Pope Francis waves to faithful at the end of the weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
By Nicole Winfield
Pope Francis endorsed same-sex civil unions for the first time as pope while being interviewed for the feature-length documentary “Francesco,” which had its premiere at the Rome Film Festival on Wednesday.
The papal thumbs up came midway through the film that delves into issues he cares about most, including the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination.
“Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God,” Francis said in one of his sit-down interviews for the film. “What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
While serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis endorsed civil unions for gay couples as an alternative to same-sex marriages. However, he had never come out publicly in favor of civil unions as pope.
Director Evgeny Afineevsky had remarkable access to cardinals, the Vatican television archives, and the pope himself. He said he negotiated his way in through persistence, and deliveries of Argentine mate tea and Alfajores cookies that he got to the pope via some well-connected Argentines in Rome.
Theo Wilson, host of the 'I Was There' series, joins Cheddar News to talk about taking viewers on immersive trips back in time to some of history's biggest events.
Angie Klein, CEO of Visible, and Melissa Hobley, CMO of OkCupid, join Cheddar News to talk about teaming up to create a singles registry just in time for wedding season.
Ken Grier, associate creative director at Dictador, joins Cheddar News to talk about the company launching NFT enabled luxury spirits and its art-oriented treasury club, ArtHouse Spirits DAO.
Cheddar recs "Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off," "Thermae Romae Novae," "The Bubble," "Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood," "Is It Cake?" and "How To With John Wilson."
The Biden administration is once again extending the pause on federal student loans payments — this time, through the end of August. In a statement, President Biden cited a recent analysis from the Fed that if the payments were to resume, millions of student loan borrowers would face significant "economic hardship, delinquencies, and defaults that could threaten America's financial stability." Sarah Foster, an analyst at Bankrate, breaks down the impact of the extension on borrowers, the economy, and the future of student loan forgiveness. "I think this is just an instance of the federal student loan forbearance program kind of creating additional uncertainty for borrowers, especially in the sense that these past four extensions from the Biden administration have kind of come at the 11th hour here," she said.
Walk into any coffee shop or diner and you’ll spot packets of Sweet ‘n’ Low, Equal, or Splenda sweet right away. And, if you’re someone who uses these sweeteners, you’re not alone. In 2020 alone, 141 million Americans used sugar substitutes. They’re attractively marketed with little to no calories, claims of no weight gain and are supposedly safe for diabetics. But with all the hype comes a history of negative PR and health concerns, including possible cancer links. And yet talk of bans by the US Government have proven ineffective, even inciting chaos.
So how did these small packets become so mighty?
Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughters are sanctioned, Attorney General Merrick Garland has Covid, and Uber wants to be a transportation superhub. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Thursday, April 7, 2022.
U.S. markets closed higher to end Monday's session, with tech stocks leading the advance. Gene Goldman, Chief Investment Officer at Cetera Financial Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the potential future of the major U.S. indexes, and how factors like policy moves from the federal reserve and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war could impact volatility.
The 2022 Masters Tournament is slated to begin on Thursday, and one of golf's most iconic players is set to return to Augusta National, just 14 months after a devastating car accident. In a press conference, Tiger Woods told reporters that not only is he planning to play in the tournament, but that he also thinks he can win. Cam Rogers, national sports betting and golf analyst, and host of 'Lock It In'
for the Bleav Podcast Network, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks closed Thursday at session lows to end the month of March, posting their worst quarter since the pandemic crash of 2020. However, March was the first positive of 2022. MJP Wealth Advisors President Brian Vendig joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
