Pope Francis Passes, Pentagon Chaos, COVID Gov Site, A Miracle Update

 Pope Francis has died at 88, leaving the Catholic Church to prepare for a conclave where 120 cardinals will select the next leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. The papal succession process highlights potential candidates representing diverse theological perspectives while Pentagon drama unfolds with Defense Secretary Hegseth under fire for sharing sensitive military information through Signal groups.

• Pope Francis's death at 88 ends a 12-year papacy marked by progressive stances
• Cardinals will gather within 20 days for the ancient conclave process requiring a two-thirds majority
• Papal candidates include frontrunners from the Philippines, Italy, France, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Guinea
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth facing criticism for sharing sensitive operation details through Signal chat groups
• White House claims "the entire Pentagon is working against" Hegseth's reform efforts
• COVID.gov website dramatically revamped to declare lab leak as the true origin of the pandemic
• 11-year-old Landon Hoffman thriving six years after being thrown from Mall of America balcony
• Landon's remarkable recovery included four months in intensive care and over a dozen surgeries 

Source Credits:

 

https://nypost.com/2025/04/21/world-news/who-will-be-next-pope-after-francis-vatican-conclave/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/21/us-news/wh-says-trump-supports-hegseth-claims-entire-pentagon-working-against-defense-secretary-after-second-signal-chat-revealed/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/18/us-news/white-house-reveals-covid-lab-leak-theory-as-true-origins-of-pandemic-website/? https://nypost.com/2025/04/19/us-news/landen-hoffmann-thriving-six-years-after-attack-says-mother-kari/ 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello America, joc, here with your Ranting Politics
headline updates, where we arediving into today's most
explosive political stories thatyou need to know about Coming
up.
We're diving into a papal powervacuum as the Catholic Church
mourns Pope Francis who passedaway at 88.
Who's next in line for thethrone of St Peter?
I've got the inside scoop onthe frontrunners who might be

(00:23):
measuring for those fancy redshoes.
Then it's Pentagon pandemonium,as Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth finds himself in hotwater over some chatty signal
groups.
The White House claims theentire Pentagon is working
against him.
Drama, drama, drama.
We're also getting real aboutCOVID origins, as the White
House drops a bombshell,revamping its official website

(00:45):
to declare the lab leak theoryas the true origin of the
pandemic.
And finally, a touch ofinspiration as we hear about
Landon Hoffman, the boy thrownfrom a Mall of America balcony
six years ago, who's nowthriving against all odds.
If you're just tuning in forthe first time, welcome to
America's fastest growing dailynewsown designed specifically
for your commute run or coffeetime.

(01:07):
Stick around for all this andmore in your daily dose of
unfiltered news and common-sensecommentary.
This is Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.

(01:32):
The Catholic world is mourningthe loss of Pope Francis, who
died today at the age of 88after leading the church for 12
years.
His tenure was marked byprogressive stances that
sometimes rankled conservatives,from his more welcoming
approach toward LGBTQ Catholicsto his restrictions on the
traditional Latin Mass.
Now the Vatican is preparingfor that ancient secretive

(01:54):
process known as a conclave.
Within 20 days, 120 eligiblecardinals under the age of 80
will gather to select the nextleader of the world's 1.4
billion Catholics.
They'll cast up to four ballotsdaily until someone secures a
two-thirds majority.
If they go through 30 roundswithout a winner, it comes down
to the top two candidates.

(02:15):
According to Vatican experts,whoever follows Francis will
likely nudge the church backtoward the center.
As Sarenhead James, editor ofBritain's Catholic Herald, put
it, after 12 years of PopeFrancis stirring things up, the
cardinals will want someone whowill take a different, calmer
approach.
So who's on the papal shortlist?
Cardinal Luis Tagal from thePhilippines, at 67, is

(02:38):
considered a Francis protégé,though his star may have dimmed
recently after allegedshortcomings during his
leadership of Vatican charityCaritas International.
He's known for progressivepositions on matters like
communion for non-sacramentallymarried couples.
Italy's Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the 70-year-old Vatican
Secretary of State, bringsconsiderable diplomatic

(03:00):
experience and holds someconservative positions, though
he supported controversialagreements with communist China.
French Cardinal Jean-MarcAveline, 66, reportedly
Francis's favorite successor,appeals to the church's left
wing and supports greaterdecentralization.
For those looking rightward,there's Dutch Cardinal Willem

