Prez vs. Pope

Chicago Sun-Times — Apr 14, 13:00 PM

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Good morning, Chicago. ✶

🔎 Below: Backlash is building against President Donald Trump for bashing Pope Leo XIV and posting an AI image of himself as Jesus. "[Trump's] waking up a sleeping giant," one local Catholic leader told the Sun-Times.

🗞️ Plus: The state House speaker backs a tax on millionaires, Chicago Public Schools sees a boom in student biliteracy and more news you need to know.

📝 Keeping score: https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-y/" target="_blank" >The Blackhawks fell to the Sabres, 5-1; https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-j/" target="_blank" >the Cubs lost to the Phillies, 13-7.

📧 Subscribe: https://newsletter-hub.suntimes.com/" target="_blank" >Get this newsletter delivered to your inbox weekday mornings.

⏱️: An 8-minute read

TODAY’S WEATHER ☁️

Mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms and a high near 80.

TODAY’S TOP STORY 🔎

Pope Leo XIV on Monday said he had "no fear of the Trump administration" and would continue to speak out out "loudly of the message of the Gospel," after President Trump lambasted him in a lengthy social media post over his comments on the Iran war. — Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-i/" target="_blank" >Pope Leo brushes off Trump attack as Chicago Catholic leaders react

By https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-d/" target="_blank" >Tina Sfondeles

Prez vs. pontiff: Catholic leaders, along with Gov. JB Pritzker and his gubernatorial rival Darren Bailey, are defending Pope Leo XIV — as President Donald Trump faces backlash for calling the head of the Catholic church "terrible for foreign policy" and posting a since-deleted AI-generated image of the president as Jesus.

Key context: Leo last week spoke out after Trump threatened to wipe out "a whole civilization" in Iran, urging people to call for their political leaders to "work for peace and reject war always." On Monday, he told the Associated Press: "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the Church works for."

'Sleeping giant': "I think that he’s going to rally people of faith to say, 'Thank God he’s standing up,' and that we stand with him," said the Rev. Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church. "I think Trump unconsciously is waking up a sleeping giant ...

I think [the Pope is] going to be a very strong voice, and he’s not going away.

He’s not going anywhere."

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-h/" target="_blank" >READ MORE

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU 🗣️

How do you feel about recent statements from President Trump and Pope Leo related to the Iran war?

Please explain.

Reply to this email (please include your first and last name).

We may run your answer in a future newsletter or story.

ENVIRONMENT 🌧️

Dorothy Rosenthal's home flooded in 2023.</p><p>The storm left behind mold that aggravated her asthma. — Dorothy Rosenthal’s home flooded in 2023, leaving behind mold that aggravated her asthma.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-k/" target="_blank" >After Illinois floods, mold sticks around and can make people sick

By https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-u/" target="_blank" >Brett Chase

Worsening flooding: Residents in Chicago and across Illinois are confronting the effects of morehttps://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-o/" target="_blank" > intense flooding and more severe weather.

Climate change is contributing to thunderstorms that hit harder and more frequently, like ones that caused flooding in 70,000 West Side and suburban basements in summer 2023.

Health threats: Those storms are also leaving behind serious health threats, including mold, which can make people sick.

Tiny mold particles can enter the respiratory system, causing fatigue, rashes and other complications.

People with compromised immune systems or respiratory illness, and the very old or young, can be affected more seriously.

One woman's story: Dorothy Rosenthal couldn’t believe her eyes.

Four feet of water overwhelmed her basement in West Garfield Park, destroying everything in a storage area, laundry room and office in July 2023.

The storm "left mold, big black patches of mold," she says. "Big bubbles, black bubbles on the wall." It wasn’t just unsightly; the mold aggravated her asthma, a condition with which she’s been struggling for 20 years.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-b/" target="_blank" >READ MORE

EDUCATION 🍎

Anyeli Miranda stands for a portrait in her school hallway. — Anyeli Miranda, a senior at Roosevelt High School in Albany Park, earned a seal of biliteracy.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-n/" target="_blank" >Record number of CPS students earn biliteracy seals

By https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-p/" target="_blank" >Emmanuel Camarillo

Dual linguists: Last year, more than 3,500 Chicago Public Schools students earned the seal of biliteracy, a state award that recognizes students who show they can read, write and speak at a high level in English and another language.

In 2015, the first year that awards were presented to graduates, only 91 students received the recognition.

