Start your week smart: Earth Day, Pope Francis, Alien Enemies Act, Ukraine-Russia truce, ‘50501’ protests

CNN’s 5 Things Sunday brings you all the news you need to start your week smart.

Pope Francis gave the traditional Easter blessing earlier today, appearing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in front of delighted crowds in what marks his highest-profile appearance since being discharged from the hospital after falling ill with double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff has not led the main Holy Week and Easter services but has made brief appearances, including spending 30 minutes at a prison in Rome on Thursday and a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening. Here’s what else you need to know to Start Your Week Smart. Tuesday marks 55 years since millions of Americans from coast to coast came together to celebrate the first Earth Day. Over the subsequent decades, Earth Day has spread around the globe as more and more countries call for environmental regulations to protect the planet’s air, water, forests and wildlife from industrial pollution and greenhouse gases that are harming our climate. But as other industrialized nations make strides to reduce emissions, the US appears to be shifting into reverse. On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed actions to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement, an international treaty in which nearly 200 countries agreed to work together to limit global warming. Meanwhile, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have been slashing federal workers and eviscerating weather and climate research programs — all at a time when the stakes couldn’t be higher for the planet and humanity’s ability to adapt to the changing climate and the increasing cost of climate-related disasters. 1️⃣ Rising temperatures: The Earth just recorded its 10 hottest years over the last decade. And last year was confirmed to be the hottest since records began 175 years ago, beating the previous record set in 2023. While scientists say that doesn’t mean that we’ve permanently crossed global limits set under the Paris Agreement, we are getting close.