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April 15, 2026

Congressional Resignations, the Pope, and Negotiations

Jacob Redman

Good morning, everyone!

Be sure to check out my Notes page, where I will keep you up to date with the day’s historical snapshots and notable quotes.

(embedded post on the page; reformatted by WP below:)

Jacob Redman

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In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II formed what TIME magazine described as a “Holy Alliance” to support Poland’s fledgling democracy movement that led to the eventual toppling of the Eastern European country’s communist government.

Today, a bronze statue of the two men stands in Gdańsk, Poland, to commemorate their efforts against totalitarianism.59310

Today, we will look at yesterday’s congressional resignations, President Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo, and other news spanning each continent.

Let’s get to it.

United States

-Both Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell and Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez resigned from the House of Representatives yesterday amid a slew of ethical and legal controversies related to sexual misconduct.

The House Clerk read their respective resignation letters on the floor, which were met by bipartisan applause.

View it here: https://youtu.be/d7ZRrw1cb-U?si=N4Hy8Cd-KlhUyOA4

Their departures leave the lower chamber with 216 Republicans and 213 Democrats.

-California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation yesterday setting the date for a special election to fill the remainder of Swalwell’s term for August 18.

-House Democrats introduced a bill that would establish a commission to assess whether President Donald Trump should be removed from office.

-Wholesale inflation rose to 4% in March, a four-year high, according to new data released yesterday.

The uptick was fueled by a 15.7% rise in gasoline prices, accounting for half of the increase due to the war in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the average U.S. gas price stood at $4.11 yesterday, according to AAA.

-Senate Majority Leader John Thune said yesterday that Republicans “would be prepared to confirm” a nominee to the Supreme Court in the event of a retirement ahead of the midterm elections.

For weeks, rumors in Washington have circulated around whether Justice Samuel Alito could retire in the next several weeks.

The 76-year-old conservative has been on the Court since 2006 and is the second-oldest on the high court, behind Clarence Thomas.

-The Senate Banking Committee is expected to hold a confirmation hearing next Tuesday on Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve.

-Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday that Trump is readying an executive order that would mandate U.S. banks to collect citizenship information.

-The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Connecticut and the city of New Haven over its sanctuary policies.

-The Republican National Committee (RNC) ended February with $109 million, seven times as much as its Democratic counterpart.

-Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper raised more than $13.8 million in the first quarter of the year.

-Trump said that he was “not a big fan” of Riley Gaines after the conservative activist criticized his posting of an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus.

-Streamer Hasan Piker called the Republican Party the “biggest domestic terrorist” group in the country on Pod Save America.

The comment comes as Democrats wrestle with whether to welcome or distance themselves from the content creator ahead of this year’s elections.

-Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a prospective 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, will be honored by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund in Washington this weekend.

-Former President Joe Biden’s official portrait was unveiled yesterday at Syracuse University.

View the full ceremony here.

-On this day in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln died one day after being shot by John Wilkes Booth.

In 1945, three days after his death, President Franklin Roosevelt was buried in the Rose Garden of his estate in Hyde Park, New York.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.

Other Links:

Todd Blanche says Americans should be ‘happy’ Trump is deeply involved in DOJ – NBC

Gallego: ‘I deeply regret’ Swalwell relationship, ‘I was wrong’ – The Hill

New Swalwell accuser speaks out after he resigns from Congress – NBC

House Republicans threaten Democratic fundraising firm ActBlue CEO with contempt of Congress in fraud probe – CBS

Trump urges GOP unity to push forward key spy powers vote – Politico

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids – AP

Suspect in attack at Sam Altman’s house aimed to kill OpenAI CEO, warned of humanity’s extinction from AI – CNBC

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Africa

-Authorities in Nigeria apprehended a 33-member gang allegedly responsible for abducting 38 people at a church in the country’s central Kwara state in November.

The arrest is part of the central government’s crackdown on criminal groups.

-Libya’s eastern- and western-based administrations participated in military exercises hosted by the United States for the first time on Tuesday.

