How two lawmakers were ousted over sexual-misconduct claims

Summary

Apple News Today – Episode Summary

Episode Title: How two lawmakers were ousted over sexual-misconduct claims
Date: April 14, 2026
Host: Cecilia Lay (Apple News)
Theme: An exploration of consequential U.S. and international news, focusing on the ouster of two lawmakers facing sexual misconduct allegations, escalating crises in the Middle East, and shifting dynamics in Venezuela.

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Episode Overview

Cecilia Lay guides listeners through a high-stakes day in politics and global affairs. The episode’s main focus is the forced resignations of two U.S. congressmen amidst sexual misconduct allegations—an uncommon bipartisan moment in a sharply divided House. Also covered: President Trump’s blockade of Iran, global economic consequences, shifting alliances in Venezuela, and a rare clash between President Trump and Pope Leo.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The U.S. Blockade of Iran and Economic Fallout

• Context: President Trump announced a blockade of Iran’s ports in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route—just as Iran initiated its own partial blockade.

• Confusion and Tensions: Both sides are restricting passage, leading to “two blockades active in the all-important shipping route.” (00:27)

• Presidential Intent:

  • Trump spoke in broad but forceful terms about the blockade’s objectives:

    “Is it to force Iran back to the negotiating table? Is it to open up the straits so that gas prices... ultimately maybe everything? I mean, both of those things certainly. And more.” — President Trump (01:29)

• Global Impact:

  • As Iran threatens retaliation, global energy markets reel. China, highly dependent on Iranian oil, could be especially affected. European leaders distance themselves:

    “[W]e’re not supporting blockade...we do have minesweeping capability...all focused from our point of view on getting the straits fully open.” — UK PM Keir Starmer (quoted by Juan Ferrero, 02:28)

  • The IMF warns of looming price shocks and global inflation.

    “This shock matters. Why? Because it pushes prices up. So this pinch of higher prices is felt universally.” — Kristalina Gorgieva, IMF (03:20)

• Economic Insight:

  • U.S. inflation has spiked, notably in March.

    “Overall, inflation has climbed quite a bit...the rate of inflation climbed by almost a full percentage point. We don’t typically see spikes of that size.” — Sam Sutton, Politico (03:58)

  • The longer the blockade continues, the broader the economic impact will be:

    “These things get non-linear the longer it goes. And what that means is, it’s not like things get gradually worse. Things get much worse very, very quickly.” — Sam Sutton (04:34)

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2. Lawmakers Ousted Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

A. Resignation Details

• Who: Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), accused of sexual assault; Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-TX), under ethics investigation over sexual misconduct and admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

• Context: Both announce resignations under threat of imminent expulsion by colleagues from both parties.

  “Democrats...have argued that the allegations against Swalwell are serious and credible...Same with Tony Gonzalez...they have lost the trust of the public and they do not deserve to be representing 700,000 or more constituents.” — Sahil Kapoor, NBC News (05:39)

• Expulsion Pressure:

  • Both faced likely House votes for expulsion—the rarest of congressional punishments.
  • Discussion of expanding expulsions to include others: Rep. Sheila Sherfilis McCormick (D-FL, alleged campaign finance violation) and Rep. Corey Mills (R-FL, under investigation for financial and sexual misconduct).

B. Congressional Impact

• Historical Context:

  • Only three House expulsions since the Civil War, the last being George Santos in 2023.

• Political Ramifications:

  • Ongoing uncertainty about departure dates fuels tension, especially in a House where “the margins really matter here."

    “Neither Swalwell nor Gonzalez has said when they are leaving, and it does have implications for the balance of power in the House because Republicans have this tiny majority...” — Sahil Kapoor (07:37)

• Legislative Stakes:

  • Upcoming votes on DHS and ICE funding, as well as a FISA reauthorization, could swing with even small shifts in House composition.

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3. Venezuela: After the U.S. Intervention

• Operation Recap:

  • Trump’s operation to remove President Nicolás Maduro was "quick and relatively efficient," but seen by critics as unjustified.

• Present Situation:

  • Life returns mostly to normal, and Venezuela’s interim leader, Delsey Rodriguez, is cooperating on oil exports.

• Economic Optimism:

  • U.S. and European companies eye Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, with improved legal and fiscal terms. However, investments remain tentative given the nation’s history of crackdowns and bureaucracy.

    “That oil is just sitting there, ready to be mined...the other big draw is that companies see the US as a backstop.”
    — Juan Ferrero, Wall Street Journal (10:09)

  • “When a country like Venezuela collapses...then it has nowhere to go but up. The economic growth there and potential for revenues is pretty high.”
    — Juan Ferrero (11:37)

• Risks Remain:

  • Sanctions not fully lifted; businesses tread cautiously given opaque bureaucracy.
  • No sign yet of Nobel Prize-winning opposition leader Maria Corinna Machado’s return.

