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VATICAN CITY (AP) —Pope Leo XIVexpressed hope that theU.S.-Israel war on Irancould be finished before Easter in remarks to reporters as he left the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome on Tuesday.

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"I'm told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war,'' the U.S.-born pope said. "I hope that he's looking for an off-ramp.''

"Hopefully he's looking for a way to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing, which would be a significant contribution to removing the hatred that's being created, that's increasing constantly in the Middle East and elsewhere."

Leo called on all world leaders to return to dialogue and look for "ways to reduce the amount of violence,'' so that "peace, especially at Easter, might reign in our hearts.''

Leo's remarks came during Holy Week, the most sacred period of the year for Christians.

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"It should be the holiest time of the year. It is a time of peace, a time of reflection. But as we all know, again, in the world, in many places we are seeing so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children,'' Leo said. "We constantly make the call for peace, but unfortunately, many people want to promote hatred, violence, war.''

On Palm Sunday, the pontiff said God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who make war or cite God to justify their violence, as he prayed especially for Christiansin the Middle Eastduring Mass in St. Peter's Square.

Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have used religion to justify their actions. U.S. officials, especiallyDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth,have invoked their Christian faith to cast the war as a Christian nation trying to vanquish its foes with military might.

Russia's Orthodox Church, too, has justified Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a"holy war"against a Western world it considers has fallen into evil.

As Holy Week continues, Leo will carry out the Holy Thursday foot-washing tradition in the basilica of St. John Lateran, where popes have performed it for decades. On Friday, Leo is due to preside over the Good Friday procession at Rome's Colosseum commemorating Christ's Passion and crucifixion, and will carry the cross himself. Saturday brings the late night Easter Vigil, during which Leo will baptize new Catholics, followed a few hours later by Easter Sunday when Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus.

Leo will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square and then deliver his Easter blessing from the loggia of the basilica.

Video released by the Azusa Police Department this week shows the moment a man was freed from jail before he stepped into an unoccupied police car where he was found dead days later.

The surveillance video released Monday shows Eric Valencia, 37, after he was released from jail on March 23 around 1 p.m., according toKABC.He walked up to a parked patrol car outside the station. Valencia got into the back of a SUV andshut the door behind him.

Valencia had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment on March 20 and held over the weekend before being released, said Azusa Police Chief Rocky Wenrick at a news conference.

"Mr. Valencia was released from custody with no apparent signs of distress," Wenrick said during the conference,according to KABC."Surveillance video shows Mr. Valencia unlawfully entering the rear seat area of patrol unit 37."

Valencia was initially pulled over for driving without headlights on and police suspected he was under the influence based on signs of watery, bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol in the car, Wenricktold Fox during an interview.

Two children, ages 3 and 11, were in the car with Valencia, Wenrick added. Valencia had a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit during his arrest.

Valencia was freed on March 23 and given his property, cellphone and food, according to Wenrick. His body was found inside the unlocked SUV three days later when Wenrick told the fleet maintenance crew to take the patrol cars to get washed.

Valencia's cellphone was found in working order and he never called 911 for help, according to Wenrick.

Officials explained out-of-service vehicles are often parked for days or weeks while awaiting equipment installation. Typically, law enforcement vehicles cannot be unlocked from the back seats.

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"We're gonna do our best in the investigation to figure out why Mr. Valencia walked out and got in the vehicle," Wenrick said. "Hopefully we'll be able to provide closure to the family and for our own sake of knowing why that decision was made and why he did what he did."

Valencia's sister-in-law Julia McCormick told NBC4 that his family wants closure.

"Come to find out that he was here in a car the whole time. The whole time," she said. "We want to know what happened. Please, please, we want answers."

Authorities said that the department's out-of-service cars are parked outside while they're waiting for equipment to be installed. Law enforcement vehicles can't normally be unlocked from the back seat.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is conducting an investigation and the cause of death wasn't available.

Valencia's family told KABC that Valencia lived less than a mile away and didn't have any medical conditions.

"They never even called me back. No one at the police department ever called me back to let me know that he was found on Thursday morning. The only phone call I got was from the coroner's investigator to let me know he was already passed," a family member said.

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This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

The Iraqi government is now investigating after an American journalist was abducted in Baghdad on Tuesday.

The journalist, who was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by one of the outlets she reported for, was abducted by "unknown individuals", Iraq's Ministry of the Interior said in astatement on Facebook.

According to the Ministry, security forces launched an immediate operation and were able to intercept a vehicle believed to be linked to Kittleson's abduction. Kittleson, however, was not found inside the vehicle.

One suspect has been arrested. Scripps News reached out to the Ministry to get more information about the suspect and is awaiting a response.

In a post on X, Dylan Johnson, the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs for the U.S. State Department, said that the individual arrested is believed to be associated with Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizballah.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT |Trump tells allies: 'Get your own oil' as Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz

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Without naming Kittleson, Johnson also added, "The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them, and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible."

Scripps News understands Kittleson was contacted at least 4 times in recent days about credible threats, including Monday night by the FBI.

The search for Kittleson and others involved in her abduction is ongoing.

According to Kittleson's X account, her work primarily focuses on the Middle East and Afghanistan. Kittleson has reported for several news outlets, including Al-Monitor, BBC, Politico, Foreign Policy, and more.

