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Interview with Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI): Rep's Swalwell, Gonzales Resign Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations; Trump Officials Discussing Possible 2nd Meeting with Iran; Meet Emily, the 24/7 Twitch Streamer. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: We're doing the breaking news at this hour. Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell and Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez have now officially resigned from Congress. On Monday, both lawmakers announcing within a short time of one another that they plan to do so amid allegations, serious allegations, of sexual misconduct.

Moments ago, their resignation letters were read on the House floor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enclosed is my resignation letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, effective April 14th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. It has been my privilege to serve the residents of Texas's 23rd Congressional District. Signed sincerely, Tony Gonzalez, Member of Congress.

I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes and judgment I've made in my past. I will fight the serious false allegations made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.

I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process within days of an allegation being made is wrong. But it's also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties.

Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress, effective at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on April 14th, 2026. I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th Congressional District. Signed sincerely, Eric Swalwell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: We're joined now by Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan. Congresswoman, it's good to have you with us. So there was certainly a lot of speculation before we got the official news of the resignation -- and what resignations yesterday, which came within a short time of one another.

Have you heard anything about a possible deal or an understanding between these two or leadership of the two parties?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): I think what you saw is the colleagues of both in the caucus, the Republican colleagues and the Democratic colleagues. Now, it took too long on Tony Gonzalez. He admitted to having an affair with a woman who committed suicide and setting herself on fire. So the facts were there.

[15:35:00]

But when our -- when many women and men heard the story, saw the video of Eric Swalwell, they were like, we cannot put up with this. And they were determined that they were going to go forward on Eric. And the Republicans got embarrassed. And I think there were very serious discussions with both people telling them that a debate on the floor was inevitable.

People were going to do it, and it was going to be brutal and honest.

HILL: When we look at where things stand in terms of the allegations, specifically about Eric Swalwell, before CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle reported this out, those allegations were largely -- they largely existed in uncorroborated accounts on social media. Earlier today, Senator Ruben Gallego, though, in speaking with reporters, said that there had been rumors about Swalwell being a quote -- these are his words here -- "Flirty social guy for many years." Had you heard any rumblings about Eric Swalwell's behavior previously?

DINGELL: So honestly, I had not. And I'm wondering, why don't people tell me this stuff? But I want to know, I have made it very clear to people, if someone is doing that to them, I want them to come and I will step up to them and I will fight for any person, male or woman, that is being sexually harassed.

I probably don't circulate in that younger crowd. I go out at night and work. So I hadn't heard them.

If I had, I would have confronted Eric directly when I heard them.

HILL: He also, Gallego also said, who had been close friends with Swalwell, said today they are no longer friends. But he had said that Swalwell, in his view, was leading a double life. Do you think there could be more members who are leading a double life?

DINGELL: I think that I'm going to tell anybody listening to this, if there's a staffer that has a story, there are several of us women members that want to know them and we'll help you. Having said that, I think we also need to be very careful about just not throwing names out there because we're living in a time of retaliation and trying to embarrass people. No person should ever put up with any kind of sexual attacks or sexual violence.

We also know that there are people that are trying to hurt people. I struggle with due process and yet holding people accountable and protecting our institutions. So I'm not hearing them.

But if they did, I can tell you, I'm going to go confront the member directly. I've lived it. I lived at a time when, if you were a woman, when I was at GM and I had someone really stalking me, I got told put up with it or leave.

That should never happen. And I will never let another woman experience what I did.

HILL: So to that point, in November of 2017, you spoke with CNN and this was in the midst of, I should point out, the Al Franken allegations. And you also shared at that time another event you talked about in your first year of marriage, how a U.S. senator who you described as prominent and historical harassed you, that his hand kept going up your leg. Another woman at the dinner table intervened, switched places with you.

I want to play a little bit more of what you told CNN in that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DINGELL: I'm not going to name who this person is because, and that's part of the problem. A lot of women don't have the courage, because even though they've got the Me Too story, there are consequences. And we have to get to a point, let this be a watershed moment in changing the culture.

And men understand it's not OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are in a position of power. You are a powerful woman in this country. If you can't name the person, who did it to you, why not?

Hasn't the tide turned?

DINGELL: No. And I've said that to my colleagues. I don't think it's the watershed moment that so many people think it is, because I still think that for too many, there are consequences in naming who the person is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So you just noted you would want people to come to you, that you would help them. You didn't feel comfortable in November of 2017 naming that senator. Do you think it is more or less difficult for survivors in 2026 to come forward?

DINGELL (on camera): I think that it is. Look, it's still hard. And anybody listening to this needs to understand there are consequences when you get the courage to go out and tell your story.

I don't care who you are. The Me Too movement has made it easier. And there are consequences.

But I also think there are far more women. Actually, you saw men. You saw Ro Khanna and Tom Massie lead on the Epstein survivors.

And those Epstein survivors had nobody that will -- I mean, I was, but they weren't willing to speak up. They wanted to bury you. They threatened you.

Look, I've had threats when I've tried to help protect some people. I'm not afraid of threats. But I think it is an easier time to speak up.