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4. Notable Moments: Trump vs. The Pope

• Social Media Controversy:

  • Trump posts an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus, later claiming it was a misunderstanding.

    “I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross...Only the fake news could come up with that one.” — President Trump (13:32)

• Sharp Words:

  • Trump publicly criticizes Pope Leo as “weak on crime and...terrible on foreign policy.”
  • Pope Leo responds with grace, emphasizing the moral mission of the church:

    "I have no fear, neither the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message in the gospel. And that’s what I believe I am called to do, what the church is called to do. We're not politicians." — Pope Leo (14:04)

• Unusual Criticism:

  • Even stalwart allies, like Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and evangelical Christian leaders, rebuke Trump’s remarks.
  • Pope calls for “enough of the display of power, enough of war.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Middle East blockade & global fallout: 00:05 – 04:34
• Congressional resignations and ethical crises: 05:05 – 08:39
• Venezuela after U.S. intervention: 08:39 – 12:06
• Trump vs. Pope Leo, notable world reactions: 13:32 – 14:23

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Memorable Quotes Summary

• President Trump on the Iran blockade:

  “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world.” (01:46)

• IMF’s Kristalina Gorgieva on economic impact:

  “This shock matters... because it pushes prices up. So this pinch of higher prices is felt universally.” (03:20)

• Sahil Kapoor on congressional trust:

  “There is enough there that they have lost the trust of the public and they do not deserve to be representing 700,000 or more constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.” (05:39)

• Juan Ferrero on Venezuela’s future:

  “The hope for many Venezuelans is that they’ll be able to see a comeback this year.” (09:42)

• Pope Leo’s response to Trump’s criticism:

  “I have no fear... We're not politicians. We're not looking to make foreign policy, as he calls it, with the same perspective that he might understand it.” (14:04)

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Conclusion

This episode provides critical, multi-faceted coverage of how ethical scandals are remaking Congress at a pivotal legislative moment, while international crises test U.S. foreign policy and economic resilience. Listeners come away with a sense of the news cycle’s gravity, underscored by headline-grabbing controversies and global power shifts—woven together in Apple News Today’s signature concise yet comprehensive style.

Transcript

[Cecilia Lay]

Good morning. Trump's blockade in the Middle east is in effect. As the conflict drags on. Politico assesses the growing fallout for the US economy.

[Sam Sutton]

Time is not our friend here. Most folks when this war started, thought that this was going to be a two week endeavor and that traffic would resume relatively quickly.

[Cecilia Lay]

Two congressmen call it quits on the same day, both over sexual misconduct allegations. NBC explains how threats of expulsion forced the mess out. And Trump faces rare criticism from his evangelical base as Pope Leo responds to his attacks. It's Tuesday, April 14th. I'm Cecilia Lay and this is Apple News. Today, President Trump's blockade of Iran's ports in the Strait of Hormuz is underway as of yesterday, marking a sharp escalation in the US conflict with Tehran, one that just days ago had seemed to be cooling off. Confusingly, there now seems to be two blockades active in the all important shipping route. Iran has stopped all ships from passing through except its own or those from friendly countries, saying passage would only be permitted under Iranian control and subject to a fee. Now the US has said it's blocked that as well. Yesterday at the White House, Trump was asked about the blockade's goals. What's the endgame?

[President Donald Trump]

Is it to force Iran back to the negotiating table? Is it to open up the straits so that gas prices ultimately maybe everything? I mean, both of those things certainly. And more. We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world.

[Cecilia Lay]

There are still few details about how the blockade would work or how forcefully the US would respond to any tankers in breach, but it could quickly heighten the conflict. New figures suggest Iran has still been exporting a lot of oil during the war. The regime has threatened retaliation if the US tries to cut them off from that income. That could have wider consequences beyond the Middle East. China gets a lot of its oil from Iran and if this blockade plays out as the administration has suggested, that would mean China could lose critical access. Trump said other countries would be involved, but several European leaders have ruled themselves out. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the BBC they would be staying clear.

[Juan Ferrero]

We're not supporting blockade and all of the marshalling diplomatically, politically and capability we do have minesweeping capability, won't go into operation, operational matters, but we do have that capability. That's all focused from our point of view on getting the straits fully open.

