Tuesday, April 22, 2025

April 22, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

As Catholic Church Enters New Era, Conservative U.S. Members Push It Right . . . The Pope's passing has focused attention on the Vatican's fraught relationship with an American flock that is undergoing cultural and theological changes that echo the rightward shift in the nation's politics in the MAGA era. Personified by Vice President Vance, who was baptized in the Catholic Church in 2019, at age 35, adherents to this conservative style are reviving old practices, including the traditional Latin Mass and women wearing veils. While their numbers may still be small, they are increasingly influential, say observers—in the struggle for the Church's future and that of the nation. Wall Street Journal

Politics

Ashley Biden's Charity Failed To Disclose $500,000 in Donations to IRS, Complaint Alleges . . . Ashley Biden's charity has a $500,000 discrepancy in its books, a watchdog alleged in a complaint filed with the IRS on Monday. During the height of her father's presidency in 2023, Ashley Biden launched a walk-in trauma recovery center in Philadelphia equipped with infrared saunas to help women overcome mental health challenges. Known as the Women's Wellness Spa(ce), the former first daughter's charity supposedly got off the ground with at least $500,000 in seed funding in 2023. Washington Free Beacon

Was this some kind of Mafia family running the country? Did they refer to the White House as "This Thing of Ours"?

Raphael Warnock Slapped With Ethics Complaint for Living in Free $1 Million Luxury Home . . . When it comes to the lavish $1 million Atlanta home where Sen. Raphael Warnock has lived rent-free since 2023, the Georgia Democrat can't expect to have his cake and eat it too, an ethics watchdog alleged in a complaint filed Monday. Warnock's lavish DeKalb County home came equipped with a plethora of luxury accommodations, including a 100-bottle wine fridge, a bluetooth-enabled cooking range, and remote-controlled privacy curtains. The senator hasn't paid a penny out of his own pocket to live there because the church where he serves as a part-time pastor is footing the bill. Washington Free Beacon

Barack and Michelle Obama enjoy date night at ritzy DC restaurant amid divorce rumors . . . Michelle and Barack Obama have made a show of unity after being spotted on a romantic date night at one of their favorite Italian restaurants in Washington DC. The couple was all smiles as they made their way through the busy Osteria Mozza in Georgetown on the weekend, stopping to wave at patrons as they swatted away rumors of marital woes. Former President Obama shook hands with a worker at the Italian eatery, where a main course ranges between $34 to $175. Daily Mail

Wife of Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez Convicted in Bribery Scheme

Culture

Harvard Sues Trump Over Funding Freeze . . . Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing that the administration violated its constitutional rights when it froze more than $2 billion in Harvard grants and contracts. Without that money, the lawsuit states, Harvard "would need to operate at a significantly reduced level." The move, which Harvard president Alan Garber announced in a letter to colleagues, sets up a high-profile legal battle that is likely to have far-reaching implications for President Donald Trump's efforts to take on higher education. Washington Free Beacon

Boston Marathon Has 3 Gender Categories. Men Could Win All Of Them . . . The world famous Boston Marathon has three race categories for participants based on gender — but because of lax gender identity standards, male runners have the opportunity to compete — and could win the top prizes — in all three categories: male, female, and non-binary. Sey noted that the Boston Marathon opened a non-binary category for runners in 2023, but that trans-identifying male runner Riya Suising — born Robert Chien Hwa Young — was still allowed to enter the race in the female category because he claims that he is a woman. Daily Wire

Despite Trump Orders, Juvenile Prisons Still Have To House 'Trans' Men With Young Girls . . . President Donald Trump has made it a priority to keep men out of women's sports, bathrooms, and other sex-specific spaces. But thanks to little-known Obama-era regulations, states could be required to house boys in all-girl youth prisons. Currently, states are barred from imprisoning juvenile inmates on the basis of sex. That means a 17-year-old boy who claims to be "transgender" could be locked up alongside an 11-year-old girl. Daily Wire

National Security

Trump Stands by Hegseth After Phone Call About Newly Revealed Signal Chat . . . President Trump spoke with embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and vowed to stick by him, despite new revelations that the Pentagon chief shared sensitive information about a military strike in another group chat. Trump and Hegseth chatted on the phone Sunday after news reports detailed how Hegseth used his personal phone to place sensitive military information into a new Signal chat, and the publication of an essay by a former Pentagon spokesman detailing the "total chaos" of the secretary's leadership. The conversation was positive, officials said, noting that Trump sees no reason to remove Hegseth after only three months in the job. Wall Street Journal

Army suspends colonel after Trump, Vance, Hegseth photos vanish from chain-of-command board . . . The commander of Fort McCoy was relieved of duty after the US Army base in Wisconsin failed to install photos of President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a wall displaying its chain of command. Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez was suspended as garrison commander of Ft. McCoy. "This suspension is not related to any misconduct," the US Army Reserve Command said in a statement. "We have no further details to provide at this time while this matter is under review." New York Post

International

Pope died of a stroke, suffered from several underlying health issues . . . The Vatican said on Monday that Pope Francis died of a stroke, followed by a coma and the collapse of his cardiovascular system. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, either because of a clot or bleeding in the brain. The declaration of death said Francis had Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which can increase the risk of stroke. He also had a chronic lung condition called bronchiectasis, which can weaken and enlarge the airways and leave them more susceptible to infection. New York Times

He will be buried Saturday.

Who is on the shortlist to be the next pope? . . . Some cardinals, by virtue of their station and works, have been identified as papabili, which means "pope-worthy," as Francis' health declined. Cardinal Pietro Parolin has served as the Vatican secretariat of state since the pope tapped him for the post in 2013. The 70-year-old Italian has spent more than four decades in ambassadorial roles for the Catholic Church. Some have put another Italian, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, on the shortlist. The 59-year-old prelate has served in Jerusalem for over 30 years and was made a cardinal just prior to the Hamas-Israel war breaking out in 2023. Daily Signal

How the next Pope is chosen

President Trump To Attend Funeral Of Pope Francis In Rome

Vatican releases images of pope in open coffin

Money

Trump Will Provide Illegal Immigrant Farm Workers Pathway for Reentry 'Soon' . . . The Trump administration may "soon" institute a plan for illegal immigrant farm workers to leave the country then return legally to work, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said Monday. "The president at his Cabinet meeting, the one about a week and a half ago, brought that up, and he really fully understands and realizes that our dairy producers, our row croppers, our citrus producers, they have to have labor to be able to feed America, and food security, and America is national security, so it's incredibly encouraging," Rollins told The Daily Signal. Daily Signal

You should also know

RFK Jr. To Ban Petroleum-Based Food Dyes . . . Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to direct food manufacturers to phase out eight petroleum-based food dyes from cereals, sports drinks, and other grocery staples by the end of 2026. The directive, expected to be announced in full detail on Tuesday, affects hundreds of thousands of grocery store items containing eight petroleum-based dyes, which health experts have long criticized for potentially causing hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in children. Daily Wire

Mexico Sends Tons of Sewage to San Diego, and Lee Zeldin Is Doing Something About It on Earth Day . . . Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is flying out to San Diego Tuesday to address a "public health and environmental crisis" regarding sewage on the U.S.-Mexico border on Earth Day. "There is nowhere more important for me to be tomorrow than on the border in California, dealing with this very important public health and environmental crisis," Zeldin told reporters at a Monday morning news conference ahead of his flight. Daily Signal