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WH Says Conversations with Iran are "Productive and Ongoing"; Pakistan Delegation Arrives in Iran as Trump Hints at New Talks; New Accuser Says Eric Swalwell Raped Her in 2018; He Denies; WH Raises Questions About What Dems Knew About Swalwell; Trump: GOP Needs Reconciliation Bill to Fund ICE, Border Patrol; Rep. Julie Johnson (D- TX) Discusses About Eric Swalwell's Case; Jury Finds Ticketmaster, Live Nation Operated as Monopoly; Hero Oklahoma Principal Takes Down Gunman in School's Lobby 3-3:30p ET

Aired April 15, 2026 - 15:00   ET

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

PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: ... and he was of course on the January 6th committee and he described this as, quote, "an insult to the jurors who heard the evidence and did their civic duty, to the judges who presided over these cases and sentenced these criminals and above all to the heroic officers who were wounded, bloodied and broken defending our democracy on that terrible day."

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: All right. Well, so we will see exactly how this plays out, but it seems like we are -- the direction of travel seems like this -- this might be how it ends up. Paula Reid good to see you, thank you so much. And a new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

Engaged but no ceasefire: The White House discussing the state of war with Iran and says there are conversations that could lead to a second round of talks with Tehran.

And a new investigation and more questions the L.A. County Sheriff's Department now saying it will look into new allegations of sexual assault against former congressman, Eric Swalwell.

And in Oklahoma, a high school principal is a hero after he tackled a gunman at his school just moments after he was shot. We're following these moments -- these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We start this hour following a new update from the White House on the war with Iran after President Trump hinted that a second round of talks could be happening this week. With a ceasefire deal said to expire in just six days, president -- Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked where negotiations stand right now. Here is her response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: At this moment, we've remained very much engaged in these negotiations -- in these talks. You heard from the Vice President directly and the President this week that these conversations are productive and ongoing and that's where we are right now. Nothing is official until you hear it from us here at the White House. But we feel good about the prospects of a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Today, a key negotiator from Pakistan is in Tehran as Iran is threatening retaliation against the U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond. CNN's Kevin Liptak is live for us at the White House.

Kevin, what more did Leavitt say about the status of talks?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: You know she said that the U.S. at this point has not formally asked for an extension of that ceasefire that's due to expire next week, which I -- which I think you can interpret in two ways.

One, the U.S. thinks that that deadline is providing some of the pressure to allow these diplomatic gears to keep rolling on to allow the communication to be flowing. But I think you can also interpret it as potentially the White House not believing that it will need to be extended, which I think contributes to the sense of optimism that you're hearing from Karoline Leavitt today suggesting that these talks are going well, that the negotiators will at some point relatively soon be back in Islamabad discussing the finer points of this deal.

You know, President Trump just yesterday suggested that the negotiators could be back in Pakistan by tomorrow. Now, it's a 16-hour flight from Washington to Pakistan. No one has left Washington that we know of, so that doesn't seem to be happening. But still Karoline Leavitt and the President both suggesting that this could happen relatively quickly.

I think what's less clear is what is leading to the optimism, what has Iran agreed to, to submitted to as part of this deal that would contribute to the sense that something could be happening relatively soon. You know, the President has laid out some pretty explicit red lines in particular when it comes to Iran's nuclear ambitions that it not be able to enrich uranium that it give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Those are issues that Iran in the past has refused to concede to.

So far, we don't know exactly what Iran is willing to agree to, that it was not willing to agree to during those 21-hour talks last weekend that J.D. Vance emerged from and said that no deal had been produced. And so, where this is all heading I think is unclear except for the fact that all sides seem to agree that they will be back in Pakistan relatively soon trying to hash out exactly how this war will end.

SANCHEZ: Yes, optimism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined Karoline Leavitt at the briefing and he was asked about a timeline for gas to go back under $4 and he was optimistic about that happening before the end of summer.

LIPTAK: Yes, which is somewhat different from what we heard from President Trump. He did a phone interview over the weekend, when he said -- when he was asked whether gas prices would come down by the time of the midterm elections in November and he said that actually he thought gas prices might be the same or a little bit higher. Scott Bessent offering a much more optimistic timeline for when this a very critically -- politically critically number will come down. Here's what he said on that.

