Hormuz Cut Off & Scandals Rock Congress | 4.14.26

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: Hormuz Cut Off & Scandals Rock Congress
Date: April 14, 2026
Hosts: Georgia Howe, John Bickley
Notable Contributors: Mary Margaret Olihan, Megan Basham, Cameron Arcan

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Overview

This episode centers on the escalating international crisis in the Strait of Hormuz following a U.S. blockade against Iran, the intensifying political clash between President Trump and the Vatican over the Iran war, and a new wave of Congressional scandals and resignations. The hosts break down the latest information from the White House, internal tensions, and the broader impacts on U.S. politics and global security.

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Key Discussion Points

1. U.S. Blockade and Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz

[02:22–06:27]

• Context: After negotiations in Pakistan between U.S. and Iranian officials failed, President Trump announced a full blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, effective Monday at 10:00 AM ET.
• White House Position: Trump’s administration claims much of Iran's navy has been destroyed, with “158 ships laying at the bottom of the sea.” Trump warns remaining Iranian fast-attack craft will be “immediately eliminated” if they approach the blockade.
  • Quote:
    “If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on the boats at sea. It is quick and brutal.”
    — President Trump [03:26]
• Negotiation Stalemate: U.S. negotiator J.D. Vance realized Iranians misunderstood their leverage. The U.S. insists Iran must accept “the realities on the ground” before any further progress.
• Demands on Iran: Mary Margaret Olihan lists U.S. objectives for a deal:
  1. End all uranium enrichment
  2. Dismantle major nuclear facilities
  3. Retrieve highly enriched uranium
  4. Accept a regional peace and de-escalation framework
  5. End funding to terrorist proxies (Moas, Hezbollah, Houthis)
  6. Fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz with no tolls
• Trump’s Stance:
  • Quote:
    “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. … If they don't agree, there's no deal. There'll never be a deal.”
    — President Trump [05:00]
• Ongoing Talks: Rumors persist of another round of peace talks later in the week.
• Reporter Plans: Mary Margaret Olihan plans to press the Vice President on these issues during travel to Georgia.

2. Trump vs. the Vatican – The War of Words

[07:34–12:09]

• Background: Tensions existed before current events, largely due to disagreements over immigration. The Pope has criticized Trump’s approach as “inhumane,” challenging his pro-life credibility.
  • Trump’s Position:
    “I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime.”
    — President Trump [08:43]
• Papal Opposition to the Iran War:
  • The Pope urges citizens to pressure their leaders to “work for peace and reject war.”
  • Quote:
    “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”
    — Pope Leo, cited by Megan Basham [09:16]
• Controversy Over Memes: Trump posted a meme interpreted by some as depicting himself as Jesus; he later deleted it, claiming it showed him as a doctor.
  • Quote:
    “I did post it, and I thought it was me as the doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support.”
    — President Trump [11:30]
• Political Fallout: Trump risks alienating the Catholic voter bloc, crucial for midterms. Megan Basham notes timing is key—Trump needs a decisive win or closure in Hormuz to strengthen his base.

3. Scandals and Shakeups in Congress

[12:13–17:20]

• Resignations & Investigations:
  • Eric Swalwell (D) resigned after investigations into sexual assault and DHS-probe into foreign work authorization.
  • Tony Gonzalez (R, TX) to retire, facing an expulsion push after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
  • Sheila Shierflisk McCormick (D, FL) under investigation for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds for her campaign—faces calls for resignation.
  • Corey Mills (R, FL) under ongoing Ethics Committee investigation.
  • Historical Note: There have only been six expulsions in Congressional history.
• Bar for Expulsion:
  • Quote:
    “Two thirds of the House of Representatives would need to vote to expel a member.”
    — Cameron Arcan [14:37]
  • Speaker Mike Johnson notes historically expulsions occurred for grave offenses or Confederacy alignment.
• Legislative Docket:
  • ICE & Border Patrol: Deal in the works for funding via reconciliation, with specific demands around mask-wearing for ICE agents to protect their identities in the field.
    • “There are real dangers that involve their identities, their families…” — Alliance Defending Freedom Rep. [15:44]
  • FISA Renewal: Debates continue over privacy, potential addition of the Save America voter ID act. Biden seeks an 18-month clean extension.
  • War Powers on Iran: Senate Majority Leader Schumer pushes for resolution reasserting Congressional authority.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• President Trump on Iran:
  • “We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that's what they're doing.” [00:40]
  • “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon... If they don't agree, there's no deal.” [05:00]
• Mary Margaret Olihan on Iran’s Position:
  • “They had fundamentally misunderstood the cards that they had in their hand.” [04:05]
• President Trump on the Pope:
  • “I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime.” [08:43]
• Pope Leo (via Megan Basham):
  • “Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” [09:16]
• Trump on Meme Controversy:
  • “I did post it, and I thought it was me as the doctor…” [11:30]