In a statement on their website, Al-Monitor expressed concern over Kittleson's abduction, stating, "We call for her safe and immediate release. We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work."

The Committee to Protect Journalists also called for Kittleson's safe return in a statement to Scripps News, saying "CPJ calls on Iraqi authorities to do everything in their power to locate Shelley Kittleson, ensure her immediate and safe release, and hold those responsible to account."

Melissa Joan Hart shared a video of herself doing push-ups with 15-lb weights while wearing stilettos

NEED TO KNOW

• The actress has been open about her health journey, losing nearly 20 pounds after lifestyle changes during perimenopause

• Hart credits cutting out alcohol and sugar with helping her feel stronger and healthier than she has in years

Melissa Joan Hartis showing off her strength — and doing it in style.

The actress, 49, shared avideo to Instagramon Tuesday, March 31, that shows her working out in her dressing room while wearing stilettos, jeans and a layered top with a sweater vest. In the clip, Hart performs push-ups using 15-pound weights, incorporating renegade rows into the move.

"Fun new project I'm working on... and I asked for 15lb weights in my room to get my pump on.... in my pumps," she wrote in the caption, adding the hashtags "#StayStrong ladies" and "#RenegadeRows."

The impressive moment comes as Hart continues to open up about her ongoing health journey.

In anexclusive interview with PEOPLEearlier this year, theSabrina the Teenage Witchalum shared that she initially believed perimenopause would prevent her from losing weight. Instead, she ended up dropping nearly 20 pounds after making lifestyle changes.

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"I actually feel stronger and better than I have in a really long time," Hart told PEOPLE atSteven Tyler's 7th Annual Jam for JanieGrammyviewing party on Feb. 1, an event benefitting the rocker'sJanie's Fund, which supports neglected and abused girls.

"I just wanted to feel better. It had nothing to do with losing weight," she said. "I really didn't think I could lose weight anymore, being in midlife and perimenopause and all those things, I was like, 'Can I really lose weight? I don't think I can.'"

Her approach started with small changes that made a big impact.

"I haven't had a drink in over a year," she said. "I just don't even enjoy drinking. So why bother? So I cut these things out of my life, and I started to feel better."

She added that cutting out both alcohol and sugar played a key role in improving her health.

"In doing that, I lost a lot of weight and kind of feel great," she added.

Read the original article onPeople

The Price Is Right's complicated history, which includes accusations of discrimination and sexual harassment, is dissected on E!'s Dirty Rotten Scandals: The Price Is Right

NEED TO KNOW

• In response to the discussion around the documentary, former producer Roger Dobkowitz shared his thoughts in a lengthy Facebook post

• Barker hosted The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007 and remained a beloved public figure through his death in 2023

A member ofThe Price Is Rightteam is speaking out inBob Barker's defense.

Roger Dobkowitz, a former producer on the game show, shared a statement on Instagram sharing his thoughts on E!'s docuseries,Dirty Rotten Scandals, which dedicated two episodes to exploring the environment behind the scenes ofThe Price Is Rightduring Barker's time hosting.

Dobkowitz first joined the game show team as a production assistant in 1974, becoming a producer on the show in 1984. He was at the show until mid 2008.

Dobkowitz called the docuseries, which featured different members of the show's team from the late 1970s through the early 2000s, a "hit piece" against Barker.

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"Many of my friends have asked me for my comments in regards to the E documentary that was recently shown on their network. However, up until now, I avoided commenting on it because I didn't want to add any social traction to such an obvious 'hit piece.' The 'documentary' should just quietly disappear into the bottom of a TV equivalent of a waste basket along with all the other forgotten so-called 'exposes,' " Dobkowitz wrote in aFacebook post.

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Sharing his own thoughts, he continued, "This so-called 'expose' makes me realize that there are some people in this world who will happily exaggerate and create falsehoods in order to justify a personal, hateful vendetta against a person in order to draw attention to themselves. Making the situation worse is the fact that the accused is deceased, and therefore, making it impossible for the accused to defend himself. The adjective 'brave' should never be used in reference to a person attacking a dead person."

Dobkowitz continued, "Most people in society and individuals move on with their lives, especially after courtrooms have settled disputes and they are closed. Most people are happy that a headache in their lives is over. Such closure is usually a life marker to remind the person to grow and put things behind them. When someone feels the compulsion to constantly bring it up for another 30 years is a sign that something could be wrong with their capacity to reason maturely."

The producer discussed the possibility of writing a book, adding, "My 36 years of observations with Bob, the models, and the staff will clear up lots of misconceptions and dismiss many wrongful accusations. The show was a happy place…our working environment was the envy of other shows. Staff rarely quit...the dozens of women who were in our repertoire of models came back year after year, happy to be on our show."

"The only unhappy people, as would be found in any company, were the ones that didn't get the raise they wanted, the ones that didn't get the promotion they thought they deserved, and the ones that were terminated for not doing their job. Of course, we did have a small handful of those people, but far, far, less than other companies had. I was there for 36 years. I was on that stage."

Dobkowitz isn't the only person to come forward in defense of Barker. The late host's longtime representative, Roger Neal, also shared a statement refuting the claims in the documentary.

"Barker was and is beloved, and people to this day love him," Neal toldUSA Today.  "He was part of the fabric of American pop culture. He was the greatest MC in TV history. I was honored to have represented him."

Read the original article onPeople