5 Big News Stories Overnight - Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Washington: Double Resignations

On Monday, two embattled members of Congress announced their resignations.

Politico reported:

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) announced on Monday he is resigning from Congress, a day after sexual assault and misconduct allegations forced him to withdraw from the California governor race.

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell said in a statement shared online. “I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the past mistakes I did make.”

And it reported:

Rep. Tony Gonzales said he plans to resign from the House Tuesday, weeks after the Texas Republican admitted to having an affair with a staff member.

“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” he said in a statement on X. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”

PHOTO: Faraz, Unsplash

Washington: Judge Dismisses Trump’s Defamation Lawsuit Against WSJ Publisher

The Wall Street Journal reports:

A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal. 

U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles, based in Miami, ruled Trump hadn’t made a valid legal claim that he was defamed by an article about a letter to financier Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump’s name. 

The judge said that to show defamation, Trump had to demonstrate that the Journal and its reporters acted with “actual malice,” meaning they deliberately published a false story or showed reckless disregard for the truth. Trump failed to show that the reporters acted with ill will and deliberately avoided investigating his claim that the letter was fake, the judge said.

“The complaint comes nowhere close to this standard. Quite the opposite,” wrote Gayles, who was appointed by President Barack Obama. He noted that the journalists reached out to Trump, Justice Department officials and the Federal Bureau of Investigation before publication. “In short, the complaint and the article confirm that defendants attempted to investigate.”

Spain: PM Pedro Sanchez’s wife charged with corruption after years-long probe

France 24 reports:

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez, has been formally charged with corruption after a years-long criminal investigation, according to a court ruling published Monday.

The probe is one of several corruption cases that have embroiled the Socialist leader's family and former allies, putting pressure on his minority coalition government.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gomez had exploited her position as Sanchez's wife for private gain, which she and the prime minister deny.

Vatican: Pope Leo Responds to Trump

Vatican News reports:

During the short flight to Algeria, Pope Leo addressed the journalists—as is tradition on papal flights—answering questions about the statements US President Donald Trump made against him on the Truth Social network.

The Pope stressed that he does “not see my role as that of a politician. I am not a politician, and I do not want to enter into a debate with him.”

Moreover, he continued, “I do not think the message of the Gospel should be abused as some are doing. I continue to speak strongly against war, seeking to promote peace, dialogue, and multilateralism among states to find solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering today, too many innocent lives have been lost, and I believe someone must stand up and say there is a better way.”

Trump posted Sunday:

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about “fear” of the Trump Administration, but doesn’t mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church, and all other Christian Organizations, had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services, even when going outside, and being ten and even twenty feet apart. I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t! I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon. I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela, a Country that was sending massive amounts of Drugs into the United States and, even worse, emptying their prisons, including murderers, drug dealers, and killers, into our Country. And I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting Record Low Numbers in Crime, and creating the Greatest Stock Market in History. Leo should be thankful because, as everyone knows, he was a shocking surprise. He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump. If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican. Unfortunately, Leo’s Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons, does not sit well with me, nor does the fact that he meets with Obama Sympathizers like David Axelrod, a LOSER from the Left, who is one of those who wanted churchgoers and clerics to be arrested. Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it’s hurting the Catholic Church! President DONALD J. TRUMP

PHOTO: Edgar Beltran, The Pillar CC: 4.0

U.S.: Trump Posts and then Deletes

The Telegraph reports:

Donald Trump posted and then deleted a picture of himself as Jesus Christ during an extraordinary row with the Pope.

The United States president said the leader of the Catholic church was “terrible” and “weak” after the pontiff criticised the American-Israeli war against Iran as inhumane.

Leo, the first US-born pope, said he had “no fear” of the Trump administration and would continue to speak the gospel.

In a forceful speech in Algiers, he denounced “neocolonial” world powers violating international law, without naming the US.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump posted an AI-generated image that appeared to depict him as Jesus.