[15:05:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BESSENT, TREASURY SECRETARY: I'm optimistic that during the summer we will see gas with a three in front of it sooner rather than later. Though I've been meeting with a lot of my Middle Eastern counterparts, the finance ministers, and they all say that that once the Straits are open they can start pumping again within one week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: No, he was asked about the prospect of -- of gas at $3 a gallon. Obviously, a gas at a price with a three in front of it is very different than that. But clearly optimistic that those prices will, at some point, come down in -- in that direction, Boris.

SANCHEZ: A lot of optimism during this briefing. Kevin Liptak live force at the White House, thanks so much for the update. Jessica.

DEAN: All right. At a -- at the same time, a key figure in the negotiations is in Iran right now, Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir who has acted as an intermediary in those talks arrived in Tehran with a message directly from the U.S. CNN's Nic Robertson is there in Pakistan with more on this.

Nic, what do you know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, the fact that Asim Munir, the Field Marshal, the most powerful man in the country frankly has gone to Tehran along with the Interior Minister, really indicates that Pakistan is trying to deliver on its part of being the intermediary here to kind of get Iran to shift its position because that's the way it was left. J.D. Vance when he left Sunday said best and final offer Iran has it, the ball effectively in Iran's court.

The question, the core question is really what it takes to -- for Iran to convince the United States it doesn't have an aspiration for a nuclear weapon. Access to the enrichment facilities the deconstruction of those enrichment facilities, the removal of highly enriched uranium, the removal potentially of the components to do that enriching centrifuges.

And then, the question where do they go, do they go to a third country or is there a demand there that -- that something that Iran can't accept. Iran has 2015, for example, gotten rid of its highly enriched uranium or medium enriched uranium not needed for civilian loose -- use to a third country. So, those are the parameters. But, of course, Iran comes at this with its wants as well, it talks about its 10-point plan as being interlocking, you know, it wants the -- it wants the permanent ceasefire with the United States and Israel doesn't want to go back to war again, wants war reparations, money for the damage, wants sanctions lifted, wants its assets unfrozen and says a lot of potential financial incentives there for -- for Iran.

But the -- that -- that most difficult thing that has dogged every, you know, time, U.S. officials negotiate indirectly or directly with Iran. It's getting them to agree on -- on -- on not aspiring to a nuclear weapon and -- and what we hear if we hear leaks from the meetings today in Tehran, that'll give us a clue as to how quickly potentially we could get to face-to-face talks again here in Islamabad.

DEAN: All right. We keep an eye on that. Nic Robertson in Pakistan for us, thank you so much for that reporting.

And still come here, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt raising questions about what Democrats knew about the sexual misconduct allegations against former Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell.

And later, we will meet the adorable and first baby Asian elephant born in the National Zoo in 25 years. That and much more, coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:12:58]

DEAN: The L.A. County Sheriff's Department says its Special Victims Bureau is investigating a new rape allegation against former congressman Eric Swalwell. During a news conference, Tuesday, Lonna Drewes, who was working as a model and an entrepreneur at the time said she and Swalwell were supposed to go to a political event together in 2018 when Swalwell said he needed to go to his West Hollywood hotel room and get paperwork. She described what she says allegedly happened next in an interview with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LONNA DREWES, ERIC SWALWELL ACCUSER: I can't believe that he felt so cavalier that he would just drug me, and then rape me, and then choke me, I couldn't move my arms so he was on top of me choking me and all I could do was just watch. And I passed out, I thought I was dead, I thought I died and then I woke up at, like, four o'clock in the morning and he was next to me and I -- I left.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: Her attorney declined to share detailed corroboration of her claims and CNN could not independently verify those allegations. A lawyer for the former congressman said in a statement Tuesday: "Swalwell categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him."

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke about the Swalwell ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEAVITT: I think it's also quite plausible as you point out, Jack, that there were many other Democrats in this town on Capitol Hill who knew about his, perhaps, illegal behavior, certainly his disgusting and inappropriate behavior. And why were they silent for so long, I think those are questions that must be raised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And we are joined now by Democratic congresswoman, Julie Johnson, of Texas.

Congresswoman, thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it. I know you served ...

REP. JULIE JOHNSON (D-TX): Thank you.

DEAN: ... yes, it's good to see you. I know you served on the Homeland Security Committee with former congressman -- congressman, Swalwell.

[15:15:02]

What did you hear?

