Fewer Americans want to become pastors, accelerating a leadership vacuum inside one of the country's oldest civic institutions, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.

• Why it matters: As the pastor role becomes lower-paid, higher-risk and less trusted, the U.S. isn't just losing clergy — it's losing a key layer of local leadership, especially in rural and Black communities.

Eileen Campbell-Reed, a research professor at Vanderbilt Divinity School, tells Axios the strain of the pandemic — layered on long-term decline — pushed many clergy out of ministry and discouraged new entrants.

• Political polarization pushed some out. "It's harder and harder to be the pastor of a 'purple church,'" she said.

🔔 By the numbers: Enrollment in master of divinity programs at schools accredited by the Association of Theological Schools fell 14% from 2020 to 2024.

• Graduate-level and college-level enrollment at Catholic seminaries was down significantly in the 2024-2025 academic year, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University said.
• Black Protestant enrollment in master of divinity and professional M.A. programs fell 31% from 2000 to 2020.

✝️ State of play: Churches are trying to fill pulpits as older clergy retire, congregations shrink and burnout rises.

• More than 4 in 10 clergy surveyed in fall 2023 said they had seriously considered leaving their congregations since 2020, per Hartford Institute data reported by AP.
• The leadership crunch comes as 15,000 U.S. churches closed last year and a record 29% of Americans now identify as religiously unaffiliated.

⛪️ Zoom in: Rural churches are hit first because many already share pastors, rely on part-time clergy or ask one minister to cover multiple congregations.

• When those churches close, towns lose informal hubs for food aid, child care, disaster relief and elder care.

🌍 What we're watching: The rapid growth of the Catholic Church in Asia and Africa — and a priest shortage in the U.S. — has led the church to send a rising number of priests from those regions to the U.S.

• Priests from Africa have become noticeably more visible in Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado.
• Massachusetts and California are seeing more Asian priests in parishes.

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Congress is going through its biggest reckoning over sexual misconduct since the #MeToo movement rocked Capitol Hill nearly a decade ago, Axios' Kate Santaliz reports.

• "I think it's gonna take women burning down the house," a House Republican told Axios.

Why it matters: Nearly a decade after lawmakers instituted reforms around sexual harassment, new allegations are exposing what members and staffers say remains an open secret — a culture of bad behavior on the Hill.

• "It's complete bullsh*t," a House Republican told Axios. "Like you have all these guys sleeping with their employees, and nothing happens, and everybody knows what's going on."

The renewed scrutiny intensified after two lawmakers — Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) — resigned last month amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Swalwell also faces allegations of sexual assault.

• Swalwell denies the allegations.
• Gonzales admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

🗞️ Separately, Axios reported this week that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) had singled out two young female staffers for special attention that sources described as inappropriate.

• Edwards called the allegations "horsesh*t" in an interview with The Assembly, a North Carolina-based publication, though he didn't address the specifics.

🐘 Between the lines: The loudest demands for accountability are coming from Republican women, who are increasingly willing to publicly torch colleagues they believe leadership has protected for too long.

• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) have emerged as aggressive voices pushing to expose misconduct allegations and force consequences.

👀 Behind the scenes: Frustration is growing with the House Ethics Committee, which members in both parties complain moves too slowly.

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Latest reporting from Axios' supremely wired Barak Ravid:

Iran responded today to the latest U.S. draft proposal to end the war, with Iranian state media saying negotiations will now focus on "ending the war in the region."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff met yesterday in Miami with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani as part of efforts to reach a deal to end the war in Iran.

• Why it matters: The U.S. and Iran are negotiating over a one-page memo to end the war and establish a framework for more detailed negotiations. The Qataris are playing a key role in mediating between the sides.

Shortly before the Iranian response, the Qatari prime minister spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and discussed the deal, the Qatari foreign ministry said.

• Keep reading.

Violent crime fell sharply across the largest U.S. cities in early 2026, extending a nationwide decline that began after the pandemic-era crime spike, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.

• Why it matters: Data from 67 major U.S. law enforcement agencies show violent crime fell across major categories during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025.

The declines show up across every major region — a systemic, nationwide trend.

• Explore city-by-city ... Go deeper.

Returning to work after having a baby has never been easy — and a lot of the pressure on American moms comes from fear of other people's opinions, or "FOPO," Axios' Natalie Daher writes.

Why it matters: Executive coach and bestselling author Randi Braun says new moms can be "so scared of being viewed as imperfect" that they lose their ability to be seen as a leader.

• 🐝 They get stuck in worker bee mode rather than rising to "queen bee" and focusing on strategic, impactful tasks.

🤰 Sociologists have documented the "motherhood penalty," the reality that mothers receive fewer advancement opportunities or earnings boosts.

• Fathers might get kudos at work for taking their kid to a dentist appointment. Many moms, on the other hand, conceal their caregiving roles out of concern for appearing less focused or committed.

💪 Braun said in a perfect world, the thinking should be: "Can you believe that I had a kid and I'm coming here and I'm kicking butt and taking names — and doing it all while going home and changing diapers?"

• She looks to working moms mentoring younger colleagues to make parenting more visible in the workplace.

Pro-European, center-right Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary's prime minister, succeeding Viktor Orbán, who consolidated near-total power over 16 years and became a global exemplar of right-wing nationalism.

• Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer, said in his inaugural speech that his landslide win provided "a mandate not only to change the government, but to change the system as well. To start again."

🇪🇺 The EU flag was raised on the parliament building in Budapest for the first time since Orbán's government removed it in 2014.

• Keep reading.

The U.S. hospitality industry hopes next month's World Cup can make up for last year's decline in foreign tourism. But travel restrictions and steep prices may keep visitors away, Axios Miami's Martin Vassolo reports.

• The 104-match FIFA World Cup — over 39 days in the U.S., Canada and Mexico in June and July — kicks off June 11, 32 days from now.

While an estimated 1.2 million international fans will travel to the U.S. for the tournament, hotel owners say demand is lagging behind forecasts.

• Around two-thirds of respondents in a recent survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association said visa barriers and geopolitical concerns were "significantly suppressing international demand."

💰 Friction point: The Trump administration's Visa Bond Pilot Program requires visitors from certain countries — including World Cup nations like Senegal, Tunisia and Côte d'Ivoire — to deposit $5,000–$15,000 per person to receive a tourist visa.

• Visitors from 19 other countries, including Haiti and Iran, are banned from entering the U.S. under expanded Trump travel restrictions.
• Many would-be visitors are worried about visa wait times and issues entering the U.S., making this feel "less like a red carpet welcome," the Hotel & Lodging report says.

🦅 The cover of today's Boston Globe includes a rare Hub admission ($): "Sorry, Boston, Philly has us topped again ... In World Cup tilt, Philly has the edge: Rival host crushing Boston on match prep … From fundraising to fan-friendly features, the City of Brotherly Love went all in on the World Cup."

• Full schedule.

"Liam" and "Olivia" are America's top baby names for the seventh year in a row, according to Social Security card applications submitted at birth.

What's new: Eliana is a new addition to the top 10. Two K names are rising fastest in popularity.

• For boys: Kasai, which means "fire" in Japanese and Swahili.
• For girls: Klarity, an altered spelling of "clarity."

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