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Timestamps – Segment Guide

• [02:22] – Mary Margaret Olihan reports on U.S.-Iran negotiations and the Hormuz blockade
• [05:00] – Trump states deal demands on Iran’s nuclear program
• [07:34] – Megan Basham discusses escalating dispute between Trump and the Vatican
• [08:43] – Trump critiques Pope Leo
• [09:16] – Pope Leo denounces war in Iran
• [10:11] – Clarification of “Avignon papacy” hoax in media
• [11:30] – Trump addresses “Jesus meme” controversy
• [12:13] – Cameron Arcan on Congressional scandals and resignations
• [14:37] – Historical context for Congressional expulsion votes
• [15:04] – Legislative outlook: ICE, Border Patrol, FISA, and war powers

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Conclusion

The episode delivers comprehensive coverage of mounting diplomatic pressure in the Gulf, deep-seated culture and political clashes at the highest international and religious levels, and a cascade of ethical crises rocking Capitol Hill. As the U.S. faces crucial turning points both abroad and at home, Morning Wire provides analytical reporting and direct commentary from key players and journalists in the thick of the action.

Transcript

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[Georgia Howe]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Mary Margaret Olihan]

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[Daily Wire Host]

The Trump administration says Iran has overplayed their hand as the Hormuz blockade takes effect.

[President Donald Trump]

We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that's what they're doing. They're really blackmailing the world. We're not going to let that happen.

[Daily Wire Host]

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, April 14th, and this is Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

A showdown is brewing between the White House and the Vatican as Trump calls the pope out of touch for his criticism of the Iran war.

[Ethos Sponsor Representative]

I don't want to get into a debate with him.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I don't think that the message of the gospel is meant to be abused

[President Donald Trump]

in the way that some people are doing.

[Daily Wire Host]

And Democrat Eric Swalwell resigns from Congress amid a flood of accusations. Who else could be on the way out?

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. The news you need to know.

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[Georgia Howe]

Following talks in Pakistan with the Iranians, President Trump and his team are making good on their promise to take control of the Strait of Hormuz.

[Daily Wire Host]

Joining US to discuss is Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan. So, Mary Margaret, all eyes are right now on how the US Handles this blockade against Iran. What's the latest from the White House on this?

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Hey, guys. So, yes, J.D. vance arrived back in Washington, D.C. on Sunday after marathon negotiations in Pakistan with the Iranians all weekend, as we reported yesterday. Now, late Sunday night, Trump reminded the world that the United States would blockade ships from entering or exiting Iranian ports on Monday beginning at 10:00am ET. So of course, all of Washington was dialed in, watching breathlessly as this deadline drew near. Now, Monday morning, the President posted again reminding us that Iran's navy has been, as he says, completely obliterated and that some 158 of their ships are, quote, laying at the bottom of the sea. He then sent the Iranian regime a clear warning, and I'm quoting here, what we have not hit are their small number of what they call fast attack ships because we don't consider them much of a warning. If any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on the boats at sea. It is quick and brutal. Now, he was asked at the White House yesterday what he will do if a deal isn't reached by the end of the cease fire. And he didn't give us much.

[President Donald Trump]

Yeah, I don't want to comment on that, but it won't be pleasant for them, let me put it that way.

[Daily Wire Host]

Now, some form of talks are still continuing. You've spoken to some officials about how those negotiations are going. What are the sticking points at center of this impasse?

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Here's what they told me. The negotiations, though they didn't end in a deal, helped the United States understand just how little Iran understood their own situation. Vance dug into the Iranians assessment of their own position and he figured out that they had fundamentally misunderstood the cards that they had in their hand. That's why Vance left after he made that final offer, I'm told, because in his view, if the Iranians believe they have leverage that they don't have, no deal is possible. I'm also told that the White House views it this way. And before they're ready to entertain a serious offer, the Iranians need to recognize that the realities on the ground do not match their assumptions heading into these negotiations. And of course, after Vance left the country, Trump announced that the US Would blockade the strait because Iran had refused to commit to abandoning its nuclear program.

[Daily Wire Host]

So what does the White House say? They need Iran to accept here.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Well, President Trump addressed this a little bit on Monday afternoon as he spoke to reporters outside the Oval Office.