JOHNSON: Well, I didn't know anything about these allegations prior to their revelation. It was certainly surprising to me. But, you know, what I do know is that Democrats acted swiftly. These things -- these allegations came out Thursday, here we are yesterday, Tuesday, he is resigned, it was a few days. But let's look at representative Gonzales, those allegations have been known. We've known them now here in D.C. for months and the Republicans have done nothing to expel him. It took Democrats acting against their own for the Republicans to finally act against their own.

DEAN: We have this new reporting from our colleague Sarah Ferris here about a California Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely, but that lawmaker was preparing to formally endorse Swalwell for governor this spring and then they say they hesitated after hearing rumors that he, in their words, slept around in Washington. And they said they had not heard about the allegations of criminal sexual assault or relationships with subordinates.

But my question to you is if these rumors were floating around the Capitol Hill for so long, why did it take till now do you think for Democrats to act on this?

JOHNSON: Well, rumors go around Capitol Hill all the time about lots of things and you have to have some sort of credible evidence. And it took the bravery of these women to come forward and state their claims, clearly unequivocally and convincingly. And when that happened, swift action was taken.

You know, so that's -- that's kind of the thing. There's rumors and then there's facts. And these women were brave, they're -- they're courageous and I hope that they felt heard because swift action was taken in response to the claims that they came forward with. DEAN: I'm curious if you think there is -- there been talk that maybe

it's -- there's a reckoning on the horizon on Capitol Hill from -- frankly members of both parties, what do you think about that?

JOHNSON: I certainly hope so. I mean, sexual assault and abuse of power has no place anywhere in this country, certainly in the U.S. Congress. You know, we're trusted elected representatives. We should have it together to not engage in that sort of behavior and it's reprehensible when members abuse the public trust, abuse their power and prey upon people. And I'm all for it. There needs to be a cleaning house. This kind of behavior should not be tolerated by any member of Congress or any frankly across this country. We see, unfortunately, far too many incidences of sexual assault and predatory behavior by men in power over women and it just cannot be allowed to go forward.

So, hopefully, this is a wake-up call to people across this country that this kind of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated under any condition.

DEAN: And we -- we know that obviously Gonzales and Swalwell have resigned. There are still two other members, Cherfilus-McCormick and Cory Mills that potentially could face expulsion. Where do you stand on -- on those cases?

JOHNSON: I think both of them should be removed from office. They have, again, abused their power they have engaged in conduct not becoming a member of Congress. They, in my opinion, have revoked their rights to be here.

DEAN: All right, I want to ask you one more thing related to your Homeland Security Committee service before we go. DHS still technically shut down, although now almost everyone including ICE and CBP are being paid through workarounds by the Trump administration. President Trump calling again this morning for it to be funded via a reconciliation bill that would be without Democratic votes of course. It makes it hard to see how Dems are going to get any of their demands for ICE reform. Do you think at this point your -- you all strategy, which -- which did put a lot of TSA agents through financial pain and others, was -- is the right one and will you continue to push for that and do you have any regrets?

JOHNSON: Well, sure. I mean, what ICE has done under the Trump administration has been abhorrent. They have terrorized people across this country. It's unacceptable. I hear from my constituents every day how upset they are with the behavior of ICE and the methods and the protocols that they're using. And so, we can't fund that. We can't vote for that if the Republicans want Democratic votes, then they have to have reforms to how they're doing it.

Voting for something means you agree with it, it means you support it. And I don't support the -- the methods and the procedures that ICE are doing currently. If they want to earn our votes for funding, then they need to reform what they're doing. So far, they've been unwilling to do that and, hence, Democrats aren't voting for it.

DEAN: Congresswoman Julie Johnson, thank you so much for your time we appreciate it.

JOHNSON: Absolutely.

DEAN: Boris?

SANCHEZ: Some breaking news right now into CNN, jurors in a federal antitrust trial just found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly driving up fees for fans.

[15:20:02]

CNN Chief Media Analyst Brian Stelter joins us now over the phone with details.

So, Brian, what did the jury determine?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Yes. Today on the fourth day of deliberations, this Manhattan jury delivered the verdict that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have been trying to avoid for years. It's been going on for a long time. But this jury today, it said the music industry giant did operate as a monopoly in its dominance of the live events and ticketing industry.

