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House lawmakers on Thursday grilled TikTok’s CEO about national security concerns that the Chinese government is a hidden hand behind the short-form video app that is uploaded and used by an estimated 150 million Americans, including children.

Lawmakers from both parties questioned CEO Shou Zi Chew about potential Chinese government influence during a House hearing in which members of Congress were bluntly skeptical in reaction to TikTok assurances that U.S. users’ data would be protected and that Beijing could not use TikTok or its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to manipulate the content Americans see (The Wall Street Journal).

The Biden administration has threatened a possible U.S. ban if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stake in the popular platform. Hours before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, China said it would oppose any forced sale and that a TikTok divestiture would involve exporting technology, which Beijing must approve (The Wall Street Journal and The Hill). Federal employees and workers in some states are banned from accessing TikTok on government-owned devices because of security concerns.

Bloomberg News: U.S. regulator warns about data security during TikTok hearing.

Chew, 40, who has led the company since 2021, said the Chinese government doesn’t have access to TikTok users’ data via ByteDance. He promoted TikTok’s ongoing efforts to protect U.S. user data and said he has “seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data; they have never asked us. We have not provided it.”

Responding to the heat from Congress, the former Goldman Sachs banker stuck to his assertions.

“I have looked in — and I have seen no evidence of this happening,” Chew repeated. “Our commitment is to move their data into the United States, to be stored on American soil by an American company, overseen by American personnel. So, the risk would be similar to [that of] any government going to an American company, asking for data.”

On Twitter following the hearing, a TikTok spokeswoman and the company assailed lawmakers for a hearing the communications executive said “felt rooted in xenophobia” and the company described in a tweet as “political grandstanding” (The Hill).

The Hill: Four key takeaways from the TikTok hearing.

One lawmaker quipped partway through the hearing that the TikTok chief executive was addressing “the most bipartisan committee in Congress” because of the unusual consensus on both sides of the aisle during testy exchanges.

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) called TikTok an “extension” of the Chinese Communist Party while Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) questioned whether the platform used content moderation tools to remove posts about the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group or the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Multiple members voiced support for legislation to ban the video-sharing app in the U.S., something the Biden administration has weighed. House members on Thursday argued that China’s official resistance to a sale was an indication that the Chinese Communist Party owns the company, which TikTok has repeatedly denied (The Washington Post).

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union and 15 other organizations sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers not to place a nationwide ban on the platform, arguing it would have “serious ramifications for free expression.”

Lawmakers on Thursday were animated in a more partisan fashion over the task of budgeting for the year that begins Oct. 1. GOP Rep. Rob Wittman (Va.), speaking at an event hosted by The Hill, said President Biden’s proposed defense budget falls short, citing a threat posed by China (The Hill). Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who testified before the House Appropriations Committee, rejected any budget cuts that would endanger U.S. security and reduce the nation’s war-fighting capabilities (The Hill).

In their most extensive public comments yet on potential budget reductions, Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, criticized an agreement reached earlier this year among more conservative House Republicans to cap all discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels.

House Republicans have yet to unveil the conference’s official budget proposal, but Democrats have filled in the blanks with their versions of conservative budget ideas (The Hill). Democrats tout budget analyses crafted by federal agencies to describe what they see as at stake for everything from Social Security benefits and veterans’ assistance, to help for families with children.

The White House is trying to use the budget to shore up Biden’s vulnerabilities, for example, taking aim at Republicans over security at the U.S. southern border. The president’s team assails budget ideas endorsed by the House Freedom Caucus to try to flip the script about ways to tackle an influx of migrants into the United States (The Hill). 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who testified Thursday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was prepared to discuss his department’s budget proposals. He was pounded by Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) for information sought by the panel as part of its investigation into Biden’s troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 (CNN).  

“I’m going to give you until the close of business on Monday to produce that [U.S. embassy] dissent cable to this committee and this Congress so the American people can see what the employees at the Embassy in Kabul were thinking about your policy that they dissented from,” McCaul said.

“This committee and the American people — after what happened, for God’s sake after what happened in that dreadful August — need to see this cable,” he continued. “We need you to respond, and if you fail, I am prepared to serve you with the subpoena.”

Blinken suggested the department could not hand over a cable document itself, but he offered “to make the relevant information in that cable available, including through a briefing or some other method.”

Related Articles

▪ The Hill: The House on Thursday failed to override Biden’s first veto, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to revive the resolution targeting an administration rule related to investing with environmental, social and governance considerations.

