Stories Speak Volumes: Apr 13-17
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:
Eric Swalwell Says, ‘I Plan to Resign’ From Congress After Stream of Sexual Assault Accusations
April 13: Breitbart by Paul Bois
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) announced his intention to resign from his seat in the U.S. House on Monday following a wave of sexual assault accusations that upended his bid for California governor. The soon-to-be former congressman announced his intention to resign in a statement on Monday.
Both CNN and the Chronicle reported that a former staffer accused Swalwell of sexual assault, saying the two had sexual relations after a night of drinking, but that she did not have the mental capacity to consent. Three other women told CNN that Swalwell would send unprompted nude photos and graphic messages.Swalwell’s resignation came after mounting pressure from Democrats and former staffers calling for his ouster. The resignation also came hours after the U.S. House Ethics Committee opened an investigation on Swalwell.
Rep. Tony Gonzales to Retire from Congress After Admitting to Affair Scandal
April 13: Breitbart by Elizabeth Weibel
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) confirmed that he would be filing to retire from Congress after he admitted to having an affair with a former aide who committed suicide last year.
Gonzales’s confirmation of his affair came after a former unnamed staffer for Gonzales told the San Antonio Express-News that Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who had been Gonzales’s “regional district director,” admitted to having an affair with the congressman in 2024. In September 2025, Santos-Aviles died after she “poured gasoline over herself and was engulfed in flames.”
Gonzales’s announcement comes after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) announced that he would be resigning from Congress after he was accused of sexually assaulting a former staffer.
What Democrats Are Trying to Do to Pete Hegseth Shows How Unserious They Are
April 15: Townhall by Jeff Charles
House Democrats on Wednesday filed articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The articles of impeachment include five separate charges related to the Signal chat leak last year, the war in Iran, and alleged “abuse of power.” Democrat Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), who filed the articles, released a video on X announcing the move.
The impeachment resolution focuses on five key issues: military action against Iran without congressional approval, alleged harm to civilians, mishandling of sensitive information, blocking congressional oversight, and conduct damaging to the Pentagon’s reputation. Several other Democratic lawmakers co-sponsored the resolution.
‘European NATO’ Plan Advances Amid Uncertainty of US Commitment
April 15: NewsMax by Brian Freeman
A contingency plan to enable Europe to defend itself using NATO structures without direct U.S. involvement is gaining momentum among key allies, with a major policy shift in Germany providing fresh impetus to the effort, according to officials familiar with the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The emerging framework — informally dubbed “European NATO” by some — aims to expand European leadership within the alliance’s command-and-control system while replacing critical U.S. military capabilities with European assets. The goal, officials say, is to preserve deterrence against Russia and maintain operational continuity even if the U.S. reduces its presence or declines to defend European allies.
The planning has accelerated in recent weeks amid mounting uncertainty over U.S. commitments under President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to scale back or withdraw American support for NATO. Concerns deepened following tensions over Europe’s refusal to back Washington’s military campaign against Iran and earlier remarks by Trump suggesting the U.S. could abandon the alliance.
California Gov. Candidate Tom Steyer Pledges to Open Borders and Arrest ICE Agents
April 15: Breitbart by Warner Todd Huston
Tom Steyer, the now top polling Democrat for California governor, has unveiled his extremely radical, open-door, anti-ICE immigration platform as he continues his run for the state’s top office.
The hedge fund billionaire, who was polling poorly until the media targeted Eric Swalwell for a sacrifice to revitalize the Democratic field for the governor’s race, released his immigration pledges on Tuesday with a five-point plan that is far more left-wing and radical than the current governor’s, who himself is a left-wing radical on immigration.
The 68-year-old founder of Farallon Capital Management turned radical environmentalist posted his intentions to nullify all federal immigration laws, jail federal immigration law enforcement officers, and return deported individuals back to the U.S.
Steyer’s immigration plan includes the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in California and would attempt to jail ICE agents and their superiors whom Steyer thinks are breaking his rules.
He also thinks he has the power as a governor to go to foreign countries, gather up people who have been deported, and bring them back to the U.S.A. The billionaire went on to pledge to ignore any U.S. Supreme Court rulings that he does not like.
Mammoth Sum Taxpayers Will Fork Out After LAUSD Caved on Deal with Unions
April 15: California Post by Katie Jerkovich
Los Angeles taxpayers are about to be on the hook for the massive pay out that LAUSD agreed to pay workers of three different unions after it averted an 11th hour strike.
The cash strapped district avoided a massive strike on Tuesday by tentatively agreeing to hand its staff generous pay raises — even while students in the troubled district are scoring lower than the rest of the state and its leadership faces investigations from federal and local authorities.
In order to avoid the strike that would’ve kept kids out of school on Tuesday after the union members vowed to hit the picket line together, the district agreed to three different contract agreements that will cost it close to $1.2 billion annually, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The costs of the whopping pay out breaks down to about $490 million to the Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, another $650 million annually to members of the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) and an additional $75 million spent annually for pay raises to the members of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles. On top of the cost, the district had to agree to walk back layoffs of hundreds of employees.
Homeland Security Official’s Killing Leaves Agency ‘Devastated’ As Vetting Breakdown Exposed
April 16: Fox News by Peter Pinedo
A Department of Homeland Security official was killed in Georgia by a naturalized U.S. citizen with a prior criminal record, a case that is raising new questions about the federal government’s vetting process after the agency recently acknowledged significant screening gaps.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed Wednesday that Lauren Bullis, 40, was “brutally shot and stabbed to death,” identifying the suspect as 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel, who was naturalized in 2022 and has a record that includes convictions for sexual battery, assault and battery against a police officer.
The killing comes shortly after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services disclosed “significant national security and public safety risks” in U.S. vetting processes, describing past screening processes as “wholly inadequate” under former President Joe Biden.
Nolte: Two Polls Show Increased Republican Support for Trump
April 17: Breitbart by John Nolte
Despite an all-out corporate media propaganda campaign using a few marginalized podcasters as “proof” there is a growing rift between President Donald Trump and Republican voters, new polling shows the opposite is true.
Between March and April in the far-left Quinnipiac poll, support for Trump among Republicans increased from 72 percent to 81 percent. Similarly, a poll from the Economist/YouGov shows an increase in Republican support for the president. What had been an 82 percent approve, 14 percent disapproval rating in March has risen by four net points to 84 percent approve, 12 percent disapprove.
These polls (and common sense) make fools out of the corporate media and those on the right who never seem to tire of their dishonest sky-is-falling/walls-closing-in narratives about Trump’s political fortunes and survival.
These narratives are especially dumb when centered around Trump’s war with Iran, which is something he has consistently pledged to do as a political candidate and for the 20 years prior as a private citizen.
Anyone with half a brain understands that the choice between allowing the apocalyptic clerics in Iran to obtain a nuclear bomb or using military force to ensure that they don’t is no choice at all. This had to be done. Period.
Further, and again despite the media’s lies and the right’s pathetic Paniccons, the Iran War has so far been a smashing military success. Republicans understand that 1) the media lie about everything as it pertains to Trump and 2) the American military quickly achieved its objectives in Iran with far fewer casualties than anyone had any right to even dream of. So, of course, GOP support is growing for Trump. He is once again doing what he said he would do, and he is doing it well.
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.