Turkish Tufts University student detained by ICE can be sent to Vermont, appeals court rules

• May 7, 2025

By KATHY MCCORMACK

A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a judge’s order to bring a Turkish Tufts University student from a Louisiana immigration detention center back to New England for hearings to determine whether her rights were violated and if she should be released, denying a government request for a delay.

A three-judge panel of the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Rumeysa Ozturk after lawyers representing her and the U.S. Justice Department presented arguments at a hearing Tuesday. Ozturk has been detained for six weeks in Louisiana for over six weeks following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the school’s response to Israel’s war in Gaza.

The court ordered Ozturk to be transferred to ICE custody in Vermont no later than May 14.

A district court judge in Vermont had earlier ordered that the 30-year-old doctoral student be brought to the state for hearings to determine whether she was illegally detained. Ozturk’s lawyers say her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process.

The original deadline was May 1. A hearing on her motion to be released on bail was scheduled in Burlington for Friday, followed by another hearing on May 22.

The Justice Department, which appealed that ruling, said that an immigration court in Louisiana has jurisdiction over Ozturk’s case. The appeals court paused the transfer order last week as it considered an emergency motion filed by the government. But on Wednesday, the court did not agree to the request for a longer delay.

The appeals court disagreed that the Vermont court was the wrong place to handle Ozturk’s plea for release. It also said the government didn’t show “irreparable injury.” It said Ozturk’s interest in participating in person in the Vermont hearings outweighs administrative and logistical costs to the government.

Immigration court proceedings initiated in Louisiana can continue for Ozturk, and she can participate remotely, the court said.

“The government asserts that it would face difficulties in arranging for Ozturk to appear for her immigration proceedings in Louisiana remotely. But the government has not disputed that it is legally and practically possible for Ozturk to attend removal proceedings remotely,” it said.

Immigration officials surrounded Ozturk as s he walked along a street in a Boston suburb March 25 and drove her to New Hampshire and Vermont before putting her on a plane to a detention center in Basile, Louisiana.

Ozturk’s lawyers first filed a petition on her behalf in Massachusetts, but they did not know where she was and were unable to speak to her until more than 24 hours after she was detained. A Massachusetts judge later transferred the case to Vermont.

“The government now argues that this transfer was improper. The government is wrong,” the appeals court wrote.

Ozturk was one of four students who wrote an op-ed in the campus newspaper, The Tufts Daily, last year criticizing the university’s response to student activists demanding that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose its investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in March, without providing evidence, that investigations found that Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.

“No one should be arrested and locked up for their political views,” Esha Bhandari, one of Ozturk’s attorneys, said in a statement. “Every day that Rumeysa Ozturk remains in detention is a day too long. We’re grateful the court refused the government’s attempt to keep her isolated from her community and her legal counsel as she pursues her case for release.”

​ Orange County Register 

Moderna study shows immune response in older adults for a combo flu and COVID-19 shot

• May 7, 2025

By CARLA K. JOHNSON, AP Medical Writer

A combination shot for flu and COVID-19 using messenger RNA generated antibodies in a study, but U.S. government regulators want to see data on whether the new vaccine protects people from getting sick.

Researchers from vaccine-maker Moderna reported in a study published Wednesday that the new combo shot generated a stronger immune response against COVID-19 and most strains of flu than existing standalone shots in people 50 and older. Side effects were injection site pain, fatigue and headaches. Moderna previously reported a summary of the results from the company-sponsored trial in 8,000 people.

The mRNA technology is used in approved COVID-19 and RSV shots, but has not yet been approved for a flu shot. Moderna believes mRNA could speed up production of flu shots compared with traditional processes that use chicken eggs or giant vats of cells. A combo shot also might improve vaccination rates, the researchers wrote in the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr. Greg Poland, who studies vaccine response at Mayo Clinic and was not involved in the new study, said he’s not convinced that a combo shot would be popular. And while flu comes in seasonal waves, COVID-19 has been spreading throughout the year, Poland said, posing challenges for how to time the shots to keep protection strong.

He’d also like to see data on how well the new shot protected people from infection and hospitalization.

The findings are based on measuring antibodies in participants’ blood after 29 days, an indication of short-term disease protection.

Last week, Moderna pushed its target date for the vaccine’s approval to 2026 after the Food and Drug Administration requested a more direct measure: how much the shot lowered the risk of disease.

