Return to Transcripts main page
Laura Coates Live
NASA Holds News Conference On Historic Return Of Artemis II Crew; Rep. Eric Swalwell Faces Rape Allegation; Hours Away From Make- Or-Break Ceasefire Talks Between U.S. And Iran. Aired 11p-12a ET
Aired April 10, 2026 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOWARD HU, ORION PROGRAM MANAGER, NASA: And so, we'll be working through that. In the meantime, we will be pulling hardware off the boat in parallel with other activities. And when we get back to Kennedy Space Center, we've got about 286 components we're going to reuse in future missions already, and then we're going to decide, going to look at other components, and determine if we can reuse those as well. A lot of work not only on the hardware flow, but also all the analysis of the data we're going to need going forward to learn from this mission and carry forward for Artemis III and beyond.
UNKNOWN: OK. We'll take one more from the phone, and then come back here into the room. The next question is from Richard Tribou with Orlando Sentinel.
RICHARD TRIBOU, SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR, ORLANDO SENTINEL (via telephone): Hi. Thanks again for taking the time. This is another question for Howard. For Artemis III, is the docking system that you have to do with Blue Origin and/or SpaceX, is that -- at what point would that system be sort of in place on the new capsule? And I guess for Amit, how -- how are your two contractors progressing towards hiring something that can actually go up there on your timeline? Thanks.
HU: OK. I'll start with our docking system. Our docking system is ready to go. It has already been qualified. We've already got the flight unit at Kennedy Space Center. Later this summer, we'll integrate it on top of the crew module. And we've done a lot of testing already. So, the final part is actually the mechanical mating of the docking hatch -- I'm sorry, the docking mechanism itself. And so, we have a standard way of doing dockings in space that we expect Blue Origin and SpaceX to work with us on and accomplish that mission.
AMIT KSHATRIYA, ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR, NASA: Yes. As far as the other part, I think we've got -- we're in a massive test campaign. We've got a huge test coming up of the Blue Origin Mark 1 lander, which will be the kind of smaller version of the lander they want to use to attempt the landing missions. There's going be a test flight of that this year. We also have the test of the Block 3 Starship and Super Heavy, which is coming up, hopefully, in a few weeks here. So, you know, every day -- every day in this program, we're going to be testing big machines, and we're just going to keep getting side by side with them to help them make progress.
UNKNOWN: OK. Jacqui, and then we'll come back to the other side of the room.
JACQUI GODDARD, CORRESPONDENT, THE TIMES OF LONDON: Thank you. Jacqui Goddard for The Times of London. My question is for Howard. As a little boy, you were inspired by "Star Wars." I wondered if today is better for you than "Star Wars." And for future space travelers looking back at today, what should they see as being the significance? Thank you.
HU: Wow. You might be watching my old interviews or something. But I would say a thousand -- I don't know what the number is. Thousands of times better. You know, I would say that I shared a moment with my father. He took me to see "Star Wars." He's not live today. I wish he was because that little kid who saw and was inspired by the stars, and now we're able to send our crew out to the stars, the farthest any humans have been, I mean, I can't even express just how I feel and the goosebumps -- goosebumps I have.
And I would say that for all the kids out there, I mean, just pursue the dreams. I can't say any better than the crews. You know, I tell my kids also, pursue what you're passionate about. And my passion is a space program. My passion is NASA. And I was able to accomplish that today and, hopefully, many more days going forward. But you have opportunity to do what you are passionate about. And hopefully, those kids who are in love with human space flight, in love with going to the stars, will be inspired by us, especially by our crews, and come join NASA. Come work for us. We've got a lot of missions ahead.
UNKNOWN: OK. Go ahead.
ARIEL MOUTSATSOS-MORALES, U.S. BUREAU CHIEF AND SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, TELEVISAUNIVISION: Thank you. Ariel Moutsatsos from TelevisaUnivision. The only mission until today that -- for which the communications blackout lasted six minutes was Apollo 13, if I am not mistaken. Today's lasted six minutes, around six minutes. Does that say anything about the design of the ship or what is the reason behind that? And also, very quickly, can we see a Hispanic in one of the next missions of Artemis? Thank you very much.
RICK HENFLING, LEAD ENTRY FLIGHT DIRECTOR, ARTEMIS II: As far as the duration of the blackout, a lot of that, that's just dictated by the physics of the approach trajectory. You know, the Orion spacecraft, when you get enveloped by, you know, plasma that's thousands of degrees, the radio frequency of the antennas just can't -- just can't shoot through that.
[23:05:05]
You know, on the space shuttle, we were lucky we had the tail and we had an antenna up on the tail, and it took us a while to figure that out. That was a way to keep calm. For Orion, it was six minutes, but it was predicted, and it played out exactly as we predicted. So, that just gave us confidence that it was flying the way it was supposed to.