Since the ouster of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the North African country has been rocked by civil conflict and divided government authority, with competing geographic factions vying for territorial control since 2014.

-On this day in 1958, the First Conference of Independent African States was held in Accra, Ghana, bringing together the leaders of the eight independent African nations at the time to coordinate their opposition to colonialism and foster continental unity.

At the gathering, the leaders designated April 15 as “African Freedom Day.”

In 1963, the Organization of African Unity moved the date to May 25.

In 2023, civil war broke out in Sudan after the country’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) descended into a battle for control of the capital, Khartoum.

Since then, the country has been gripped by widespread death and disease.

According to some estimates, there have been at least 150,000 deaths since the war broke out, with some 14 million more people having been displaced.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 19 million people, or about 41% of the population, are facing “high levels of acute food insecurity.”

Other Links:

Pope Leo XIV in Algeria walks in footsteps of his spiritual father, St. Augustine – AP

Botswana, Oman sign energy and mining deals to deepen economic ties – Africa News

Zambia forgoes $200 million in revenue with fuel tax suspension – Reuters

South Africa returns looted human remains and sacred carving to Zimbabwe – Africa News

African startup funding surges to $705M in first quarter – Semafor

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Americas and the Caribbean

-Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended the fuel tax amid heightened prices due to the situation in the Middle East.

The move is Carney’s first act since his Liberal Party secured a majority in parliament following two Toronto by-election victories on Monday.

With the victories, the Liberals now hold 174 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons.

Carney held a press conference in Ottawa yesterday following the victory.

View it here: https://www.youtube.com/live/7zPo9AGbIrE?si=8pWwRzeY22MuphU-

-Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for the extradition of former spy chief Alexandre Ramagem after he was apprehended in the United States.

Ramagem fled Brazil after he was convicted of his role in plotting a coup with now-former President Jair Bolsonaro following his 2022 election defeat.

Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison term.

-A younger generation of Castro family members are assuming leadership positions in Cuba, according to The Wall Street Journal.

-On this day in 1959, Fidel Castro visited the United States, just four months after successfully leading a revolution that toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Other Links:

Mexico’s Sheinbaum pushes back on Trump over migrant deaths and Cuba – AP

Peru faces a presidential runoff as election count drags on after ballot delays – AP

Brazil’s Lula, 80, livestreams workouts before election against rival half his age – The Guardian

Argentina Inflation Picked Up More Than Expected on Energy Shock – Bloomberg

President Herzog to award Argentina’s Javier Milei with Presidential Medal of Honor – The Jerusalem Post

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Asia/Indo-Pacific

-North Korea carried out another test of its strategic cruise and anti-warship missiles on Sunday as relations between Pyongyang and South Korea continue to deteriorate.

-Five countries in the Indo-Pacific will participate in U.S.-led military exercises in the region starting next week.

The drills, which will run from April 20 to May 8, come as U.S. allies in the region worry that Washington’s strategic focus has shifted from Asia to the Middle East amid its conflict with Iran.

Australia, Canada, France, the Philippines, and New Zealand will contribute forces to the multilateral effort.

-Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did a few rounds of jumping jacks in a bid to dispel rumors of his failing health.

-The United Nations said that around 250 people are missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea due to heavy winds.

-On this day in 1998, Pol Pot died in his sleep.

During his four-year rule over Cambodia, his Khmer Rouge regime carried out a genocide against the Cambodian people, killing an estimated 1.5 to 3 million people, accounting for nearly one-quarter of the Southeast Asian nation’s population.

Other Links:

China’s Xi warns against ‘world’s retrogression to the law of the jungle’ in meeting with Spain’s PM – AP

Asia markets mostly higher amid hopes of a U.S.-Iran deal; China exports miss estimates – CNBC

Founder of China’s Evergrande pleads guilty to fraud – BBC

‘Extremely Dangerous’ Super Typhoon Barrels Toward Northern Mariana Islands – The New York Times

Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Australia to a muted welcome – Reuters

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Europe

-Days after President Trump criticized Pope Leo for his opposition to Washington’s war against Iran, the Vatican issued a statement warning the advanced democracies risked sliding into “majoritarian tyranny,” a seemingly veiled shot at Trump’s populist movement.