▪ CNBC: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said the Treasury Department is ready to take “additional action if warranted” to stabilize banks.

▪ The Hill: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday brushed aside the idea of turning to a discharge petition to force a floor vote on a clean debt limit increase, arguing it is up to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to avoid national default.  

▪ Reuters: Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser on Wednesday said “this is not a credit crisis” in remarks about U.S. bank failures.  

▪ The Hill: ​​Democrats who believe the party’s chances in next year’s elections turn on the state of the economy are pushing back against the Federal Reserve’s decision to continue raising interest rates. 

LEADING THE DAY

➤ POLITICS

The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about former President Trump’s role in paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels won’t take action this week, The Wall Street Journal reports. While grand jurors met Thursday, it was to hear another matter unrelated to Trump; it’s common for grand juries in New York to hear multiple cases at a time. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) on Thursday called demands from House GOP leaders to force his testimony an “unlawful incursion” on his ongoing probe into Trump’s role in the scandal. His comments come as lawmakers, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), demanded the DA turn over all documents and communications about the case (The Hill and Reuters).

The move “is an unprecedent[ed] inquiry into a pending local prosecution. The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene,” Bragg wrote. “Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.”

▪ The Washington Post: N.Y. prosecutor rebuffs GOP demand for documents related to Trump investigation.

▪ The Hill: Trump calls for removal of every top official investigating him.

▪ The New York Times: Trump investigations present a stress test for justice in a polarized nation.

The New York case isn’t the former president’s only legal issue; Trump faces three other serious criminal inquiries in Washington, D.C., and Georgia as he seeks the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. On Friday, his lawyer Evan Corcoran is expected to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington that is hearing evidence in a Department of Justice probe of Trump’s retention of classified government records at his Florida residence after leaving the White House. The DOJ is also investigating Trump for his efforts to reverse his 2020 Electoral College loss to Biden. And an Atlanta grand jury is eyeing Trump and his allies for pressuring Georgia officials to undo his loss to Biden in the state’s popular vote that year (CNN). 

▪ The Hill: Judge orders anonymous jury in Trump sexual battery trial.

▪ The New York Times: Court action underscores peril for Trump in documents investigation.

Democrats, meanwhile, are expressing some frustration that the New York indictment of Trump may come before other investigations seen as looking into more serious crimes, write The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Rebecca Beitsch, specifically the Justice Department probes, a continuation of the laggardness they perceived as the committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol met. 

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s agenda includes new restrictions on abortion and further loosening gun laws, stances that may help him in his expected run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but could hurt his chances of actually being elected (Reuters).

▪ Politico: DeSantis has one very big problem: Trump.

▪ The Hill: The Senate Select Committee on Ethics on Thursday formally admonished Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for soliciting campaign funds during a Fox News interview conducted in a Senate building.

Ahead of his anticipated announcement as a 2024 presidential candidate, Biden, joined by his already announced reelection running mate and members of his Cabinet, next week kicks off a 20-state, three-week itinerary under the guise of official events with a decided political tilt to remind voters about policies enacted on his watch. On Tuesday, the president will visit North Carolina to launch what he’s calling the “Investing in America” tour (CNN). Championing federal backing for infrastructure, electric vehicle manufacture, silicon chip manufacture, support for high-speed internet and economic growth, Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the Cabinet will include stops in battleground states. Appearances are scheduled in California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, according to the White House.    

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) is slamming Democrats, or as she put it, “old dudes eating Jell-O,” Politico reports. As the newly Independent senator races to stockpile campaign money and post an impressive, statement-making first-quarter fundraising number, she has used a series of Republican-dominated receptions and retreats to belittle her Democratic colleagues, shower her GOP allies with praise and, in one case, quite literally give the middle finger to Biden’s White House.

➤ ADMINISTRATION

Biden is in Ottawa today to bolster the U.S.-Canada alliance on issues such as the war in Ukraine, migration and climate change, writes The Hill’s Brett Samuels. While in the Canadian capital, he will meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address parliament, marking the first time a U.S. president has visited Canada since 2018 when Trump abruptly left a Group of Seven gathering while criticizing Trudeau amid a rift over tariffs. 

Ahead of the trip, the neighbors reached an agreement that will allow both countries to turn away asylum seekers at their borders at a time when migration has surged across the hemisphere, The New York Times reported Thursday. The deal, which is set to be announced today, will allow Canada to turn back immigrants at Roxham Road, a popular unofficial crossing point from New York for migrants seeking asylum in Canada.

