Stories Speak Volumes: Mar 10-Mar 13
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:
Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Diagnosed with Early-Stage Breast Cancer
March 16: Breitbart by Nick Gilbertson
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and will stay on nearly full-time in her official role during treatment, President Donald Trump shared on Monday. Trump publicly announced Wiles’s diagnosis in a post on Truth Social.
“Susie Wiles is an incredible Chief of Staff, a great person, and one of the strongest people I know but, unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and has decided to take on this challenge, IMMEDIATELY, as opposed to waiting,” he wrote. “She has a fantastic medical team, and her prognosis is excellent! During the treatment period, she will be spending virtually full time at the White House, which makes me, as President, very happy!” he added.
“Susie, as one of my closest and most important advisors, is tough and deeply committed to serving the American People. She will soon be better than ever!” he continued. He added that he and First Lady Melania Trump are with Wiles “in every way.”
Wiles told the New York Times she received the diagnosis last week. She will begin a several-weeks-long treatment soon and echoed the president’s remarks, saying it was caught in the early stages and that she does not plan to take a leave: “Nearly one in eight women in the United States will face this diagnosis,” she said in a statement to the New York Times. “Every day, these women continue to raise their families, go to work and serve their communities with strength and determination. I now join their ranks.
“I am grateful to have an outstanding team of doctors who detected the cancer early and are guiding my care, and I am encouraged by a strong prognosis,” she said. “I am also deeply thankful for the support and encouragement of President Trump as I undergo treatment and continue serving in my current role.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 270,000 women annually are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.
Trump Signs Task Force EO Launching ‘Whole of Government’ Assault on Fraud
March 16: Red State by Jennifer Oliver O’Connell
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order officially launching the Fraud Task Force. Trump first announced this initiative in his February State of the Union address to combat fraud within the systems of the federal government benefit programs that overlap with the 50 states, most notably, the Medicaid services that have been abused.
From the Executive Order: “Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order creating the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which will advise the President and coordinate government-wide efforts to combat widespread fraud, waste, and abuse in Federal benefit programs.
“The Vice President will serve as Chair of the Task Force, the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission will serve as Vice Chairman, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security will serve as Senior Advisor, and an Executive Director will manage daily operations. Relevant cabinet secretaries and heads of government agencies will serve as Task Force members.“
The Order directs the Task Force, on behalf of the President, to coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse across Federal benefit programs, including housing, food, medical care, and cash assistance administered with State and local partners, in order to protect these benefits for eligible Americans.”
Ex-Biden Official Faces Backlash Over Thinly Veiled Warning to Companies When Dems Are Back in Charge
March 17: Fox News by Leo Briceno
A former top official in the Biden and Obama administrations recently caused a stir after she appeared to vow political retribution against companies once Democrats regain control in Congress and the White House.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., last week condemned plans for political retribution he believes Democrats, such as Susan Rice, hope to enact when they regain power and argued that both parties should refrain from using government power to pressure their political opposition.
“What Ms. Rice is talking about is payback,” Kennedy said, referring to comments Rice, who served as Biden’s domestic policy council director, had made on a podcast last month.
In a media appearance Rice gave with Vox in February, she warned that companies that had aligned themselves with President Donald Trump’s priorities could face Democratic scorn down the road.
“I’m going to quote [her],” Kennedy said. “‘When it comes to the elites, you know, the corporate interests, the law firms, the universities, the media, it’s not going to end well for them.’” In that podcast appearance, Rice promised that Democrats would not quickly forget their posture.
Muhanad Seloom, an assistant professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, authored the piece. “When you look at what has actually happened to Iran’s principal instruments of power – its ballistic missile arsenal, its nuclear infrastructure, its air [defenses], its navy and its proxy command architecture – the picture is not one of US failure. It is one of systematic, phased degradation of a threat that previous administrations allowed to grow for four decades,” he continued.
World Anti-Doping Agency Wants to Bar Trump, U.S. Officials from Attending Int’l Sporting Events on American Soil
March 17: Breitbart by Warner Todd Huston
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is attempting to put a new rule in place that would ban Donald Trump and all U.S. officials from ever attending any international sporting events, even those occurring on U.S. soil.
The rule change anti-American WADA officials are trying to push through comes just ahead of several major events that will be held in the U.S. including this year’s World Cup, the Olympics scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028, and the Olympics Winter Games set for 2034, the Associated Press reports.
The vindictive rule is just another salvo in the war of words between the international agency, which was founded in 1999, and the federal government and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. It is fight that has been going on for years, meaning that Donald Trump is not the sole target of the WADA’s ire.
American officials have been disputing the WADA’s rules and actions for years — even during the Biden administration — and the U.S. has refused to pay its membership dues since 2024. The back dues now total to $7.3 million, the AP added. The U.S. has been threatening to withhold dues since 2020 and finally acted on the threat in 2024.
At the heart of the disagreement is the case involving China’s Olympic swimming team, members of which were caught doping in 2024 but were allowed to compete at the Paris Games despite the violation.
At the time, Chinese Olympics officials claimed that their swimmers tested positive for banned substances because they ate “contaminated food.” The U.S. has disputed this claim ever since and has also attacked the WADA for allowing the Chinese to compete.
Can Mullin Help the GOP End the DHS Shutdown?
March 17: Daily Signal by Virginia Grace McKinnon
President Donald Trump’s new nominee for secretary of homeland security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., prepares to appear before the Senate, Democrats continue to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down.