“I agree in this case with FDA that efficacy data are important to see,” Poland said.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cast doubt on the safety of mRNA vaccines, but Moderna President Stephen Hoge told investors in an earnings call last week that talks with the FDA were productive and “business as usual.”

Also last week, Novavax said the FDA was asking the company to run a new clinical trial of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine after the agency grants full approval, sowing uncertainty about other vaccine updates.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Federal judge orders Trump administration to unblock pandemic relief money for schools

• May 7, 2025

By MORIAH BALINGIT, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Education Department to undo a freeze on the last of the U.S. relief money given to schools to help students recover academically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government provided $189 billion in aid money for schools during the crisis, giving them broad latitude in how to spend it.

Nearly all that money had been spent, but some school districts received deadline extensions that gave them additional time to use it. Districts spent it on things like after-school tutoring, summer school, social workers, college counselors, library books and renovations to make school buildings safer.

On March 28, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to school officials saying she had moved the deadline up — to that very day. She said the department would consider releasing some funds, but only on a project-by-project basis.

“Extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities,” McMahon said.

Officials in sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued in response, leading to Tuesday’s order from U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos in New York City.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has unilaterally cut education funding and downsized the Education Department, leading to numerous legal challenges. The Trump administration also cut teacher-training programs that helped rural schools combat educator shortages and has threatened to withhold funding from schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Irvine Co. looks to replace golf course as part of 3,100-home village

• May 7, 2025

Where will the land required to help Orange County meet its housing needs come from?

Irvine Co. suggests one of its golf courses may be part of the solution.

The real estate giant is seeking permission from the city of Irvine to build 1,500 single-family homes on what is today the Irvine Co.’s Oak Creek Golf Course.

The plan would create the company’s 23rd residential “village” and include another 1,600 apartment units on neighboring land previously slated for office buildings. The plan would also include a new school – with the developer paying the construction tab – that would replace a small office complex nearby.

Irvine Co. is beginning the government approval process for its 235-acre Irvine Spectrum District Village concept. The land is between Jeffrey Road and Sand Canyon Avenue, just south of the 5 freeway, not far from the Spectrum’s office and shopping hub. The first public discussion of the plan is slated for May 13, when the backbone of the planning – a “memorandum of understanding” between the developer and city – will be debated.

State homebuilding mandates have increased the pressure on all cities to build, especially high-density rentals. Irvine Co. officials estimate it could theoretically build roughly 3,500 apartments around the site that’s part of the city’s inventory of housing possibilities. Instead, the developer is pursuing its village concept, incorporating 3,100 housing units with various lifestyle amenities such as parks, pools, paths and traffic improvements.

The city will get more than extra housing. Irvine Co. proposes to pay the city up to $96 million in various fees. The developer would also give Irvine up to 2,000 vouchers for two years of heavily discounted rents at Irvine Co. apartments. The city estimates it’s a $72 million boost to the city’s affordable-housing efforts for its financially stressed residents.

Mike Carroll, the Irvine council member for this part of town, is encouraged by the proposal.

“Planning the Irvine way is about parks, schools and transportation,” Carroll said. “This proposal appears to strike a good balance. It will be carefully reviewed to ensure consistency with those master planning principles that make Irvine one of America’s great cities. I’m excited to have this project moving forward in my district.”

Irvine Co. expects it may take up to 18 months to go through the planning process. If approved, this would be Irvine’s first new village since Eastwood began in 2016.

“It will be one of Irvine’s most conveniently located communities,” Jeff Davis, Irvine Co. senior vice president, said. “Within biking, or even walking, distance to employment and support services within the greater Irvine Spectrum area.”

Less than traditional

The city has expanded rapidly. Irvine’s population grew 34% in the 10 years ending in 2023, the fastest among the nation’s big cities, according to StorageCafe.

But that popularity comes at a cost. The city’s housing affordability ranked 19th worst among 300 large U.S. cities, according to WalletHub.

Yet, creating cheaper housing options is challenging. Places to easily develop new residences in Orange County are rapidly disappearing. So, construction is pushed to less-than-traditional spots, like shopping centers or office complexes.

Ponder what Irvine Co. is currently developing.

There are 1,261 apartments on former retail spaces at Irvine Marketplace. Leasing should begin by year’s end.  Another 896 rental units are being built on land previously designated for offices off Barranca Parkway near the Spectrum.