Canada, meanwhile, will provide a new, legal refugee program for 15,000 migrants who are fleeing South and Central America, lessening the pressure of illegal crossings into the United States from Mexico. The announcement is set to remove one of the relatively few disputes between Trudeau and Biden ahead of their meetings.

▪ The Globe and Mail: Biden heads to Ottawa to urge Trudeau to do more, faster on defense and continental security.

▪ The Hill: Four things on the agenda for Biden’s first trip to Canada as president.

▪ Politico: Biden and Trudeau to mix thorny issues with niceties.

▪ Reuters: Biden to have brief meeting with Trudeau political rival on Canada visit.

The vice president and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will depart on Saturday for a three-nation trip to Africa, where Harris will meet with the presidents of Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. Harris’s visit is set to build on the recent U.S-Africa Leaders Summit that Biden hosted in Washington in December, as the White House continues to push its agenda on the continent amid global competition, notably with China (PBS NewsHour).

▪ All Africa: What Harris’s visit means to Tanzania.

▪ The Hill: The White House is seeing stars, with visits from the cast of “Ted Lasso” to chart-topping singers and actors like “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus — but some critics are questioning whether sharing the spotlight with Hollywood heavyweights is the best image for Biden to project while wars rage on abroad and the nation copes with post-pandemic inflation. 

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➤ INTERNATIONAL 

Ukrainian troops will launch a long-awaited counterassault on Russia “very soon” after months on the defensive, now that Moscow’s huge winter offensive is losing steam without taking Bakhmut. The Thursday announcement from Ukraine’s top ground forces commander was the strongest indication yet from Kyiv that it is close to shifting tactics, having absorbed Russia’s onslaught through a brutal winter and prevented Moscow from claiming its first victory since last August (Reuters).

▪ The New York Times: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Kherson region in his second straight day traveling to a frontline area.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. will send aging attack planes to the Middle East and shift newer jets to Asia, Europe.

Workers across France walked off their jobs and took to the streets in the first organized nationwide demonstration against raising the retirement age since President Emmanuel Macron pushed his pension overhaul through parliament, bypassing the body by invoking a special provision of the French constitution (The Wall Street Journal).

▪ The Washington Post: Deadly Marburg virus outbreaks reported in East and West Africa.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: Big Oil eyes new deals in North Africa amid rising energy demand.

▪ The Atlantic: Why Latin America keeps talking about a common currency.

▪ The New York Times: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu digs in on court overhaul in the face of mass protests.

▪ Reuters: After Iran, Saudi Arabia will re-establish ties with Syria, sources say.

▪ NBC News: U.S. contractor killed, five service members and contractor wounded in suicide drone strike in Syria.

OPINION

■ What really broke the banks, by James Surowiecki, contributor, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3Z5Phpr 

■ We need an AI rights movement, by Jacy Reese Anthis, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/3lEjEW4

WHERE AND WHEN

📲 Ask The Hill: Share a news query tied to an expert journalist’s insights: The Hill launched something new and (we hope) engaging via text with Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack. Learn more and sign up HERE.

The House will convene at 9 a.m. 

The Senate meets on Monday at 3 p.m. and will resume consideration of a measure to repeal authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. 

The president is in Canada where he will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9 a.m. Biden will attend a welcome ceremony and book signing at 11:10 a.m. at Parliament Hill. He will participate in several bilateral meetings with Trudeau before noon.Biden will address the Canadian parliament at 2 p.m. He and Trudeau plan to take questions from the news media at 3:45 p.m. The president and first lady Jill Biden will attend a gala dinner in their honor at 6:15 p.m. at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. Biden and the first lady will depart Ottawa to arrive in Delaware late tonight. They will remain there through the weekend. 

The first lady’s itinerary in Ottawa includes a morning program to watch curling with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and to join a discussion about youth wellness and mental health. Both spouses at midday will visit the National Gallery of Canada for an exhibit celebrating Canadian women artists.   

The vice president will ceremonially swear in Eric Garcetti as U.S. ambassador to India at 1 p.m. (Harris and her husband begin a three-nation trip to Africa beginning on Saturday.) Emhoff this morning speaks during an event hosted by the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security and supported by the governments of Sweden and Romania and International IDEA. 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will chair a meeting this morning of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will travel to Silver Spring, Md., for a joint community service event at 3:50 p.m. with the Howard University Men’s Basketball Team to highlight HHS and the team’s commitment to improving Black maternal health outcomes. 