(03:21):
Jacobus Eyck, a 71-year-oldphysician and theologian who
opposes same-sex blessings andgender therapies, while firmly
rejecting women's ordination.
From Sri Lanka, cardinalMalcolm Ranjith, 77, could
become the first Asian pope,bringing credentials that appeal
to both Benedict XVIconservatives and those who

(03:41):
share Francis's concern for thepoor and environment.
Perhaps most intriguing isCardinal Robert Serra of Guinea,
79, an outspoken traditionalistwho publicly criticized
Francis's restrictions on theLatin mass.
His election would make him thefirst African pope since the
5th century.
According to historians, don'texpect any surprise candidates

(04:03):
from outside the College ofCardinals.
As Keene University professorChristopher Bellitto colorfully
put it no-transcript.
The last time that happened was1378, and it triggered a schism
that left the church withmultiple competing popes.
The New York Post reports thatFrancis significantly reshaped

(04:24):
the College of Cardinals duringhis papacy, potentially
influencing who follows him evenafter his death.
As the Catholic world watchesand waits, this ancient ritual
will soon determine who willlead the church into its next
chapter.
Buckle up, folks, becausethere's major drama unfolding at
the Pentagon.
Right now, defense SecretaryPete Hegseth is under serious

(04:45):
fire after revelations that heshared sensitive military
operation details through signalchat groups, not once, but
twice.
According to reporting from theNew York Times, hegseth sent
information about March strikesagainst Houthi targets in Yemen
to a group chat that includedhis wife, brother and personal
attorney.
We're talking flight schedulesfor F-A-18 Hornets and attack

(05:08):
plans.
Pretty serious stuff to befloating around on a messaging
app.
This comes after the previousembarrassment when Atlantic
Magazine editor Jeffrey Goldbergsomehow ended up in a
principals committee signalgroup about those same strikes.
National Security Advisor MikeWaltz took the fall for that
mishap, claiming he accidentallyadded Goldberg instead of US
Trade Representative JamesonGreer.

(05:30):
Despite what looks like apattern of mishandling sensitive
information, the White House isstanding firmly behind Hegseth.
Press Secretary CarolineLeavitt told Fox Friends that
the president stands stronglybehind Secretary Hegseth, who is
doing a phenomenal job leadingthe Pentagon.
But here's where it gets spicy.
She then claimed that theentire Pentagon is working

(05:51):
against you and against themonumental change that you are
trying to implement.
Hegseth himself is dismissingthe controversy, telling
reporters at the White HouseEaster egg roll that this is
just what happens when a fewleakers get fired and suddenly a
bunch of hit pieces come out.
The Pentagon spokesperson, seanParnell, insists there was no
classified information in anysignal chat, but the internal

(06:14):
turmoil seems very real.
Just last week, hegsethdismissed three top staffers
over alleged leaks senioradvisor Dan Caldwell, deputy
chief of staff Darren Selnickand Colin Carroll, chief of
staff to the deputy secretary ofdefense and former chief
Pentagon spokesperson John Olyot, who resigned last week, wrote

(06:35):
in Politico that it's been amonth of total chaos at the
Pentagon and warned that biggerbombshell stories are coming
soon.
This Pentagon drama is justwarming up, with battle lines
clearly drawn between Hegseth'sdefenders, who see a reform
effort under attack, and criticswho question his handling of
sensitive information andmanagement of America's most

(06:55):
important military institution.
Well, well, well.
In a stunning move that hasshaken the scientific and
political communities, the WhiteHouse has completely overhauled
COVIDgov, transforming it froma resource for testing and
vaccination information into adeclaration about the pandemic's
origins.
If you visit the site now,you'll be redirected to a page

(07:19):
boldly titled Lab Leak TrueOrigins of COVID-19.
This dramatic, pivot signalsthat the Trump administration
has fully embraced the theorythat COVID-19 escaped from a
laboratory in Wuhan, china, aposition once dismissed as
conspiracy thinking but nowpresented as established fact by
the government.
The revamped website doesn'tmince words, laying out five

(07:42):
specific reasons why theybelieve COVID-19 came from a lab
.
These include claims that thevirus has biological
characteristics not found innature, that all COVID cases
stem from a single introductionto humans rather than multiple
spillover events, and that WuhanInstitute of Virology
researchers were sick withCOVID-like symptoms in fall 2019
, months before the officialdiscovery.

