Tuesday's Summary
This briefing analyzes the news climate of the previous 24 hours, ending 2026-04-13, focusing on major developments including the United States' blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the resignation of Representative Eric Swalwell, and President Trump's remarks regarding Pope Leo XIV.
Where the Narratives Split
Both left and right-leaning outlets heavily reported on Representative Eric Swalwell's resignation from Congress, but their framing differed significantly. While both confirmed his departure due to sexual assault allegations, right-leaning reports emphasized "bipartisan calls" for his resignation and often presented it as Swalwell "reaping what he sows." Left-leaning outlets, in contrast, delved deeper into the specific allegations, including a report of criminal charges being brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, and used the event to launch a broader discussion on the complexities and strategic needs of the California governor's race for the Democratic Party.
The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was also a "High Consensus" story across the spectrum. However, left-leaning outlets provided more detailed context regarding the blockade's strategic objectives and potential economic implications, such as increased oil prices, whereas right-leaning coverage tended to list it as one of several notable developments. Additionally, the ousting of Viktor Orbán in the Hungarian election, presented by left-leaning outlets as a "blow to the global far right," was notably absent from right-leaning coverage, highlighting a significant divergence in international news priorities. The conflict between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV was reported by both sides, with high consensus articles providing more context regarding the Pope's condemnation of the Iran conflict and Senate Majority Leader John Thune's reaction.
Strait of Hormuz Blockade Is Under Way
Plus, Trump vs. Pope Leo XIV, the home-selling season’s rough start and the greatest winter Olympian’s questionable pancakes
Rep. Eric Swalwell resigns following sexual assault and misconduct allegations
Congressman Eric Swalwell announced he will leave office, after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. Swalwell was a leading candidate for governor of California but suspended his campaign following the allegations. NBC News’ Ryan Nobles reports.
Thune urges Trump to ‘leave the church alone’ after president rips pope over Iran
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) urged President Donald Trump to “leave the church alone” after the president sharply criticized the pope over the war in Iran. Thune made the remarks when asked about Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV, who has condemned the conflict and called for immediate de-escalation. Trump in recent days has […]
Left-Leaning Media's Perspective
- The United States announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, effective Monday at 10 am ET, following failed peace negotiations with Iran. This action is intended to assert US control over the waterway and halt Iranian oil exports, with US Central Command specifying the blockade would target ships transiting Iranian ports while permitting passage to US Gulf allies.
- Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democratic frontrunner for California governor, suspended his campaign and subsequently resigned from Congress amid multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations from a former staff member and three additional women.
- Analysis of the California governor's race centered on the implications of Swalwell's departure, including concerns over a crowded Democratic field potentially enabling a Republican victory, and calls for other Democratic candidates to consolidate support behind Tom Steyer, despite past criticisms of his investments.
Trump says US will blockade strait of Hormuz after Iran peace talks fail | First Thing
Tehran said the move would be a breach of the ceasefire. Plus, Viktor Orbán ousted in Hungarian election in blow to global far rightGood morning.Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to wrest control of the vital waterway from Iran after peace negotiations between the countries failed.When would the blockade start? US Central Command (Centcom) announced the blockade would begin on Monday at 10am ET. Experts have said it could risk further increasing oil prices.Which vessels will the blockade affect? Centcom said it would be confined to ships transiting through Iranian ports – and that it would permit passage of ships headed to ports belonging to the US’s Gulf allies.How could a blockade help the US reopen the strait? The strategy appears to be that the US hopes to eliminates Tehran’s greatest point of leverage – its chokehold of the strait – by stopping Iranian oil exports. Tehran has indicated that it would like to keep control of the strait after the war has ended, and to charge fees to ships. Continue reading...
Eric Swalwell quits California governor race after sexual assault allegations
Democratic congressman, running to replace Gavin Newsom, has faced multiple accusationsRepresentative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday. Continue reading...
How Did California Democrats Let Eric Swalwell Get This Far, Anyway?