-In an interview with an Italian newspaper, Trump said that he was “shocked” by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s opposition to his decision to launch a military operation against Iran, representing a break between the conservative allies.

In response to Meloni calling his attacks on the Pope “unacceptable,” Trump said, “It’s her who’s unacceptable.”

-Trump called on the United Kingdom to drill oil from the North Sea to offset surging global energy prices.

-The Irish government survived a no-confidence vote amid nationwide protests over the rising cost of fuel.

-U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will once again skip a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group today. Instead, the Pentagon’s policy chief, Elbridge Colby, will attend in his place.

The grouping of over 50 defense chiefs seeks to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine as it wards off invading Russian forces.

The forum was established in April 2022 just after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since assuming office, the Trump administration has delegated its leadership role in the body.

-French President Emmanuel Macron said he would seek a coordinated approach to ban minors from using social media across the 27-member European Union.

-On this day in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci was born in Italy.

In 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic.

Other Links:

Ukraine agrees defense deal with Germany to help in fight against Russia – AP

Zelenskyy pitches new joint security system to European allies – Euronews

Spain approves plan to give around 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status – BBC

Afghan migrants in Poland fear forced deportations as asylum applications remain suspended – AP

UK finds attack on Taylor Swift-themed class ‘preventable’ – DW

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Middle East

-U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted officials from Israel and Lebanon in Washington yesterday for ceasefire negotiations.

View their opening statements here: https://youtu.be/EbyHClXJ5jw?si=WVgGfovpzYAF7XdV

Shortly after the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28, the Israeli military began striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, ending a teetering ceasefire agreement.

According to estimates, the fighting has killed around 2,000 people and displaced over one million people in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, President Trump said yesterday that talks with Iran could resume as early as this week.

Last weekend, Vice President JD Vance led a U.S. delegation for talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan. After those talks broke down, Trump said that he would impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz in a bid to get Iran to agree to a long-term agreement to settle the war and to place limits on its nuclear program.

Vance appeared on Fox News on Monday to discuss the talks.

View it here: https://youtu.be/3uY2tEY0qms?si=0jJXFgjDKPRUN-g7

It is believed that Iran has planted mines in the strategic waterway, and Tehran has threatened to attack ports belonging to Arab Gulf states if its ports are attacked.

Prior to the recent war in the region, the Strait served as a conduit for 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption.

-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public approval rating has continued to slide following the country’s war with Iran.

The 76-year-old, who has dominated politics in Israel for the better part of the past two decades, is expected to seek another term in office in parliamentary elections due by late October.

Last week, a long-running public corruption trial against Netanyahu restarted after pausing due to the war.

-On this day in 1993, President Bill Clinton hosted Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in the Oval Office to discuss the Middle East peace process.

Later that year, Clinton would host Rabin, along with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, at the White House for the signing of the Oslo Accords, establishing a framework for the eventual settlement of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

In 1995, Rabin was assassinated as he departed a peace rally in Tel Aviv by an Israeli radical angry over Rabin’s peace overtures to the Palestinians.

Speaking at Rabin’s funeral service in Jerusalem, Clinton said, “Your Prime Minister was a martyr for peace, but he was a victim of hate. Surely we must learn from his martyrdom that if people cannot let go of the hatred of their enemies, they risk sowing the seeds of hatred among themselves.”

Other Links:

Middle East War Will Slow Global Economic Growth, I.M.F. Warns – The New York Times

Saudi Arabia Is Pressing U.S. to Drop Its Naval Blockade – The Wall Street Journal

Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones in Middle Eastern countries during Iran war – AP

Israeli police stop about 70 Palestinians hiding in a garbage truck trying to enter Israel – Washington Post

Turkey Calls for Middle East Security Pact in Wake of Iran War – Bloomberg

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That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.