(08:04):
Perhaps most pointedly, thesite notes that, by nearly all
measures of science, if therewas evidence of a natural origin
, it would have already surfaced, but it hasn't.
The website cites the HouseSelect Subcommittee on the
Coronavirus Pandemic, whichreleased a massive 557-page
report last December concludingthat COVID-19 likely leaked from

(08:24):
the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where a research group called
EcoHealth Alliance wasconducting taxpayer-funded
experiments on coronaviruses.
It's worth noting that both theFBI and the Energy Department's
national laboratories havereached similar conclusions
about the lab leak theory.
The White House isn't justmaking claims about COVID's
origins.
They're naming names when itcomes to alleged obstruction of

(08:47):
investigations.
The site directly accuses theBiden administration's
Department of Health and HumanServices, ecohealth Alliance and
New York's executive chamberunder Governor Kathy Hochul of
Hindering House probes into thepandemic's origins.
There's even a spotlight onformer President Biden's full
and unconditional pardon of DrAnthony Fauci shortly before

(09:08):
leaving office, a pardoncovering actions dating back to
2014 that some see assuspiciously timed.
New York's handling of thepandemic also gets harsh
criticism, particularly formerGovernor Andrew Cuomo's nursing
home policies, which the siteclaims were deliberately covered
up in an apparent effort toshield themselves from
accountability.

(09:28):
This stunning revision of theofficial COVID narrative
represents one of the mostdramatic shifts in government
messaging on a major publichealth crisis in recent memory.
Whether it leads to policychanges on gain-of-function
research oversight orinternational pandemic
prevention remains to be seen Inour final story.
Today, we're turning to what canonly be described as a miracle.

(09:50):
At the Mall of America Sixyears ago, a horrific act of
random violence changed a familyforever when five-year-old
Landon Hoffman was thrown from athird-floor balcony by a
complete stranger.
Old Landon Hoffman was thrownfrom a third floor balcony by a
complete stranger.
The fall was nearly 40 feet andthe injuries were catastrophic
A broken skull, shattered facialbones, two broken arms and a

(10:11):
broken leg.
The perpetrator, 24-year-oldEmmanuel Deshaun Aranda, later
told police he was looking forsomeone to kill after being
rejected by women.
He's now serving a 19-yearsentence after pleading guilty
to attempted murder.
But this story isn't about thecrime.
It's about an extraordinaryrecovery that defied medical

(10:31):
expectations.
Landon's mother, kari, recentlyshared that her son, now 11
years old, is thriving afterwhat she describes as a big,
long journey with so manymiracles.
The road back wasn't easy.
Landon spent four months inintensive care and endured more
than a dozen surgeries.
His rehabilitation stretchedover three years, complicated by

(10:55):
injuries to his frontal lobethat temporarily altered his
personality.
It took time for him to be backto him.
Carrie explained he had tolearn who he was again.
She watched as her once sweetboy turned angry before
gradually returning to his happyself.
Mercifully, landon doesn'tremember the fall.
Recently, he and his mothervisited the hospital where he

(11:16):
spent those grueling months backin 2019, bringing annotated
copies of a book Carrie wroteabout their experience called
Miracle at the Mall.
For the nurses who cared forhim, what started as a simple
trip to the mall following aparent-teacher conference turned
into a years-long battle forrecovery.
But today, against overwhelmingodds, that little boy is

(11:36):
healthy, happy and movingforward with his life.
In a world full of troublingheadlines, landon Hoffman's
story reminds us of theincredible resilience of the
human spirit.
Well, folks, that wraps upanother action-packed episode of
Ranting Politics HeadlineUpdates.
We've covered quite thespectrum today, from the papal
succession drama following PopeFrancis' death at 88, to the

(11:59):
Pentagon's internal warfare,with Secretary Hegseth claiming
the entire building is out toget him.
We dove into the White House'sbold declaration that COVID-19
originated from a lab leak inWuhan and ended with a truly
inspiring story of young LandonHoffman's miraculous recovery.
The world keeps spinning, thenews keeps flowing and we'll

(12:20):
keep bringing you the storiesthat matter most, without the
partisan nonsense that clogs upmost media outlets.
If you're enjoying ourno-nonsense approach to the
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(12:40):
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This is JOC signing off, andthank you, our loyal listeners,
for choosing Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.
We'll be back soon with theupdates you need to navigate
these interesting times.
Remember we don't align with apolitical party.
We align with you, the Americancitizen.

(13:01):
Until then, stay tuned, stayinformed and, as always, stay
free.