Vatican’s careful words on Pope-Rubio meeting imply deep Trump tensions

Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY, May 8 (Reuters) – After Pope Leo met with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, the Vatican issued a statement saying the two pledged to improve bilateral relations, an acknowledgment of unprecedented tensions, insiders and analysts said. Rubio’s meeting Thursday with Leo, America’s first pope, drew widespread public attention as President Donald…

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I moved back to my Midwestern hometown to afford to buy my first house. The city gave me $15,000 to help pay for it.

Payton Friess is from Topeka, Kansas and moved back home after living in Oregon. The affordability of Kansas makes buying a home a reality that would be impossible on the West Coast. A local program also provided Freese with a $15,000 relocation grant, making the decision easier. The now-famous article was based on a conversation…

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Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ redrawn US House maps, giving Republicans a win

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday blocked a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, dealing another major setback to the party’s nationwide battle with Republicans for dominance in this year’s midterm elections. The court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led Legislature violated procedural requirements by putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting….

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