Pope Francis Dies at Age 88; Russia and Ukraine Accuse Each Other of Truce Violations | NTD Good Morning (Apr. 21)

Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, has died after weeks in the hospital at the age of 88. Elected in 2013, he lived simply, rejected papal luxury, and sought to reform a scandal-hit Church. Although he is popular globally, he faced backlash from conservatives over a bishop-appointing deal with communist China. One of his final acts was gifting chocolate eggs to U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s kids during an Easter visit.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating an Easter truce that was proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the Russian army of violating the cease-fire more than 2,000 times. Russia, meanwhile, has accused Ukraine of breaking the truce more than 1,000 times. Most attacks reportedly unfolded in the form of shelling and drone strikes.

Vance began a four-day visit to India on Monday. The trip includes high-level talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Besides politics, Vance and his family will visit the Taj Mahal and attend a wedding in the city of Jaipur.