[Cecilia Lay]

And others expressed bemusement. The EU's foreign policy chief said she wasn't even clear what the blockade amounted to. And Spain's Defence minister said the move, quote makes no sense. The two blockades set the stage for a test of which side can endure more economic pain, and we're getting a clear sense of how that pain is taking shape. Today, the International Monetary Fund will gather in Washington to offer an assessment of the global economic outlook, which, as we know, isn't so rosy. The IMF's managing director, Kristalina Gorgieva, issued a warning on Fox Business yesterday.

[President Donald Trump]

We are now facing this new shock. There are countries that are highly vulnerable to it because of this lack of capacity to respond and because they happen to be oil importers. Look, for the whole world, this shock matters. Why? Because it pushes prices up. So this pinch of higher prices is felt universally.

[Cecilia Lay]

The US's status as a major oil exporter insulates it from the worst of the shocks. But there's no doubt that the pinch is starting to show up in data. Sam Sutton covers the economy for Politico.

[Sam Sutton]

Overall, inflation has climbed quite a bit in the month of March and that is not something that anybody really wants to see on a monthly, monthly basis. The rate of inflation climbed by almost a full percentage point. We don't typically see spikes of that size.

[Cecilia Lay]

Sutton added that core inflation, which doesn't include more volatile things like gas and food prices remained relatively calm. The White House had said the price spikes will be temporary and that other goods were not being impacted as severely as gas. Sutton said that when it comes to resuming regular traffic in the strait, time is of the essence.

[Sam Sutton]

I had a conversation on stage not too long ago with Gary Cohen, who worked at Goldman for a very, very long time and one of Trump's top advisors in the first term. And the way he described it is these things get non linear the longer it goes. And what that means is that it's not like things get gradually worse. Things get much worse very, very quickly. We're not there yet. I don't think that we're anywhere close to.

[Cecilia Lay]

Just days before facing possible expulsion votes, two members of Congress announced yesterday that they were heading for the exits. Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell said that he would resign following accusations, including of sexual assault, that brought a swift end to his gubernatorial campaign in California. And Republican Representative Tony Gonzalez from Texas said he planned to retire after being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for sexual misconduct allegations. But their resignations came only after immense pressure from their colleagues.

[Sahil Kapoor]

Democrats, many of them, have argued that the allegations against Swalwell are serious and credible and consistent, that there's a pattern of behavior evident there. Same with Tony Gonzalez, that there is enough there that they have lost the trust of the public and they do not deserve to be representing 700,000 or more constituents in the U.S. house of Representatives.

[Cecilia Lay]

Sahil Kapoor covers Capitol Hill for NBC News. Swalwell has denied the accusations against him, and Gonzalez acknowledged the affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

[Sahil Kapoor]

Tony Gonzalez has been under investigation regarding ethics and has faced some calls from both Democrats and Republicans to step aside. He also faced the threat of expulsion, much like Swalwell. So as Congress was getting back into session this week, there was a high likelihood that both of these men would have faced votes in the House to get expelled, which would have been humiliating for both of them.

[Cecilia Lay]

Two representatives, one Democrat and one Republican, had planned to introduce resolutions to expel Swalwell and Gonzalez, with votes set for as early as Wednesday. As the drumbeat to oust them grew louder over the weekend, there was talk of lumping them in with an attempted expulsion of two other members who are both from Florida, Democrat Sheila Sherfilis McCormick and Republican Corey Mills. McCormick has already been found to have officially violated House ethic rules for allegedly using Pandemic Era aid to fund her campaign. She denies those allegations, and Mills is being looked into by the committee as well for financial and sexual misconduct, among other issues. He's denied all wrongdoing. Expulsions in the House are rare. There have only been three since the Civil War, the last one being Republican George Santos, who was expelled in 2023. Kapoor told us Monday's resignations might have broader impact, especially as lawmakers face a packed legislative agenda.

[Sahil Kapoor]

Neither Swalwell nor Gonzalez has said when they are leaving, and it does have implications for the balance of power in the House because Republicans have this tiny majority, which could certainly come into play in major upcoming tasks such as DHS funding, funding for ICE and Border Patrol, as well as a major party line reconciliation bill reauthorizing FISA section 702. There's a lot that Congress has to do, and the margins really matter here.

[Cecilia Lay]

Because it was unclear exactly when Gonzalez would leave office, the members that wanted to vote to expel him still said they intended to do so as of Monday night. Swalwell also didn't immediately specify when he plans to step down. The House is back in session today. As one military intervention spirals in unpredictable ways in the Middle east, another in South America has quietly faded from view. Trump frequently invokes the two in the same breath.

[President Donald Trump]

We have the strongest military in the world by far, and everybody sees it, whether it's Venezuela or what we've done with aren't.

