The newly elected Pope Leo XIV gave his first mass on Sunday from St. Peter’s Basilica. The Pope called for peace in all conflicts around the world, much like his predecessor Pope Francis did.

The Pope not only called for a ceasefire in Gaza but he also prayed that “humanitarian aid be provided to the stricken civil population, and let all the hostages be freed.” He also prayed for “everything possible be done to reach an authentic, just and lasting peace, as soon as possible” in Ukraine and said that he “welcomed with satisfaction the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and I hope that through the upcoming negotiations, a lasting accord may be reached soon.”

He called on the world’s most powerful people to hear his “ever-timely appeal: ‘Never again war!’”

These are similar sentiments to those of Pope Francis but there had been a question as to whether or not the new pope would get involved in geopolitical conflict. Pope Leo did not place blame on any one group. He only called for lasting peace for those who are suffering.

The reception to a U.S. born pope has been largely positive, especially tinged with hometown pride in the U.S. In Italy, the media calls him The Calm Pope and is careful to distinguish him from President Trump’s American politics.

President Trump doesn’t see it that way. He posted on Sunday that his influence DID help get Pope Leo elected because he won the Catholic Vote in the U.S.

Community note: The American voters are not the same people that voted in the Conclave for Pope Leo and the Cardinals that did vote – even the American ones – voted anonymously so their votes don’t have to represent their constituents. It is not likely that President Trump’s influence had much to do with the election of Pope Leo. It probably has more to do with the Pope’s character, influence, position and maybe, just maybe, Holy Spirit.

The post Prayers for Peace appeared first on Redacted.

President Trump announced a new order that is aimed at reducing prescription-drugs by 30-80%.

This is an awesome idea but before you get excited, keep in mind that President Trump tried to do this during his first term and Big Pharma sued to stop it, arguing that it would undermine profits and innovation. When President Biden took office, he rescinded the order altogether and the litigation stopped there.

What makes us think that they won’t do that again?

The White House is using the same method called MFN or most-favored-nation price, meaning that Americans should get the lowest cost of prescription medications instead of the highest, which is what they usually pay.

The White House is set to announce specifics of this new order on Monday. Perhaps they have found a way to prevent the courts from halting it.

The post Trump Administration Tries Again For Affordable Meds appeared first on Redacted.

The White House announced a trade deal with China on Sunday over meetings in Switzerland. Details were not announced yet but stock market futures jumped 400 points in anticipation of good news.

U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer said this in a statement about trade negotiations: “It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought. That being said, there was a lot of groundwork that went into these two days. Just remember why we’re here in the first place — the United States has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs, and we’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency.”

Presumably, the deal will pertain to favorable tariffs between the U.S. and China but we await confirmation.

The post Trade Deal with China appeared first on Redacted.

The White House announced that it negotiated directly with Hamas for the release of Edan Alexander, an American citizen who has been held hostage since October 2023.

Israel was reportedly not a party to the negotiations because U.S. diplomats continue to be frustrated with Israel’s lack of commitment to ending the war. President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly said this: “We want the detainees returned, but Israel doesn’t want to end the war.”

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of his plan to continue to “destroy” the Gaza Strip but the problem, as he sees it, is that not enough host countries will take the displaced civilians.

“We are destroying more and more homes, and Gazans have nowhere to return to. The only inevitable outcome will be the wish of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip,” he said. He also reiterated that Israel will not allow aid into Gaza since Gazans are reportedly “mixing with Hamas terrorists.” Even children?

President Trump is heading to the Middle East this week to meet with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Syria and Lebanon. He may discuss a plan for the Gaza Strip which could include a plan to recognize a Palestinian state.

The post Israeli Hostage Release appeared first on Redacted.

Greetings, All!

Let’s catch up on the latest top headlines, opinions, and recommendations.

The Maidan Massacre in Ukraine: How Ukraine Became a U.S. Client State | Dr. Ivan Katchanovski

In our conversation, Professor Ivan Katchanovski reveals the truth about the violent Maidan regime change in Ukraine, which enabled the West to use Ukraine as a proxy tool against Russia. Professor Katchanovski notes that after the brutally orchestrated overthrow of the democratically elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, the West transformed Ukraine into a client state, whose political leaders were selected by the United States and other Western officials to further their geopolitical agenda in Eastern Europe.

WORLD WAR II VICTORY: Inside the Soviet Triumph & Demise of Hitler's Empire | Dr. Vladimir Brovkin

May 9, 2025 marked the 80th Anniversary of the Allies’ Victory over Nazi Germany. I spoke with Dr. Brovkin about the key turning points in the history of World War II, the Eastern Front vs. the Western Front, and the Soviet offensive that broke the Wehrmacht. The conversation was truly fascinating (I love history!) and is a must-watch!

US Dollar DROPS 9% as Trump Pushes for INFLATION and Fed Alerts STAGFLATION Is Here | Ryan McMaken

The U.S. economy contracted 0.3% in the first quarter of this year, and the Federal Reserve just warned of growing stagflation risks. In the meantime, President Donald Trump is pushing the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.

The push for low interest rates and monetary inflation benefits Wall Street at the expense of Main Street. These policies disproportionately serve the wealthy by inflating asset prices, boosting disposable income for top earners, and rewarding those with significant debt and investments. Meanwhile, lower-income Americans, who own fewer assets and benefit less from such policies, face rising costs and minimal income gains.

Ryan McMaken notes that Fed Chair Jerome Powell's latest warning is a major red flag, as the Federal Reserve habitually downplays economic risks and misrepresents warning signs.

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$2.5 Trillion Dollar Avalanche: Asia Prepares to Dump U.S. Currency as Global Trade Fragments

A massive shift in global finance may be underway as Asian nations, holding over $2.5 trillion in U.S. dollar reserves, consider moving out of the currency. Economist Stephen Jen warns that these unhedged dollar investments are increasingly vulnerable amid political tensions, particularly U.S. policies targeting China. With the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates and the dollar weakening, countries like China could repatriate large sums, triggering a broader selloff. This could lead to rising U.S. inflation, falling bond prices, and shifts toward emerging market currencies or digital assets. Meanwhile, BRICS+ nations, especially China and Russia, are accelerating de-dollarization in trade settlements. I further discussed the underlying causes in this new video.

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Let’s move on to the week’s top geopolitics, economics, and finance headlines.

• Markets Pause After Rally: The S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq ended the week down 0.3–0.5%, snapping a nine-day winning streak. Investors remain cautious amid ongoing U.S.-China trade talks and President Trump’s renewed tariff proposals.

• Tariff Concerns Impact Earnings: Berkshire Hathaway reported a 14.1% decline in Q1 operating earnings. CEO Warren Buffett announced plans to retire by year-end and criticized proposed tariffs.

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• Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady: The Fed maintained interest rates, while Treasury yields remained flat. During my discussion with Ryan McMaken, economist and editor at the Mises Institute, Ryan noted that Fed Chair Jerome Powell's latest warning is a major red flag, as the Federal Reserve habitually downplays economic risks and misrepresents warning signs.

• The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet runoff slows: The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet declined by $17 billion to $6.7 trillion since March 2025, the lowest since April 2020. In March, the Fed announced it would slow the average pace of Quantitative Tightening from $60 billion monthly to $40 billion. (If you’d like a refresher on how this works, Ryan McMaken did a great job explaining the basics here.)

  

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