Pope Leo XIV announced appointments of U.S. bishops that some characterized as being anti-Trump after a public feud with the administration.

Among the appointments were bishops that had criticized the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, as well as the strengthening of immigration enforcement.

‘We are a diverse nation with people from all over the world. Diversity is a good thing. Diversity is of God.’

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar previously claimed that immigration enforcement had caused fear in immigrant communities.

“The federal government has pursued a ‘shock and awe’ campaign of aggressive threats and highly visible operations of questionable legality that go far beyond mere immigration ‘enforcement,'” he said.

Menjivar has been named as the new bishop for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia.

Father Robert Boxie III has been named as the new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, but he previously defended policies on diversity.

“In a lot of ways we have made great progress, but in so many ways, I feel like we’re regressing,” Boxie said in an interview with OSV News in 2025.

“It’s really frustrating — especially this moment that we’re living in. The attacks on ‘DEI’ — I don’t even know what that means anymore. It’s a term that’s been hijacked. It means a lot of things to a lot of different people.”

He went on to defend diversity as central to the U.S. and to the Catholic Church.

“I think at its core, it’s what America is all about. We are a diverse nation with people from all over the world. Diversity is a good thing. Diversity is of God,” he continued. “And the fact that it’s been turned into something negative — or something that should be avoided or not talked about — just flies in the face of who we are as Americans.”

RELATED: Vatican finally responds to Trump’s invitation for Pope Leo to join Board of Peace

A third bishop referred to the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as “sickening unrest.”

Others rejected the framing of the appointments as having any political dimensions at all.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Pope leo vs trump, Bishop appointments, Anti immigration bishop, Catholics vs trump, Politics 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fired back at the ActBlue Democratic donation organization after it filed a lawsuit Friday accusing him of violating the Constitution.

Paxton filed a lawsuit last month accusing ActBlue of illegally accepting donations forbidden by campaign laws. The portal has faced similar allegations from Republicans for years.

‘It is retaliation against constitutionally protected political speech and association, and it is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.’

The ActBlue lawsuit accused Paxton of violating the organization’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights of the Constitution.

“ActBlue is trying to take me down,” Paxton responded on social media. “I sued the fundraising platform for deceiving Americans by lying about its donation processes that allow fraudulent and foreign donations. I will hold those who break the law accountable.”

ActBlue’s chief legal officer, Lawrence Oliver, made the case against Paxton.

“Ken Paxton has spent more than two years using the power of his office to investigate, harass, and sue ActBlue,” Oliver wrote in a statement.

“The timing of Paxton fighting for his political life in his run for a U.S. Senate seat and his use of the Attorney General’s office to attack ActBlue should not be lost on anyone. He is wasting taxpayer dollars to benefit his political ambitions,” he added.

“That is not law enforcement,” Oliver concluded. “It is retaliation against constitutionally protected political speech and association, and it is exactly what the First Amendment forbids.”

Among the claims made against Paxton was that his investigators tried to use an American Express gift card on ActBlue in an attempt to show the ease with which illegal donations could be made. Although they failed three times, ActBlue alleges that Paxton hid these facts from the Texas court.

RELATED: Texas AG Paxton accuses Democrat donation portal ActBlue of illegally funneling foreign money into US campaigns

ActBlue also reposted a message from a Democratic activist against Republicans on social media.

“Let’s be clear about something: the only reason Republicans are targeting ActBlue is that they want to destroy the Democratic Party’s ability to raise money from small-dollar donors,” the post reads. “It’s a completely bulls**t attack, and people in glass houses should not throw stones.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Ken paxton vs actblue, Actblue free speech, Actblue fraud, Democratic donations fraud, Politics 

A compromise between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools led to the city agreeing to bus students to the “International Workers’ Day” protest.

Activists across the world are joining in the May Day celebrations and protests while advocating for political causes across the left-wing spectrum.

‘The future belongs to the youth, and so they’re going to have to pick up the mantle and take it up,’ Queen Weiner said.

That includes some of the students of the Chicago public school systems thanks to the teachers’ union.

