Iranian Blockade Begins & Swalwell Withdraws | 4.13.26

Summary

Morning Wire Episode Summary

Episode Title: Iranian Blockade Begins & Swalwell Withdraws
Date: April 13, 2026
Hosts: John Bickley & Georgia Howe
Main Theme:
This episode dissects three fast-moving news developments: President Trump’s dramatic blockade of Iranian ports after failed peace negotiations, the downfall of California gubernatorial front-runner Eric Swalwell amid sexual misconduct allegations, and mass protests in Ireland triggered by surging fuel costs and unpopular climate policies.

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1. U.S.–Iran Negotiations Collapse & Naval Blockade

Segment Begins: [02:41]

Key Discussion Points:

• Failed Peace Talks

  • Vice President Vance, joined by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Iranian negotiators in Pakistan ([02:58]).
  • The meetings were historic — the highest-level U.S.–Iran contact since 1979 — but ended after 21 hours with no deal.
  • U.S. “red lines” included:
    • Iran freezing uranium enrichment
    • Removing existing enriched uranium
    • Dismantling enrichment facilities
    • Fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz with no transport fees
    • Cutting off funds to proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah ([03:48])
  • U.S. officials hinted possible economic sanctions relief, but insisted on firm concessions.

• Trump Orders Naval Blockade

  • President Trump, via Truth Social, announced an immediate U.S. Navy blockade targeting all Iranian ports and restricting entry/exit through the Strait of Hormuz for Iranian vessels ([04:47]).
  • Trump threatened to interdict any vessel, even from other countries, suspected of paying Iran an “illegal toll” for passage, and authorized the Navy to remove mines and confront any Iranian vessels interfering.

• Economic & Geopolitical Fallout

  • Short-term oil prices surged 7% within hours of Trump’s announcement ([06:11]).
  • The move threatens to cripple Iran’s economy, heavily dependent on oil exports.
  • Global concerns focus on China: The U.S. potentially stopping Chinese vessels — usually allowed Iranian safe passage — could provoke a reaction from Beijing ([06:11]).
  • Expert analysis: Naval warfare expert Brent Sadler suggests China is likely to pressure Iran rather than test American resolve ([07:02]).

Notable Quotes:

• President Trump ([04:22]):

  “I predict they come back and they give us everything we want. And I tell my people, I want everything. I don’t want 90%. I don’t want 95%. I told them I want everything. They have no cards.”

• Cabot Phillips ([05:06]):

  “President Trump said he had ordered the Navy to begin finding and destroying any mines blocking the strait, while threatening to, quote, ‘blow to hell’ any Iranian vessel who tried to stop them.”

• Brent Sadler ([07:02]):

  “It’s in China’s best interest that they lean on the Iranians to relent and to let the traffic go through the straits. But... this is not a president you want to test his resolve in either.”

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2. Eric Swalwell Suspends Campaign Amid Sexual Misconduct Scandal

Segment Begins: [08:39]

Key Discussion Points:

• Swalwell’s Scandal and Withdrawal

  • Eric Swalwell, California gubernatorial race front-runner, faces accusations from multiple women of sexual assault and harassment ([09:12]).
  • Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and NBC report: includes an allegation of sending explicit photos to a staffer ([09:12]).
  • Swalwell’s initial denial quickly gave way to suspending his campaign and issuing an apology for “mistakes in judgment” ([09:12]).
  • He maintains adamant denials:
    • Swalwell ([10:27]):

      “They did not happen. They have never happened. And I will fight them with everything that I have.”

• Political Fallout

  • House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls for Swalwell to exit the governor’s race but stops short of seeking his resignation from Congress ([10:48]).
  • Potential for expulsion or resignations is high, with scandals affecting both parties.
  • Broader context: California’s “top-two” primary system has crowded the Democratic field. With two Republican candidates leading internal polls, Democrat leaders worry about losing the race ([12:08]).

Notable Quotes:

• Steve Hilton, Republican CA gubernatorial candidate ([12:50]):

  “We have the highest poverty rate, the highest unemployment rate, the highest cost of living... 50th out of 50 on business climate... 50th out of 50 for opportunity. It’s not just California’s doing badly. We’re doing worse than any other state on almost every single measure.”

---

3. Protests in Ireland Over Fuel Prices and Climate Policies

Segment Begins: [14:09]

Key Discussion Points:

• Mass Protests

  • Prolonged demonstrations blocked transport and main highways, including Dublin’s ring road ([14:45]).
  • The Irish government responded with limited relief measures and forcibly cleared blockades.

• Underlying Causes

  • Tensions escalated after government refused to recognize or meet with protest leaders, threatening military intervention ([15:39]).
  • Main issue: Soaring fuel prices — home heating oil up 67% in a month — compounded by scheduled carbon tax hikes and strict climate policies driven by the EU ([16:05]).
  • Rural communities, more dependent on private transport and heating oil, are especially affected.