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health begins at 11 a.m. led by White House domestic policy director Susan Rice, with pre-recorded remarks from Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and participation from Becerra, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other city and state participants. Webinar registration information is HERE. A fact sheet on policy initiatives is HERE.

ELSEWHERE

➤ HEALTH & PANDEMIC 

Women, overweight people and those above age 40 are among the groups that have a greater risk of developing long COVID-19, according to a new report published in the journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) of Internal Medicine. Researchers also found that patients with preexisting conditions like asthma, diabetes and even anxiety or depression were more likely to develop long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms. Those who were previously hospitalized or admitted to intensive care for COVID-19 also were at higher risk.

The authors wrote that the emerging evidence suggested that vaccination reduced the risk of long-term symptoms “even in individuals with other risk factors, such as older age or high BMI” (The New York Times and Bloomberg News).

The New York Times: Autism prevalence rises again, a new study finds. The pandemic may have disrupted the detection of autism spectrum disorder in young children.

Transgender Americans experience stigma and systemic inequality in many aspects of their lives, including education, work and health care access, according to a new,  wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll. Yet the survey, which encompasses one of the largest randomized samples of U.S. transgender adults to date, found that most trans adults say transitioning has made them more satisfied with their lives.

“Living doesn’t hurt anymore,” said TC Caldwell, a 37-year-old Black nonbinary person from Montgomery, Ala. “It feels good to just breathe and be myself.”

The Washington Post has compiled six key takeaways from the survey, as well as the personal stories of four transgender Americans.

▪ CNN: Mental health struggles are driving more college students to consider dropping out, survey finds.

▪ Kaiser Health News: The policy and politics of Medicare Advantage.

Information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots can be found at Vaccines.gov. 

Current U.S. COVID-19 deaths are 2,060 for the most recent week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Data is reported on Fridays.)

THE CLOSER

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congratulations to this week’s Morning Report Quiz winners! We explored some navigationally historic trivia about the nation’s capital and savvy readers made all the correct turns! 

Here’s who aced the puzzle: Paul Harris, Richard Baznik, Patrick Kavanagh, Harry Strulovici, Benjamin Osborne, Mary Anne McEnery, Jaina Mehta, Pam Manges, Kathleen Kovalik, Terry Pflaumer, Anita Bales, Robert Bradley, Randall S. Patrick, Stan Wasser, Lou Tisler, Ki Harvey, Jay Morgan, Steve James and Rick Dupre.

They knew that building codes in the District of Columbia prohibit structures from being taller than 130 feet, as per the Height of Buildings Act of 1899 (amended in 1910).

The District returned some land (retrocession) to Virginia in 1847 that had been ceded to the federal government in 1790 for the purpose of creating the nation’s capital city.

Although D.C. streets that run east-west are identified with letters of the alphabet, there is no “J Street.” 

All roads really do lead to the U.S. Capitol when viewing the quadrants in the nation’s capital on a map.  TikTok boss in DC hot seat Defense chiefs push back on cuts, raise alarm over Russia-China meeting

Stay Engaged

We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Kristina Karisch. Follow us on Twitter (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends!

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Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died, her family says

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Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died, her family says

Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault, has died aged 41.

In a statement to Sky’s US partner network NBC News on Friday, her family said she took her own life in the Perth suburb of Neergabby, Australia, where she had been living for several years.

“It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia,” her family said.

“She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking.

“Virginia was a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking. She was the light that lifted so many survivors.

“In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.”

FILE - Virginia Giuffre, center, holds a news conference outside a Manhattan court in New York, Aug. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
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Pic: AP

Police said emergency services received reports of an unresponsive woman at a property in Neergabby on Friday night.

“Police and St John Western Australia attended and provided emergency first aid. Sadly, the 41-year-old woman was declared deceased at the scene,” a police spokeswoman said.

“The death is being investigated by Major Crime detectives; early indication is the death is not suspicious.”

Sexual assault claims

Prince Andrew attends the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church. File pic: Reuters
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Prince Andrew has denied all claims of wrongdoing. File pic: Reuters

Ms Giuffre sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse in August 2021, saying Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The duke has repeatedly denied the claims, and he has not been charged with any criminal offences.

In March 2022, it was announced Ms Giuffre and Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement – believed to include a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.

