Defiant Iran reasserts toll system, paid through Iranian banks; Bessent works to freeze Iranian assets; Trump: ‘Will someone please tell Pope Leo Iran has killed 42,000+ unarmed protesters in 2 months’; USCCB jabs at Vance; News of Pope Leo’s deleted Twitter account circulating on social media; Michale Knowles: President and Pope must work together for peace; Vance-led anti-fraud panel shutters 447 hospices in LA; California pushes to prosecute investigative journalists exposing fraud; Spanberger signs bill to tie Virginia’s electoral votes to California; Pope Leo receives enthusiastic welcome in Cameroon, praises ‘peacemakers’; Catholics sing the song of Bernadette today; and more —
Defiant Iran Reasserts Toll System, Paid Through Iranian Banks After US Vows Hormuz Blockade Stays “As Long As It Takes”
An Iranian parliament official has been cited in newswires as saying the country’s planned Strait of Hormuz toll for ships seeking to pass is to be paid through Iranian banks. Previously it was said to be through cryptocurrency, and could be as a high as $2 million Oil rose higher, given this is another indicator this game of chicken in the narrow waterway could soon lead to fresh hostilities, despite the 2-week ceasefire still being in place, soon to expire.
As for negotiations, there’s optimism another round of US-Iran talks will occur, with both sides having agreed in principle, but Iran’s government informed Pakistan that the US must back off its maximal demands.
Below is a machine translation from the Persian of the fresh parliament statement via state-linked ISNA:
-The plan to consolidate Iran’s sovereignty in the Strait of Hormuz is being framed as a way to strengthen the rial.
-Iran is seeking a regulatory role in the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most sensitive chokepoints -positioning it as oversight, not disruption or blackmail.
-Under the plan, foreign ships would settle accounts through offices in Iran or via the Iranian banking system, a move aimed at boosting the rial.
Estimated current revenue from managing and regulating maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz: $10-15 billion.
Read more at ZeroHedge
Treasury Sec. in process of freezing Iranian assets
Watch @GlobalPulse77
Trump addresses Pope Leo in another message on Truth Social, highlighting Iran regime’s killing of protesters
President Donald Trump on April 14 directly addressed Pope Leo XIV in another Truth Social post, drawing attention to the Iranian regime’s reported killing of thousands of protesters in the past two months.
“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote.
Protests in Iran erupted in late December 2025 over economic hardships and quickly turned into broader anti-government demonstrations, Zeale News previously reported. Iranian security forces reportedly responded with live ammunition against the crowds. Death tolls following the protests varied widely, with the Iranian government reporting roughly 3,000 deaths, while independent monitoring groups documented significantly higher tolls that reached the tens of thousands.
Pope Leo addressed the situation in Iran before the war began, expressing concern during his Jan. 11 Angelus address over “ongoing tensions” that “continue to claim many lives” in the Middle East, “especially in Iran and Syria.” …
Read more at zeale
US Catholic bishops respond to Vance’s recent comments about the Catholic Church’s tradition of ‘Just Wars’
See @CatholicArena
US Bishops’ new post on Just War Theory
See @USCCB
Pope Leo’s deleted Twitter account making the rounds on social media
Watch @Knesix
Social media buzz about Pope’s deleted Twitter account
See @breeadail; see also @KanekoaTheGreat
Axelrod’s meeting with the Pope: Conspiracy or strategy to split the Catholic vote?
Watch @DorLinder
Michael Knowles at Young America’s Foundation: President and Pope must work together for peace
Watch @yaf
Just in – The Unexplained Shift in Pope Leo XIV’s January Consistory
See @EdwardPentin; read more at the Diane Montagna substack; see also @dianemontagna
Vance-led anti-fraud panel shutters 447 hospices in LA: Report
President Donald Trump officially named Vance his “fraud czar” earlier this month, following a series of raids in LA that saw federal authorities target many hospices in the area.
Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force has shut down nearly 500 hospices and home health agencies in Los Angeles alone, Fox News reported.
The figure includes 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies. Collectively, the facilities accounted for roughly $600 million in public funds fraud.
President Donald Trump officially named Vance his “fraud czar” earlier this month, following a series of raids in LA that saw federal authorities target many hospices in the area.
“Where there is fraud, the task force will find it,” a Vance spokesperson told the outlet. “We will not stop until every hard-earned taxpayer dollar goes toward the honest Americans who deserve them.”
Read more at Just the News
California pushes to prosecute investigative journalists exposing fraud
Watch @nicksortor
Spanberger Signs Bill To Tie Virginia’s Electoral Votes To California
Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger committed Virginia to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact on Monday, which would tie Virginia’s Electoral College votes to those of California or another densely populated state even if Virginians vote the opposite way.
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact would “guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.” There are now 18 states (and Washington, D.C.) signed on to the compact, which is not yet in effect since it has yet to meet the 270 electoral vote threshold. But if a few more states join the compact, Virginia (like every other state in the compact) would no longer award its Electoral College votes based on how Virginians vote. Instead, states would award their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote, regardless of how the individual state votes.
Read more at The Federalist
RFK Jr.: How to approach trauma
Watch @MAHA_Action
Pope Leo receives enthusiastic welcome in Cameroon
Watch @MLJHaynes
Historic meeting between Pope Leo and President of Cameroon
Watch at DRM News
Pope meets orphaned children in Cameroon
Watch @Guzik_Paulina
Pope Leo in Bamenda, Cameroon: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers …’
Watch @EricLDaugh
Pope Leo celebrates Holy Mass in Bamenda, Cameroon
Watch at EWTN News
Today is the Feast Day of St. Bernadette Soubirous
See @father_rmv
The Song of Bernadette – full movie
The Song of Bernadette movie (1943) is based on a book (published in 1941) by Franz Werfel, a German Jew born in Prague. During World War II, Werfel and his wife, fleeing from the German Nazis, found shelter in the town of Lourdes in France. Having become fascinated by Bernadette’s story and her Marian apparitions, Werfel promised that if he made it safely to America, he would ‘sing the song of Bernadette.’ He made it to America and, true to his promise, wrote the book, also titled The Song of Bernadette, that was developed into the movie below.
Watch at Rosary Live and PrayThe Rosary.com
Inspiring words from St. Bernadette
See @RosaryMum
