SUMMARY: Pope Leo XIV warned about AI’s impact on young people’s intellectual and neurological development during a Vatican conference on AI and ethics. He emphasized that access to information doesn’t equate to true wisdom, which involves understanding life’s deeper meaning. While acknowledging AI’s benefits in health and science, the pope cautioned against its misuse for selfish gain, conflict, and diminished human openness to truth and beauty. He stressed the importance of ethical AI development that protects human dignity, culture, and diversity. Echoing Pope Francis, Leo has made AI risks central to his papacy, advocating responsible AI governance amidst varying global regulatory approaches.

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SUMMARY: Seventeen-year-old Rohan Satija, recently graduated from Westwood High School, was named the 2025 Student Voice of Mental Health Award recipient by the Jed Foundation for his dedication to mental health advocacy. After moving from Auckland, New Zealand, to Austin, Texas, he faced bullying and anxiety, inspiring him to co-found the Let’s Learn Foundation with his sister. The nonprofit has donated over 60,000 books, 105,000 school supplies, and 5,000 mental health kits to more than 13,000 underserved students. Satija plans to study psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and continue expanding his foundation to support youth mental health through storytelling and therapy.

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air so cold      breath rattles down my throat  like a penny tumbling in 

the cracked engine of a 2008 ford ranger     going 75 on 45    with a broken a/c &

 full of candles    during an ice age exhaling    2 centuries worth  of disappointment.  

a loose spark plug coughs tufts   of chromed grass.     i figure    that to be this cold   

   i must have earned it,     like stepped on the crack  that grew  into the unbalancing 

earthquake    or burnt the last drop of coal needed  to smother    the earth’s 

atmosphere      with a black velvet blanket. the sun might as well    be the innocence 

of my childhood. what cannot be fled  becomes appendage. i inhale, &  snowmen 

plot in the alley behind my eyes. i piss, & ice shuffles    in a whiskey glass.  

when i drink water,  i’m a fistful   of salt spreading   on saturn, feet buckets of blood

beneath      a butcher’s table.   a shirt,  black sweater, & flannel coat coax my organs       

from resignation. i’m a seed sown in layers of wool, polyester, nylon, every memory 

of soup burning tongue. i’ll drown in these blankets, te lo juro, full of heat 

with nothing left to burn.      i inhale ropes of rebar   tumbling down  a pink well.      

i exhale a cloud  of satin stalactites  that disperse   & outline my obsidian reflection.

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Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

The content is a poetic and metaphorical reflection on environmental degradation and personal despair, which aligns with themes often emphasized in center-left discourse, such as climate change and social responsibility. While it does not explicitly advocate for any political agenda, the tone and subject matter suggest a critical view of environmental neglect, a concern commonly associated with center-left perspectives. The focus on ecological harm and personal impact situates the piece within a framework that leans towards progressive environmental awareness without overt political partisanship.