She stuck by her version of events until the end

Of the many dozens of victims of Jeffrey Epstein, it was Virginia Giuffre who became the most high-profile.

She was among the loudest and most compelling voices, urging criminal charges to be brought against Epstein, waving her right to anonymity in 2015.

She told how he and Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her and “passed around like a platter of fruit” to be used by rich and powerful men.

But her name and face became known around the world after she accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was 17 years old.

The picture of her together with the prince and Maxwell at the top of a staircase, his hand around her waist, is the defining image of the whole scandal.

Prince Andrew said he had no memory of the occasion. But Giuffre stuck by her version of events until the end.

‘An incredible champion’

Sigrid McCawley, Ms Giuffre’s attorney, said in a statement that she “was much more than a client to me; she was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims”.

“Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” she said. “The world has lost an amazing human being today.”

“Rest in peace, my sweet angel,” she added.

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Dini von Mueffling, Ms Giuffre’s representative, also said that “Virginia was one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”.

“Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims,” she added. “She adored her children and many animals.

“She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words.

“It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.”

Ms Giuffre said at the end of March she had four days to live after a car accident, posting on social media that “I’ve gone into kidney renal failure”. She was discharged from hospital eight days later.

Raised mainly in Florida, she said she was abused by a family friend early in life, which led to her living on the streets at times as a teenager.

She said that in 2000, she met Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was convicted in 2021 on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Undated handout photo issued by US Department of Justice of Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein, which has been shown to the court during the sex trafficking trial of Maxwell in the Southern District of New York. The British socialite is accused of preying on vulnerable young girls and luring them to massage rooms to be molested by Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Issue date: Wednesday December 8, 2021.
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Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: US Department of Justice

Ms Giuffre said Maxwell then introduced her to Epstein and hired her as his masseuse, and said she was sex trafficked and sexually abused by him and associates around the world.

‘A survivor’

After meeting her husband in 2002, while taking massage training in Thailand at what she said was Epstein’s behest, she moved to Australia and had a family.

She founded the sex trafficking victims’ advocacy charity SOAR in 2015, and is quoted on its website as saying: “I do this for victims everywhere.

“I am no longer the young and vulnerable girl who could be bullied. I am now a survivor, and nobody can ever take that away from me.”

:: Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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Who will be at the Pope’s funeral – and who won’t be

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Who will be at the Pope's funeral - and who won't be

The Pope’s funeral will take place today at St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

A pope’s funeral traditionally brings world leaders together, and some have already revealed they are attending.

Watch full coverage of the Pope’s funeral live on Sky News from 8am

Here’s a look at the list.

Prince William

The Prince of Wales will attend the funeral of Pope Francis on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has said.

The King was in Rome with Queen Camilla earlier this month, and met the pontiff at the Vatican.

Pope Francis meets with King Charles and Queen Camilla during a private audience at the Vatican, April 9, 2025. Vatican Media/­Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Pope Francis meets King Charles and Queen Camilla during a private audience at the Vatican on 9 April. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters

The trip came just a week-and-a-half after Buckingham Palace confirmed the King had been taken to hospital following side effects related to his ongoing cancer treatment.

Sir Keir Starmer

Number 10 has confirmed the prime minister received an invite and will attend the ceremony.

Speaking on Tuesday, Sir Keir said there had been “an outpouring of grief and love” for the Pope.

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Sky News inside Vatican

He added: “I think it reflects the high esteem in which he was held, not just by millions and millions of Catholics, but by many others, across the world, myself included.”

Donald Trump

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Pope Francis meet at the Vatican, May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Evan Vucci/Pool/File Photo
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Donald Trump and Pope Francis meet at the Vatican in 2017. Pic: Reuters

The US president was one of the first to confirm he would be flying to Rome, adding he would be joined by first lady Melania Trump.

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday, he said: “Melania and I will be going to the funeral of Pope Francis, in Rome. We look forward to being there!”

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Trump: ‘Pope Francis loved the world’

The Pope had been critical of Mr Trump at times during his tenure.

In January, he said it would be a “disgrace” if the president went ahead with his crackdown on immigration, telling an Italian television station: “It would make the migrants, who have nothing, pay the unpaid bill.

“It doesn’t work. You don’t resolve problems this way.”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

FILE - This image made available by Vatican News shows Pope Francis meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a private audience at The Vatican, Saturday, May 13, 2023. (Vatican News via AP, File)
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Zelenskyy shakes hands with the pontiff in May 2023. Pic: Vatican News/AP

The Ukrainian president, who met the Pope three times, is expected to attend, according to officials in Ukraine.