Also, 585 apartments and 83 for-sale houses are coming to the Los Olivos neighborhood, once the site of various entertainment venues.

Plus, the last part of Orchard Hills – a new high-end neighborhood with 520 homes – will begin selling soon.

The final putt

Why was the 193-acre Oak Creek golf course facility, which opened in 1996, deemed expendable?

Well, the private course is a pricey place to play, with green fees that can run above $200 a round. And it’s more likely to be used by out-of-towners than Irvine residents. By the way, Irvine Co. intends to run the golf course until any building plans are finalized.

Additionally, converting golf courses to other uses is a national trend.

Oak Creek was part of golf’s U.S. building boom from the 1990s through the mid-2000s that added roughly 3,400 golf facilities across the nation, according to National Golf Foundation. The Great Recession ended that expansion, with 2,000 golf facilities since cut nationwide to just under 14,000 as of last year.

To help negate Irvine’s loss of open space from redeveloping the golf course, Irvine Co. also proposes donating to the city its avocado groves and nearby land in northern Irvine. The avocado business will generate cash for the city. The additional land would increase the size of a planned nature preserve in that neighborhood.

The course’s signature tree-lined border will remain, becoming a landscaping frame for the new village. And when the final putt is made, the developer plans to leave the clubhouse to serve as a community center for the new village.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

​ Orange County Register 

‘Hands tied’: Athletes left in dark as NCAA settlement leaves murky future for non-revenue sports

• May 7, 2025

By MAURA CAREY

The $2.8 billion NCAA settlement awaiting final approval from a federal judge is touted as a solution for thousands of athletes to finally get the money they deserve and provide some clarity to recruiting. For some, it’s too late.

Sophomore distance runner Jake Rimmel says he was one of five walk-ons cut from Virginia Tech’s cross country team after Thanksgiving break. Rimmel decided to take a leave of absence and train independently while considering his next move – something that’s proven easier said than done.

“Everyone’s got their hands tied right now, so there’s just not many opportunities for me,” Rimmel told the Associated Press. “I’ve just been having to bet on myself and trust the process. It’s just been lonely. I’ve been at home training by myself and living with my family again. Thank God for my family and all, I appreciate them. It’s still kind of lonely though, being out of the norm, not being at school and with my friends.”

Pending approval, the so-called House settlement will allow schools to share revenue with athletes directly for use of their name, image and likeness (NIL). That could secure generational wealth for some but not others, and replacing scholarship caps with roster limitations is expected to leave walk-ons, partial scholarship earners, non-revenue sport athletes and high school recruits at risk. There are deep concerns about the potential impact on sports that feed the U.S. Olympic teams.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken told attorneys handling the settlement to come back to her with a plan soon to protect athletes currently or recently on rosters at schools across the country, a request seen as a way to soften the blow.

What that looks like is anyone’s guess for now, but thousands of athletes like Rimmel have no idea where they might be this fall or are in jeopardy of no longer playing college sports at all. And many athletes balancing school and their sport are unaware of what’s at stake and have more questions than answers.

Belmont track and field athlete Sabrina Ootsburg said everything she knows about the settlement is from personal research.

“My school doesn’t do a lot of education around it (the settlement). Every now and then, we’ll be told, ‘Hey, if you want to sign up to potentially get some money from this House settlement that’s happening, you can do that,’” Ootsburg said. “It’s almost like the education we’re being given is optional to consume, even though it’s limited.”

Oostburg is used to taking matters into her own hands, securing over 50 NIL deals by herself. She has contacted lawyers and asked for updates on the settlement, but she’s not quite reassured. The chaotic nature of college athletics so obvious to the public is even worse for the athletes themselves.

“Being a college athlete, it’s so hard to stay up to date with what’s happening every day because it’s so constantly changing,” she said.

Smaller, non-revenue-generating programs don’t often have a point person to navigate NIL deals or educate athletes. At Belmont, Ootsburg said, NIL-related responsibilities are managed by an already busy compliance office.

“To take time to learn about what’s happening is just so time-consuming, especially if you’re not in that one percent or one of the football players where they have people dedicated to helping them stay up to date,” she said.

For now, thousands of athletes are trying to wrap up their spring semesters and many of them have league tournaments or even NCAA championship competition ahead before what many expect will be the final summer before college sports sees some of the most dramatic changes in history. For athletes like Rimmel, those changes are already here.

