Salem News Channel

Three days of public viewing of Pope Francis’ body by ordinary mourners and statesmen alike have ended. Francis died on Monday at age 88 after suffering a stroke. The Vatican said Friday that around 250,000 mourners filed through St. Peter’s Basilica over the three days to pay their last respects as Francis lay in state in a simple wooden coffin. Hundreds of disappointed people were turned away when authorities closed St. Peter’s Square hours before the viewing period ended. The pope’s casket will be closed and sealed later Friday in the next in a series of carefully orchestrated rites set off by the death of a pope. Francis will be buried after a funeral Mass on Saturday.

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Are We Finally Getting Closer To Peace In Ukraine?

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When Barack Obama was president, plenty of people were getting deported. See more on Salem News Channel.

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Forecasters on Friday warned low humidity and gusty wind increased the risk that fire could develop across parts of New Jersey, Philadelphia and its suburbs and Delaware as firefighters continued to battle a vast wildfire in the Pine Barrens. The National Weather Service discouraged any outdoor burning with low humidity, temperatures reaching near 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) and southerly winds that could gust up to 20 mph (32 kph) across a swath of the Mid-Atlantic. There’s a chance of rain over the weekend in the region. In its most recent update, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said about half of the fire spread over nearly 24 square miles (62 square kilometers) in the southern part of the state was contained. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but buildings have burned along with cars. Officials have charged a 19-year-old man from the area with starting the blaze that led to the wildfire. Prosecutors on Thursday said Joseph Kling, 19, from Waretown, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with arson and aggravated arson, saying he lit wooden pallets on fire and left the area before they were fully put out. A public defender representing him during the hearing said she had “nothing further” when asked by a judge. “The New Jersey Office of the Public Defender cannot comment on pending cases at this early stage of the legal process, other than to remind everyone that individuals are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law,” said Cristina LiBassi a spokesperson with the Office of the Public Defender in an email Friday. Attempts to reach Kling by phone were not successful. Authorities first spotted the blaze Tuesday morning from a fire tower when a smoke column appeared amid the pines. Law enforcement said they used a GPS to plot the origin of the fire and determined the cause was a bonfire that hadn’t been put out. Speaking Thursday afternoon at a news conference, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said “we can confidently say that we think the fire was set intentionally.” He declined further comment on why authorities believe the man they arrested was responsible and other matters related to the investigation since it remains ongoing. It’s forest fire season in the pinelands, a wilderness that encompasses more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) — an area roughly as large as the Grand Canyon. Firefighters are contending with low humidity and the aftermath of a monthslong drought in the region. Though parts of the Pine Barrens are uninhabited, New Jersey is the nation’s most densely populated state and officials have warned the fire could threaten developments nearby. The fire had grown to more than 23.8 square miles (about 62 square kilometers) on Thursday. Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in recent years in New Jersey, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers). Jim and Lenore Thoms, who own a business in an industrial park near the blaze, called the fire “a very scary experience” and praised the efforts of firefighters. “The firefighters were phenomenal, they saved this whole park,” Jim Thoms said. “If they weren’t around, the way things were going on, you might not have seen any buildings at all.” On Thursday, New York officials warned of higher-than-normal pollution levels were possible in New York City, Rockland and Westchester counties, and in Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties. The fire is roughly 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of New York City. It’s about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Philadelphia. Officials said the fire is believed to be the second-worst in recent years, smaller only than a 2007 blaze that burned 26 square miles (67 square kilometers). Video released by the state agency overseeing the fire service showed billowing white and black clouds of smoke, intense flames engulfing pines and firefighters dousing a charred structure. The Pine Barrens sit between Philadelphia to the west and the Atlantic coast to the east. In the region with quick-draining sandy soil and trees with still-developing leaves, humidity remains low and winds can kick up, drying out the forest floor.