In his tribute, Mr Zelenskyy said his country was grieving the Pope and recalled how he often prayed for peace in Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron

Pope Francis shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron as they meet at the Ajaccio airport, on the French island of Corsica, on December 15, 2024.  LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS
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Pope Francis shakes hands with Emmanuel Macron in December 2024. Pic: Reuters

The French president told local reporters he would be going to the funeral.

In his tribute on Monday, Mr Macron said of the Pope: “In this time of war and brutality, he had a sense for the other, for the most fragile.”

Javier Milei

Pope Francis and Javier Milei at the G7 summit in Italy last June. Pic: Reuters
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Pope Francis and Javier Milei at the G7 summit in Italy last June. Pic: Reuters

The president of Pope Francis’s native Argentina will attend, despite having launched insults at Francis in recent years.

Before taking office in December 2023, the far-right politician called him “an imbecile, the representative of evil on Earth”.

Read more:
Inside the plans for Pope’s funeral
Full order of service

‘Unprecedented’ security operation for funeral
Who could be the next pope?

Mr Milei alluded to their “differences” in his tribute to the late Pope, writing: “It is with profound sorrow that I learned this sad morning that Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, passed away today and is now resting in peace.

“Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a true honour for me.”

Lula da Silva

Lula da Silva and the Pope at the G7 summit last year. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters
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Lula da Silva and the Pope at the G7 summit last year. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters

The Brazilian president and first lady Janja Lula da Silva will be at the funeral, the country’s government announced.

Brazil has also declared a seven-day mourning period for the Pope.

“Humanity is today losing a voice of respect and welcome for others,” the president said in his tribute.

“Pope Francis lived and propagated in his daily life the love, tolerance and solidarity that are the basis of Christian
teachings.”

Ursula von der Leyen

Pope Francis meets Ursula von der Leyen at the Vatican in 2022. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters
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Pope Francis meets Ursula von der Leyen at the Vatican in 2022. Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters

The EU Commission President confirmed she would be attending after calling Francis a worldwide inspiration.

“He inspired millions, far beyond the Catholic Church, with his humility and love so pure for the less fortunate,” she said in her tribute.

Council President Antonio Costa, Parliament President Roberta Metsola are also expected to attend.

Here are some of the other notable attendees:

• Ireland’s taoiseach Micheal Martin
• Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia
• Albanian president Bajram Begaj
• Angola’s president Joao Lourenco
• Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen
• Bangladesh’s chief adviser and interim leader Muhammad Yunus
• Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, along with prime minister Bart De Wever
• Canada’s governor general Mary Simon
• Cape Verde president Jose Maria Neves
• Croatia’s president Zoran Milanovic
• Cyprian president Nikos Christodoulides
• Czech Republic’s prime minister Petr Fiala
• Democratic Republic of Congo president Felix Tshisekedi
• Dominican Republic’s president Luis Abinader
• East Timor’s president Jose Ramos-Horta
• Ecuador’s president Daniel Noboa
• Estonia’s president Alar Karis
• Finland’s president Alexander Stubb
• Gabon’s president Brice Oligui Nguema
• German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and outgoing chancellor Olaf Scholz
• Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
• Honduras president Xiomara Castro
• Hungary’s president Tamas Sulyok
• Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella and prime minister Giorgia Meloni
• Latvian president Edgars Rinkevics
• Lithuanian president Gitanas Nauseda
• Moldova’s president Maia Sandu
• Netherlands’ prime minister Dick Schoof
• New Zealand’s prime minister Christopher Luxon
• Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit
• The Philippines’ president Ferdinand Marcos Jr
• Poland’s president Andrzej Duda
• Portugal’s president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and prime minister Luis Montenegro
• Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan
• Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia and prime minister Ulf Kristersson
• Switzerland’s president Karin Keller-Sutter

Who won’t be there?

Vladimir Putin

Pope Francis walks next to Putin at the Vatican in 2015. Pic: AP
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Pope Francis walks next to Putin at the Vatican in 2015. Pic: AP

The Russian president will not be attending the funeral, the Kremlin has confirmed.

But the controversial leader paid tribute to the Pope, writing a message to Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who is interim chief of the Catholic Church.

“Please accept my most sincere condolences on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis,” Mr Putin said.

