Stories Speak Volumes: Mar 29-Apr 2
A Round-Up of National and International News
Compiled by
There are so many stories making up the mosaic of national/international news that we can’t cover them all every week. The biggest stories now seem to be: Israel and Iran, the Trump presidency (lawfare and judges), immigration (migrants and illegals), wars, weaponization of government (the deep state) against Trump and conservatives, our nation’s debt, massive inflation, climate change controversy and related expenses of government, industry attempting to address these issues, the Chinese threat, national security, abortion, taxpayer cuts, Ukraine peace, and hatred and violence against Christians. Here are just a few:
Top California Gubernatorial Candidates’ Salaries Revealed
March 29: California Post by Zain Khan
There are 10 candidates running to replace term-limited California Governor Gavin Newsom, and while polling may suggest one story, their tax returns reveal a very different picture of who leads in earnings.
Of the 10, one candidate and his spouse reported a staggering $39 million in annual income — more than the rest of the field combined, according to CalMatters. At the top of the list by a massive margin is billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer, whose wealth far exceeds that of every other major candidate combined. In 2024, Steyer and his wife Kat Taylor reported about $39 million in income, driven largely by global investment returns, according to the couple’s tax filings. Their earnings also included millions in overseas passive income, smaller amounts from royalties, and revenue from their cattle ranch. They paid roughly $5.4 million in federal taxes that year, though their income has fluctuated sharply in recent years depending on market performance.
Steyer’s platform centers on lowering the cost of living, including expanding affordable housing, taking on utility monopolies, promoting clean energy jobs, and increasing corporate taxes. He built his fortune as the founder of Farallon Capital Management, which he ran for nearly 27 years before retiring in 2012.
Behind Steyer is Republican Steve Hilton, who reported $7.5 million in 2024. Most of that came from his wife Rachel Whetstone’s executive role at Netflix, along with smaller earnings from media work, rental properties in London and investments. The couple paid about $2.8 million in federal taxes. Hilton also earned about $250,000 from Fox News, where he served as an anchor before leaving to run for governor. The British-American candidate has led in at least one poll and has raised the most money among the field aside from Steyer.Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa reported $1.4 million in 2024, largely from consulting work through Actum, a global firm, and his own company, in addition to a $125,000 public pension from his time as Los Angeles mayor. He paid approximately $462,000 in federal taxes and was the only top candidate to file separately from his spouse.
Rubio: NATO Alliance Unsustainable If It Is Just America Protecting Europe
March 31: Breitbart by Kurt Zindulka
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the NATO alliance will have to be “re-examined” given the failure of European powers during the Iran conflict. Speaking with the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Media Network, Secretary Rubio expressed deep disappointment with the response of allies in Europe to the conflict in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and suggested that America may be better off without NATO.
“The president and our country will have to reexamine all of this after this operation is over. But one of the reasons why NATO is beneficial to the United States is that it gives us basing rights for contingencies. It allows us to station troops, aircraft, and weapons in parts of the world that we wouldn’t normally have bases. And that includes much of Europe,” Rubio noted.
Speaking with the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Media Network, Secretary Rubio expressed deep disappointment with the response of allies in Europe to the conflict in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and suggested that America may be better off without NATO. “And to see that in a time of need, the United States has identified a grave risk to our national security and our national interests. And we needed to conduct this operation. And we have countries like Spain, a NATO member that we are pledged to defend, denying us the use of their airspace and bragging about it, denying us the use of our of their bases. And there are other countries that have done that as well. And so you ask yourself, well, what is in it for the United States?” the top diplomat questioned.
Secretary Rubio, who has long stood as one of the top hawks in the Republican Party in the United States, said that he has been a “big supporter of NATO,” given the “leverage, flexibility and operational capability” it provides the American military. However, he said that if the alliance simply means the United States protecting Europe when they are attacked, and European powers refusing to come to America’s aid, then “that’s not a very good arrangement, that’s a hard one to stay engaged in and say this is good for the United States… All of it’s going to have to be re-examined.”
The administration has not only expressed displeasure with socialist-run Spain, but also with traditionally more loyal allies such as the United Kingdom, which sensationally rebuked President Trump during the outset of the conflict by refusing access to a joint UK-U.S. base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to conduct strikes on Iran.
Supreme Court Rules 8-1 Against Colorado’s Ban On ‘Conversion Therapy’ For Minors
March 31: Gateway Pundit by Cristina Laila
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled 8-1 against Colorado’s ‘conversion therapy’ ban for LGBTQ minors. Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
The lawsuit was filed by Christian talk therapist Kaley Chiles. Kaley Chiles argued that Colorado’s ban on her talk therapy methods violated her First Amendment rights. Chiles counsels children and minor teens struggling with gender identity issues.