Mullin will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning. The Oklahoma senator is Trump’s choice to replace former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
The DHS encompasses the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats have withheld funding over demands to reform ICE.
California Dems React to Chavez Child Rape Claims: ‘Devastating’
March 18: California Post by Annie Gaus
California Democrats reacted with disgust to the shocking allegations of sexual abuse of women and girls by labor icon Cesar Chavez — while Gov. Gavin Newsom broke his silence about the unfolding scandal, saying he knew nothing of the claims.
A bombshell New York Times investigation published Wednesday said that Chavez raped and sexually assaulted two girls who were as young as 12, as well as abusing other women, including his United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta. The horrifying reports come just days before an annual state holiday honoring the late union leader, Cesar Chavez Day, on March 31. It’s unclear whether the paid day off for state workers, which was proclaimed last year by Newsom’s office, would proceed as planned.
Rumors of a damaging report about Chavez on Tuesday led to a wave of cancellations of events and other celebrations in his name in Texas, California, and Arizona. The report, which alleged that Chavez groomed girls starting when they were nine years old and raped one in a hotel room, sparked calls to strip the labor leader’s name from public memorials in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Newsom was among the many political leaders in California and nationwide who revered Chavez, who co-founded the United Farm Workers in the 1960s and was credited with improving conditions for farm laborers. Of the some 125 schools, parks, streets, and other locations named after Chavez, roughly half are in California — where the leader, who died in 1993, achieved an almost saintlike status in progressive circles.
Mullin DHS Nomination Clears Committee 8-7 As Paul Opposes, Fetterman Supports
March 19: Breitbart by Jasymn Jordan
Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security advanced out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on March 19 in a narrow 8-7 vote.
The committee vote saw Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) break with fellow Republicans to oppose the nomination, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) crossed party lines to support Mullin, providing the decisive vote to move the nomination forward. Senate GOP leadership is now planning a full Senate vote early next week.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Turfed Out of Arkansas Restaurant After Staff Felt ‘Uncomfortable’ By Her Political Views
March 19: Gateway Pundit by Ben Kew
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she was asked to leave a Little Rock restaurant after staff claimed her presence made employees uncomfortable. Sanders described the incident, which took place at The Croissanterie restaurant in Little Rock, in a post on the X platform.
According to her office, the group had been dining for roughly an hour and fifteen minutes, had already paid their bill, and had tipped staff before the request was made.
British House of Lords Approves Up to Birth Abortions to Become Law
March 19: Gateway Pundit by Paul Serran
After a late-night debate in the House of Lords, a dark decision was reached that will affect generations to come, and deliver the United Kingdom into the arms of the ‘culture of death’ once and for all. This barbaric practice will now become lawful, in yet another sign of the decadence of Britain, and of the Western World in general.
First Lady Melania Trump to Host ‘Unprecedented’ Global Coalition Summit At White House
March 20: Breitbart by John Binder
First Lady Melania Trump is set to make history, yet again, when she hosts the leaders of nearly 50 nations from across the world for the “Fostering the Future Together” Summit at the White House, which will also include the leaders of the nation’s biggest tech conglomerates.
On March 24 and March 25, Mrs. Trump will welcome the leaders of 45 nations to the White House for the summit, which will focus on empowering children through education and technology — a hot topic as localities and states navigate through ever-advancing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
The leaders of France, Poland, Panama, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, Nigeria, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Aruba, Morocco, Kenya, and Israel, among others, will be in attendance.
Mrs. Trump will also welcome the leaders of 28 technology companies, including OpenAI, Microsoft, xAI, Meta, Palantir, Adobe, Google, and Zoom Communications.
This is the first time in history that a First Lady has hosted the leaders of so many nations in a single day at the White House. Already, Mrs. Trump has made history as the only first lady to star in and produce a major motion picture with her film, Melania, which is now available on Amazon Prime. Likewise, Mrs. Trump made history when she recently chaired the United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting.
CA Parole Board Freed a Double Murderer Early, Now A Mother of Six Is Dead
March 20: Red State by Ward Clark
In one of our biggest, bluest cities, Los Angeles, a convicted double murderer was cut loose, and now a mother of six is dead. The killer has been convicted again in the death of his latest victim and will be sentenced on Friday. He is now, finally, facing possible life in prison with no parole – about two victims too late.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney says the law that allowed a man convicted of double murder out on parole contributed to a third murder of a South L.A. mother, and now, a day ahead of her killer’s sentencing, her family is speaking out.
Fatima Johnson, a 53-year-old mother of six, was found dead by her daughters in her apartment on July 4, 2021. Her family grew worried after she failed to show up for work or return text messages.
Johnson’s grisly murder, in which her hands were tied while she was choked or smothered to death while being wrapped in a blanket, led investigators to Darryl Lamar Collins, who had been convicted of killing two other people in 1998.
Collins, who only served 25 years of his 50-year sentence for those murders under California’s youthful offender laws, killed Johnson less than a year after he was released from prison.
“If you’re under the age of 26 years old when you commit the offense – here, he was 24 years old – once you serve 25 years, you’re eligible for parole,” L.A. County DA Nathan Hochman told KTLA. “That’s exactly what happened with Mr. Collins.”
The laws, according to the DA, were created to give young offenders a second chance, but he said this case points to the risks of releasing violent offenders early. He added that the law can be changed, but that it requires action from state lawmakers.
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.