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- [00:05]
Narrator
Good morning. Diplomacy with Iran falls flat and President
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Cecilia Lay
Trump responds with new threats.
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Phil Stewart
Reuters explains this is a dramatic change in pace. Instead of negotiations, we are seeing again escalation and it's really unclear where we're headed.
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Narrator
California's race for governor is rocked by sexual assault allegations against a Democratic frontrunner. The San Francisco Chronicle broke the story
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Cecilia Lay
and tells us what led one candidate to drop out.
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Narrator
And Hungary's victim, Orban, suffers a historic election Defeat. It's Monday, April 13th.
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Cecilia Lay
I'm Cecilia Lay and this is Apple News today.
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Narrator
The weekend began with cautious optimism. Talk of possible negotiations that could end the U. S. Israeli war with Iran. By Sunday, that hope had faded. Instead, President Trump was ordering a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and threatening new bombings. In a phone call to Fox News,
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Donald Trump
in one hour I could have their entire energy, everything, every one of their plants, their electric generating plants, which is a big deal and I hate to do it because if I do it, it takes you 10 years to rebuild. They'll never be able to rebuild it.
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Narrator
On Saturday, Vice President J.D. vance led a delegation to Pakistan alongside
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Cecilia Lay
Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner and
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Narrator
real estate investor turned diplomat Steve Witkoff. These were some of the highest level
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Cecilia Lay
direct talks between Iran and the US since the 1979 Islamic revol. But after 21 hours of discussions, Vance emerged to say the two sides remained far apart.
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J.D. Vance
We've had a number of substantive discussions with the Iranians. That's the good news. The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement. And I think that's bad news for Iran much more than it's bad news for the United States of America.
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Narrator
Phil Stewart is Reuters national security correspondent
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Reporter
who told us how we got here.
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Phil Stewart
The remarks were quite despondent and both sides accused the other of being unwilling to negotiate. The Iranians accused the US of having shifting goalposts. The US Accused Iran of being dishonest in its comments and says that it refused to give up its hopes for a nuclear weapon. When Iran says it's always said it didn't want a nuclear weapon.
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Narrator
According to Stewart, neither side even agreed
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Cecilia Lay
on what went on in the room. He told us that certain US Demands weren't met, including an end to uranium enrichment and the funding of proxies abroad. Stewart also said the Iranians claimed the US had come a long way on their demands for reparations and acceptance of their authority over the strait.
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Narrator
On Sunday, Trump announced that the US Navy will start blockading the vital shipping route beginning today. About 20% of the world's oil normally flows through the strait, but now it's a tiny fraction of that. Even after the ceasefire, Iran has been tightly managing access, limiting it to its own and a few others. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned that military vessels approaching the strait would be considered a ceasefire breach. Stewart said Iran could now retaliate by
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Cecilia Lay
attacking neighboring energy infrastructure.
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Phil Stewart
Been this kind of theory of operations in Iran, which is that if Iran can't export oil, no one will export oil. And if Iran can't produce oil, no one's going to produce oil. And so they kind of have always had this ethos. And I think right now with this blockade, we're going to see it put to the test.
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Narrator
But there are still big questions about how the blockade will happen.
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Cecilia Lay
In reality, Trump initially claimed it would
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Reporter
be a total blockade.
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Cecilia Lay
Later, U.S. central Command said it would still allow ships traveling between non Iranian ports to transit. And it said the blockade would be, quote, enforced impartially against vessels of all nations.
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Phil Stewart
A military blockade of this scale is a big deal. It's going to involve a lot of ships, a lot of risk, and it's open ended. So it is an escalation and it just creates more uncertainty during what was meant to be a ceasefire. Experts say that a blockade is an act of war. So can the ceasefire hold? Will Iran retaliate? Will there be more negotiations as we enter a new week? These are really big questions and I think the world will just have to wait and see.
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Narrator
In his Fox interview, Trump emphasized the
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Cecilia Lay
extent to which they had degraded Iran's military. But as Stewart told us, Iran's strategy means it can absorb a lot of damage and still inflict plenty back.
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Phil Stewart
That doesn't need to have a full arsenal of missiles, it doesn't need to have a full navy in order to threaten an oil tanker in order to create enough risk that those ships don't want to pass through the strait. And at the end of the day, if President Donald Trump's goal is to restore the free flow of commerce through the strait, a lot of experts are warning that's going to be tough.
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Narrator
The ceasefire is set to expire on
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Cecilia Lay
April 22, just over a week away.
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Narrator
California's race for governor was upended by sexual assault allegations over the weekend, forcing
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Cecilia Lay
one of the leading contenders to suspend their campaign. Several women came forward to make accusations against Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell.