• Potential Shift in Policy

  • The government conceded by reducing fuel duty and postponing tax hikes, but has a long track record of pushing unpopular climate policies ([17:06]).

Notable Quotes:

• Owen O’Malley, Dublin City University ([16:05]):

  “A lot of the climate policies have been delivered by the European Union, taken up with alacrity by Irish governments. These were never popular in rural Ireland... The home heating oil has gone up by 67% in one month, partly as a result of the war in Iran.”

• O’Malley ([17:06]):

  “The policies... have been very unpopular. And so all polls show that people don’t really want these. But the governments have been just pushing them through... They’ve listened to these protests now, which will probably just encourage more protests in the future.”

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Summary Timeline (Timestamps)

| Timestamp | Segment | Content | |-----------|---------|---------| | 02:41 | U.S.–Iran Talks | Breakdown of failed negotiations, blockade announcement | | 04:22 | Trump Quote | Demands "everything" in talks with Iran | | 06:11 | Oil & China | Price surge, Chinese stakes, international risk | | 07:02 | Sadler Analysis | China's likely response to U.S. actions | | 08:39 | Swalwell Scandal | Unfolding allegations, campaign suspension | | 10:27 | Swalwell Statement | Direct denial and claim of political timing | | 12:50 | Steve Hilton Quote | Republican critique of California governance | | 14:09 | Ireland Protests | Escalation and government response | | 16:05 | O’Malley on Climate Policy | Structural roots of Irish protest | | 17:06 | O’Malley on Policy Impact | Unpopularity and government concession |

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Memorable Moments

• Trump’s uncompromising stance: “I want everything. They have no cards.” ([04:22])
• Oil market’s instant reaction: 7% price spike ([06:11])
• Swalwell’s swift political fall from front-runner to withdrawal in 48 hours ([09:12–10:27])
• Irish protests forcing government tax concessions — potential sign of shifting Western climate policy debates ([17:06])

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Tone:
Direct, urgent, and focused on giving listeners “the news you need to know,” covering global geopolitical high stakes, U.S. political infighting, and European unrest—all with expert commentary and clear, concise reporting.

Transcript

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[US Official]

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.

[John Bickley]

After round one of the Iran peace talks ends with no deal, President Trump orders the Navy to take over the Strait of Hormuz.

[President Donald Trump]

We have a blockade going into effect. That'll be 10 o'. Clock. Iran will not be able to sell oil. It'll be very effective.

[John Bickley]

I'm Daily Wire Executive editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, April 13th. This is Morning Wire.

[Georgia Howe]

Unsavory accusations and a criminal investigation derail the Democrat frontrunner for California governor.

[Eric Swalwell]

These allegations of sexual assault are flat. False. They are absolutely false.

[John Bickley]

And protests erupt in Ireland, sparking a government clampdown. As frustrations over crippling fuel costs boil

[Owen O'Malley]

over the police in Ireland, they tend to allow people to kind of play out their anger.

[Georgia Howe]

Thanks for waking up with MORNING wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

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[John Bickley]

After marathon negotiations between the US And Iran failed this weekend, President Trump ordered the Navy to blockade Iranian ports starting this morning.

[Georgia Howe]

Wired In Live host Cabot Phillips is here with the latest. So, Cabot, we're going to talk about the blockade, but first, how did the negotiations go this past weekend?

[Cabot Phillips]

Yeah. On Saturday, Vice President Vance arrived in Pakistan for face to face talks with Iran, flanked by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Chief negotiator for the Iranians was Mohammed Bagar Galiboff, the country's speaker of Parliament, whom some in Washington reportedly view as the most palatable option among Iran's current crop of leaders. Now, just at the outset, these talks were, on their face, historic. This was the highest level meeting between the US and Iranian regime since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. But ultimately, after 21 hours of talks, Vice President Vance emerged just before dawn with the news that a deal had not been reached.

[US Official]

We've made very clear what our red lines are, what things we're willing to accommodate them on and what things we're not willing to accommodate them on. And they have chosen not to accept our terms.

[Georgia Howe]

And what exactly are the red lines there?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, we're hoping to get more details from the White House in the coming hours on that front. But on Sunday, administration officials did tell the Daily Wire that their red lines are as follows. Freezing uranium enrichment in Iran, removing all existing enriched uranium from the country, dismantling uranium enrichment facilities. Foreign fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz and removing transport fees and an end to funding for terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. It appears the White House could offer some wiggle room on economic sanctions. But look, for the most part, they are driving a hard bargain. Here's President Trump to that point on Sunday.

[President Donald Trump]

They haven't left the bargaining table. I predict they come back and they give us everything we want. And I tell my people, I want everything. I don't want 90%. I don't want 95%. I told them I want everything. They have no cards.