You know, this is a very complex trial but the bottom line is that Live Nation was found to be stifling competition and driving up fees for fans. CNN's Kara Scannell is at the courthouse right now. She says the jury being dismissed and the next step is a remedies trial along with the review of the federal government settlement and that's one of the most important subplots here.

The federal government originally teamed up with lots of state attorneys general to bring this blockbuster case. But then, Live Nation did a lot of lobbying. Lobbying the Trump administration hard and the Justice Department reached a settlement deal. So, they struck a deal but the state AG's continued to fight in court. That's why this trial went on. That's why this jury delivered this verdict today.

So, it shows a divide in America between the federal government and the state level attorneys general and that's a divide we're probably going to continue to see as the Trump administration appears to be more lenient on big business, but the state level attorneys general, they are still bringing these cases.

SANCHEZ: Brian Stelter, thank you so much for that important update. A story we will continue to follow.

Still ahead, the heroic moment, a school principal in Oklahoma tackles a gunman inside the school's lobby. Video you have to see. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:26:12]

SANCHEZ: An Oklahoma high school principal is being hailed as a hero after he stopped a school shooting suspect in his tracks and the takedown was captured on surveillance video. Watch this. Officials say the suspect was a former student who walked into Pauls Valley High School armed with at least one gun and you see the principal walks through a doorway recognizes what's happening and immediately tackles him to the ground.

Shots were fired in the lobby. Police say that principal Kirk Moore was injured during the scuffle and taken to the hospital though fortunately he is in stable condition. The suspect was arrested and officials say that no students were injured.

Let's discuss with Katherine Schweit. She's a former senior FBI official and active shooter expert and her team actually helped create and ran -- run the agency's active shooter program. Catherine, thanks so much for being with us. What's your reaction to seeing this video and how quickly this principal acts.

KATHERINE SCHWEIT, FORMER SENIOR FBI OFFICIAL: It's really actually pretty encouraging. I -- I -- I know -- I know that not everybody could do a football tackle like that and he obviously has a little skills in that area. But it's -- it really speaks to the fact that, you know, when -- when -- when I started in this world as the FBI lead trying to create active shooter programs for schools, there were programs out there but we really didn't have the same construction that we have now, which is run, hide, fight, which really wasn't. We pushed that out as a group at the federal level and now everybody appreciates that -- that run, hide, fight does include this most serious possibility and he didn't hesitate. He worked his training and that saved lives.

SANCHEZ: Talk to us about the concept of run, hide, fight and what works given certain scenarios.

SCHWEIT: I think that there are -- certainly, a lot of schools, especially since Columbine High School shooting, you know, 25 years ago and -- and other school shootings, a lot of schools train and a lot of businesses train to -- to -- to lock down or to lock out. There's other phrases that people use but run, hide, fight is the one that the federal government chose.

We chose to push out, because we think it tells you exactly what people do. We do know that people run. We do know that people hide and we do know that people fight. And although, we want to say I want to just lock down, I want to just hide that's not really the solution, and I think this is a great example of it. I know our -- our numbers show one in five -- one in four school shootings start outside the classroom or I'm sorry one in four start inside the classroom. That means everybody else is starting outside.

So, students, and parents, and teachers and anybody near the school environment has to be ready to run or hide or fight or some combination of it.

SANCHEZ: Do you think that this was largely the product of being at the right place at the right time or could there have been preventative measures in place? How do you think that this turned out to be arguably the best-case scenario? SCHWEIT: It is the best-case scenario and -- and that's encouraging.

You know, school shootings only account for about 20 percent of these types of shootings that we fear mostly, but I think in this case, you know, there's still more information to come. Was there outside video surveillance? Did somebody see him walking up the sidewalk that put in alert and notification or were there on the other side of that door we saw him come out of, are there windows that the principal came could see him walking up and made that decision?

You -- you can see that he steps out and he's -- he's already aware that something is going on. So, I think he steps out to see if he's safe to -- to tackle the guy and does so. But I think that having a wider perimeter at a school is -- is the most important thing that we can have with schools, whether that's through people who visibly see or electronic eyes that help us to see whether or not somebody may be approaching the school that might be having nefarious intent.

[15:30:03]

SANCHEZ: Yes. However, he realized that that principal is a hero and we hope that he has a speedy recovery.

Katherine Schweit, thank you so much