But you need to understand, anybody that gets the courage to speak up, look at how the media just went after what -- you're also like all of a sudden, a media sensation. People are following you everywhere. Your workplace many times feels, oh, my God, is this safe, which isn't right.

But I want it to be so that no male ever -- and woman -- ever thinks about doing this to a woman again. And we're not there yet in this country. And we are fighting it.

[15:40:00]

We're making progress. But we're not where we need to be.

HILL: Yes, certainly a lot of work to be done across the board in this country. That is for sure. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, really appreciate your time this afternoon. Thank you.

DINGELL: Thank you.

HILL: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Back now to the breaking news. A source says Trump administration officials are weighing new face-to-face talks with Iran as the ceasefire is set to expire in just one week. Today, President Trump told the New York Post that something could be happening over the next two days in Pakistan where top-level talks led by Vice President J.D. Vance failed to reach a peace deal over the weekend. All this is happening as a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has now entered its second day.

[15:45:00]

With us now to discuss retired Army Major Harrison Mann. He's the associate campaigns director for the organization Win Without War. Major, thanks so much for being with us.

So CENTCOM put out some stats. In the first 24 hours, they say no ships from Iranian ports made it past the blockade. They also added that six merchant vessels complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around. So it appears, at least according to CENTCOM, that the blockade is working, that it's effective. How do you think it might play into a second round of talks in Islamabad?

MAJ. HARRISON MANN, U.S. ARMY (RET.): I don't think the blockade is really going to have any impact on these talks. We've got to be clear here that Iran's strategy to pressure Trump was to cause a global economic crisis and raise the price of gas to six, seven dollars in America. So what Trump is doing right now is doubling down on the Iranian strategy to defeat Donald Trump.

So I don't think this in the short term or even the medium term is going to add any pressure on Tehran. And it kind of just points to the strategic incoherence of Donald Trump and his administration. At the same time, I don't think it's going to preclude negotiations, even though legally this is an act of war, trying to blockade another country.

The Iranian government doesn't really seem to be taking it that way. And it's kind of brushed off this new action, which, as you said, is functionally effective. And they've also announced that they're willing to resume negotiations.

What worries me amidst the really positive news that both sides are willing to talk is that we still see Trump just kind of pulling stuff out of his pocket that doesn't really make sense. And it makes me worry that any agreement that happens in Islamabad this weekend or in coming days is not to be respected by Trump.

SANCHEZ: The view of the administration is that this would cost Tehran something like $400 million every day because they're blocking the exporting from their ports. I wonder if you think that it doesn't create the leverage that the administration thinks it does and that therefore any peace talks are effectively hampered. It seems like that's what you're suggesting.

MANN: So like in the intermediate period, we've got to remember Trump actually lifted sanctions on Iranian oil in an effort to lower global energy prices. So during that time, Iran made more money. So it's got a little bit of a cushion.

It's also got, I think, about 150 million barrels. I'm getting that right -- 150 barrels -- that it already sent out of the Strait of Hormuz that it can still sell over the coming weeks. And so it's not going to feel a crunch from this, certainly within the period of this two-week ceasefire.

For this really to be effective, we'd have to have the Navy stationed outside Iran for months to really -- to like try and precipitate the economic crisis that Trump is aiming for. And frankly, we haven't seen him really hold the same position for days, much less month, in this conflict. So I think it would represent an entirely new strategy to commit the U.S. Navy to like a three- to six-month-long blockade operation to try and force Iran's hand.

SANCHEZ: How do you see the interplay between the potential second round of talks in Pakistan with what we saw today, these historic talks between Lebanon and Israel, the first time that they've had talks at this level in some 40 years? The view from Tehran has been that until attacks against Hezbollah proxies in Lebanon cease, there couldn't be any serious discussion. Do you think this could create sufficient leverage if there is some sort of deal between Israel and Lebanon to address Hezbollah?

MANN: It looks like this so-called historic Lebanon-Israel summit in D.C. today was attempted as kind of like a show negotiation to try and convince Iran that Trump would pressure Netanyahu and would be able to rein in Israel so that Iran would actually come to the table last week and then maybe again this week. But we saw how it ended. Basically, the Israeli position is, we want the Lebanese government to do a civil war and try and kick out Hezbollah, which they're not going to do.

And the Lebanese government said, please stop bombing and occupying our country, which the Israeli government is pretty clear that it's not interested in either. So I think we're not really going to see much progress there. But it is interesting that we could say the Trump administration has had some success in detaching the Lebanese front from the rest of the war, which the Iranian government said they would never allow to happen.

But it does look like Tehran is still willing to keep negotiating, even though the war in Lebanon is clearly not ending and there's no ceasefire there right now.

SANCHEZ: Major Harrison Mann, thanks so much for sharing your perspective. Appreciate it.

MANN: Thanks for having me.

SANCHEZ: Of course -- Erica.

HILL: Let's get you caught up now on some of the headlines we're watching this hour. A South Georgian mother really having to think fast to save her children from a raging apartment fire. Take a look at how the dramatic scene unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help, help, my kids. Please help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many kids do you have up there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, they might have gone (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around, turn around.

