When more than a million refugees and economic migrants poured into Europe a decade ago, Pope Francis urged compassion and, in a display of empathy and support, washed the feet of 12 asylum seekers at an Italian reception center. Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Hungarian archbishop considered a contender to succeed Francis, took a different approach:…
A season that was supposed to be defined by parity instead ended with the two most iconic brands in women’s basketball meeting in the national title game and UConn adding a historic record 12th title. Those programs once again top the field in this way-too-early look at 2025-26. As is tradition in these power rankings,…
The day after President Trump antagonized world leaders across the globe with his most sweeping set of tariffs yet, he was scheduled to fly to Florida and potentially see the one leader he has called his “favorite president.” That leader, President Javier Milei of Argentina, had flown overnight to receive an award on Thursday at…
By Grant Brisbee, Andy McCullough and Stephen J. Nesbitt Every week, we ask a selected group of our baseball writers — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results. It’s been 139 days since the New York Yankees fumbled Game 5 of the World Series and the…
Jim Marquardt was 16 and seeking some privacy. He had an important letter to write and his short attention span couldn’t compete with the TV in the living room, so he retreated upstairs to his sister’s bedroom. He shut the door and started scribbling. It was a Saturday night, and while his brain was telling…
For 15 years, Elizabeth Spiridakis Olson used a matte lip pencil in a shade of red called Dragon Girl. In her view, it was “one of the great reds, and the perfect consistency.” Ms. Spiridakis Olson, a freelance creative director in South Orange, N.J., used it almost daily. She kept one Dragon Girl lip pencil…
By Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, Jesse Granger, James Mirtle and The Athletic NHL Staff In October, The Athletic’s NHL staff didn’t consider the Vegas Golden Knights a serious Stanley Cup contender. There’s no other way to put it — seven teams received preseason votes to win the Cup, and Vegas wasn’t one of them. A…