UNKNOWN: Go.
WILL ROBINSON-SMITH, REPORTER, SPACEFLIGHT NOW: Hi. Thank you. Will Robinson-Smith with Spaceflight Now. Congratulations again tonight. A question for Rick. The whole flight operations team has been exceedingly busy throughout the course of this mission, in preparation for this mission. I imagine there will be a little bit of breathing room now that the crew is back safely on Earth. But when do you kind of get the band back together to start prepping for Artemis III and will it be the same complement of flight directors that we saw for Artemis II? Thank you.
HENFLING: You're right that the next mission is right around the corner. And, you know, we'll take the lessons learned from Artemis II. We learned a bunch on how to fly people in space, both from vehicle operations, but also from how to -- how to run a control room with a deep space mission. And when the time is right, we'll get back into flight specific training. And, you know, we've got a core group of about 30 flight directors, and they're all extremely capable. And, you know, I think anybody who's assigned to that next mission is going to be as successful as the three of us, myself, Judd, and Jeff.
UNKNOWN: Yes, we'll take you.
TOM CLARKE, JOURNALIST, SKY NEWS: Tom Clarke with Sky News. Congratulations on a very successful mission. Amit, you spoke yesterday of there only being irrational fears. I wonder if you succumbed to any. And if so, what they were. But more, after such a successful test flight, how much of a boost is this to NASA's confidence in its wider mission to stay on the moon?
KSHATRIYA: For the -- for the campaign, this is a huge step, you know, for us to build confidence, not just in our understanding of how this machine performs, but just that this organization can rise to the standard of qualifying a vehicle like this for crewed flight. I think that's huge. It took a lot of discipline and lot of changes between Artemis I and now to get there, and the team really rose to the equation. These folks here, they did a tremendous job of instilling the amount of discipline and rigor and belief in the qualification standards to make sure this is going to work.
And so, to me, that was almost the biggest objective of this mission, was to prove to ourselves that we could move to crude flight but maintain, you know, the same level of, you know, risk, knowledge and understanding, but also, you know, really focus on what that looks like.
To your point, it is when you fly the crew, when you fly any crew, you can be paralyzed. You know, you can almost be paralyzed by risk because you will become so close to them, you understand what's at stake with the families, you understand what's at stake. But the crew knows this. And we have to do it, too, but organizationally understand that what we do is we take calculated risks, and that it's going to take risks to explore. But you have to make sure you find the right line between being paralyzed by it and being able to manage it and bound it the right way.
UNKNOWN: OK. Andrea. And then, after that, we'll come to Michael, and then takes it all on the phone. ANDREA LEINFELDER, SPACE REPORTER, HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Andrea Leinfelder of the Houston Chronicle. This question is for Rick. I enjoyed seeing the flight controllers storm into a white flight control room. And I was just wondering, were those the controllers from the back room? Were there people who were off duty who just couldn't be away? And why was it important to open the room to them and to let more like of the Houston workforce celebrate that moment? Thanks.
HENFLING: That was anybody. I made a call out to anybody who had worked the mission, no matter what shift or what room you were sitting in to come into the room and just soak in the moment with the rest of the operations team. They all deserved it. They worked tremendously hard, both pre-flight and during the mission. And it was a time for us to celebrate together before celebrating outside of that room.
UNKNOWN: OK. Michael.
MICHAEL ATKINSON, REPORTER, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA: Hi. I'm Michael Atkinson, Houston Public Media. Congratulations again. My question is also for Rick. I think that we've asked the crew several times if they felt the weight of this moment. And I'm curious if you felt or, you know, if you know your other flight directors felt the weight of this, that as you were going through all this, you're like, this is what Gene Kranz felt, this is what Chris Kraft felt. Did you ever feel that moment?
HENFLING: There were a couple of times where you're just -- you are kind of -- you have a wall in the shift and you can kind of sit back in your seat and just look out -- just look out the window. You know, I do that at ISS a lot when I work down the hall, working in figure one. You just enjoy the view.
[23:10:00]
You know, as we -- as I worked early in the mission on the planning shift, the moon was getting bigger and bigger, and it was fun to just sit and watch the moon get bigger. And then as we worked on the entry minus one day shift yesterday and then on the entry shift, it was fun to watch the Earth get bigger. And it was fascinating to watch orbital mechanics take over. And in the last day when I took the console, I think we were -- earlier this morning, I think we were over 50,000 miles away from Earth. We made up that last 50,000 miles in the last eight hours. And yes, it was -- it's a fun job to do.
UNKNOWN: All right, we'll take several questions from the phone. We have Anthony Leone with Spectrum News.
ANTHONY LEONE, DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR AND REPORTER, SPECTRUM NEWS (via telephone): Hello. It's Anthony Leone with Spectrum News. Thank you so much for taking our questions. This is certainly a historic moment. Matthew (ph) has kicked off the return of humans visiting the moon. How does it feel to write this new chapter in our history book?
