Morning Wire
Pope Francis Tributes & “King of Kings” Box Office | Afternoon Update | 4.21.25
Mon, 21 Apr 2025
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Chapter 1: Who was Pope Francis and what is his legacy?
Pope Francis, whose decade-long tenure marked a turning point for the Catholic Church, died this morning, the day after he delivered an Easter message from St. Peter's Square. Daily Wire reporter Marietta Lordy reports.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell of the Apostolic Chamber announced the Pope's death early Monday, stating that at 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.
Stating that his entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his church, the Cardinal praised Francis as a man who taught us to live the values of the gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected in March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
He was the first Latin American pope, and his papacy often adopted progressive tones but also upheld the church's conservative doctrines on abortion, gay marriage, and gender ideology. Despite his criticisms of the Trump administration for its immigration policy, one of the last people the Pope met was Vice President J.D. Vance, who visited him the day before his passing on Easter.
During President Trump's first term, he sat down with the Pope at the Vatican in 2017. Trump responded to the Pope's death early Monday, saying, May God bless him and all who loved him.
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Chapter 2: What were global leaders' reactions to Pope Francis's death?
Other world leaders are responding to the passing of Francis, including the president of the pontiff's home country, Argentina. Javier Millet said, quote, despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney posted a statement on social media saying, a great man and a great pastor have left us. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also posted a tribute describing Francis as a shepherd who led with courage and unwavering faith.
The deported illegal immigrant with alleged ties to the violent MS-13 gang has been transferred out of El Salvador's notorious mega-prison. The State Department has confirmed that Kilmar Abrego-Garcia was moved out of Secot, that's the maximum security prison for terroristic threats. He was moved to a detention facility several days before the arrival of Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen.
Chapter 3: What is the latest on the deported MS-13 gang member in El Salvador?
Abrego-Garcia told the senator that he's not in a cell and now he has his own room with a bed and furniture.
The stock market took a hit this morning amid President Trump's ongoing tariff negotiations and war of words with the Fed. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has the numbers.
Stocks on Wall Street plunged Monday with the Dow dropping more than 1,200 points. The S&P 500 fell 3.2% and the Nasdaq lost 3.5% with nearly every major company now in the red. The U.S. dollar also took a hit, falling 1% to its lowest level in more than three years.
Most of the investor anxiety stemmed from ongoing trade tensions with China and fresh attacks by President Trump on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom he called a, quote, major loser after pressuring the Fed to slash interest rates. Vice Chairman of Evercore ISI Krishna Guha warns any conflict between the White House and Federal Reserve will only add to the market uncertainty.
We're seeing a clear signal from the market that it doesn't like the idea that the president might try to remove the Fed chair. There's been some loss of confidence in U.S. economic policymaking in recent weeks. Global investors pulling capital out of the U.S., But what you've seen is ongoing confidence in the Fed.
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Chapter 4: Why did the stock market plunge and what are the key factors?
But if you start to raise questions about Federal Reserve independence, you are raising the bar for the Federal Reserve to cut. If you actually did try to remove the Federal Reserve chairman, I think you would see a severe reaction in markets with yields higher, dollars lower and equity selling off.
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A new investigation by the Daily Wire followed the money from embattled Texas Development Colony Ridge all the way up to the governor's office. Daily Wire's Spencer Lindquist reports.
Chapter 5: How are trade tensions and Federal Reserve conflicts affecting the market?
Chapter 6: What sponsorship offers are featured in today's episode?
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Pope Francis passes away at age 88, the stock market dips again, and China threatens to punish countries that make deals with Trump. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley. It's Monday, April 21st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
Pope Francis, whose decade-long tenure marked a turning point for the Catholic Church, died this morning, the day after he delivered an Easter message from St. Peter's Square. Daily Wire reporter Marietta Lordy reports.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell of the Apostolic Chamber announced the Pope's death early Monday, stating that at 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father.
Stating that his entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his church, the Cardinal praised Francis as a man who taught us to live the values of the gospel with fidelity, courage, and universal love, especially in favor of the poorest and most marginalized. Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected in March 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI resigned.
He was the first Latin American pope, and his papacy often adopted progressive tones but also upheld the church's conservative doctrines on abortion, gay marriage, and gender ideology. Despite his criticisms of the Trump administration for its immigration policy, one of the last people the Pope met was Vice President J.D. Vance, who visited him the day before his passing on Easter.
During President Trump's first term, he sat down with the Pope at the Vatican in 2017. Trump responded to the Pope's death early Monday, saying, May God bless him and all who loved him.
Other world leaders are responding to the passing of Francis, including the president of the pontiff's home country, Argentina. Javier Millet said, quote, despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his kindness and wisdom was a true honor for me.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney posted a statement on social media saying, a great man and a great pastor have left us. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also posted a tribute describing Francis as a shepherd who led with courage and unwavering faith.
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