SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And we're going to turn out NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Domenico, thanks for being with us.
DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
SIMON: Traditionally, Domenico, the U.S. would step up and try to avoid the worst in a conflict. What does the administration say?
MONTANARO: Yeah. And you would have seen a more whole - full-scale approach diplomatically, but Trump said in his social media post that the ceasefire announced came after a long night of talks mediated by the U.S. He then offered congratulations to both countries on, he said, using common sense and great intelligence. We don't know how long this holds, if it holds. We know that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, like you said, has been in touch with officials on both sides in both countries. State Department said Rubio wants to see both sides de-escalate and reestablish direct communication to avoid miscalculation. But we know that Vice President JD Vance, earlier in the week, had made waves, telling Fox News that the conflict was fundamentally none of our business and that the U.S. wants to see de-escalation. But, he said, we can't control what these countries do.
SIMON: Domestically, a federal judge ordered the release of a graduate student detained by U.S. immigration authorities saying, quote, "there is no evidence here."
MONTANARO: Yeah. This is the case of the young woman Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University international student who was seen on video, you might remember, taken off the streets in Massachusetts by plainclothes government officers and renditioned to a detention center in Louisiana. She'd been there for the last six weeks. The government had accused her of participating in activities that were supportive of Hamas, but the judge in this case said that there's just no evidence of that. And his decision to release her holds, he said, until he makes a final ruling about the constitutionality of her detention.
SIMON: There's been a shake-up of Trump's political appointees. Who's in? Who's out this week?
MONTANARO: Yeah. You know, you might know the name Jeanine Pirro. She's famously...
SIMON: Yes.
MONTANARO: ...Known as Judge Jeanine on Fox News. But she hasn't practiced law in a long time, but she's taking over as interim U.S. attorney for D.C. She's pretty close to Trump and is replacing his first pick for the job, Ed Martin. It was pretty clear Martin didn't have the votes because of his views on January 6. He was very much involved in the Stop the Steal efforts and defended some of those who stormed the Capitol that day. You know, Pirro's own statements, though, have gotten her in trouble - and her network - on the 2020 election.
Casey Means is the new pick for surgeon general. She's a close ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. She replaces another Fox News personality whose credentials came under scrutiny last week. The controversy around Means is that her medical license isn't active. That's usually a prerequisite to be surgeon general. She didn't finish her residency. She said she'd lost faith in modern American medicine. So, Scott, Fox News, RFK Jr., that's who Trump seems to be listening to when it comes to many of these appointments.
SIMON: And, of course, want to ask you - a new pope.
MONTANARO: Yeah.
SIMON: Not exactly political in the American sense, but let's not be naive about it. Popes always are - have something to do with politics.
MONTANARO: Yeah, definitely. You know, and most Americans never thought they'd see an American pope in their lifetime. You know, that he's American really raised eyebrows, not just because there's never been one, but also because of who's in the White House currently, in President Trump. Some scholars have suggested that it might not be a total coincidence that an American very unlike Trump was picked. This pope says he'll be a pope in the vein of Francis, who was pro-immigrant, pro-climate action and a supporter of Ukraine. He said just this morning that he picked the name Leo - Leo XIV in this case - because Leo XIII spoke out at the turn of the 20th century about workers' rights during the Industrial Revolution, and now he sees another industrial revolution with artificial intelligence. We'll see how much of a moralistic check he is to Trump. But when a pope speaks, you know, people listen. So it can tend to matter. Also, Scott, I know he's from Chicago. I know that that's something (ph)...
SIMON: Yeah. I was going to point that out. I can't believe I restrained myself.
MONTANARO: This has been what the internet's been talking about here. I found that great, and so did late-night comics. Here's Stephen Colbert.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT")
STEPHEN COLBERT: From now on, the pope's going to sound like this - (impersonating Chicago accent) hey, there. It's your buddy, Leo...
(LAUGHTER)
COLBERT: ...(Impersonating Chicago accent) The Deep Dish Papa. Just talked to God, and not even he can help the White Sox. Sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
MONTANARO: And he ended it saying, and we're now going to end by saying da prayers. So (laughter)...
SIMON: Oh, it was hilarious. And there was some early incorrect reporting, wasn't there?
MONTANARO: Yeah, that he was, unfortunately, you know, a Cubs fan. I know you're a Cubs fan.
SIMON: Don't say unfortunately a Cubs fan, but go on, I guess.
MONTANARO: But he is, apparently, a White Sox fan. His brother very much detailed that. But, you know, I'll say a prayer for your Cubs 'cause they lost to my Mets last night. So we'll see what happens to the rest of this weekend.
SIMON: Well, they're just getting warmed up. You know that.
MONTANARO: We'll see.
SIMON: You know that. NPR's Domenico Montanaro. Domenico, thanks so much.
MONTANARO: Oh, you're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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