Voices, The Peoples News
April 20, 2026
Published by Jedi Selman Since March 2000 to Inform and Educate
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“The world is upheld by the veracity of good men: they make
the earth wholesome.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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This daily Voices, The Peoples News is posted through the blog function of www.MPEN-Ohio.net
# Border / Immigration / ICE / Immigrants
Immigrant survivors targeted by Trump. Trump vowed to protect them. Instead, he’s putting them at even graver risk. Trump administration has implemented policies that have significantly targeted immigrant survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and other serious crimes for detention and deportation, despite many having pending or approved legal protections
https://www.thecut.com/article/sex-trafficking-survivors-ice-detentions-deportations.html
Documenting Stories of Cruelty, Fear, and Resilience: Throughout our country’s history, people who are immigrants have been integral to our communities, economy, and our nation’s origin story—yet President Donald Trump’s administration has carried out immigration policies far crueler and more extreme than any in living memory.
https://www.aclu.org/campaigns-initiatives/documenting-stories-of-cruelty-fear-and-resilience
ICE hired unqualified, problematic candidates amid recruitment drive, investigation finds: A public records review of 40 new hires reveals the agency brought on many individuals with checkered financial and legal histories.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/17/ice-immigration-agents-backgrounds
Texas Slaps Last Panel Onto $3 Billion Border Wall. The installation completes a series of noncontiguous steel barriers along the Rio Grande and, according to state leaders, marks the end of active construction, with only minor finishing work still on the to-do list.
https://hoodline.com/2026/04/texas-slaps-last-panel-onto-3-billion-border-wall/
Trump and ‘gang of thugs’ slammed as congresswoman joins outrage over teen snatched by ICE: “Donald Trump and this gang of thugs think that cruelty and bigotry make America strong. They are mistaken. Immigrants are and always have been what makes our country great.” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/congresswoman-slams-trump-and-gang-of-thugs-in-response-to-teen-and-mom-taken-by-ice/
Migrant children’s shelter investigated after claims kids were restrained and isolated in a ‘red room.’ A ‘special’ unit beat and placed one child in restraints nearly two dozen times, according to a report
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/migrant-childrens-shelter-abuse-allegations-new-york-b2960719.html
Trump says goodbye to another top lieutenant: Second ICE boss in two weeks calls it quits
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/top-ice-goon-quits-trump-020326170.html
Ordered free, still locked up: Judges fume as Trump administration holds ICE detainees: Federal immigration officials had once again flouted his authority by keeping a man locked up in a California City detention center after Nunley ordered him released. When he was finally set free, the man was booted onto the street with no passport, driver’s license or other personal effects. The judge’s demand that the items be returned were met with silence.
https://www.swoknews.com/ap/national/ordered-free-still-locked-up-judges-fume-as-trump-administration-holds-ice-detainees/article_a92dc202-e449-5edd-8035-5c2569f11963.html
# Economy / Finance / Trade / Banking / Taxes / IRS / Cryptocurrencies
Banks were promised deregulation. Now they could have to spend billions to log citizenship data.
https://www.businessinsider.com/banks-requirement-citizenship-data-executive-order-2026-4
# Employment / Labor / Unions
Labor groups sue to block FLRA’s political seizure of union elections. Eight federal unions, who collectively represent over 1 million federal employees, are alleging multiple violations of the Administrative Procedure Act.
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/unions/2026/04/unions-sue-flra-over-plans-to-politicize-labor-representation-decisions/
FLRA: The FLRA is an independent administrative federal agency that administers the labor-management relations program for federal employees worldwide.
https://www.flra.gov/
# Energy / Pipelines / Mining / Oil / Power Plants
Trump rejects Iranian “blackmail,” redirects oil tankers to Texas. Trump’s latest remarks rejecting Iranian “blackmail” and redirecting oil tankers to Texas signal a tough stance on sanctions relief
https://cryptobriefing.com/trump-rejects-iranian-blackmail-redirects-oil-tankers-to-texas/
# Environment / Climate / Infrastructure / EPA / BLM / Public Lands / Water
Trump’s latest Alaska drilling auction puts grizzlies, polar bears and sacred Indigenous land on the chopping block. This marks the third attempt to auction off drilling rights in the refuge’s coastal plain, and the first under a law passed last year that mandates four lease sales over the next decade. This latest auction comes after two previous sales fell flat.