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Charlie and guest discuss the standards for men and women pursuing careers in law enforcement

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Charlie Kirk gives advice on how to stay strong in your faith

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Charlie and call in guests discuss what's happening on college campuses regarding DEI

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Charlie and Christopher Rufo discuss the investigations going on at college campuses

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Charlie and Sen. Markwayne Mullin discuss the spending cuts Trump wants to see

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Charlie Kirk and Sen Markwayne Mullin discuss the GOP and support for Hegseth

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Luigi Mangione has pleaded not guilty to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him. Mangione, 26, stood with his lawyers as he entered the plea Friday, leaning forward toward a microphone as he addressed U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett. Asked how he wished to plead, Mangione said simply, “not guilty.” Mangione’s arraignment attracted several dozen people to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, including former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who served about seven years in prison for stealing classified diplomatic cables.

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President Trump said he pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow food and medicine into the devastated Gaza Strip. See more on Salem News Channel.

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Lawyers for a group of at least 137 Venezuelan men sent to a prison in El Salvador last month urged a judge to order the Trump administration to facilitate their return to the U.S. See more on Salem News Channel. 

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China exempted some U.S. imports from its steep tariffs in a sign that the trade war between the two countries could be easing. See more on Salem News Channel. 

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A man was stabbed to death during the morning rush hour in the New York City subway system Friday after a dispute with another rider who had stepped on the man's shoes, police said. Police and medical personnel responded to the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station in lower Manhattan shortly after 8:30 a.m. for a 911 call about a person being stabbed. The victim, 38, was found unresponsive with multiple stab wounds to his torso and brought to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Authorities said they were searching for the other rider, who they described as in his 20s or 30s who was dressed in black and wearing black headphones. Police said the two men got into an argument on a train after the other man stepped on the victim's shoes. The victim was stabbed on the train and in the subway station after the two got off, police said. Earlier this month, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there had been no murders in the transit system during the first three months of the year for the first time in seven years. She added that subway crime from January to March had decreased to the second-lowest level in the first quarter in 27 years. Violent crime is rare overall in the system, which carries millions of riders every day. However, recent high-profile attacks, such as a woman being set on fire and people being shoved onto the tracks, have left some riders on edge. Last month, the Trump administration threatened to pull federal funding from the city's transit system if it didn't provide a plan to address crime. City officials responded that there were plans in place to reduce crime on the subways and pointed to statistics showing that crime was down.

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The FBI has arrested Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, saying she “intentionally misdirected” federal immigration agents away from a man they were trying to take into custody at her courthouse. The judge’s arrest on Friday escalates a clash between the Trump administration and the judiciary over the Republican president’s sweeping immigration crackdown. The Justice Department has previously signaled it was going to crack down on local officials who thwart federal immigration efforts. Dugan appeared briefly in federal court on Friday before being released. Her next court appearance is May 15.

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President Donald Trump says he’s hoping for multiple trade deals over the next three to four weeks. In an interview with TIME magazine the U.S. President remained upbeat about negotiations with China, which he says have started, although China denies it.

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Trump's Important Move On Disparate Impact

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Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos has been sentenced to over seven years in prison. He sobbed on Friday as he heard his 87-month sentence. The New York Republican pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos admitted he deceived donors and stole the identities of nearly a dozen people to fund his congressional campaign. He served less than a year in Congress before being expelled in 2023 after his lies and fraud were uncovered. Prosecutors sought a seven-year prison sentence for Santos. His lawyers had called for two years behind bars.

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Russia’s top criminal investigation agency says a senior military officer has been killed by a car bomb. Friday's killing was the second attack on a top Russian military officer in four months that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine. The victim, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, was a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian armed forces. He was killed by an explosive device placed in his car in Balashikha just outside Moscow, Russia's capital. Investigators didn’t mention possible suspects but Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukrainian intelligence agencies of involvement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also pointed at Kyiv. Neither of them offered evidence. Ukrainian officials didn't comment on the attack.

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