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What Happened Today – April 15, 2026

The Army deleted its own tribute to Sen. Tammy Duckworth today.

Duckworth flew Black Hawks in Iraq until an RPG took both her legs. She came home with a Purple Heart, earned her PhD, served as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and raised a family. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who couldn’t answer her questions at his own confirmation hearing, shut down the whole Soldier for Life page inside 48 hours after MAGA complaints. Hours after that, Senate Republicans voted down her Iran war powers resolution.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, Pete Hegseth spent the same day gutting union contracts for Pentagon civilian workers inside 24 hours. But the most egregious story tonight is about Marie-Thérèse Ross. She is the 86-year-old French widow of a U.S. Army captain. ICE arrested her April 1 with her green card paperwork pending. Her family couldn’t reach her for a week. The French consul has had to visit her twice. Hit the phones. Call your representatives through 5 Calls and Resistbot and tell them that if we truly honor the service of our veterans, we need to get this 86-year-old widow with health problems out of an immigration jail.

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Today's Quote
A pontiff or any religious leader can say anything they want, but obviously, if you wade into political waters, I think you should expect some political response, and I think the pope’s received some of that. I was taken a little bit aback, just honestly, frankly by something that he said several days back.
Speaker Johnson on April 15, 2026 while criticizing Pope Leo's calls for ending war.
Yesterday's Most Read

Man shot seven times by ICE agents during a traffic stop appears in court in a wheelchair and is charged with assaulting a federal officer.

Today’s GovBrief News


Foreign Relations 1 of 15

Rubio orders U.S. diplomats to push "trade over aid" U.N. declaration rejecting humanitarian assistance as creating dependency.

Studies project 9.4 million deaths by 2030

Source: The Washington Post [gift link]

April 15, 2026

War 2 of 15

Pentagon ramps up planning for possible military operation in Cuba while U.S. still fights Iran war.

Cuban president vows to fight back

Source: USA Today

April 15, 2026

War 3 of 15

Pentagon sends 10,000 more troops to Middle East as ground operations on Iranian soil enter planning.

Three aircraft carriers now in theater

Source: The Washington Post

April 15, 2026

War 4 of 15

Treasury Secretary Bessent warns foreign banks of Iran sanctions he calls "financial equivalent" of bombing campaign.

Ceasefire expires April 21

Source: The Associated Press

April 15, 2026

Economy 5 of 15

Trump threatens to fire Fed Chair Powell if he doesn't step down May 15, as Warsh confirmation remains blocked.

Powell will stay as chair pro tempore

Source: UPI

April 15, 2026

Military 6 of 15

Army Secretary Driscoll shuts down Soldier for Life social media accounts after right-wing backlash over post honoring Sen. Duckworth, a double-amputee combat pilot.

Army claims shutdown "routine"

Source: The Hill

April 15, 2026

Military 7 of 15

Pentagon asks GM, Ford, GE Aerospace, and Oshkosh to shift factory capacity to weapons production as Ukraine and Iran deplete stocks.

Echoes World War II initiative

Source: The Wall Street Journal

April 15, 2026

Military 8 of 15

U.S. kills three in fifth Pacific boat attack in five days, pushing known death toll to 177 with no evidence of drugs.

ACLU says some victims were fishermen

Source: The Guardian

April 15, 2026

Justice Dept 9 of 15

Justice Department adds terrorism charge against Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr. five years after DNC and RNC plantings.

Defense argues Trump pardons cover him

Source: CBS News

April 15, 2026

Immigration 10 of 15

France demands release of 86-year-old widow of U.S. Army captain, held by ICE while her green card application was pending.

Detained day before inheritance-dispute hearing

Source: Politico

April 15, 2026

Congress 11 of 15

Nine House Democrats file five impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war crimes and Signal leak.

Lead sponsor is Congress' first Iranian-American

Source: The Hill

April 15, 2026

Congress 12 of 15

Senate Republicans reject fourth Duckworth-led war powers resolution on Iran, 47-52, as Democrats vow weekly votes.

60-day deadline hits April 29

Source: Roll Call

April 15, 2026

Federal Personnel 13 of 15

Defense Secretary Hegseth gives Pentagon components 24 hours to terminate collective bargaining agreements across the department.

Largest federal union loses contracts after 50 years

Source: Federal News Network

April 15, 2026

Federal Personnel 14 of 15

Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer under IG investigation after texts show staff directed to "pay attention" to her husband and father.

Four forced out, three civil rights complaints

Source: The New York Times [gift link]

April 15, 2026

Fighting Back 15 of 15

California Supreme Court disbars former Trump attorney Eastman over 2020 election scheme, five years after Jan. 6.

Plans Supreme Court appeal; Trump pardon symbolic

Source: NBC News

April 15, 2026

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