Thousands gather to pay their respects to Pope Francis

Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. It's Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025, and these are your Unbiased

Updates. Pope Francis lies in state at St. Peter's Basilica as cardinals and mourners

pay tribute to the Holy Father, who died Monday at 88 years old. Also, a thawing of Trump

tariff talk when it comes to China. The president hints that a trade deal is possible between

the two nations, why he says his own figure of 145 percent slapped on China will come down

substantially, and what happens from here. From the Straight Arrow News Studio, bringing the

stories that matter to you from across the United States and around the world, these are today's

Unbiased Updates. This morning, tens of thousands of people are waiting to pay their respects to

Pope Francis as he lies in state at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in Rome. Francis

casket was carried in a procession of patriarchs, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, canons, and

other priests from the Casa Santa Marta to the Basilica as throngs of faithful Catholics

lined the streets. So many people showed up to honor the late pontiff. Vatican authorities

had to temporarily stop members of the public from entering St. Peter's Square over fears

about overcrowding. The Basilica will be kept open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday

and the public mourning period will end on Friday at 7 p.m. local time. A second general congregation

is scheduled for this afternoon. The congregations are a daily gathering of the College of Cardinals

who govern the Vatican until a new pope is chosen. They plan the funeral as well as the upcoming

conclave. Pope Francis' death on Monday came after a series of worsening health problems

including a diagnosis of double pneumonia that put him in the hospital for more than a month

earlier this year. He ultimately died of a stroke that led to heart failure

His funeral is scheduled for this Saturday at 10 a.m. local time, which is 4 a.m. Eastern time

here in the U.S., after which he will be entombed at Basilica of St. Mary Major

which lies outside the Vatican walls, per his request. As the trade standoff between the United States and China continues

President Donald Trump is now signaling he's willing to work with China to find some common ground on the levees

Right now China is facing 145 percent tariffs on goods that it sends to the United States while Beijing has responded with its own tariffs of 125 percent on American goods heading there On Tuesday Treasury Secretary Scott Besant reportedly

told investors in a closed-door meeting that the current tariffs are not sustainable

and he expects there will be a de-escalation in the very near future. President Trump echoing that

while speaking to reporters at the White House Tuesday. That's true. 145 percent is very high and it won't be that high. It's not going to be that high

It'll come down substantially, but it won't be zero. It used to be zero. We were just destroyed

China was taking us for a ride and just not going to have. But they're going to do very well

And I think they're going to be happy and I think we're going to live together very happily and

ideally work together. So I think it's going to work out very well. And while President Trump appears to have no plans to roll back his baseline 10 percent tariffs on China and more than 180 countries across the world

the Trump administration has met for talks with counterparts from Japan, India, South Korea, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, among others

The White House announcing that it now has 18 written proposals on paper for trade deals, and they have another 34 meetings with countries slated for this week

Wall Street finally reacted positively, with the Dow up by more than 1,000 points

and futures are up again this morning. Elon Musk says he plans to scale back his work with the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency

telling Tesla investors Tuesday the amount of time he dedicates to the cost-cutting task force

known as Doge, will drop significantly next month. The announcement comes as Tesla's stock price has plummeted more than 50 percent from its most recent high in December

The company reported a 71 percent drop in profits and a 9 percent decline in revenue for the first quarter of this year

Musk says he still plans to continue his involvement with Doge throughout President Trump's term

but he told investors he will likely spend one to two days a week on government issues moving forward

After Tuesday's conference call with Musk, investors sent Tesla shares up more than 5% in after-hours trading

Another key legal deadline in the battle between the Trump administration and lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia

He the Maryland man deported to El Salvador in March in what initially was determined to be an administrative error But the Trump administration is now refusing to bring him back insisting that he a member of the gang MS The president even posting pictures of

Garcia's tattoos on his Truth Social platform. Garcia's family insists he is not a gang member

They, along with a group of members of Congress, are trying to get him returned to the U.S

U.S. District Judge Paula Zinas has given the administration until tonight to answer and

respond to efforts by Garcia's lawyers when it comes to legal and factual information

She wrote that the government's objections and mischaracterizations of court orders, quote

reflect a willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations

She had ruled earlier this month that the administration must facilitate his return

But so far, that has not happened. Nearly three years after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in one of the deadliest

school shootings in American history, the city of Uvalde, Texas, has reached a settlement with

the victims' families. An attorney representing the families of the Robb Elementary School victims

confirms the settlement was approved by a unanimous vote at a city council meeting Tuesday night

The exact terms have not been released. The families had requested a monetary settlement be

paid out of the city's insurance and for Uvalde police to adopt new fitness standards and boost

officer training. City officials tell News 4 San Antonio that a memorial, which was part of the

agreement, will be established in the town square. That news outlet is also reporting the state is

considering setting aside funds to support a permanent memorial for the Robb Elementary victims

A Texas House of Representatives investigative committee found there were systemic failures and

poor decision-making in the police response to the 2022 shooting. Investigators determined it took

police 77 minutes for officers to confront and kill the gunman. Finally this morning, the NFL

draft is tomorrow and rumors are flying as teams look to trade up to get their most coveted player

Tennessee, however, says it is not trading the first overall pick and is poised to take a

quarterback first overall. Straight Arrow News sports reporter Chris Francis has a look at some

of this year's draft prospects who are in line to be game changers. Most in the media focus on the

high profile players the quarterbacks the running backs receivers past rushers I'm going to tell

you about the unsung heroes the big guys up front there are several linemen who could go in the top

10 that are not getting as much hype the New England Patriots with the fourth overall pick are rumored to be interested in LSU tackle Will Campbell He performed at an all level against big

time competition in the Southeastern Conference and delivered the soundbite of the pre-draft

process after concerns about his arm length became a talking point. For two years nobody had any

measurements on me and nobody said anything about my play so now all of a sudden an arm length the

Besides if I'm a good player or not, I think it's BS. But any decision makers in the NFL, they don't really care at all

People who don't coach, and they don't coach for a reason. Michigan's Mason Graham is talented enough to anchor a defensive line for years in the NFL

but he's been fielding questions about his weight. He played at 310 pounds during the past season, but was 303 at the NFL scouting combine

He could be picked as high as number five or number six by either Jacksonville or Las Vegas

And he's enjoyed the entire process thus far. It's been cool, you know, meeting with the teams is always cool

I met with like 20-something teams at the Combine and quite a few teams here

So it's been cool to, you know, just talk to them and, you know, answer any questions they have or ask any questions I have

Armand Membu, who played his college ball at Missouri, is another big man that has shot up the draft boards

He's shown the versatility to play tackle or guard. which is attractive to a number of teams looking for offensive line help

He did not play football until the eighth grade, and it took an impressive growth spurt for anyone to notice

Four inches taller and 90 pounds heavier in two high school seasons

that got some attention. My junior year, when I started getting offers, you know, my head coach

my high school head coach, I love him, Jamar Mosey, he sat me down. He was like, hey, I think you can take this serious

Like, I think you could be a pro. So just from then on, just continuing to work hard

Membu admitted when he started playing, he was quote-unquote trash. Now he'll likely be a top-ten pick

Other big men on the first-round radar include offensive lineman Tyler Booker of Alabama

Kelvin Banks Jr. of Texas, and defensive lineman Derek Harmon of Oregon

Yeah, they might not get a lot of the publicity, but without the big guys, nothing else works

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis. And my New York Giants at number three take Abdul Carter, Penn State, dominant pass rusher

Gosh, I hope. Those are your unbiased updates for this Wednesday. We'll see you back here tomorrow

For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli. Have a great day