
While these exercises work well for many patients, you can consult your medical provider to see if they are right for you. Note, images and instructions on how to perform the below exercises are available in the full article.
Towel Wringing—Who knew that the humble bath towel, that terrycloth harbinger of health, could be such a boon to your daily function? But it is, and this simple exercise shows how. Finger Curls—Your thumb is very important for hand function, but strength in your grip comes primarily from the other four fingers. Finger curls allow them to work together to build greater strength.
Cylinder Carry—The hand has 20 intrinsic muscles that lie in the hand itself and not on the forearm. This exercise can help strengthen them.
Pinch Carry—Where the cylinder carry has your fingers holding onto the periphery of a cylindrical item, this exercise places them side-by-side along the length of a book. Leg Lift—By now, your legs are completely jealous that you’re spending so much time on your hands, so let’s include them in an exercise, if for no other reason than to assist your hands.
Hand Grippers—Grip strengtheners have been around for a long time, and for good reason. These simple spring-loaded devices can help build hand strength without having to think too much about what you’re doing, and they come in resistance levels ranging from mild to insane. (More) |
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