Some of the others cut from the Virginia Tech program have given up on their dreams of collegiate running altogether. Rimmel hasn’t given up completely; he spoke with his former coach recently, who said the Hokies’ athletics department is still trying to figure out what’s to come.

“I’m still kind of hoping I might be able to find my way back there next fall,” he said.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

​ Orange County Register 

House Republicans push to sell thousands of acres of public lands in the West

• May 7, 2025

By MATTHEW DALY and MATTHEW BROWN

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have added a provision to their sweeping tax cut package that would authorize the sale of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and environmental groups who called the plan a betrayal that could lead to increased drilling, mining and logging in the West.

Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee adopted the land sales proposal early Wednesday morning. The initial draft had not included it amid bipartisan opposition.

The land sale provision put forward by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah would sell thousands of acres of public lands in the two states, and calls for some of the parcels to be considered for affordable housing projects. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., called the plan “deeply irresponsible.”

“Public lands shouldn’t have a price tag on them. But (President) Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are working like mad to hand over our public lands to billionaires and corporate polluters to drill, mine and log with the bare minimum oversight or accountability,” said Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program. The lands potentially for sale “belong to all Americans. They shouldn’t be given away to pad corporate bottom lines,” Manuel said.

The sales were approved as the Natural Resources committee voted 26-17 to advance legislation that would allow increased leasing of public lands for drilling, mining and logging while clearing the path for more development by speeding up government approvals. Royalty rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be cut, reversing former Democratic President Joe Biden’s attempts to curb fossil fuels to help address climate change.

The measure is part of Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up funding to halt migrants. House Speaker Mike Johnson has set a goal of passing the package out of his chamber by Memorial Day. All told, 11 different House committees are crafting portions of the bill.

Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican and former Interior secretary in the first Trump administration, had said before the vote that he was drawing a “red line” on public land sales.

“It’s a no now. It will be a no later. It will be a no forever,” said Zinke, whose state includes large parcels of federally owned lands.

Zinke and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, are set to lead a new bipartisan Public Lands Caucus intended to protect and expand access to America’s public lands. The caucus was set to launch on Wednesday, hours after the resources panel vote.

Oil and gas royalty rates would drop from 16.7% on public lands and 18.75% offshore to a uniform 12.5% under the committee-passed bill, which still faces a vote in the full House and Senate once it is incoporated into the final legislative package. Royalties for coal would drop from 12.5% to 7%.

The measure calls for four oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over the next decade. It also seeks to boost the ailing coal industry with a mandate to make available for leasing 6,250 square miles of public lands — an area greater in size than Connecticut.

Republican supporters say the lost revenue would be offset by increased development. It’s uncertain if companies would have an appetite for leases given the industry’s precipitous decline in recent years as utilities switched to cleaner burning fuels and renewable energy.

Drew McConville, a senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress, denounced the committee vote.

“The Trump tax bill was already a massive and historic sellout of U.S. lands and waters to corporate interests. This dark-of-night maneuver shows how shamelessly focused congressional Republicans are on sacrificing public benefits to pay for Trump’s reckless tax cuts. If this bill passes, the losses to America’s great outdoor legacy will be felt for generations,” McConville said in a statement.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner in March proposed using “underutilized” federal land for affordable housing. Turner said some 7 million homes are needed. Officials under Biden also sought to use public lands for affordable housing, although on a smaller scale.

The agencies have not yet released more details of the proposal.

​ Orange County Register 

Cypress softball beats Pacifica in 9 innings to grab share of Crestview title

• May 7, 2025

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Cypress and Pacifica made sure that the Crestview League’s softball race remained dramatic until the very last play.

The schools dueled for eight scoreless innings Tuesday before the host Centurions claimed a 1-0 victory in the ninth to finish in a three-way tie for the league championship with the Mariners and El Modena.

Cypress senior Delaney Faus pitched a shutout and drove in the winning run with a hard infield single toward third with two outs in the ninth. Makayla Bishop raced home from third base on the grounder as the Centurions (19-9, 7-5) scored against starter Ellena Ediss.

Faus came to the plate in the ninth one batter after Pacifica (15-11, 7-5) believed it completed an inning-ending double play. Second baseman Natalie Pacheco made a bobbling catch in shallow right field and threw to second base in an attempt to double off Bishop, who tagged at second on the play and raced to third.

