Washington has not allocated new arms supplies to Kiev in months, the newspaper wrote

Ukraine’s European sponsors lack the manufacturing capacity to replace US arms supplies to Kiev, the New York Times wrote on Saturday.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has shifted from spending billions on supporting Ukraine to focusing on domestic issues. It has also signaled to its European NATO allies that Washington has no interest in propping up the military bloc alone.

The NYT noted that the US has not announced a new arms package for Ukraine for more than 120 days. While the Pentagon still has $3.85 billion in armaments earmarked for Kiev under the previous administration, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to answer when asked if the arms would be sent to Ukraine, the newspaper wrote.

Kiev is running low on long-range missiles, artillery and, most of all, ballistic aid defense systems – which are mostly manufactured in the US – the NYT wrote, citing a Ukrainian official.

While European leaders and investors appear willing to pump more funds into arms manufacturing, “industry executives and experts predict it will take a decade to get assembly lines up to speed,” according to the newspaper.

This comes on the backdrop of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to mobilize up to €800 billion for military spending in the EU, citing threats from Russia and the inability to rely on long-term US support.

The Trump administration has consistently demanded that the European NATO states increase their annual military spending to 5% of GDP, calling the longstanding 2% target insufficient.

Russian officials have condemned the steps being taken in Europe toward militarization, and dismissed claims that Moscow intends to attack either the EU or NATO. Moreover, Russia has expressed concern that, rather than supporting the US peace initiatives for the Ukraine conflict, the EU is instead gearing up for war with Russia.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously noted that the EU is “becoming militarized at a record pace,” and said that there was now “very little difference” between the EU and NATO.

I don’t have numbers in front of me, but the Catholic Church is suffering an defection rate of worse than 1% per year or 50% per generation. We are failing to pass on the faith, and the Enemy is succeeding in evangelizing its counter-faith of secularism and sin. This absolute catastrophe should overwhelm all other concerns. The necessity is defensive evangelization, of improving retention and protecting baptized souls

Should this be the pope’s main job? No. It is primarily the job of parents, who have the most influence. Secondarily, it is the job of parish personnel involved in youth outreach: catechists, youth group and Newman Center workers, and parish priests. Thirdly, it is the work of apologists, our fighters in the intellectual war, who deserve quite a bit more respect than they get. The pope’s primary job is to assist us. He’s the servant of the servants of God; he’s the support. Before he does anything, he should think about people like me who are trying to keep teenage children in the faith, and he should ask himself whether what he’s about to do will make our job easier or harder. If he overall makes our job easier, he is a good pope.

I feel the need to point this out because I have been annoyed by much of the talk I’ve been hearing about skills desired in a pope. They seem to come from some alternate world where the Church has great influence on temporal affairs, rather than leading what is everywhere the faith of a small, powerless, despised minority. Thus, I hear that the pope must be a diplomat, a peacemaker. Suppose His Holiness came up with a perfect treaty, acceptable to all sides, to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine. Wonderful–but its coming from the pope will buy it no added consideration. A man with such skills would be better employed in a government agency or political science department than on the throne of Saint Peter.

Similarly, we hear that an ideal pope should be an advocate for social justice. Poppycock! And I mean this whether one takes “social justice” to mean advancing socialism and open borders or fighting abortion and anti-white prejudice. The pope has no influence on secular powers. In an ideal world he would, but since we don’t live in that world, we might as well take advantage of being free of the distraction. Yes, the pope should speak on the duty of welcoming babies and migrants but not to influence lawmakers, rather to enjoin the faithful to private acts of charity and to dissuade them from sins.

Similarly, I’m always hearing that a pope must make decisive action against clergy sexual abuse his main priority, as if the last two decades of ecclesiastic witch-hunting had never happened. In an ideal world, our priests would have benefit of clergy and would be immune to secular jurisdiction, in which case the Church would have a grave duty to investigate and police her clergy, to judge them in ecclesiastic courts and dole out punishments. We don’t live in that world; the Church doesn’t have the resources for it, and for decades she has told everyone that if they suspect a priest of criminal wrongdoing, they should go to the secular police. If our clergy must be under secular jurisdiction, we should take advantage of that and leave such things to them as far as possible. If police and courts determine a priest is guilty of some crime, the bishop may impose additional canonical penalties, but carrying out his own investigation is just asking for trouble, unless there’s really the resources and the will to do a better job than the secular authorities.

