PBS News Weekend: Pope Francis' Farewell, NIH Cancer Treatment, and Coral Reef Crisis

Farewell to Pope Francis and Papal Succession

• 🕊️ World leaders and mourners gathered for the solemn funeral mass of Pope Francis, held outside St. Peter's Basilica.
• 🤝 In a significant diplomatic effort, President Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the Vatican to discuss a peace plan involving territorial concessions and Ukraine's mineral wealth.
• 💬 The funeral homily emphasized the futility of war and Pope Francis's consistent calls for peace, contrasting with the concept of building "bridges, not walls."
• 🧐 Cardinals will now engage in discussions, both formal and informal, to elect a new pope, considering issues from geopolitics to internal church debates on social matters.

Challenges Facing Federally-Funded Science

• 🔬 A promising immunotherapy treatment developed at the NIH has shown success in shrinking gastrointestinal tumors in a quarter of patients, offering new hope for those with advanced cancers.
• ⚠️ However, NIH staffing shortages, layoffs, and budget cuts are severely impacting research, threatening to delay the implementation and further development of this breakthrough.
• 😥 Researchers are experiencing a