News
Compiled by Michael Hernandez, 4-20-25
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: the Trump presidency, 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, Elon Musk’s DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), taxpayer cuts, and Ukraine peace and hatred and violence against Christians. Here are just a few:
April 14: USA Today By Christopher Cann, Nick Penzenstadler, Phaedra Trethan, Bethany Rodgers
Suspect In Arson Attack At Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Home Denied Bail
The man charged in the April 13 arson attack on the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro who told police he was “harboring hatred” for the public official was denied bail. Cody Balmer, 38, faced multiple charges in connection with the April 13 attack, including attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary and terrorism, among other charges, according to Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo.
Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge Dale Klein denied bail for Balmer, saying she appreciated that he reportedly turned himself in to authorities. But she said she’d decided to deny bail to protect the community and Balmer himself. He did not enter a plea. During the hearing, he said he’d been living at his parents’ home for the past year. He said he’s not currently employed but had most recently worked as a welder. Balmer — dressed in a beige, long-sleeved shirt, baggy jeans and black, high-top sneakers — told the judge he does not have any income or savings.
April 15: Breitbart By John Nolte
President Surges To Highest Approval Rating Since Inauguration
President Trump’s job approval rating has surged to its highest number since he was inaugurated in January. Currently, Trump’s job approval rating sits at 54 percent, with only 46 percent disapproving. This ties his all-time high this year (in this poll) and is a five-point boost in approval since late March.
This poll of 1,002 registered voters was taken between April 10-14, the days during the so-called stock market turmoil after the president instituted the tariff increases he ran on, which appear to have brought dozens of countries to the negotiating table.
J.L. Partners poll also found that 64 percent of those aged 18 to 29 approve of the job Trump is doing. Those over 65 approve at 54 percent. The 30-49 and 50 to 64 age groups approve at 52 percent and 51 percent, respectively. Hispanics approve of the Deporter-in-Chief with a margin of 46 percent to 43 percent. Independents approve of Trump at 48 percent.
April 15: Gateway Pundit By Jim Hoft
Democrat Rep. Laura Friedman Says The Quiet Part Out Loud — Admits House Democrats Meet “Every Single Week” With Far-Left AGs To Plot Lawfare Against Trump Agenda
California Democrat Rep. Laura Friedman has admitted House Democrats are coordinating every single week with far-left state attorneys general to weaponize the justice system against President Trump and his America First agenda.
Speaking to voters, Friedman bragged that House Democrats have established a so-called “litigation working group,” aka “shadow government,” comprised of approximately 75 sitting members of Congress who gather behind closed doors every week to craft legal strategies in conjunction with state AGs — the same AGs who have brought politically motivated lawsuits and investigations against Trump, his businesses, his allies, and his policies.
“Every single week, we have a litigation working group where a large group of us—and I’m talking maybe 75 members of the House—sit down with the AGs to talk about legal strategy,” said Friedman. “This is all going on every single week behind the scenes. It is nonstop talk, nonstop introduction of bills and legislation, nonstop being on social media as much as we can without being throttled, without the crazy analytics, and doing all these things.”
April 16: Breitbart By Matthew Boyle
Greek Orthodox Church Archbishop: Trump’s Election ‘Positive Development,’ ‘I Commend Him And Believe He Is Benefitting the World’
The archbishop of the Church of Greece, Ieronymos II of Athens, told Breitbart News he is excited President Donald Trump won the election last year and believes Trump is a force for good in the world.
“The election of President Trump was a positive development,” the archbishop said. “I would like to tell him that we need change, such as the reforms he is trying to implement, but reforms that we can and should understand.”
The Church of Greece, part of the broader Eastern Orthodox Church or Greek Orthodox Church, is a massive organization. Ieronymos II oversees more than 100 bishops, and more than 8,500 priests. There are more than 15 million Church of Greece members estimated in Greece and worldwide through Greece’s diaspora, and it’s a critical part of the broader international Eastern Orthodox Church network that includes much of eastern Europe and huge populations in the Middle East as well. Worldwide, there are an estimated hundreds of millions of members of the Orthodox Church—close to or possibly more than 300 million people. It is the second largest Christian communion worldwide after the Catholic Church.
Ieronymos II also said when it comes to cultural issues, such as the transgender craziness the United States is currently witnessing, that Trump is guiding the world away from the radical insanity.
April 16: Breitbart By Oliver JJ Lane
UK Supreme Court Rules ‘Trans Women’ Are Not Legally Biological Women
The Supreme Court in London has ruled that, for the purposes of judging matters of equality, terms like ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ refer to biological sex, not gender.
April 16: Breitbart By Joel Pollack
Gavin Newsom Sues Trump over Tariffs
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced Wednesday that the state is suing President Donald Trump over his recent tariffs, claiming that they are hurting the state and that he lacks the authority to enact them.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta are asking a federal court to pause the tariffs being levied against Mexico, China and Canada, as well as the across-the-board 10 percent tariff enacted by Trump. The suit argues that the law the president is relying on — the International Economic Emergency Powers Act — has never been used before to justify tariffs, and that Trump needs Congressional authorization for actions with such broad economic consequences.