The union was demanding that staff and students have the entire day off so they could join the protests, but they agreed instead on busing students out for “field trips” to protest.

The union got other concessions, including an agreement for zero retaliation against those who chose to participate in the protests.

“The fight for justice, dignity, respect, and the blood, sweat, and tears that were shed and the justice that workers endured to sacrifice,” said Don Villar, the secretary and treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

Protesters will march to Daley Plaza after a rally in Union Park.

Queen Weiner, a retired member of the teachers’ union, told WTTW-TV that she showed up to the protest to battle billionaires.

“I’ve been fighting in the struggle for a long time,” Weiner said. “And, you know, the future belongs to the youth, and so they’re going to have to pick up the mantle and take it up.”

Some parents were not as enthused as Weiner was about the time off from instruction.

“We are already seeing kids all over the district that are not being pushed to their standards. Taking another day from instruction for them is not beneficial for the kids,” one parent of a CPS student said to WGN-TV.

Others were upset that the children were being placed in a “high-risk situation” at the protests and some said there should have been parental input in the decision.

RELATED: Video shows brawl after high school walkout protester allegedly hit pro-ICE man — and the man is charged with child abuse

The Kids First Chicago nonprofit said some parents were upset at the loss of instruction time.

Queen Weiner went on to say she hoped the students and teenagers were encouraged by the protest to “know that the fight never stops.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Chicago teachers union, May day celebrations, Chicago public schools, Parents angry at teacher unions, Politics 

A debate over the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran nearly ended in fisticuffs on a CNN panel between Scott Jennings and a liberal commentator on Thursday.

Adam Mockler of the liberal MeidasTouch Network pointed to inflation and higher gas prices to argue that the decision to attack Iran has been a failure for the Trump administration.

‘Do you have the attention span of a gnat? Is that what you have?’

Jennings argued that the war has been successful insofar as it has significantly set back Iran’s program to gain nuclear weapons. Others on the panel argued that the U.S. was the aggressor in the war, while ignoring Iran’s previous attacks.

“I mean honestly they have been at war with us for 47 years,” said Jennings.

“We all know that Scott Jennings is more than happy to defend a war with a country that starts with the letters I-R-A that we are currently failing that is going to put us trillions and trillions of dollars more in debt,” Mockler responded.

“I was only a few years old while you were in the administration defending prior endless wars. Now this war is failing,” he added.

“Eight weeks is endless to you? Do you have the attention span of a gnat? Is that what you have?” Jennings laughed.

“I debated you on TV four to six weeks ago, and you said we were weeks away from it. Now you’re making condescending remarks because you can’t defend the fact that this war is not going your way,” Mockler pressed on.

“Not going your way?” Jennings repeated, exasperated.

“Name one political concession!” Mockler continued.

“Get your f**king hand out of my face! First of all,” Jennings said sternly.

CNN host Abby Phillip stepped in to calm the panel down.

“I’m not going to have this guy’s hand in my face,” Jennings added. “Honestly.”

Mockler went on to jab at Jennings in a post on social media.

“MAGA beta male with low emotional control and high cortisol CRASHES OUT on young man preoccupied with war,” he wrote along with a video of the altercation.

RELATED: Scott Jennings obliterates liberal spin on Charlie Kirk: ‘The evidence here is overwhelming!’

Also in the mix was Geraldo Rivera, who countered with his own experience covering a previous attack on U.S. soldiers by Iran.

“In 1983, I was in Beirut when the Marine Corps barracks was blown up by a suicide bomber sponsored by the Iranians. Two-hundred-thirty Marines died,” he said.

Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive journalist who ran unsuccessfully for Congress, replied by suggesting that the murder of 230 Marines had a statute of limitations.

“That’s awful, that’s terrible, but it’s not 1983,” she said.

CNN published 10 minutes of the debate, including the altercation between Jennings and Mockler on its YouTube channel.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

​Scott jennings video, Jennings vs adam mockler, Us-israeli strikes on iran, Heated cnn debate, Politics