[Cabot Phillips]

And as the Iranians head back to talk over the latest proposal, President Trump announced a major military operation, seemingly to put even more pressure on them.

[Georgia Howe]

Right, so tell us about that announcement he made.

[Cabot Phillips]

So, writing on Truth Social, President Trump said that because Iran would not agree in those negotiations to give up their nuclear ambitions, Quote, Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the finest in the world, will begin the process of blockading any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. Now, U.S. central Command clarified that the blockade will specifically target Iranian ports and coastal areas. That means only ships coming to or from Iranian ports will be impacted. It appears all other vessels will be allowed through. Remember, to this point, the Iranians have used missiles and underwater mines to prevent foreign ships from passing through, but they have allowed their own vessels, and also those who pay a multimillion dollar fee, along with their allies like China, safe passage through. Trump called that strategy, quote, world extortion, and leaders of countries, especially the United States of America, will never be extorted. He then went a step further, saying, quote, I have also instructed our navy to seek and interdict every vessel in international waters who has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas. And then finally, President Trump said he had ordered the Navy to begin finding and destroying any mines blocking the strait, while threatening to, quote, blow to hell and any Iranian vessel who tried to stop them.

[Georgia Howe]

So a serious message, not just to Iran, but to everyone who deals with this now, what does this blockade mean for the global oil trade?

[Cabot Phillips]

Well, globally, it is likely to cause prices to spike in the short term. Gulf states, they're working to find ways of getting their oil out without using the strait, but that is a long process. And within hours of Trump's blockade announcement on Sunday, oil prices had jumped 7%. So there could be more pain at the pump. But for the Iranians, this blockade could be devastating. About 50% of the regime's revenue each year comes from oil and gas exports. So we're looking at potentially crippling economic effects. And more broadly, from a geopolitical standpoint, the biggest question for many folks, especially in Washington, is what this means for China. The Iranians have largely been allowing Chinese vessels safe passage through the strait. If the US Navy seizes those vessels, it could draw a response from Beijing, just further complicating this entire war. For more on how the Chinese might respond, though, we spoke with naval warfare expert Brent Sadler.

[Brent Sadler]

The Chinese, of course, are hypersensitive because they rely on the energy coming out of the Gulf. It's like over half of it's coming from the Gulf countries, not all of it from Iran either, a lot of it from Iraq, but it still has to go through that strait. So I think it's in China's best interest that they lean on the Iranians to relent and to let the traffic go through the straits. But of course, this is not a president you want to test his resolve in either.

[Cabot Phillips]

So as this blockade goes into effect, we'll look to see if this already tenuous ceasefire can still hold.

[Georgia Howe]

Well, in this next 24 hours are crucial. Cabot, thanks for reporting.

[Cabot Phillips]

Absolutely.

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[Georgia Howe]

That's JoinDeleteMe.com WireCodeWire Congressman Eric Swalwell suspends his run for California governor amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.

[John Bickley]

Daily Wire political reporter Cameron Arcan has been tracking this explosion of accusations. Morning, Cameron. So a real firestorm has broken out here with Democrats disavowing Swalwell at record speed. And of course, this is all with the backdrop of the governor's race. The Democrats are very worried about the crowded field they have in California. So what's the latest here?

[Cameron Arcan]

So the latest is that this is an absolute mess in California right now and in Congress. His attorney said in an interview before the weekend that Eric Swalwell does not plan to draw drop out. Then Sunday night, as Georgia said, Swalwell announced that he was, in fact throwing in the towel. He posted on X that he's suspending his campaign and said he's, quote, deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment he's made in the past. Right now, he's obviously facing a wide range of claims from multiple women ranging from sexual assault to sexual harassment. Against women staffers. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is even looking into the sexual assault allegation. And then another report, report from NBC alleges that Swalwell used Snapchat to send a picture of his genitals to a 24 year old staffer. And all of this came after days of social media rumors and allegations and people wondering whether or not individuals were going to come forward. And we saw that hammer drop on Friday afternoon with this. Now, Swalwell continues to maintain his innocence. He posted a video statement this weekend in which he calls these allegations, quote, flat false.

[Eric Swalwell]

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 front runner candidate for governor in California.

[John Bickley]

All right, so an adamant denial there from Swalwell. A lot of eyes are going to be on that Manhattan investigation for sure. So what does this mean for Swalwell in Congress?

[Cameron Arcan]

Well, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries put out a statement calling for him to drop out of the governor's race, but he did stop short of asking him to resign. Now, it's unclear at this point if he will step down, but there are now multiple members who could potentially be facing expulsion or a resignation in the coming days and weeks. Congress does return to session today and so we could see some motion on this. Representative Tony Gonzalez, who's a Republican out of Texas, is another one that could very likely be included in this expulsion process as he also allegedly had an affair with a staffer who did end up committing suicide later on after that affair took place. So when we're seeing some of these things happening, what we could end up seeing is the Republicans and the Democrats each losing a member. Republican Corey Mills and Democrat sheila Sheriff List McCormick are also possible contenders to either resign or be expelled as they're also dealing with scandals right now.