[President Donald Trump]

Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. And we agreed to a lot of things, but they didn't agree to that. And I think they will agree to it. I'm almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don't agree, there's no deal. There'll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon and we're going to get the dust back. We'll get it back. Either we'll get it back from them or we'll take it.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Another US Official who I spoke with laid out six key objectives and these are what they are. One, Iran must end all uranium enrichment. Two, dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities. Three, retrieve highly enriched uranium. Four, accept a broader peace, security and de escalation framework that includes regional allies. Five, end funding for the terrorist proxies Moas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. And six, finally fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage. Now I'm told that this is absolutely still a deal that's on the table, but it's up to the Iranians whether or not they're going to accept it. I was also told on Monday afternoon by a US Official, and I'm quoting, there is continued engagement between the US And Iran and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement. That's as we hear rumors about more peace talks coming up potentially this week with U.S. officials and Iranians. Now, I'll be traveling with the vice president to Georgia today and if I can, I intend to ask him some of these questions about the upcoming peace talks, where things stand with Iran and more.

[President Donald Trump]

All right.

[Daily Wire Host]

Well, we're looking forward to that. Mary Margaret, thanks for coming on.

[Mary Margaret Olihan]

Thanks for having me.

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[Georgia Howe]

The war of words between President Trump and the Vatican has heated up after the pope made several statements opposing the war in Iran and the president blasted back. The flare up comes as Trump continues to defend Operation Epic Fury on multiple fronts.

[Daily Wire Host]

Here with more is Daily Wire Culture reporter Megan Basham. So, Megan, social media lit up yesterday over a series of posts, particularly one meme that irked a lot of people, and we're going to talk about that. But first, the tension between the president and the pope has long predated this most recent back and forth. Before we get into the specifics, can you describe the broad points of disagreement between those two?

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, Georgia. And a lot of that tension was already in place before this particular flare up over the war in Iran centering on the issue of immigration. We know that the pope, for instance, has called the president's policies on immigration inhumane. He has suggested that those who support the president's deportation efforts can't credibly claim to be pro life. So as you might imagine, Trump wasn't shy about responding to that. In fact, he referenced this dispute over law and order when he was asked about the pope yesterday.

[President Donald Trump]

I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime.

[Megan Basham]

So that backdrop was already in place when the pope a few days ago began speaking out more strongly about the war in Iran, including urging voters to contact their representatives.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I would invite the citizens of all

[Ethos Sponsor Representative]

the countries involved to contact the authorities,

[Ryan Reynolds]

political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war.

[Georgia Howe]

Always.

[Megan Basham]

Then on Friday, he said this God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Well, immediately, many Trump supporters pointed out that not only does the Bible specifically in several places allow for war, famously in the book of Ecclesiastes saying there is a time for war, but also The Pope's own father stormed the beaches of Normandy. So we have to remember, I think, that Leo is an American and he's from Chicago, and he's publicly engaging an American president by name. So he's not just making general statements of principle. And I think that is a setup for some of these dramatic tensions that we're talking about now.

[Daily Wire Host]

More recently, there have been some dramatic controversies on both sides that have required some later clarifications. Tell us about those.

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, they've been coming very fast and furious, so it's a little hard to keep track. But toward the end of last week, we had the Avignon papacy controversy. It started when the Free Press ran a story claiming that the Pentagon's officials threatened a Vatican envoy, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, with a new Avignon papacy. Now, if you're not familiar with that, that's a reference a 14th century pope who was controlled by the French monarchy. So essentially, this report was claiming that the Trump administration was threatening the papacy, threatening either to replace it or control it in some way. And that story was then spread far and wide by a lot of legacy media outlets before the Trump administration came out and said, no, this did not happen. We didn't threaten anyone. And it took a few more days until the Vatican then confirmed that, no, this story was not true and it didn't happen. But I think in the interim, you know, their. Their delay in responding probably didn't win them a lot of new affection with the White House. And then as this war of words between the Pope and the President continued, the president posted a meme that even many of his own supporters took as blasphemous as it seemed to depict him as Jesus. But Trump later took that post down and said he thought it was just depicting him as a doctor.

[President Donald Trump]

I did post it, and I thought it was me as the doctor, and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support.

[Daily Wire Host]

Now, is this the kind of thing that could crack his longtime base of support? It's obviously a very perilous time for him with midterms coming up.

[Megan Basham]

Yeah, I think if he can get the Strait of Hormuz opened and find some kind of closure point that allows him to claim that the US Is the winner in this engagement, then, you know, we may still have some time. It's early April. Usually midterms don't heat up until June, but definitely time is short. And he has to be worried about that Catholic voting bloc. Right.