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Narrator
He has vehemently denied them and had
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Cecilia Lay
at first expressed a determination to carry on. But pressure to quit came from all corners. Staffers, colleagues on Capitol Hill and Former allies like Nancy Pelosi. Late Sunday, he heeded their calls and
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Reporter
said, quote, I will fight the serious
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Cecilia Lay
false allegations that have been made, but that's my fight, not a campaign's.
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Narrator
His departure comes just as he was
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Cecilia Lay
consolidating support in the state's crowded primary field.
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Alexei Kossev
Eric Swalwell has been a rising star in Congress during the Trump era.
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Narrator
Alexei Kossev is the Washington, D.C. correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle. He told us about Swalwell's career.
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Cecilia Lay
And a warning ahead, there will be descriptions of sexual assault.
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Alexei Kossev
He's close to Nancy Pelosi, who helped him rise through the ranks of power in Congress. And now in his seventh term in Congress, he's one of the standard bearers of the California delegation.
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Narrator
On Friday, Kossif and his colleagues first
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Cecilia Lay
reported the story of a former female staffer who accused Swalwell of sexual assault while working for him.
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Alexei Kossev
She says that over the course of a few months, he went from pursuing her through explicit messages and photos and videos on Snapchat to eventually pressuring her for sex and then getting drunk with her and having sex with her when she was too inebriated to consent.
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Narrator
The woman told Kossif that a similar
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Cecilia Lay
incident took place years later.
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Alexei Kossev
This happened again when they met up at a charity gala in New York City. Went out for a drink afterward, and she again got so drunk that she blacked out and only has very loose memories of the night where she was trying to push him off of her while he was having sex with her, telling him no. And she woke up the next day with bruising, feeling like, okay, he definitely assaulted me.
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Narrator
Cnn subsequently reported that three other women
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Cecilia Lay
they spoke to alleged Swalwell engaged in various kinds of misconduct, including sending them nude photos and other unsolicited explicit messages. The woman featured in the Chronicles story told CNN she had felt conflicted at first about coming forward.
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Sexual Assault Victim
Kept figuring out ways to blame myself. I shouldn't have reached out to him at all. I should have left. I should have done this. Well, Eric shouldn't have raped me.
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Narrator
The Manhattan District Attorney's office has since
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Cecilia Lay
said it is investigating the allegation of sexual assault against Swalwell. Swalwell has been married for almost a decade and has three children. His first video statement, made two days before deciding to withdraw from the race, was defian.
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Eric Swalwell
These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They are absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything that I have. They also come on the eve of an election where I have been the frontrunner candidate for governor in California. I do not suggest to you in any way that I am perfect or that I am a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife. And to her I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.
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Narrator
Swalwell went on to highlight his record as a prosecutor, saying he fought on
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Cecilia Lay
behalf of sexual assault victims. But as Kossif told us, the backlash against him was immediate and his statement did nothing to reassure supporters.
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Alexei Kossev
These allegations. When we published our story, the response was instantaneous. People who were the chairs of his campaign, close friends of his in Congress, un endorsed him within an hour. I mean, this just hit like a bullet.
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Cecilia Lay
It appears Swalwell's entire political career is now at risk. Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna said over the weekend she will file a motion in the House to expel Swalwell from Congress. That would require a two thirds majority.
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Narrator
Several lawmakers, Democrats included, said they would
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Cecilia Lay
support the measure, which means Swalwell might not even get to finish his term in Congress.
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Narrator
He was a close ally of President Trump and President Putin. But last night, after 16 years in power, Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, was defeated. Along the Danube river in Budapest, thousands
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Cecilia Lay
gathered to celebrate the astonishing, inconsequential election results.
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Narrator
His opponent, Peter Magyar, a center right
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Cecilia Lay
social conservative, delivered a landslide win with record turnout. Orban quickly conceded and gave a short speech at his campaign headquarters.
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Narrator
He described the results as painful but clear. He congratulated his opponent but vowed he would never give up. Not long after that, Magyar addressed the
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Cecilia Lay
crowds gathered around the capital's parliament.
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Peter Magyar Supporters
Atisa Ishmael, Saga Magniarta, Estobalo Stash.
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Narrator
We did it, he told his fans and said voters had achieved a miracle
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Cecilia Lay
and reclaimed the country.
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Narrator
Amid the celebrations, one supporter shared with
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Cecilia Lay
the BBC what Maguyar's victory meant for the country.
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Peter Magyar Supporters
It's amazing. It is something we've been waiting for our whole life as young generation. We are incredibly happy and proud, proud for Hungary that we showed today that we belong to Europe and we will belong to Europe.
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Narrator
Since 2010, Orban has transformed his country's
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Cecilia Lay
politics at home and abroad with increasing authoritarianism. Critics say he stacked the courts in his favor, hobbled the free press and allowed rampant corruption to flourish.