Newsom and the California legislature have set aside $50 million for legal action against the administration, despite asking it for $40 billion in aid to recover from recent wildfires. The state is also borrowing billions of dollars monthly simply to pay for its Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, after Newsom expanded eligibility last year to include illegal aliens.
https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2025/04/16/gavin-newsom-sues-trump-over-tariffs
April 17: Red State By Katie Jerkovich
‘No More Big Pharma’: FDA Commissioner Announces Major Policy Changes
President Donald Trump’s head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Dr. Martin A. “Marty” Makary announced major policy changes on Thursday at the agency and said they will no longer allow pharma members to be part of FDA advisory panels, removing further conflicts of interest.
During the Sirius XM “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast, Kelly pointed out that almost every former FDA commissioner has left the agency and gone into “Big Pharma,” which she said makes it harder to count on them to be honest about a drug’s impact. The newly-confirmed FDA Commissioner agreed, and said the “scientific evaluation” of drugs needs to be independent.
April 18: Breitbart By Joel Pollack
Good Friday: Israel Welcomes U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee
Israel welcomed newly-confirmed U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee on Friday with a ceremony at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, in the midst of religious services for the Passover holiday.
Friday also marked Good Friday, and the start of the weekend in which Easter is observed. This year, in a rare concurrence, Easter is observed on the same date by Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians.
Huckabee is the first evangelical Christian to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador to Israel. He has been traveling to Israel since the 1970s and is a staunch supporter of the Jewish state.
In remarks at the Western Wall, Huckabee noted that his first act as ambassador would be to bring a handwritten prayer for peace from President Donald Trump, and to place it in the cracks of the wall, in accordance with tradition.
April 19: The Washington Stand By S.A. McCarthy
‘Why Are We Not Protecting Our Children?’ Mother of Slain Illegal Immigrant Victim Speaks At White House
Maryland mother-of-five Rachel Morin was brutally raped and murdered in 2023 by an illegal immigrant ushered into the country under the Biden administration. After her killer, El Salvador national Victor Martinez-Hernandez, was convicted this week, the victim’s mother spoke at the White House, urging journalists who cover subjects such as illegal immigration to “tell the truth” about the damage done to the nation by noncitizens.
Twenty-four-year-old Martinez-Hernandez was convicted Monday in a Harford County, Maryland court of the first-degree murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual assault, and kidnapping of Rachel Morin on August 5, 2023. The jury deliberated for less than 50 minutes, and prosecutors pledged to seek the maximum penalty at sentencing.
April 20: The Washington Stand Commentary By Ben Johnson
This Year, Trump Celebrates Holy Week. Last Year, Biden Celebrated Trans Visibility Day
If voters ever needed proof of the cultural and spiritual importance of what is at stake in a presidential election, they need look no further than this Easter. This year, President Donald Trump began the celebration of blessed Holy Week, the days leading up to the annual remembrance of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead, by issuing a presidential message on Palm Sunday. Just one year ago, President Joe Biden rang in Easter by urging Americans to celebrate the Transgender Day of Visibility.
“Beginning with Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating in the Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, followed by Good Friday, and reaching its pinnacle in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night,” wrote President Trump. “This week is a time of reflection for Christians to memorialize Jesus’ crucifixion — and to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for His miraculous Resurrection from the dead.”
“This week, we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our beloved Nation” continued President Trump.
April 20: Fox News By Paul Tilsley
Fears Remain This Easter That Christians In Nigeria Are Being ‘Wiped Out’ By Muslim Extremists
The killing and persecution of Christians by Islamist militants intent on creating a muslim caliphate in this West African country is continuing apparently unchecked despite the population being 46 percent Christian.
“Nigeria’s Christians are being wiped out; we need to call it what it is — genocide,” Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern (ICC), a persecution watchdog, told Fox News Digital. “Let’s start with the horrible attacks on April 2-3, 2025, in (Nigeria’s) Plateau State’s Bokkos County. Over 60 Christians (were) slaughtered, and 383 homes torched” King said. “Families were burned alive, and kids were left homeless. It’s gut-wrenching. The worst thing is that there’s nothing truly “special” about this attack. This has gone on for 20 years and has only expanded.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/easter-fears-christians-nigeria-being-wiped-out-muslim-extremists
CaliRed News is a column posted on Making California Red by the 2026 elections through reaching Gen Z (ages 13-28), Hispanics, and Christians with biblical traditional values and their pastors. CaliRed News reports on political, business, community, nonprofit, and church news. Free subscriptions are available by going to:
https://substack.com/@calirednews.
Michael Hernandez, is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service and writes for citizensjournal.net. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “CaliRed News” on Substack.com and edits the weekly “Stories Speak Volumes” and monthly “Election 2026 Countdown.” Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists/podcasters and can be contacted at [email protected].
