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North Texas school holds mock mini-conclave ahead of the election of a new pope in Rome

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North Texas school holds mock mini-conclave ahead of the election of a new pope in Rome


The Papal Conclave begins Wednesday in Rome, but on Tuesday, some North Texas school kids got a hands-on lesson on what will be happening at the Vatican.

Mary Immaculate Catholic School in Farmers Branch held a mock conclave Tuesday morning, where they elected their very own pope.

It’s been 12 years since the last Papal Conclave, so for most of the students at Mary Immaculate, what’s happening in Rome is a first for them.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for the children to actually experience the election of a new pope,” said Father Alphonse Nazzaro, pastoral administrator at MIS. “This doesn’t happen often, and so I think it’s a wonderful chance for the children to see the process, procedures, the attention to detail that is involved in electing a new pope.”

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They didn’t have much time, but in a matter of days, the school was able to put together a mini-conclave.

The seventh and eighth grade boys donned scarlet robes, processed into their own Sistine Chapel, locked the doors, and began the secret process of electing the next pope.

The children weren’t able to reach a two-thirds consensus on the first round of ballots, as may be the case in Rome on Wednesday.

Eventually, the cardinals at MIS were able to signal to all those anxiously waiting that they had chosen a new pope.

The students cheered wildly at the sight of white smoke pouring from the chimney, as their classmate “Cardinal” Christopher Gleichman, who chose the name Pope James, waved to the crowd from the elevated platform resembling the balcony at St. Peter’s. He even took a brief ride in a makeshift popemobile.

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It was a fun experience for everyone, but the hope is that the lesson will stay with even the youngest of children for a lifetime.

“It’s just a great opportunity for everyone — even the littles,” said eighth grader Lilyauna Montoya. “They might not have known what was going on, but to get excited for the white and black smoke, to show that’s what’s actually happening back up in Rome.”

“Of course, they’re identifying with, ‘Oh, here’s a student in our school who was just elected pope,’ and on the little popemobile, he’s generating an excitement that’s more like a basketball game,” said principal Sister Mary Anne. “But they do understand on some level that they were part of a process.”

It’s a process that, when it plays out in reality this week in Rome, may bring hope, not just to Roman Catholics, but the entire world.

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Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users

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Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users


Netflix was sued Monday (May 11) by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused the streaming company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent, and designing its platform to be addictive. Ram Nabong reports.



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Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data

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Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data


The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday, accusing the company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent and designing the platform to be addictive.

Texas claims that Netflix has falsely represented to consumers that it didn’t collect or share user data while it actually tracked and sold viewers’ habits and preferences to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.

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The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claims that “Netflix’s endgame is simple and lucrative: get children and families glued to the screen, harvest their data while they are stuck there, and then monetize the data for a handsome profit.”

The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday. (Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watched you,” Texas added in the lawsuit.

NETFLIX CO-FOUNDER REED HASTINGS TO STEP DOWN, DEPARTURE IS ‘SPOOKING INVESTORS’

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The complaint quotes comments made by former CEO Reed Hastings who said in 2020, while he was still leading the streaming company, that “we don’t collect anything,” amid questions over Big Tech companies’ data collection practices.

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Netflix was also accused of quietly using “dark patterns” to keep users watching on its platform, such as an autoplay feature that starts a new show after a different show ends.

NETFLIX RAISES SUBSCRIPTION PRICES ACROSS ALL PLANS

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)

Paxton said in a press release that Netflix “has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it.”

The attorney general said he’s charging Netflix under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks to require Netflix to stop the unlawful collection and disclosure of user data, require Netflix to disable autoplay by default on kid’s profiles, and to secure injunctive relief and civil penalties.

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FOX Business reached out to Netflix for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN

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6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN


Six people were found dead inside a cargo train boxcar in a Texas city along the southern border on Sunday, officials said.

The bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo, around 160 miles south of San Antonio, just after 3:30 p.m. local time, said Jose Espinoza, a public information officer with the Laredo Police Department.

The circumstances of their deaths are unknown, said Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza, according to CNN affiliate KGNS, and an investigation is underway.

Union Pacific operates across the border and is the only railroad that services all access points into Mexico, according to the freight company’s website.

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Temperatures on Sunday afternoon in Laredo were in the low-mid 90s, though it’s unclear whether heat was a factor.

Union Pacific said it was saddened by the incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.

Laredo police said they received a call around 3 p.m. from an employee at the Union Pacific rail yard, KGNS reported. The bodies were discovered during a routine rail car inspection, police said. No survivors were found.

CNN has reached out to Laredo police for more information.

“It’s a very early phase of the investigation. There’s not a lot to reveal right now,” Baeza said, KGNS reported.

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The immigration status and ages of the deceased are not yet known, Espinoza said.

US Customs and Border Protection referred CNN to the Laredo Police Department, saying “The incident remains under investigation by Laredo Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation and Texas Rangers.”

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“It’s a very unfortunate event,” Espinoza told CNN. “It was too many lives that were lost.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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