[John Bickley]

Like you said, a real mess. Now, lots of chatter about the timing of these accusations and how quickly Democrats are cutting bait with Swalwell. We've noted how the polls show the two Republicans in California's gubernatorial race. They're leading the Democrats. This has them very nervous. How does this impact the California governor's race?

[Cameron Arcan]

Right. So Democrats, including the California Democratic Party chair, Rusty Hicks, has been begging for weeks now to get more Democrats out of the race because there are so many of them currently in there. And keep in mind, California runs on a top two primary system. And the issue that kept going on was even the Democrats ran an internal poll for the state party and it came back with Republican Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco in the top two slots. Now when it comes to Steve Hilton, who he was just endorsed by President Donald Trump last week, he said in a recent interview with Morning Wire that he believes California is ripe for Republicans taking, saying that the state's current leadership has failed on multiple fronts.

[Steve Hilton]

We have the highest poverty rate, the highest unemployment rate, the highest cost of living, everything, the most expensive. We're 50th out of 50 on business climate, according to Chief Executive Magazine US News and World Report. 50th out of 50 for opportunity. It's not just California's doing badly. We're doing worse than any other state on almost every single measure and yet we have the highest taxes.

[Cameron Arcan]

Meanwhile, we will see where these allegations lead for Swalwell, but it's not looking good for him, no doubt.

[John Bickley]

Well, if nothing else, Congress will be even more interesting to monitor tour this week. Cameron, thank you so much for reporting.

[Cameron Arcan]

Thank you.

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[Georgia Howe]

The spike in fuel costs over the course of the Iran conflict has brought long running frustrations in Ireland to a head exploding into mass protests and that have taken over streets across the country.

[John Bickley]

Joining us now to discuss is Owen o', Malley, associate professor of political science at Dublin City University. First of all, thank you so much for joining us. So we've been monitoring this escalation of protests across the pond. Clearly there's a lot of simmering, you know, frustration and what appears to be, I would say a convergence of political angst here. First, what is the current situation with the protests in Ireland?

[Owen O'Malley]

So there had been a week long protest which had shut down A lot of public transports and also road traffic. And so a lot of the motorways around the country, the freeways around the country were just literally shut down, and the main wing road around Dublin was shot, which caused havoc. The government met in order to try and offer a package to alleviate the kind of fears and concerns of those protesters. And that largely seems to have worked. Partly it's worked in that it's offered those protesters something, but also the government, the state, physically moved to remove vehicles that were blocking freeways.

[John Bickley]

Now, we initially reported at the end of last week that the government refused to meet with the protesters because they weren't organizations the government officially recognized. Has that inflamed tensions?

[Owen O'Malley]

Yeah, so the government didn't actually meet with these protesters, and it probably escalated tensions a little bit more. It then escalated tensions more when it said it was going to bring the military in to kind of clear these roads. That was probably backfired as well by increasing tensions.

[John Bickley]

Now you see the phrase climate tyranny a lot associated with these protests. Can you speak to us, how central is climate policy to what we're seeing, this unrest?

[Owen O'Malley]

I think it's a major part of us. So a lot of the climate policies have been delivered by the European Union, taken up with alacrity by Irish governments. And in the last government, the Green Party was a member of the government, and so it insisted that there was increases in carbon taxes. These were never popular in rural Ireland. Rural Ireland is more dependent on private transport. It also tends to have different types of home heating, so it uses the home heating order. The home heating oil has gone up by 67% in one month, partly as a result of the war in Iran. But also there was going to be a new carbon tax hike coming in on the 1st of May. So the government should have been aware that this was a problem. It didn't really head off this problem. And it sort of almost invited the protesters to do what they did because otherwise there was a sense that they weren't going to be listened to.

[John Bickley]

Do you think this is going to lead to some changes in terms of the climate policies, like fuel taxes, et cetera?

[Owen O'Malley]

I mean, the Irish government has already announced that it's taking 10 cents off the fuel duty. It's postponing the planned increase in carbon taxes. A lot of the policies that the Irish governments have been introducing for the last 15 years have been ones that to try and address climate change issues. They've been very unpopular. And so all polls show that people don't really want these. But the governments have been just pushing them through and through. They've listened to these protests now and which will probably just encourage more protests in the future because, you know, this seems to be the only way to be listened to because they weren't really listening to people before the protest happened.

[John Bickley]

We'll see if the concessions you mentioned do bring down the temperature this week in Dublin. Owen, thank you so much for joining us.

[Owen O'Malley]

Thank you.

[Georgia Howe]

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.