Finally, I hear that cleaning up Vatican finances should be a papal priority. This, at least, is in the papacy’s purview, and I think some DOGE-style budgetary bloodletting would probably be useful (e.g. synodality only via zoom), but we should keep this in perspective. If the Vatican goes bankrupt, that would be embarrassing, but how would it affect my ability to pass on the faith to my children and religion students? (Remember, that’s priority #1.) It wouldn’t help, but it would be less of a hinderance than, say, news articles claiming that the Church now blesses sodomitical unions or encourages the veneration of a Mesoamerican fertility demon.

AI Overview

Yes, Pope Leo XIV is expected to live in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. While Pope Francis chose to live in the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse, Pope Leo XIV has indicated he will reside in the traditional Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace

 

A few years ago, I ran across a joke website that used a bank of critical theory vocabulary and a random number generator to create a postmodernism thesis generator. The results were amusing, partly in the way that mad libs can be amusing, but mostly in the context of a larger joke that real theses written by sentient postmodernists are also just grammatical gibberish. The imitation was, I think, not intended as a compliment to the original.

A couple of weeks ago my department held a faculty retreat on the subject of what a bachelor of science in physics should know. Several study groups independently suggested that they should know about AI and machine learning. I admit I became rather livid, especially given that some colleagues were willing to compromise on the need to learn spin and Pauli matrices. I know a little bit about machine learning from serving on the dissertation committees of PhD students who used it–it’s just data fitting using more complicated models than a human might think of, and I’m convinced that it has no scientific value to physics. God would never design the world according to such contrivances; when nature confounds us, it is because she is simpler than we can imagine, not more complicated.

Of AI, I must confess general ignorance. I have not read and will not read the selections posted on this website. The very idea of reading text produced by an algorithm rather than a sentient being is repulsive to me. Pretending to see shapes in clouds is an innocent diversion, but pretending to find meaning in AI text is to participate in a mockery of the image of God in the human mind.

When I was growing up, “artificial intelligence” meant something like Lieutenant Commander Data. Not knowing how Data’s positronic brain works, it is reasonable for audiences to assume that he is sentient the way we are. What we call “AI” doesn’t even aspire to think and reason the way a sentient being would. It’s just more data fitting, with the training data being enormous amounts of text produced by sentient beings and the model predicting what follows what even more convoluted. This is not remotely how real intelligence operates, and more data and more complicated algorithms will not bring it one step closer to real intelligence, which usually does not involve much information or complication at all. (Remember the last time you had a passably good idea. Did it involve holding huge amounts of data in your head and applying a model to copy how you’ve seen ideas succeed one another in the writings of past thinkers?) Those who know about these things might tell me that there are interesting features in how these algorithms “learn”; if so, I just say it’s a shame that real human ingenuity was wasted developing such contemptible parlor tricks.

I do not let algorithms write text for me. I do not let algorithms write code for me. I do let them do internet searches for me, but only so I can pass on to something written by a human being as quickly as possible. You might say I am putting myself at a disadvantage compared to someone who will use the “enormous powers of AI”, but I remain unconvinced that there are any such powers. The whole thing feels stupid, vulgar, and insulting.

 Just saw this, not sure if real or not!

The former US president believes he could have beaten his successor in last year’s election had he not dropped out

Former US President Joe Biden has criticized the first 100 days in office of his successor, Donald Trump, while dismissing widespread speculation about his own cognitive decline, which was widely seen as the key reason behind his decision to drop out of the race.

In an interview with ABC News, Biden gave his take on Trump’s performance, saying “He’s had the worst 100 days any president’s ever had. And I would not say honesty has been his strong point.” His comments come after the end of the three-month period during which political opponents of sitting US presidents typically limit their public criticism.

Biden also noted that he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump, claiming that her race and gender played a role. “They went the sexist route,” he said. “I’ve never seen quite as successful and consistent a campaign undercutting the notion that a woman couldn’t lead the country – and a woman of mixed race.”