“Throughout the years of his pontificate, he actively promoted the development of dialogue between the Russian
Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, as well as constructive cooperation between Russia and the Holy See.”

Benjamin Netanyahu

Pope Francis and Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the Vatican in 2013. Pic: AP
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Pope Francis and Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the Vatican in 2013. Pic: AP

The Israeli prime minister is not expected to attend, with the country’s ambassador Yaron Sideman going instead.

The Jewish state and the Vatican have had strong relations in the past, with Israel sending a presidential delegation to the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, and Pope Francis visiting Israel in 2014.

But their relationship has deteriorated since the start of the war in Gaza.

A month after the conflict started in 2023, a dispute broke out over whether Pope Francis had used the word “genocide” to describe events in Gaza. Palestinians who met with him said he did, but the Vatican said he did not.

The Pope met relatives of Israeli hostages on the same day.

Israeli officials have since lobbied the Vatican to be more forceful in its condemnation of Hamas.

In January, the Pope called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “shameful”, prompting criticism from Rome’s chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, who accused Francis of “selective indignation”.

Rabbi Di Segni says he will be attending the funeral, despite it taking place on the Jewish sabbath.

Is there a seating plan?

The seats are assigned in advance, with the heads of state sitting in French alphabetical order based on their country’s name, rather than on the individual’s.

This applies to everyone apart from the presidents of Italy and Argentina, who get the best seats because the Pope lived in Italy and was an Argentinian native.

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Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is ‘intimidating’

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Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is 'intimidating'

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has told Sky News it’s “intimidating” to be one of those responsible for choosing the next pope.

Vincent Nichols is among four UK cardinals in Rome for the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.

Following the funeral, and after nine days of mourning, cardinals from around the world will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to cast their votes, with white smoke announcing to the world when a new pope has been elected.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols with Anna Botting
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Cardinal Vincent Nichols speaks to Sky’s Anna Botting

Cardinal Nichols told Sky’s Anna Botting: “I hope nobody goes into this conclave, as it were, with the sole purpose of wanting to win. I think it’s very important that we go in wanting to listen to each other… It has to be together, trying to sense what God wants next. Not just for the church.”

He described the procession that took Pope Francis to lie in state as “the most moving thing I’ve ever attended here”.

Describing the Pope as a “master of the gesture and the phrase”, he also recalled the pontiff’s last journey away from the Vatican.

Cardinal Nichols said Pope Francis had visited the Regina Coeli prison, telling the inmates: “You know, except for the grace of God, it could well have been me … Don’t lose hope, God has you written in his heart.”

More on Liverpool

Read more:
How Pope Francis’s funeral will unfold
The full order of service

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‘Pope touched the hearts of millions’

The Pope later told his doctor his last regret was not being able to wash the feet of the prisoners during that visit.

Becoming emotional, he also said the final message he would like to have given Pope Francis is “thank you”.

The 88-year-old died peacefully on Easter Monday, the Vatican confirmed.

Heads of state – including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron – have all confirmed their attendance at his funeral, which takes place on Saturday at St Peter’s Square.

Prince William will attend on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has said.

You can watch full coverage of the funeral live on Sky News on Saturday

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Where will Pope Francis be buried?

Talking about the seating plan at the funeral, Cardinal Nichols said he understood it to be “royalty first, then heads of state, then political leaders”.

Cardinal Nichols explained event would be “exactly the same Catholic rite as everyone else – just on a grander scale”.

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3D map shows pope’s funeral route

In a break from tradition, Pope Francis will be the first pope in a century to be interred outside the Vatican – and will instead be laid to rest at his favourite church, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome’s Esquilino neighbourhood.

He will also be buried in just one simple wooden coffin, instead of the traditional three coffins which are usually used for pontiffs.

Born in Crosby near Liverpool, Cardinal Vincent Nichols hoped to be a lorry driver as a child – but as a teenager reportedly felt the calling to join the priesthood while watching Liverpool FC.

As cardinal, he is known for leading the church’s work tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, for which he received the UN Path to Peace Award.

He was criticised by the UK’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which said he “demonstrated a lack of understanding” of the impact of abuse and “seemingly put the reputation of the church first”.

Cardinal Nichols, responding to the findings, previously told Sky News he was “ashamed at what has happened in the context of the Catholic Church” and promised to improve the church’s response.

He has appeared to rule himself out of the running for pope, telling reporters he was “too old, not capable”.

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