How we got here: Educators and experts say that growth is due to a combination of factors including increased awareness of the program, expanded language testing and a rising interest in multilingualism, which can make students more marketable when applying for colleges or jobs.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-x/" target="_blank" >READ MORE

PUBLIC SAFETY ✶

Auburn Gresham resident Michelle Martin speaks about increased gun violence in her neighborhood on the South Side, Monday April 13, 2026. — Michelle Martin, a neighbor of Kayla Winfrey, speaks to the Sun-Times.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-c/" target="_blank" >Woman killed on birthday: Kayla Winfrey was celebrating her 25th birthday at her home Saturday with friends and family in Auburn Gresham when she was shot multiple times after a fight broke out.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-q/" target="_blank" >Boy killed in fire: London Woodard's family is mourning after the 10-year-old died in a fire that broke out in their Washington Heights home Monday. "He was always laughing and playing," his uncle told the Sun-Times.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-a/" target="_blank" >Alleged coerced confession: Chicago taxpayers could be on the hook for a $9.5 million settlement tied to former Chicago police detective Richard Zuley’s alleged interrogation tactics — the second in two years involving his actions.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-f/" target="_blank" >Sheriff’s suit: A troubled Skokie woman with a history of lying to police allegedly engineered a "hoax" to make it appear as if she’d been detained by federal immigration agents for more than a day, a Wisconsin sheriff told reporters, announcing a $1 million defamation lawsuit against her.

MORE NEWS YOU NEED 🗞️

Fishers on a boat catch jumping fish in nets — Seasonal fisheries technicians with the Illinois Natural History Survey try to catch silver carp.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-z/" target="_blank" >Carp conundrum: The Trump administration announced plans to put Michigan officials in charge of a $1.15 billion Chicago-area river barrier designed to keep invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-v/" target="_blank" >Cab fare increase: A City Council committee backed an effort to raise taxicab fares by 20%, the first rate hike in a decade, in an attempt to save an ailing industry.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-e/" target="_blank" >USPS changes: The U.S. Postal Service said more mail may not be postmarked the day it’s dropped off, due to adjustments in transportation operations.
That increases the chance of customers missing deadlines like mail-in voting.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-s/" target="_blank" >Obama Center buses: The Chicago Transit Authority is expanding its No. 10 bus route to service the Obama Presidential Center, set to open June 19.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-g/" target="_blank" >Plover returns: Pippin, a Great Lakes piping plover, has reportedly returned to the Chicago lakefront for his third year. Though he's missing a foot and has a subtle limp, the Chicago Park District says he is in good health.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-w/" target="_blank" >Summer Smash lineup: Lil Uzi Vert, Playboi Carti, Skrillex, Chief Keef and Baby Keem are among the June 12-14 fest’s headliners at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Also on the lineup are JT, St. Louis' Sexyy Red and North West, the 12-year-old daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

POLITICS ✶

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch speaks during a news conference at Breakthrough FamilyPlex on the West Side before Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs an executive order declaring gun violence a public health crisis in the state, Monday, Nov, 1, 2021. — Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-yd/" target="_blank" >State House speaker backs millionaires tax, but Democrats split over details

By https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-yh/" target="_blank" >Mawa Iqbal

How to tax the rich?: Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch is endorsing a proposed 3% tax on those making more than $1 million annually, but there is a split among House Democrats on how much of the potential $4.5 billion yearly windfall should fund property tax relief.

On the table are two competing measures that would put the question of a so-called millionaires tax on the November ballot as an amendment to the Illinois constitution.

The options: One proposed amendment offered by state Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, would allocate all of the funds toward property tax relief in the form of $1,500 rebates per property owner. A competing plan by state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, would allocate half of the millionaires tax’s proceeds to public schools and the rest toward property tax relief.

Deadline nears: Neither bill has been put to a House vote as lawmakers barrel toward a May 3 deadline to get constitutional amendment proposals passed in order to be on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-yk/" target="_blank" >READ MORE

ON WBEZ 91.5 FM 📻

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jl/" target="_blank" >In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons, 9 a.m.

AI and education: Alpha School, opening this fall in Chicago, says its AI-driven model can help students learn core academics in just two hours a day.
Guests Brady Gunnink of Jones College Prep, Kristian Hammond of Northwestern University and Katie Page of District 214 in the northwest suburbs weigh the pros and cons.
Exit interview: Sendy Soto, Chicago's former Chief Homelessness Officer, looks back on her tenure.
Jonah Anderson, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services and the city's new director of the Office of Homelessness, outlines his goals for the future.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jr/" target="_blank" >Say More with Mary Dixon and Patrick Smith, 10 a.m.