Asked whether he believes he could have beaten Trump in 2024, the former president replied, “I do.” He argued that the 2024 presidential race “wasn’t a slam dunk.” Trump secured narrow victories in several key battlegrounds, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin.

Responding to reports alleging cognitive decline in the final year of his presidency, Biden strongly denied the claims. “They are wrong,” Biden said. “There is nothing to sustain that… I said when I got out of the race, I was still going to be president. I think I did a pretty damn good job the last six months.”

Speculation about whether Biden was fit for office swirled around him months before the November election, fueled by recurring gaffes. Concerns peaked, however, after a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June 2024.

Despite his initial defiance, Biden withdrew from the presidential race under reported pressure from the Democratic leadership, allowing Vice President Harris to become the nominee. She went on to lose the general election to Trump, 312 to 226 in the Electoral College vote.

North Korea earlier helped Moscow expel Ukrainian troops from the border Kursk Region

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a visit to the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. He used the occasion to reaffirm North Korea’s alliance with Moscow and promised to defend the country from any Western-backed attack, including by “the Kiev neo-Nazis.”

Kim placed flowers at the Eternal Flame monument to honor the Soviet soldiers, calling it a tribute to the “heroic lives and feats of the unknown soldiers,” according to the state-run KCNA news agency. He was accompanied by senior officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Defense Minister No Kwang-chol, as well as his daughter.

During a lengthy speech, Kim extended greetings to President Vladimir Putin, calling him a “seasoned leader of a powerful state” and his “closest friend and comrade.” He hailed the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany, but said its legacy is under renewed threat.

”The revival of Nazism… is a serious threat that can never be tolerated,” Kim said. Referring to Ukraine’s recent attempts to invade Russian territory, he added, “We condemn this in most vehement and resolute terms as a hysterical action that can be taken only by the Kiev neo-Nazis.”

He noted that North Korean troops helped Russia defend Kursk Region from a large-scale Ukrainian incursion, warning that Pyongyang could intervene again under the 2024 comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia.

“If the henchmen of the United States and the West, with their tacky, defective munitions, attempt another assault on the Russian Federation… I… will unhesitatingly issue an order on using the armed forces of the DPRK in repelling the enemy’s invasion,” he said.

North Korean service members, including several top commanders, were present at the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, where Putin thanked them for their defense of Kursk Region.

Many Catholics already know that Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. 

But did you know an angel visited the children before Mary?

In 1916, the year before Mary appeared to them, the shepherd children Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco were leading their families’ flocks out to pasture when an angel appeared to them.

The angel spoke to them:

He and the children knelt down, and they repeated after the angel this prayer:

When they finished, the angel said this before vanishing: 

Another day, the same angel appeared to them a second time. Again, he exhorted them to prayer: 

When the children asked what sacrifices they should make, the angel explained:

A third time, the angel appeared to them again – this time holding a bleeding Eucharistic host over a chalice. Leaving the host and chalice floating in the air, the angel knelt and led them in a new prayer:

The angel then offered the host and chalice to the children saying, 

Then he vanished, never to appear again.

Little did the children know, but this angel was just the prelude to the famous Marian apparitions they would receive the following year.

You can learn more about the Angel of Fatima on the EWTN website.

I am watching Fox and Friends Weekend this Saturday morning, May 10th. They just had a great and fun interview with Pope Leo’s older brother. He said he watched the election of his brother on Fox!

Then, Fox and Friends had a clip of children at a Catholic elementary school going wild when they learn the new pope is American and they begin chanting the MAGA chant USA! USA! USA! You can’t make this stuff up!

Then, Fox and Friends host, Rachel Compos-Duffy, said that one of the greatest things that divides American Catholics was Pope Francis’ cruel suppression of the TLM in this country and elsewhere. But she reported that Pope Leo XIV prior to becoming pope, during the time that Summorum Pontificum was in force celebrated the TLM. She said, in the most synodal way, that Pope Leo XIV needs to heal the hurt and confusion that Pope Francis caused to those who embraced the letter and the law of Summorum Pontificum!