UNKNOWN: I have to tell you -- LAURA COATES, CNN HOST: We've been watching the NASA press conference on the return of Artemis II crew. All four astronauts, they're able to now be home safely back on Earth. Good evening, I'm Laura Coates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
COATES: What an incredible day fill with incredible moments, including this one, the moment they emerge from the Orion capsule after slashing down off the coast of San Diego. Commander Reid Wiseman was the last to exit the craft. And when he did, mission control went wild with the applause that you're hearing right now. I mean, that inflatable raft they're on, that's called the front porch.
It was from there that they were hoisted by helicopter, taken to the USS John P. Murtha, and that's the recovery ship where they're now getting their medical evaluations. I mean, the scenes that unfolded were incredible. The crew, they were all smiles. NASA says the whole thing went off without a hitch. I mean, perfectly. And their reentry into Earth's atmosphere was just as amazing to watch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: This was one of the first clear shot that we had of that capsule after a six-minute comms blackout. During that reentry process, it was moving, get this, at nearly 25,000 miles per hour, and the surface heat got up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit. After flying through the atmosphere, the main parachutes, they eventually came out. The capsule slowed down to less than 20 miles per hour. And finally, the splashdown at 5:07 Pacific time. And that was right on time, right on target.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: I want to get right to CNN's Randi Kaye at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Randi, I mean, it was picture perfect. What's mission control saying about these astronauts return and how perfectly, frankly, it went?
RANDI KAYE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, they are celebrating, that's for sure. They even brought in people who didn't even work in mission control to celebrate. They went around the building and just opened the doors and let people come in. There was high fives, there was handshakes, there was all kinds of stuff. They are just so relieved.
But you know what? They were so calm and so confident. They really believed in the science behind this mission, the people who built this spaceship, and all of the people who had a hand in this. And that's who they're really celebrating tonight. As they said at the press conference, it's good to be NASA, it's good to be an American today.
Just think about this. This crew went more than 252,000 miles away from Earth, farther than any human has ever done before. So, it's an incredible feat. They said that they're hearing everything from the flight surgeons, that the crew is happy and healthy, which is certainly good news. It was a textbook landing, landing less than a mile from their target.
So, of, course there's still work to be done, Laura. I mean, they are celebrating tonight, but they're also going to look at the capsule and examine it --
COATES: Yes.
KAYE: -- because they have to look at this heat shield that's been an issue. Just make sure that it operated well because with Artemis I, as you know, there were big chunks of it that came off and there were cracks and some pock marks. So, they want to make sure because it was a similar heat shield that there wasn't any more damage. They did change the trajectory to try and reduce the amount of heat that this capsule took on its way in. So, they're hoping that that worked, but they will have to look at that again.
The astronauts are getting medically looked over, and they will be back here with their families. We're told sometime after 7 a.m. tomorrow here in Houston, they will reunite, and then probably have some of their favorite foods and celebrate a little bit and relax.
[23:15:00]
COATES: I mean, they have been on a mission for the ages for all mankind. They've talked about this, the idea that they have some medical evaluations to go through. This is no small feat to return in the way that they have. It takes a toll, a physical toll on the body. What are we going to hear from them?
KAYE: We should hear from them, NASA says, in the next couple of weeks, you know. But they really do need some time. I mean, they looked great, though. I mean, they were sitting on the side of the helicopter. You know, Pilot Victor Glover was raising his hands and raising his fists in the air. They walked without the use of the wheelchairs, leaning on a couple of the personnel that were helping them. But it was incredible. But we should hear from them very likely within a couple of weeks and see what they have to say about the mission. Here at NASA, they're already talking about the next mission.
COATES: You know, talk about overachievers. Randi Kaye, thank you so much.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm joined now by Brandon Glover, Astronaut Victor Glover's brother. So good to see you. We can't hear from him for some time. I'm so excited to talk to you because this is a historic moment for so many reasons. I mean, how proud are you tonight of your brother?
BRANDON GLOVER, BROTHER OF ARTEMIS II ASTRONAUT VICTOR GLOVER: I will say, honestly, the words just don't do it justice. It's a -- first of all, we're elated that, you know, he's back on the big ball safe and sound. Hats off to NASA for broadcasting the entire mission. They did a great job on the coverage. And I tell you what, I can't give them enough credit. Everybody at NASA, great job. That was a flawless mission from start to finish. And as a family member with somebody on that capsule the whole way, I tell you what, it was a -- it was a big sigh of relief to see them come back safe and sound. Again, great job there.
COATES: I can only imagine. I mean, here we are watching. We've gotten to know your brother and other members of the crew just from their words, their compassion. I mean, people began to really just feel like they knew them and know them so well.