I started hearing the swirling Eric Swalwell rumors a couple of weeks ago. There were stories coming, and they were going to be bad. Well they came, all right–and they were very bad indeed. The excellent San Francisco Chronicle article detailing Swalwell’s alleged sexual assaults against one former staffer was simply appalling to read. The aide charges that Swalwell got her drunk and took advantage of her more than once. Swalwell is from California, but one of these incidents allegedly happened in Manhattan, where the district attorney is bringing criminal charges. CNN found three more women making similar allegations. It’s sickening. Late Sunday, Swalwell bowed to the inevitable and announced he was ending his campaign. It appears that he may well be expelled from the House this week. Good. How on earth do men who engage in this kind of behavior think they can get away with it? How in the world does he think he can seek higher office—the governorship of the largest state in the union—without this coming out? He ran for governor with a bomb strapped to his chest. It boggles the mind. Except that, well, most men who do this sort of thing do get away with it, don’t they? It’s still terrifying for most women to come forward, risking their young careers in a field they love. That makes it harder to report these stories—again, we must give enormous credit to the Chron for locking this down. Men who know the system and work it to their advantage are just scum. House Democrats need to vote en masse to kick Swalwell to the curb.A number of commentators, our Perry Bacon among them, had observed previously on what a train wreck the California’s governor’s race had become. Eight Democrats are running, and they threaten to split the Democratic vote enough to potentially enable a Republican, and a Trumpy Republican at that, to prevail in the state’s jungle primary system, under which the top two vote-getters on June 2 face each other in a run-off. There’s been pressure on other Democrats to stand down so the party can coalesce around one or two candidates. California electing a GOP governor would be a horror show, especially heading into a presidential election the Republicans show every sign of wanting to steal. Putting California’s hefty 54 electoral votes in anything resembling play and forcing Democrats to spend money in the state for the first time in about 30 years, would be a dream for GOP.So now, it’s time for some of the other Democrats to drop out of that race tout-suite. I sometimes miss the days of the old party bosses, because what California needs in this case is someone who can say what obviously needs to be said here, which is that the field needs to be cleared for Tom Steyer. Do I adore Steyer? No. Hedge-fund billionaires aren’t the type who normally make my heart throb. His brief presidential run in the 2020 cycle was unimpressive. I don’t remember a word he said. He’s been taking heat lately over a revelation that his company invested $90 million in a firm that today manages two ICE facilities in California. Those investments are 20 years old, and it’s 14 years since Steyer even ran the company, but such are the matters on which campaigns sometimes turn; something of a person’s character is revealed in how they handle these things once they’re under the klieg lights.So, no, Steyer wouldn’t be my first choice. But politics isn’t about personal fulfillment. It’s about winning, and stopping the bad guys. The main bad guy in this case is Steve Hilton, who is British (?!) and, perhaps predictably, a former Fox News host. Donald Trump endorsed him recently. On Sunday, the state’s Republicans convened in San Diego and decided to endorse neither Hilton nor his opponent, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. The Democrats need to unite behind one candidate, and according to the polls and common sense, that candidate is Steyer. He can win. Easily. Besides, my friend Harold Meyerson, who knows California politics as well as any journalist in America, tells me that Steyer actually holds some progressive positions. He’s funded several liberal ballot measures, supports the 5 percent proposed state wealth tax, wants to end a limit on commercial real-estate tax increases, and backs a number of alternative energy measures.Over the longer term, the most important lesson the Democratic Party needs to absorb here is to turn away from California and find its national leaders from elsewhere. Swalwell seemed promising, but it turns out he’s a hideous person. Katie Porter, also running for governor, was a terrific member of the House of Representatives. She should have stayed there. Nancy Pelosi was a great speaker in a number of ways, but the Democratic Party doesn’t need any more leaders with a net worth of—sit down—$278 million.
Right-Leaning Media's Perspective
- Representative Eric Swalwell's resignation from Congress following sexual assault allegations, with reports highlighting bipartisan calls for him to step down.
- The narrative surrounding Swalwell's resignation often framed it as a consequence of his own actions.
- Brief mentions noted the failure of Iranian negotiations, the subsequent US blockade of Iranian ports, and President Trump's ongoing disagreement with Pope Leo XIV.
See Ya, Swalwell
Plus: Iranian negotiations fail, the U.S. blockades Iranian ports, the president picks a fight with the pope, and more...
Rep. Eric Swalwell of California says he will resign from Congress after sexual assault allegations
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California announced Monday he will resign from Congress following multiple sexual assault allegations that prompted loud bipartisan calls for him to step down.
Eric Swalwell Reaps What He Sows
The California Dem is now claiming to be a victim of the very game he himself chose to play.