She also made the point that his first Mass as pope was in Latin. But even Pope Francis did that at his first Mass with Cardinals. And Pope Francis, not consistency or with any logic, did celebrate various papal Masses at the Vatican in Latin. Some in the media don’t understand that the new Mass can still be celebrated in Latin with local decisions about that. 

What Fr. Z says about the TLM teaching us priests about who we are is true and I know this from experience and that the Modern Missal has a tendency to water this down.

But then Fr. Z reported the following:

There are lots of rumors going around that Papa Prevost has celebrated the TLM. Some say this forcefully. I would like to think so, especially because I think that EVERY priest should know how to say it! The TLM teaches priests about who they are. Over time the gains are great and the knock on effects are significant.

The agreement was reached following a “long night of talks” mediated by Washington, the US president has said

India and Pakistan have agreed to cease hostilities, US President Donald Trump has said, adding that a deal was reached following a “long night of talks” mediated by Washington.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that a deal was reached but did not mention US involvement. New Delhi has said the truce came into effect at 5 pm local time.

“I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. He also hailed both sides for demonstrating “common sense and great intelligence.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said that the two neighbors had decided to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.” According to Rubio, he and US Vice President J.D. Vance were involved in talks with senior Indian and Pakistani officials over the past 48 hours, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, India’s top diplomat, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir.

Shortly after the announcement, India’s Foreign Ministry said that the heads of military operations of the two nations had agreed to cease all hostilities in a phone call earlier on Saturday initiated by the Pakistani side. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar took to X to say that “Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect.”

The truce follows a brief but rapid military escalation between the two nuclear powers. Earlier this week, New Delhi launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, a series of strikes on suspected terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The strikes were in retaliation for a terrorist attack in April in the India Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.

The attack was initially claimed by “The Resistance Front”, a group believed to be linked to the Pakistani-based jihadist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba. New Delhi said its investigators had been able to identify communication nodes of terrorists in and to Pakistan. Islamabad has vehemently denied that it had any role in the attack and has called for an impartial probe.

Islamabad has condemned India’s actions as a “heinous provocation” and responded with shelling across the Line of Control, the de facto border between the countries in Kashmir, as well as with drone strikes. Late on Friday, Pakistan announced that it had launched a large-scale military operation against India called ‘Bunyan Al Marsoos’ (Unbreakable Wall) in what it called retaliation for the Indian strikes. Strikes targeting Indian military sites ensued.

Kiev was never promised accession to the US-led military bloc as part of a peace deal with Moscow, Mark Rutte has said

NATO has never offered Ukraine the prospect of joining the bloc as part of any potential settlement of its conflict with Russia, the organization’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, has said. The Ukrainian leadership’s longstanding aim of membership in the US-led military alliance is viewed by Moscow as one of the root causes of the current conflict.

“We never agreed that, as part of a peace deal, there would be guaranteed NATO membership for Ukraine,” Rutte said on Friday during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

He emphasized that Ukraine’s NATO accession had been agreed upon by members of the bloc, but “for the longer term, not for the peace negotiations ongoing at the moment.”

At present, NATO and Ukraine maintain close cooperation, Rutte said. He noted that the alliance has a command center in Wiesbaden responsible for coordinating military aid to Ukraine, and that NATO is also working jointly with Kiev to organize training for Ukraine’s armed forces.

Earlier this year, Rutte also said “yes” when asked by Bloomberg whether US President Donald Trump had already taken the question of Ukraine’s NATO membership off the table in the ongoing peace efforts.

Top Russian officials have on numerous occasions accused the West of intentionally provoking the conflict in Ukraine by disregarding security concerns repeatedly voiced by the Kremlin over NATO’s expansion in Eastern Europe and its growing military cooperation with Kiev.

READ MORE: NATO chief rules out Ukrainian membership under peace deal

“I believe all of this was deliberately done to create additional conditions to limit our economic growth and contain Russia’s development,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 2023.

The renunciation of Ukraine’s NATO ambitions remains one of Moscow’s core conditions for a peace agreement, alongside Kiev not acquiring nuclear weapons and recognizing Russia’s new borders. The Kremlin has also consistently cautioned that continued Western military support for Kiev would only prolong the hostilities without changing the outcome.