[Daily Wire Host]

It's not a voter base he can afford to lose. Megan, thanks for reporting.

[Megan Basham]

Yep, my pleasure.

[Daily Wire Host]

Congress is coming roaring back this week after a two week recess and multiple members of Congress are being asked to resign or face expulsion.

[Georgia Howe]

Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcan joins us now with the story. Hey, Cameron. So we touched on some of the intrigue yesterday that's going on in Capitol Hill this week. But things are really coming to a head now. First, who's being asked to leave?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, for starters, as we reported yesterday, Eric Swalwell announced his plans to resign from Congress. This comes as mounting pressure, including an investigation from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg into a sexual assault allegation and an investigation from the Department of Homeland Security regarding an anti he had from Brazil and the work authorization at play there. So this was kind of the key element here. That jump started an expulsion push that implicated multiple members of Congress. Republican from Texas, Tony Gonzalez, he announced on Monday that he'll be filing his paperwork for retirement. He already dropped his reelection bid a few weeks back. But there was also reports after Swalwell decided that he was going to leave that Gonzalez's potential expulsion was still going to be on the table. Now he admitted to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. And so that, you know, when it comes to the political balance here, it would have been one Republican and one Democrat getting impacted by these expulsions. But that's not all of it. The House Ethics Committee is also looking to Florida Democrat Sheila Shierflisk McCormick, who she is facing federal charges for stealing 5 million in FEMA funds allegedly for her own campaign. And so these are just allegations at this point. She hasn't been convicted, but there's also a potential expulsion or calls for her resignation as well. And then Republican Corey Mills out of Florida has faced a lot of his own scandals and an active House Ethics Committee investigation into him as well. So a lot of unknowns here in terms of what that's actually going to lead to with those members. But a lot of mountain calls for these members to leave or to be risk getting expelled. And there's only been six members in congressional history who have ever been asked to leave.

[Georgia Howe]

Now it's a pretty high bar to actually expel a member of Congress. What would it take to for that kind of effort to be successful?

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's correct. So two thirds of the House of Representatives would need to vote to expel a member. This has only ever happened six times before in history. However, not everyone is fully convinced that expulsion is the best route. Mike Johnson has pointed out in the past before that past expulsions have been members of the Confederacy and people who were convicted fraudsters or other crimes. And so there's a very high historical bar for this right now.

[Georgia Howe]

What else could we expect to see from Congress this week? I know they're getting back and things are busy. What's on the docket?

[Ryan Reynolds]

So over the break, the House did agree, at least Speaker Mike Johnson agreed, that they would pass the Senate deal, which did not include funding for ICE or Border Patrol. But in exchange for that, it will be potentially a reconciliation bill process that we could see play out to fund those agencies. And that's something that the President wants to see to his desk mask by June. Republicans certainly have some non starters in terms of the demands Democrats have made when it comes to ice. Daily Wire immigration reporter Jenny Terre has been tracking this.

[Alliance Defending Freedom Representative]

One of those things is asking that ICE agents go unmasked, that they don't wear masks in the field anymore when they're making arrests. Now we all recently saw when ICE was helping TSA and you could see their faces, but they were operating in a friendly environment where people were thanking them and shaking their hands. But when they're out in the field, you have these ICE watch groups that are constantly tracking and trying to get in their way and then also just trying to assault them. And this is a real danger that involves their identities, their families and puts all of that at risk when their faces are out there.

[Ryan Reynolds]

In terms of other legislation that we're looking at, we could also be seeing a vote soon on the renewal of fisa. That is a foreign government surveillance bill that is very hotly debated, especially by people who might be concerned about how this implicates the privacy of American citizens, as well as advocates who want to see perhaps more warrants in this process. Representative Anna Paulina Luna even floated a couple of weeks ago tacking on the Save America act, which is that big voter identification bill. Getting that in there. Meanwhile, the President wants a clean 18 month extension of that policy. But in terms of other stuff we could be seeing from Congress, Chuck Schumer is going to be pushing again for a war powers resolution on Iran. Obviously a lot to keep track of in Washington right now since since it's been so long since they've been at

[Georgia Howe]

work so much to keep an eye on. It's going to be definitely interesting to see if anything with DHS does actually get off the ground. It started way back in February. Cameron, thank you so much for reporting.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you.

[Daily Wire Host]

Thanks for waking up with us. And for those of you listening to the show now, you can watch for free on Daily Wire. Plus, we'll be back later this evening with more news you need to know.

[Ryan Reynolds]

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