https://www.themarysue.com/trumps-latest-alaska-drilling-auction-puts-grizzlies-polar-bears-and-sacred-indigenous-land-on-the-chopping-block/
# Food / Farming / Agriculture / SNAP [Food Stamps] / USDA
Immigration crackdowns spur fears of labor shortages for farmers. Federal immigration crackdowns, and the fear that results from them, have farmers worried they might not have enough workers this harvest season.
https://san.com/cc/immigration-crackdowns-spur-fears-of-labor-shortages-for-farmers/
USDA is moving forward with various reorgs despite legal questions and bipartisan concerns. The department is already selling buildings and relocating the headquarters of some of its components, she and other officials said Thursday, despite Congress placing roadblocks on various aspects of those changes.
https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/04/usda-moving-forward-various-reorgs-despite-legal-questions-and-bipartisan-concerns/412918/
# General News / Epstein / Maxwell
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein partied together. Then an oceanfront Palm Beach mansion came between them. For the better part of two decades starting in the late 1980s, Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump swam in the same social pool. They were neighbors in Florida. They jetted from LaGuardia to Palm Beach together. They partied at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and dined at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-and-jeffrey-epstein-partied-together-then-an-oceanfront-palm-beach-mansion-came-between-them/2019/07/31/79f1d98c-aca0-11e9-a0c9-6d2d7818f3da_story.html
Inside $62.3m mansion fight that led to Donald Trump’s fallout with Jeffrey Epstein. News of this 2004 fallout has come to light, specifically those of Epstein’s network, as previously sealed court documents related to his criminal dealings were released
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/inside-623m-mansion-fight-that-led-to-donald-trumps-fallout-with-jeffrey-epstein/
# Gov / Politics
The U.S. was not founded as a Christian nation, but rather as a secular republic designed to separate church and state, with founding documents (Constitution, Articles of Confederation) avoiding any mention of Christianity or Christ. The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli officially declared the government “not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,” a view supported by Enlightenment ideals, though many residents were Christian
https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/the-us-a-christian-nation-not-according-to-the-fou
The Internet Reacts After Dr. Oz Reveals Donald Trump Thinks Diet Coke ‘Kills Cancer Cells’ And Fanta Is ‘Fresh Squeezed:’ ‘This Guy Controls The Nuclear Codes.’ Global health policy experts discuss their concerns over the medical messaging from the Trump administration and the impact it has on Americans. The remarks have even prompted some doctors to remind the public that, no, diet soda will not do anything to prevent cancer.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/15/trump-diet-coke-soda-kills-cancer
Greg Abbott leans into his ties to Elon Musk. What will it mean for the midterms?
https://local.newsbreak.com/texas-state/4601797561644-greg-abbott-leans-into-his-ties-to-elon-musk-what-will-it-mean-for-the-midterms?s=dmg_local_email_bucket_1.web2_fromweb&emailId=L69CIMX&uid=380210659&exp=nl_batch_exp_5-v1,nl_bucket_exp_26_2-v32,nl_ctr_model_2604_2-v1,nl_cvr_model_2604_2-control
Why Gov. Greg Abbott Won’t Release His Emails With Elon Musk. We asked Abbott for his and his staff’s emails with Elon Musk and Musk’s companies. The governor’s office won’t turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” information that is “not of legitimate concern to the public.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-governor-greg-abbott-elon-musk-emails-foia
Gov. Abbott signs bill creating a Texas regulation-cutting agency inspired by Elon’s DOGE. “There’s so much slicing and dicing that can and needs to be done,” said Abbott. “So we will look to accelerate the process to make sure we start slashing away to make government more efficient as quickly as possible.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/greg-abbott-bill-creating-texas-regulation-cutting-agency-elon-musk-doge/
Trump Floats Idea Of Reversing 2019 Impeachment—Again: President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested his first impeachment could be expunged based on new and seemingly flimsy evidence of a “conspiracy” surrounding the 2019 House vote to remove him from office—though there’s no legal precedent to expunge an impeachment.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2026/04/14/trump-floats-idea-of-reversing-2019-impeachment-again/
Democrat Ukraine narrative has gone into reverse, as GOP seeks to expunge Trump’s 2019 impeachment
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-release-new-ukraine-documents-ahead-of-impeachment-trial
Fact Check: Can Trump Undo His First Impeachment? Neither the U.S. Constitution nor House rules lays out a formal process for expunging an impeachment, and there is no historical precedent for Congress doing so.