Community policing: Guest Michelle Garcia of the ACLU of Illinois joins the show to talk about a renewed call to change the Chicago Police Department's culture to a more community-led mindset.
Gillian Flynn: Ahead of a https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jy/" target="_blank" >sold-out WBEZ event tonight, the bestselling author and showrunner shares her favorite mysteries and thrillers.
Callers weigh in.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jj/" target="_blank" >LISTEN LIVE 🎧

FROM THE PRESS BOX 🏈🏀🏒

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jt/" target="_blank" >Remembering Dave McGinnis: The longtime Bears assistant coach, whose botched head-coaching hire led matriarch Virginia McCaskey to replace her own son as team president, died Monday at age 74.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-ji/" target="_blank" >Sky take Gabriela Jaquez: After assembling a playoff-caliber roster in free agency, the Sky added a do-everything wing from UCLA’s loaded championship roster.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jd/" target="_blank" >The price has jumped: Connor Bedard made a smart decision to wait until summer to negotiate his next Blackhawks contract, writes Ben Pope.
https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-jh/" target="_blank" >Stay or walk?: It's a numbers game for Bulls coach Billy Donovan and his decision, writes Joe Cowley.

CHICAGO MINI CROSSWORD 🌭

Today's clue: 7A: Bird on the flag and seal of Illinois

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-ju/" target="_blank" >PLAY NOW

BRIGHT ONE 🔆

White Sox relief pitcher Duncan Davitt throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game to make his major league debut against the Kansas City Royals, Friday, April 10, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. — White Sox relief pitcher Duncan Davitt made his major league debut Friday against the Kansas City Royals.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-tl/" target="_blank" >Sox rookie puts sportswriting career on hold before big-league debut

By https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-tr/" target="_blank" >Mitchell Armentrout

The Indianola Independent Advocate had the scoop on Duncan Davitt’s call-up to the White Sox.

One owner of the central Iowa newspaper got a tip straight from the source Wednesday, hardly believed it — and soon broke down in tears, the 26-year-old pitcher reported.

Of course, publisher Amy Duncan couldn’t be closer to the story.

Davitt’s her son, and he's a sports columnist for the family-owned newspaper.

"My mom cried.

She thought I was joking at first, which, I don’t know what that’s about," Davitt, the budding write-hander — er, right-hander — joked from the other side of the notebook Thursday in the visitors’ clubhouse at the Kansas City Royals' stadium.

Royals games were a regular destination for Davitt while growing up some three hours away near Indianola, a city of about 16,000 in the Des Moines area.

He covers prep sports there in the offseason.

But Davitt himself was the story Thursday, arriving in Kansas City, Missouri, as a big-leaguer awaiting his major-league debut, which he made toward the end of Friday's game.

https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-ty/" target="_blank" >READ MORE

YOUR DAILY QUESTION ☕️

Yesterday, we asked you: How has https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-tt/" target="_blank" >Chicago’s worsening flooding affected you?

Here’s some of what you said…

"Ruined my 92-year-old mother's basement, and no relief or repair was available.

We are still dealing with repairs." — Audra M. Akins-Muhammad

"As a retired senior entering rain season, I begin ... to budget and plan what last year's damage needs to be repaired, which can also be preventative.

I need to maintain my house 'health' as I have a multitude of health issues and [to] maintain the property value as I consider moving to a more 'senior' community." — A.R.

PICTURE CHICAGO 📸

A contractor removes all the mold from a basement that was flooded. — Contractor Reginald Akeem Barry Sr. on Monday explains the issue at Dorothy Rosenthal’s home in Garfield Park, which https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-td/" target="_blank" >flooded with four feet of water in 2023 and developed mold within the walls.

Thanks for reading the Sun-Times Morning Edition!
Got a story you think we missed? Email us here.

Written and curated by: Matt Moore
Editor: Eydie Cubarrubia

The Chicago Sun-Times is a nonprofit supported by readers like you.

Become a member to make stories like these free and available to everyone. Learn more at https://newsletters.suntimes.com/t/t-l-wiilljl-l-th/" target="_blank" >suntimes.com/member.

Read full article at Chicago Sun-Times →

Trump and Pope Leo Feud

Pope Leo addresses 'the arrogant' in new message after Donald Trump's tirade
Mirror — Apr 14, 16:50 PM
Pope Leo says he's "not afraid" to speak out as he clashes with Trump
CBS News — Apr 14, 13:11 PM
Trump doubles down on feud with Pope Leo amid backlash over post depicting him as Jesus
CBS News — Apr 14, 15:09 PM
WATCH: President Trump and Pope Leo in disagreement over war in Iran
ABC News — Apr 14, 14:37 PM
📹 How Pope Leo's call for peace differs from Trump's messaging on power
CBS News — Apr 14, 13:06 PM