[15:50:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, come on, come on. Are you OK?

Christ.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: Christ. So the body cam video showing the officer safely catching both of the children who were then taken to a hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.

Just announced the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees. This year's class includes Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division, New Order, Luther Vandross, Oasis, Phil Collins, Sade and the Wu-Tang Clan. Legendary TV host Ed Sullivan, Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz and rap pioneer Queen Latifah also set to receive honors. That ceremony -- mark your calendars -- November 14th.

And Colombian officials have now approved a plan that will call dozens of wild hippos in the country because of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar. Escobar brought the first hippos there in the 80s for his private zoo. They have though since become a huge threat to villagers in the central region.

They've also displaced other native species. It's not clear when hunting of the hippos will begin. Officials, though, say up to 80 would be affected by this plan. Outside of Africa, Colombia is the only place with what is now a wild hippo population.

Just ahead here, we're going to hitch a ride with Emily, an online content creator that's been streaming her life nearly 24-7 for more than four years. That's next.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: For many young people, making money on social media is a dream. One woman, Emily, is so dedicated she quit her job and began streaming full-time.

HILL: Emily's stream, though, it's a little bit different. Four years ago, she became a 24-7 live streamer. So that means she films nearly every waking and sleeping moment, all for you, the world to see.

She showed Donie O'Sullivan how it works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: So you have a thousand people watching right now. Is that usual?

EMILY: No. No. I don't know why. I think they're just excited because --

O'SULLIVAN: They're seeing this CNN fool. You have a couple, like a couple of hundred people normally, or is it people dipping in and out?

EMILY: Its always like id say between 2 to 500 people most of the time. Sometimes it will hit 600. Even when I'm sleeping, there'd be maybe like 2 or 300 people there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HILL: So Donie joins us now. You spent two days with her, which means you were, you know, part of the party and they were watching you all day long.

I'm sort of fascinated and horrified by this all at once, Donie. Talk me through it.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Yes, and it was exhausting. I mean, we joined Emily on a road trip. She was moving to Los Angeles. She was moving into a streamer's house in Los Angeles where a bunch of streamers are living together and stream live all day. Look, as you sort of mentioned in the intro there, this is, you know, in the past, this might have been some many people's nightmare. You know, you think of the Truman Show that's starring Jim Carrey or George Orwell's 1984, where we're always being watched.

But for some young people, making money this way is a dream. And she's obviously going to an extreme version of this. She is streaming live 24 hours a day.

There is a couple of times she will step away from the stream, but the stream will always stay live. So she'll, you know, she's using the restroom or she's going for a shower. She will keep the camera out of shot.

And I was actually handed -- we made a stop as we drove along Route 66. She handed me her live stream and gave me responsibility and control for it as she stepped into the restroom. And here's how that went. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN: CNN should gift 100 subs, so she has to put on the pizza outfit. You're speaking a different language to me.

You don't have to read them all. Well, I have read them all because I find this interesting.

EMILY: Wait, wait, wait, wait.

O'SULLIVAN: Oh!

EMILY: There you go.

O'SULLIVAN: They have been very kind.

EMILY: Yay.

O'SULLIVAN: Sit down and join my stream, Emily.

EMILY: OK. What's that?

We got $100. Well, I got $100.

O'SULLIVAN: How do you know that?

EMILY: Because there's an alert. Like when someone gives 100, this alert will play. So they're a gig of chat.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): So there's a lot to unpack there. But basically what you saw is she streams live on Twitch, which is a live video streaming platform. She has something running all the time.

You saw those messages on screen. That's chat. That is basically her viewers who can interact with her at any time.

And then as you saw there, chat also acts as a way of making money. So at any moment, people can donate to her, pay her to do certain things or do sort of stunts or pranks or whatever. And I mean, my takeaway from that was we often talk about social media addiction as us as consumers.

But I really think what she's doing here is an elevated version of how many of us are stuck into our phones, right? We know that sort of dopamine hitch when we see we have a notification, we see we have a new follower. She's getting that, but it's 24-7 nonstop.

SANCHEZ: And Donie, quickly, we only have a matter of seconds. She told you she knows that is not healthy. What did she say about the negative consequences?

O'SULLIVAN: Yes, I mean, look, she said it's been very difficult for her to make friends offline. It's hard for her to go to sort of family gatherings, things like that. She does not date, which was one question which everybody had.

So it's taking over her life. I asked her if, you know, she could stop. She said she could stop whenever she wants.

But I think like many of us, you know, who are hooked into our phones all the time, they are addictive. I think she's just got a different form of the addiction that many of the rest of us have.

[16:00:00]

HILL: Yes. Yep. I think so. Can't confirm.

SANCHEZ: Donie O'Sullivan, thank you so much. You can catch Doni's series "DEVOTED" on the CNN app. So don't throw your phone in the ocean like I want to right now and download the app and watch Doni's "DEVOTED."

HILL: So what I'm taking away from this force is you have no plans for a 24-7 live stream.

SANCHEZ: Oh, I can barely do three hours. It's been a long three hours. "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END