Aug 16, 2018

Vatican responds to priest abuse scandal with "shame and sorrow"

Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

Two days after a report revealed allegations that more than 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania had sexually abused over 1,000 children, the Vatican released a statement condemning the priests' actions saying, "There are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow," according to Fox News.

Why it matters: Pressure on the Pope to respond had been escalating since the Pennsylvania grand jury's report was released on Tuesday. The Vatican's statement said that they take the report "with great seriousness." It adds, "[t]he abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith."

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Jacob Knutson

Trump acknowledges lists of disloyal government officials to oust

Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump on Monday acknowledged the existence of assembled lists of government officials that his administration plans to oust and replace with trusted pro-Trump people, which were first reported by Axios' Jonathan Swan.

What he's saying: “I don’t think it's a big problem. I don’t think it's very many people,” Trump said during a press conference in India, adding he wants “people who are good for the country, loyal to the country.”

Go deeper39 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Dion Rabouin

Coronavirus only part of the story behind the Dow’s drop

Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

As someone has certainly told you by now, the Dow fell by more than 1,000 points yesterday, its worst day in more than two years, erasing all of 2020's gains. Most news headlines assert that the stock market's momentum was finally broken by "coronavirus fears," but that's not the full story.

What's happening: The novel coronavirus has been infecting and killing scores of people for close to a month and, depending on the day, the market has sold off or risen to record highs.

Go deeper1 hour ago - Economy & Business

David Nather

Bernie's historic Jewish fight

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Sen. Bernie Sanders would be the first Jewish presidential nominee of a major American political party — but that history-making possibility is being overshadowed by his conflicts with America's Jewish leaders and Israel's leadership.

The big picture: That's partly because we're all focusing on the implications of Democrats nominating a self-described democratic socialist. It's also because a candidate's religion no longer seems to matter as much to voters or the media, making the potential milestone of a Jewish nominee more of a non-event.

Go deeper3 hours ago - Politics & Policy