Justice Gorsuch agreed and said Colorado’s ban on certain talk therapy methods “censors speech based on viewpoint.”
Sens. Cruz, Cantwell Hit FCC’s Carr on Nexstar Merger
March 31: NewsMax Wires
Senate Commerce Committee leaders Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., have demanded answers from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr over the agency’s approval of Nexstar’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna. The decision has sparked legal challenges, industry backlash, and renewed scrutiny of federal media ownership rules.
In a strongly worded March 30 letter to Carr, Cruz, the committee chair, and Cantwell, its ranking member, questioned why the agency used its Media Bureau — rather than the full commission — to approve what they described as a sweeping and unprecedented transaction.
The FCC’s March 19 decision cleared the way for Nexstar to create the largest local broadcast television group in U.S. history. According to the letter, the combined company would control 259 full-power television stations across 44 states, reaching nearly 80% of U.S. television households — even after required divestitures.
Lawmakers emphasized that the scale of the deal — not to mention the FCC’s effort to circumvent the law — should have triggered a vote by the full commission rather than a bureau-level decision.
John Thune And Mike Johnson Announce Plan to Fund DHS And Separately Fund ICE And CBP Through Reconciliation
April 1: Gateway Pundit by Jordan Conradson
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced plans on Wednesday to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, including ICE and CBP, for the next three years.
The plan to fund the entire department will be on “two parallel tracks” using the appropriations and reconciliation processes, the Congressional leaders announced, noting that the package will “ensure border security and immigration enforcement will be funded for the balance of the Trump Administration and insulated from future attempts by the Democrats to defund those agencies.
Trump Attends Hearing, Blasts Birthright Policy
April 1: NewsMax by Charlie McCarthy
President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of birthright citizenship Wednesday after attending Supreme Court arguments on the issue. “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!” Trump wrote on Truth Social after the high-profile hearing.
Trump’s comments came as the Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of his executive order aimed at ending automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants or those in the country temporarily.
The policy, signed on Trump’s first day back in office, is a cornerstone of his broader immigration crackdown. Trump made history by attending the oral arguments in person, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so. According to reports, he sat among spectators alongside key cabinet officials before departing during arguments presented by attorneys challenging his order.
Trump Weighing NATO Exit, Slams Alliance As ‘Paper Tiger’ Over Iran Response
April 1: The Western Journal by Jack Davis
President Donald Trump ended days of pent-up molten anger with the lack of support America has received from NATO in the war with Iran by saying that leaving the alliance to fend for itself is now on the table.
With NATO having rejected request after request to open the Strait of Hormuz, Trump responded to a question about whether he would pull out of the alliance formed to stop Soviet aggression after World War II by saying, “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration. I was never swayed by Nato. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”
Trump Announces Pam Bondi Is Out of His Administration, Todd Blanche to Serve as Acting Attorney General
April 2: Breitbart by Nick Gilbertson
Attorney General Pam Bondi is moving to the private sector, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is stepping in to serve as acting attorney general. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday afternoon to announce the changes.
“Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year,” he wrote. “Pam did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900.“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future, and our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General,” he added.
Anti-Fraud Czar JD Vance Announces Arrests of Several Suspected of Defrauding Healthcare, Hospice Systems Of $50 Million In CA
April 2: Breitbart by Sean Moran
Vice President JD Vance announced that federal law enforcement arrested on Thursday “fraudsters” who allegedly stole more than $50 million by defrauding healthcare and hospice systems in California. Vance wrote on X, “Our task force isn’t wasting any time cracking down on fraud. This morning in the LA area, federal law enforcement is taking down fraudsters who stole $50M+ from Americans by defrauding our healthcare and hospice systems. Thanks to @DrOzCMS and @USAttyEssayli for their work.”
Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said, “In coordination with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, federal law enforcement executed several arrests and search warrants in the Los Angeles area this morning targeting hospice and health care fraud. Operation Never Say Die involves 11 defendants who engaged in fraud totaling more than $50 million. Those arrested today will appear in federal court this afternoon. A press conference with more details is happening shortly.”
Mike Hernandez is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for CitizensJournal.net and MountainTopMedia.com. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “Prayer Over News Daily” and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and other columns. Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists with trainings held every other month (on Saturdays at Shasta Bible College and online) and can be contacted at MikeHernandezMedia.com.