https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-can-trump-undo-his-first-impeachment-11827618
Severe staffing cuts at GSA are harming agencies across government, watchdog says
Due to the reductions, agencies reported that they were unsure about who to contact at GSA and had to delay project timelines.
https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2026/04/severe-staffing-cuts-gsa-are-harming-agencies-across-government-watchdog-says/412944/
GSA; General Services Administration: An independent federal agency that manages, streamlines, and supports the basic functioning of federal agencies. It handles real estate, procurement of goods and services, technology, and policy formulation to provide cost-effective support to government operations
https://www.gsa.gov/
MAGA starting to turn on Trump and spreading conspiracy theories about attempted assassination: But questions linger, with more doubters speaking out on X. One posted a photo from after the shooting of Trump with no apparent injury on the ear he later bandaged. “Not even Wolverine heals that fast,” the poster scoffed.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/maga-fuels-wild-trump-assassination-044216778.html
Abbott doubles down, calls on Texas Supreme Court to remove Wu from office
https://www.thecentersquare.com/texas/article_ef85e5cd-744a-43d7-b585-2cae9eafd315.html
Trump would be ‘impeached and convicted’ by GOP under secret ballot: White House reporter. And after this week, there is a growing possibility it could happen in full daylight with a roll call vote in the Senate. ‘I wouldn’t bet on it,’ a member of Thune’s office said. ‘But let’s see what happens tomorrow.’
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-impeachment-2676758257/
U.S. House just let Donald Trump’s war with Iran continue, and it only took 1 Democrat to keep it going. The Democrat, Jared Golden, announced last year that he’s not running for reelection after a challenge from the left.
https://truthout.org/articles/iran-war-powers-vote-fails-house-by-one-vote-with-one-democrat-opposed/
Surging Democratic Senate Candidate in Michigan Tells CNN Israeli Government Is Just as ‘Evil’ as Hamas: ‘Killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil,’ El-Sayed told CNN congressional reporter Manu Raja on the network’s Inside Politics program. ‘It’s not how evil is this one versus that one – Hamas: Evil, Israeli government: Evil. We can say both’
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-04-20/ty-article/.premium/u-s-senate-candidate-from-michigan-says-israeli-government-evil-like-hamas/0000019d-a86b-d096-a3df-eeff58e20000
Democratic Presidential Hopeful Rahm Emanuel Breaks With Washington on Israel: ‘No More U.S. Blood or Blank Checks.’ The former Chicago mayor and former Barack Obama’s chief of staff argued that U.S. policy toward Israel should look a lot less exceptional
https://www.latintimes.com/democratic-presidential-hopeful-rahm-emanuel-breaks-washington-israel-no-more-us-blood-blank-596717
‘Clash looming’ as hardline Republicans bristle at Trump’s massive request. Trump pushes a massive increase in defense spending, with fiscal conservatives warning a “clash is looming” over the proposal.
