In today’s newsletter: India launches airstrikes inside Pakistan in an escalation of tensions between the two counties. The conclave to select Pope Francis’ successor gets underway. And the Federal Reserve is expected to keep interest rates the same as officials continue to assess the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
Here’s what to know today.
India strikes Pakistan, escalating tensions over terrorist attack in Kashmir
India launched missiles at neighbor and rival Pakistan early Wednesday, an attack that Pakistan called an “act of war.” The strikes dramatically escalate tensions between the nuclear powers two weeks after a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
Pakistan said Wednesday’s strikes also killed 26 people, including six people killed at two mosques and two teens killed elsewhere. At least 46 others were injured. India said it hit nine locations across the Pakistani province of Punjab and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and claimed the strikes hit only “terror camps” and no civilian targets.
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Several buildings were on fire after the strikes, which caused power outages in various locations, videos posted on social media and verified by NBC News showed.
Pakistan promised a forceful response to India’s airstrikes, with security officials telling NBC News that Pakistani forces had already shot down five Indian Air Force planes and one drone. India has not confirmed the reports.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on both countries’ militaries to exercise restraint. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with his counterparts in both countries and urged their leadership to “defuse the situation.” China, which borders both countries, urged both sides to “act in the larger interest of peace and stability.”
Read the full story here and follow our live blog for updates.
The conclave kicks off
The process to elect a new pope to succeed Francis is underway at the Vatican, where 133 cardinal electors from all over the world are gathered under the god-breathed frescos of the Sistine Chapel — and will be until a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is selected. Whoever is selected will immediately become one of the most prominent voices in a world of turmoil and will grapple with the church’s budget deficit and fallout from its decadeslong sex abuse scandal.
Cardinals assembled at 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), and the first poll is scheduled for the afternoon. That vote is often a chance to sound out front-runners and give token votes to friends and respected colleagues. Then there are four votes daily — two in the morning and two in the afternoon. After the final morning and afternoon votes, ballots are burned in a specially installed furnace and mixed with a specific compound of chemicals depending on the result: black smoke for no decision, and white for a two-thirds majority. In recent history, conclaves have lasted two to three days.
Among the names being floated as contenders are: Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Francis’ secretary of state who is seen as a centrist stabilizer; Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle of the Philippines, often dubbed “the Asian Pope Francis” because he holds progressive views; Péter Erdő of Hungary, a conservative favorite; and Cardinal Peter Turkson, who would be the first African pope in more than 1,500 years.
Read the full story here for more on what to expect — plus, some history, like where the term “conclave” came from. And follow our live blog for updates from the Vatican.
Interest rates expected to hold steady
The Federal Reserve is expected to announce today that it will leave interest rates unchanged, with the federal funds rate at a target of 4.25% to 4.5%, as it continues to assess the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Investors believe Fed Chair Jerome Powell will continue to hold interest rates steady through the next meeting in June and expect the first cut of 2025 to come in July.
Trump has pressured monetary policymakers to cut rates to buoy the economy, but Fed officials are split over when to cut rates. At least one official believes any price boost from tariffs will be short-lived and has advocated for starting rate cuts sooner. Most other Fed officials think the more prudent move will be to wait and see what happens with the job market and tariff negotiations. Read the full story here.
Intelligence memo contradicts Trump’s Tren de Aragua claims
A declassified memo drafted by U.S. intelligence agencies challenges the argument that Trump has used to deport immigrants to an El Salvador prison. According to the memo from April 7 and first reported this week, the intelligence agencies believe Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro allows criminal gangs to operate but is not orchestrating Tren de Aragua’s operations in the U.S. The memo also noted that FBI analysts took a slightly different view but that bureau agrees broadly with the assessment of the other intelligence agencies.
The findings clash with Trump’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport Venezuelans and other immigrants to El Salvador. The president argued in his proclamation invoking the act that Tren de Aragua is “conducting irregular warfare” against the U.S. “both directly and at the direction, clandestine or otherwise, of the Maduro regime.”
Meanwhile, the Trump administration officials have criticized media coverage of the issue and launched leak investigations into previous reporting about the memo. And while some lawmakers have expressed support for the president, others are demanding an explanation about why officials’ public statements differ from the memo’s findings. Read the full story here.
More politics news:
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterated that his country is “not for sale” during his first Oval Office meeting with Trump.
- The Supreme Court granted an emergency request allowing Trump to implement his ban on transgender people serving in the military.
- The FDA named Dr. Vinay Prasad — who has been accused of spreading Covid vaccine misinformation and was critical of the agency’s decision to approve Covid shots in children — as its new vaccine chief.
- The Trump administration terminated the CDC’s infection control committee, which has crafted national standards for hand-washing, mask-wearing and isolating sick patients in health care facilities.
- Top Republican officials are scrambling to find a Senate candidate in Georgia other than Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Read All About It
- Starting today, Real IDs are required for domestic air travel. Here’s what happens if you don’t bring Real ID-compliant identification to the airport.
- Four former housekeepers for Motown legend Smokey Robinson have accused him of sexual assault and are seeking no less than $50 million in damages, according to a new lawsuit.
- A fighter jet went overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman, the second time in eight days that a fighter jet has crashed into the Red Sea.
- Newark air traffic controllers have lost contact with planes at least twice before last week’s communications breakdown, which is still causing massive delays, a current veteran controller said.
- Businessman Barry Diller addressed speculation about his sexuality and his marriage to fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg in a new memoir.
Staff Pick: Like Fyre Fest for books
Last week in Baltimore, what was supposed to be an elegant “fantasy ball” for book lovers turned out to be a Fyre Fest-like fiasco as attendees showed up to the A Million Lives Book Festival only to see barren conference rooms devoid of decor, entertainment or people. I spoke to several attendees who said a refund wouldn’t cover the financial hit they took and who recounted their shock and dismay at the disaster that unfolded. “If the bar for events was on the floor, A Million Lives Festival sent the bar straight to hell,” a romantic fantasy author said. — Angela Yang, culture & trends reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Bug bite patches can help stop you from scratching itchy skin and speed up the healing process. Here are some of the best brands to shop. And is sunscreen really necessary while you’re indoors? The answer is yes — even on gray, gloomy days. Here are a few dermatologist- and staff-recommended sunscreens.
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