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Narrator
Because Maguyar is on track to win a 2/3 majority, he now has the power to unwind much of that legacy.
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Cecilia Lay
He's promised to restore checks and balances to the country and bring the country closer to Europe. Sky News's Ivor Bennett was in Budapest and told the network he won with a positive campaign.
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Ivor Bennett
He was saying he wanted to boost the economy, he wanted to reintroduce rule of law, the independence of the judiciary. He wanted to repair failing public services, restore decent health care, restore standards of living, lower cost of living as well.
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Narrator
According to the Washington Post, the celebratory crowds were filled with young people. They said Maguyar earned their support by addressing a wide range of domest issues. Ivan Nagy was among them. He's a writer with the Columbia Journalism Review who explained to the BBC that Magyar would need to quickly rebuild relations with neighbors.
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Ivan Nagy
Viktor Orban has left a lot of rubble for Peter Magyar to clean. He's going to do that. He's going to travel to Warsaw first, he's going to travel to Vienna second, and he's going to travel to Brussels third to start rebuilding these relationships. He, in his victory speech has said that he's going to have to go and rebuild his relationship. So that's very much high on his agenda.
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Cecilia Lay
Orban became Putin's only real friend in the EU after Russia invaded Ukraine. He consistently blocked efforts to support Ukraine and punish Russia. European leaders were cheering the result last night. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the result as a victory of democratic participation, and Spain's prime minister said that European values had won. Orban's brand of Christian nationalism made him a darling of the Maga movement. The Trump administration enthusiastically endorsed him and Vice President J.D. vance went out to campaign for him last week.
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Narrator
And as for what Maguyar's leadership might look like, liberal leaders may need to manage their expectations. Maguyar is very much a conservative and
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Reporter
was once in Orban's party, which means change might be more incremental in some areas.
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Narrator
His commitments on Ukraine have been thin
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Reporter
and he maintains a hard line on immigration, which has traditionally been an area of tension between Hungary and the rest of Europe. EU leaders, the White House and the Kremlin will all be watching the delicate balancing act. He'll have to strike in the months ahead.
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Narrator
And finally, a few other stories were following. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of thousands of violations during a short ceasefire
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Reporter
in their four year war.
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Narrator
To mark Orthodox Easter celebrations, the countries had agreed to halt fighting for 32 hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned earlier
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Reporter
that his nation's forces would respond symmetrically to Russian attacks during the ceasefire, calling Easter a time of peace. He also expressed hopes that the truce could be extended beyond Easter to facilitate peace negotiations an idea Russia rejected. Talks have all but stalled since the war in the Middle east broke out. President Trump wants to dramatically change Washington's skyline with a 250 foot triumphal arch that would be roughly more than twice the size of the Lincoln Memorial and surpass Paris's Arc de Triomphe. On Friday, the administration unveiled new renderings of the arch, which feature a winged Lady Liberty statue at the top and four golden lions flanking the base at the bottom, according to the Washington Post. The project is slated for Memorial Circle, a traffic roundabout near Arlington National Cemetery, which is considered protected land, and monuments built there would require congressional authorization. The administration has been sued by military veterans and historic preservationists, arguing that the planned arch would block key views and interfer with other monuments. The renderings were filed by the Interior Department with the Commission of Fine Arts, a panel that Trump has appointed with allies. They're set to review the proposal later this week. Meanwhile, construction will continue for the White House Ballroom, Trump's other major proposed architectural project, but only temporarily. Over the weekend, a federal appeals court ruled that construction can move forward until April 14, while the administration challenges a lower court order that said the project exceeds the president's authority and finally Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy won his second straight green jacket at the Masters golf tournament on Sunday, becoming the first back to back champion since Tiger woods did it in 2001 and 2002. It was a drama filled weekend after McIlroy let a six stroke lead slip away on Saturday, leaving the door open for several top players to swoop in and take the title. He headed into Sunday tied at 11 under par with Cameron Young before eventually losing the lead for a brief time. McElroy rallied on the back nine, finishing at 12 under par, one stroke better than fellow two time champ Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy is now the fourth golfer ever to repeat at the Masters, joining some pretty elite company like Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and of course, Tiger Woods. The repeat is notable not only for its rarity, but because not winning over 17 previous attempts at the mast had been a defining storyline in McIlroy's otherwise Hall of Fame career now that he's won two in a row, he said Sunday, quote, I think all of my perseverance at this golf tournament over the years has really started to pay off.
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Narrator
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple news app. And if you're already listening in the news app right now, we've got a
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Reporter
narrated article coming up next. The New Yorker reports on how injecting peptides, small chains of amino acids, became popular with the health and wellness set, and looks at the risks involved with the unapproved drugs.
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Narrator
If you're listening in the podcast app,
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Reporter
follow Apple News plus Narrated to find that story.
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Narrator
And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.