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-deficit-2676760597/
Trump threatens again to blow up all Iran’s bridges and power plants. President Donald Trump issued a fiery statement Sunday accusing Iran of violating a ceasefire agreement after Iranian forces fired upon ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including a French vessel and a British freighter.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-threatens-again-to-blow-up-all-iran-s-bridges-and-power-plants/ar-AA21fhwi
The Crowd That Toppled a Dictator — and the Warning Trump’s America Needs to Hear Now. This year marks forty years since millions of Filipinos stood on a highway in Manila and faced down a dictator without firing a shot. This is not ancient history. The pattern of powerful democracies accommodating authoritarian allies for strategic convenience runs directly through the twentieth century and into the present.
https://www.newsbreak.com/share/4600738923498-the-crowd-that-toppled-a-dictator-and-the-warning-trump-s-america-needs-to-hear-now?s=a3&share_destination_id=MzgwMjEwNjU5LTE3NzY2Mzc1NzYwNzU=&pd=0PjK9z4G&hl=en_US&send_time=1776637576&actBtn=topBar&_f=app_share&trans_data=%7B%22platform%22%3A1%2C%22cv%22%3A%2226.13.0%22%2C%22languages%22%3A%22en%22%7D&sep=sc_share_source_link_break_v1-v3%2Csc_d2d_share_26q2-control
‘The Whole Country’s Going to Get Blown Up’: Trump Renews Genocidal Threats to Iran as Ceasefire Collapses
“Whether he means it or not, his saying it is an indelible moral stain on our country,” said one law professor.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-blow-up-iran
Give the People What They Want: Impeach Trump! This drive for presidential accountability stems from the 15 months of Trump wrecking America, weakening America, endangering America and its people. The NAACP, long a stalwart advocate and fighter for African American rights, called for “urgent action” to respond to Trump’s “deteriorating health and increasingly delusional behavior.” The NAACP elucidated, arguing, “The rhetoric and actions emanating from the highest office in the land have reached a level of instability that poses a direct danger to the well-being of millions of Americans.”
https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/unfit-unwell-unhinged-naacp-calls-for-trumps-removal/
Support for the Removal of Donald J. Trump from Office. Current & Former Republican Officials, Conservative Columnists, Editorial Boards and Other Leaders Calling for the Removal or Resignation of President Trump
https://cuellar.house.gov/uploadedfiles/support_for_the_removal_of_donald_j._trump_from_office.pdf
# Gov / Politics / Global
Iran Says It Won’t Negotiate With ‘Erratic’ Trump After Genocidal Threat to ‘Blow Up’ Whole Country. “Our assessment is that Trump effectively lacks both a coherent plan and the capacity to secure even a temporary agreement,” an Iranian official said.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/iran-no-talks-trump-threats
Ceasefire Collapsing as Iran Shuts Down Strait of Hormuz Again, Accusing US of ‘Piracy.’ Trump’s recent actions have convinced Tehran that the US is not “a trustworthy partner for any kind of deal,” according to one Iranian professor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq2i5XnxFrs
# Law / Law Enforcement / Prisons / FBI / CIA / ATF / DEA
Resignations and firings have depleted the FBI and Justice Department. They’re scrambling to rebuild: The FBI has used social media campaigns to attract applicants, offered abbreviated training for candidates from other federal agencies and relaxed requirements for support staff seeking to become agents, according to people familiar with the changes and internal communications seen by The Associated Press
https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-fbi-resignations-firings-job-requirements-bc0474a74d67bc308a4736454c847580
# Legal / DOJ / ICJ / International Criminal Court [ICC] / Supreme Court / United Nations (UN)
Baron Trump Thought Presidential Power Would Save Him — Judge Caprio Proved Him Wrong. This video features a tense courtroom case involving Baron Trump, where expectations of influence and protection quickly come into question during a legal hearing. What begins as a confident situation takes a different turn as the case unfolds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajLIPR_zttU
# Medical Marijuana / Hemp
President Donald Trump complained that the Department of Justice is “slow-walking” following through on rescheduling marijuana under an executive order he issued four months ago.
https://cannabispromotions.com/news/article/trump-complains-doj-is-slow-walking-marijuana-rescheduling-f-g8i2n5vw
# Medical / Nursing / Biologicals / Pharmaceutical / Chemistry / FDA / CDC
Doctors are noticing a concerning trait in babies just hours after birth: A heel prick can identify genetic issues right from the start, enabling early measures to protect children. How can a seemingly healthy newborn have a genetic disorder?