Pacifica coach Tony Arduino said a double play was called on the field. But after a discussion by the umpires, Bishop was ruled to have made a proper tag and remained at third base. Faus hit a 1-2 pitch just off third that the Mariners couldn’t handle.

“It is fitting,” Cypress coach Terry Thompson said the extra-inning thriller. “You come down to this, and you grind it all the way through, and you then play in a nine-inning game. It’s unbelievable. The girls kept fighting.”

“We didn’t have our best offensive day today but we found a way to just persevere,” the coach added.

Cypress, ranked eighth in Orange County, notched the victory not long after Esperanza upset Canyon 3-2 in a league game.

If Canyon (19-9, 6-6) had won, the Comanches would have joined Cypress, Pacifica and El Modena (18-8, 7-5) in a tie for first.

Bishop, Cypress’ speedy leadoff batter, opened the bottom of the ninth by reaching on a bunt single. She took second on a sacrifice bunt by Tia Hernandez. On a shallow fly ball to right hit by Aubrey Lopez, Bishop said she was looking to make something happen on the bases.

“I knew we were going to have to do something a little bit different (to win),” Bishop said of her tag. “I was thinking first touch. You have to go on the first touch (by the fielder). We always practice that. Whenever it hits leather, first touch of leather, you go.”

“She bobbles it,” the senior added. “I can’t wait for her to catch it again so I just went.”

Arduino said the ruling on the tag play stung but the Mariners had their chances.

“We left 10 runners on bases,” he said. “We outhit them (8-4). We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it. That’s what it came down to.”

In the third, the San Jose State-bound Faus worked out of a bases-loaded jam with one out. She had a strikeout and groundout against the heart of the Pacifica order.

Cypress’ defense supported Faus with two spectacular catches in center by Bishop and a 5-3-2 inning-ending double play in the sixth. On the latter, first baseman Sadie Sievers threw out a runner at the plate with catcher Naya Taylor applying the tag.

“We stayed with each other and our energy was up,” said Faus, who struck out eight. “That how we win games.”

The UC Davis-bound Ediss struck out 14 and allowed only one hit out of the infield.

Pacifica leadoff batter Mattea Stern went 4 for 4 with a double and stolen base.

In another Crestview League game:

Esperanza 3, Canyon 2: Charley Duran fired a complete game with 11 strikeouts and Julia Ireland drove in two runs as the visiting Aztecs (7-21, 3-9) snapped a 13-game losing streak.

In the Trinity League:

Mater Dei 5, Orange Lutheran 4: The Monarchs (16-11-1, 5-4) scored twice on an error in the seventh at Fountain Valley Sports Park to clinch second place and the league’s final automatic playoff spot. Jaelyn Toledo went 2 for 4 with two RBIs for Mater Dei.

JSerra 6, Santa Margarita 0: Sophomore Abby Ford threw a no-hitter and struck out eight and Zena Edwards had a home run and three RBIs to lead the visiting Lions (15-13, 3-6).

In the South Coast League:

Capistrano Valley 3, Aliso Niguel 2: Madison McSorley went 2 for 3 with a home run and Cassidy Stinnett threw a complete game as the Cougars (16-10, 6-2) clinched the league title.

In the Freeway League:

El Dorado 1, Sonora 0: Freshman Emily Yoon threw a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts to outduel Bayle Hunnicutt for the second-place Golden Hawks (17-11, 7-5). With El Dorado’s win and Villa Park’s 11-2 triumph against Sunny Hills, the Spartans finished in third place and qualified for the playoffs.

In the Empire League:

Fullerton 7, Kennedy 0: Katelynn Mathews fired a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts and freshman Kaylyn Yi went 2 for 2 with a home run and double as the Indians (21-7, 8-0) won the outright league title.

​ Orange County Register 

Cardinals to begin the solemn and secret voting ritual to elect a new pope

• May 7, 2025

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — With all the pomp, drama and solemnity that the Catholic Church can muster, 133 cardinals on Wednesday begin the secretive, centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis, opening the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s 2,000-year history.

The cardinals, from 70 countries, will be sequestered from the outside world, their cellphones surrendered and airwaves around the Vatican jammed to prevent them from all communications until they find a new leader for the 1.4 billion-member church.

Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church,” choosing many pastors in his image from far-flung countries like Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors and include younger ones from the “global south” — those often marginalized countries with lower economic clout — has injected an unusual degree of uncertainty in a process that is always full of mystery and suspense.

Many hadn’t met one another until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know one another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the two-thirds majority, or 89 ballots, necessary to become the 267th pope.

“Wait and see, a little patience, wait and see,” said Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Vatican’s ambassador to Syria as he arrived for the final day of pre-vote discussions.

A final Mass, then ‘All out’

The cardinals begin by participating in a final pre-conclave Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, celebrates the Mass, which is meant to pray for cardinals to find the wisdom, counsel and understanding to elect a worthy new shepherd.

Re, 91, had presided at Francis’ funeral, delivering a heartfelt sermon recalling history’s first Latin American pope and the reforming 12-year papacy he oversaw.

At 4:30 p.m. (1430 GMT; 10:30 a.m. EDT) the cardinals walk solemnly into the frescoed Sistine Chapel, chanting the meditative “Litany of the Saints” and the Latin hymn “Veni Creator,” imploring the saints and the Holy Spirit to help them pick a pope.

Once there, they pledge to maintain secrecy about what is about to transpire and to not allow “any interference, opposition or any other form of intervention” from outsiders to influence their voting.

Standing before Michelangelo’s vision of heaven and hell in “The Last Judgment,” each cardinal places his hand on the Gospel and swears to carry out that duty “so help me God and these Holy Gospels, which I touch with my hand.”

After that, the retired preacher of the papal household, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, delivers a meditation. The master of papal liturgical ceremonies, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, calls out “Extra omnes,” Latin for “all out.” Anyone not eligible to vote then leaves and the chapel doors close, allowing the work to begin.

The cardinals don’t have to take a first vote on Wednesday, but they usually do. Assuming no winner is found, the Vatican said black smoke could be expected out of the Sistine Chapel chimney at around 7 p.m.

The cardinals retire for the night and return Thursday morning. They can hold up to two ballots in the morning and two in the afternoon until a winner is found.

While cardinals this week said they expected a short conclave, it will likely take at least a few rounds of voting. For the past century, it has taken between three and eight ballots to find a pope. John Paul I — the pope who reigned for 33 days in 1978 — was elected on the third ballot. His successor, John Paul II, needed eight. Francis was elected on the fifth in 2013.

Challenges facing a new pope

There are any number of challenges facing a new pope and weighing on the cardinals, above all whether to continue and consolidate Francis’ progressive legacy on promoting women, LGBTQ+ acceptance, the environment and migrants, or roll it back to try to unify a church that became more polarized during his pontificate. The clergy sex abuse scandal hung over the pre-conclave talks.

Since Francis chose 80% of the voters, continuity is likely but the form it might take is uncertain.

As a result, identifying front-runners has been a challenge. But some names keep appearing on lists of “papabile,” or cardinals having the qualities to be pope.

• Cardinal Pietro Parolin, 70, is a leading Italian, by nature of his office: He was Francis’ secretary of state, the Vatican No. 2, so known to every cardinal.
• Filippino Cardinal Luis Tagle, 67, is a top candidate to be history’s first Asian pope. He had a similarly high-profile job, heading the Vatican’s evangelization office responsible for the Catholic Church in much of the developing world.
• Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, 72, the archbishop of Budapest, is a leading candidate representing the more conservative wing of the church.

A choreography to the vote:

The voting follows a strict choreography, dictated by church law.

Each cardinal writes his choice on a paper inscribed with the words “Eligo in summen pontificem” — “I elect as Supreme Pontiff.” They approach the altar one by one and say: “I call as my witness, Christ the Lord who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who, before God, I think should be elected.”

The folded ballot is placed on a round plate and tipped into an oval silver and gold urn. Once cast, the ballots are opened one by one by three different “scrutineers,” cardinals selected at random who write down the names and read them aloud. Cardinals can keep their own tally on a sheet of paper provided but must turn their notes in to be burned at the end of voting.

The scrutineers, whose work is checked by other cardinals called revisors, then add up the results of each round of balloting and write the results down on a separate sheet of paper, which is preserved in the papal archives.

As the scrutineer reads out each name, he pierces each ballot with a needle through the word “Eligo” and binds them with thread and ties a knot. The ballots are then put aside and burned in the chapel stove along with a chemical to produce either black smoke to signal no winner, or white smoke to announce that a new pope has been elected.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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