[Cecilia Lay]

But the two countries stand in sharp contrast. The January mission to capture Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro was quick and relatively efficient. Dozens were killed in the boat strikes leading up to the operation, and critics regard it as unjustified and illegal. But the Atlantic reports since then, life in Venezuela has mostly returned to normal, and recent polling from Bloomberg suggests citizens appear optimistic about the future. There's no sign of democratic reform, but while Iran's leadership remains steadfastly resistant to US Influence, Venezuela's interim leader, Delsey Rodriguez, is said to be largely cooperating with U.S. demands, at least when it comes to oil. It may be too early to judge the success or failure of the operation in Latin America, but as the Wall Street Journal reports, businesses have already started thinking about whether it's time to put money back into Venezuela.

[Juan Ferrero]

Venezuela is nowhere near where it used to be in the past, but the hope for many Venezuelans is that they'll be able to see a comeback this year.

[Cecilia Lay]

Juan Ferrero is the South America bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. He told us that mostly businesses have just been testing the waters without putting in much concrete investment. But the draw remains the country's enormous reserves of oil and recent events have served as a reminder of just how valuable that can be.

[Juan Ferrero]

That oil is just sitting there, ready to be mined and to be developed and exported. So that's a big draw. The other big draw right now is that companies see the US As a backstop.

[Cecilia Lay]

Since Maduro's removal, the national assembly has instituted a series of reforms that offer favorable terms to investors, and in response, the US treasury has begun easing sanctions. The Trump administration operates tight control over oil revenues, and some European companies are announcing new deals.

[Juan Ferrero]

Businesses want contracts to be sacrosanct for other companies or for governments to adhere by them, because the United States has, for one, recognized the interim government as the legal representative and as a legitimate government of Venezuela. The two governments are working closely, they're partnering, and so that's a big step forward for these companies and positive news for them.

[Cecilia Lay]

But investing in Venezuela is a risky bet. Its political future is uncertain, and the country is still led by a government with a track record of clamping down on businesses and its own people. One Venezuelan risk analyst told the Journal that the nation's opaque bureaucracy and capital controls could create issues for companies that are cautious of violating sanctions. The US hasn't ended sanctions against state companies, but it has provided licenses and waivers so that American firms, primarily in oil, can do business in Venezuela.

[Juan Ferrero]

When a country like Venezuela collapses. I mean, it was a near collapse, 80% of an economic control traction over a period of decade. Then it has nowhere to go but up. And the economic growth there and potential for revenues is pretty high. The potential, and that's what investors see because it's a country that's basically seen as a country that is reconstructing rebuilding from the depths that it reached. So the earnings would be great.

[Cecilia Lay]

Trump has promised $100 billion of investment, but that remains a long way off for now. And it's still unknown when Maria Corinna Machado, the Nobel Prize winning opposition leader, will return to Venezuela, though her allies in the country say that may be soon. And finally, here are some other stories we're following. A man suspected of throwing a Molotov cocktail at The House of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is facing charges in including attempted murder. 20 year old Daniel Moreno Gama is accused of traveling from Spring, Texas to San Francisco to target the tech boss's home. Police said an exterior gate caught on fire, but no one was hurt, according to a filed complaint. Police recovered a document in his possession that detailed his intentions to kill Altman and warned of humanity's, quote, impending extinction due to AI. If convicted of the state charges, Moreno Gama could face 19 years to life in prison. And tensions between the president and the Pope boiled over yesterday after Trump posted an AI generated image of himself as a Jesus like figure to social media. The post generated a lot of criticism and he eventually took it down, though he didn't apologize. Instead he said it was a misunderstanding.

[President Donald Trump]

I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one.

[Cecilia Lay]

He also criticized Pope Leo more directly. He described him as weak on crime and, quote, terrible on foreign policy, among other things. The pontiff responded while speaking to reporters on a plane on Monday as he began a tour of Africa. He said he wouldn't get into a debate with Trump, but also wouldn't stop speaking out on issues of war and peace.

[President Donald Trump]

I have no fear, neither the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly about the message in the gospel. And that's what I believe I am called to do, what the church is called to do. We're not politicians. We're not looking to make foreign policy, as he calls it, with the same perspective that he might understand it.

[Cecilia Lay]

Trump's posts are often controversial, but criticism here came from some unlikely parties. Christian evangelical leaders called for Trump to withdraw his remarks, while Giorgio Meloni, the Italian prime minister usually aligned with Trump, called the comments unacceptable. Pope Leo has become increasingly outspoken. Without citing Trump or the U.S. specifically, the Pope said, enough of the display of power, enough of war. 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 narrated article coming up next. Vanity Fair takes a look back at a historic Los Angeles jewel heist and speaks to a resident of the home of who was there that night 65 years ago. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News plus narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.