https://www.chla.org/blog/advice-experts/newborn-screening-uncovers-hidden-genetic-disorders
Medical Genetics: https://www.chla.org/medical-genetics
How terrorists could kill millions with weaponised viruses from smallpox to Ebola – and why Covid 2.0 is around corner. MALICIOUS actors plotting to bring down governments and wreak havoc on the world need only a petri dish to spark devastation, experts fear. The threat of an apocalyptic bioterrorism attack is growing – with insiders warning we are edging closer to a nightmare scenario where extremists could unleash “unnatural” pandemics.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/16243424/terrorists-weaponise-viruses-smallpox-ebola-biolabs-arms-race/
The nuclear weapons programs in Iran and North Korea have been a primary concern to world security for more than a decade. But there is another significant worldwide threat to consider — bioweapons.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/451899-a-terrorists-bioweapon-could-kill-millions-and-theres-little-we-can-do-to/
# Medical Alternatives
An Herb Targets Cancer Cells While Sparing Healthy Ones. Lemongrass Shows Anti-Cancer Potential Without Harming Healthy Cells, Preclinical Studies Suggest. Lemongrass has long been used in cooking and traditional medicine, and it now shows potential in treating cancer, without harming healthy cells.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/lemongrass-shows-promise-against-cancer-in-preclinical-studies-6001728
# Military / Department of Defense [DOD]
Trump says US Navy forcibly seized Iranian-flagged cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz
https://apnews.com/article/us-iran-war-israel-hormuz-19-april-2026-0a637f98d588930f195f61cffe07d4f3
# Military / Global
Israel Continues ‘Gaza Tactics’ in Lebanon, Leveling Villages and Homes in Violation of Ceasefire. UN experts have said Israel’s “destruction of urban and village housing that displaced persons would have returned to, is consistent with the pattern of domicide that was initiated during the genocide in Gaza.”
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-04-19/ty-article/.premium/like-gaza-idf-razes-south-lebanon-villages-during-cease-fire-sources-say/0000019d-a43d-d31c-a1df-ae3f8a660000
# Other Interestimg Stuff
Bloodline Zero: The Hidden Tribe in the Amazon Whose DNA Doesn’t Match Any Known Human Branch. It is one of the most puzzling findings in modern genetic anthropology. This isn’t fringe science or speculation. Peer-reviewed studies published in journals including Nature and Science have confirmed the anomaly. The more scientists look, the more questions appear. What follows is what we actually know.
https://www.newsbreak.com/nerdy-digest-325136183/4598863658330-bloodline-zero-the-hidden-tribe-in-the-amazon-whose-dna-doesn-t-match-any-known-human-branch
# Science / Research
Unexplained Deaths, Missing Scientists: String of scientist deaths, vanishings fuels expert talks of shadow ops and silenced secrets: ‘Very serious.’ Nearly a dozen mysterious deaths and disappearances of high-level scientists throughout the United States is raising eyebrows as one expert suggests the individuals may have been targeted for their knowledge or forced to disappear for their own protection.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/string-scientist-deaths-vanishings-fuels-120027128.html
# Social / Communities
Louisiana Advances One of the Country’s ‘Cruelest’ Anti-Homeless Bills. One homeless advocacy group said the bill, which would require homeless people to perform unpaid labor to pay for involuntary treatment, “evokes debtor’s prisons, convict leasing, and the ugliest day of Jim Crow.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/louisiana-homeless-bill
Louisiana House advances bill to criminalize public camping. Measure would impose fines and jail time while creating diversion programs for homeless individuals. “What we are doing is taking those who the government finds undesirable, and we are isolating them and concentrating them in one area — that’s the definition of a concentration camp to me, and I know this is not her intent, but that’s the reality of it all,” Jordan said.
https://www.wafb.com/2026/04/15/louisiana-house-advances-bill-criminalize-public-camping/
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