But I can imagine for family members like yourself, you're thinking about that reentry. Your brother had been thinking about the reentry apparently since the day he was assigned to this mission. They came into the atmosphere at more than 30 times the speed of sound, hitting close to 5,000 degrees in temperature. I mean, tell me about your nerves because I would have been -- had my heart in my mouth.
GLOVER: Well, I will say, I think the entire neighborhood heard me let out a big sigh of relief and a big woo when they came back through and they made -- they made comms contact again. Again, can't say enough about all those great people over at NASA. They -- they had the numbers worked out flawlessly, and it turned out absolutely perfectly. It was -- it was a joy to watch.
COATES: I mean, the timeline, I was looking beforehand what was expected, they hit every single target. It's unbelievable. But you're right and that's why it's so important to talk to members of the family like yourself because Victor and his wife, they've got four daughters. I mean, this is not like a one-month preparation. This mission requires years of work. Today, one NASA official said -- quote -- "the courage that the families show during these missions is as great as or equal to what the crew shows when they go to fly." I mean, talk to me about the support it takes for the entire family to support Victor in his dream, knowing that the entire like human race benefits.
GLOVER: Yes. Look, the roller coaster of emotions that we felt as the timelines kept changing and even on launch day, them clearing the cautions in real time in front of the entire world was very impressive. It is truly an emotional roller coaster. And, you know, hats off to Victor Junior. He handles it like a true professional. He never let any of the cracks show. Pure confidence in the team, pure confidence in their mission. He went out there like a true professional and did what he was supposed to do.
COATES: And I have to play, I know we have time, but I got to play what he had to say about just the human history, knowing full well that he has entered into the history of books not only for his courage, his intellect, his tenacity, but also what he represents. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR GLOVER, PILOT, ARTEMIS II: That young brown boys and girls can look at me and go, hey, he looks like me and he's doing what? And that's great. I love that. But I also hope we are pushing the other direction that one day, we don't have to talk about these first. That one day, this is just -- listen to this. That this is the human history. It's about human history. It's the story of humanity, not Black history, not women's history, but that it becomes human history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COATES: Brandon, so well said. I'm sure you agree.
B. GLOVER: Absolutely. I think the world really got to see what kind of man he really is. And a lot of people are already resonating with the words that he spoke along this mission. And it really is just a true joy that everybody else gets to see the man, the big brother that I know so well.
COATES: Brandon Glover, thank you.
B. GLOVER: Thank you so much for having me.
COATES: I'm joined now by former NASA astronaut, Dr. Robert Satcher.
[23:20:00]
He's also an orthopedic surgeon and founder of OrbitalMed, which provides specialized health services to astronauts. Dr. Satcher, thank you so much for joining me. I mean, walk me through what it's like for the astronauts to even be back on Earth. We saw them walking on the USS Murtha. Some, by the way, without help. What do think they're feeling physically tonight?
DR. ROBERT SATCHER, ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, FOUNDER OF ORBITALMED, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: Yes, after being in space for 10 days, it's a readjustment coming back to gravity. So, your legs are a little bit weaker. Your cardiovascular system is readjusting. And most importantly, your balance is readjusting once you're back on the ground. And so, it takes a little bit of adjustment. They did really well. They looked really good. And it was good to see that they could move under their own power like that.
COATES: Is time the only way for that change to process or is there a timeline that you would expect for that entire process of re- acclamation to occur?
SATCHER: Yes, it takes a couple of weeks for every day that you're in space and in microgravity to readjust once you get back on the ground. So, time is the thing. And it's just because it just takes a while for physiology of your body to readjust and to regain all of the strength. Also, for your brain to kind of figure out again, ok, here we are, we got gravity under our feet, and let's go back to, you know, functioning the way that we did before we went into microgravity.
COATES: Do they remain under medical supervision or are they able to be home?
SATCHER: They let you go home after a few days. It's not like back in the Apollo era where they kept you in quarantine for a few weeks after you got back. And it's understood that psychologically, it's better for you to be back with your family and with your loved ones. And there's really nothing medically that would preclude that.
Probably the only thing that at least I remember from when I got back is it really took a while when all of the other sensory things were removed, like when the lights were out and everything like that, you are kind of feel like you're still floating like you were in space, but that gradually went away after a few weeks. So, it's safe for you to go on back. You do have to check in with doctors regularly, though, just to make sure you're OK.
COATES: The astronauts I saw, they were wearing these orange pressure suits for the reentry. They're called the Orion Crew Survival System. They ac are actually, I hear, designed specifically for the Artemis program. And the designer of the suits described them as personal spacecraft. How do they work?
SATCHER: Yes, those suits are great. I mean, they're an upgrade from what we had on the shuttle. If you remember, on the shuttle, we had the orange suits for launch and entry also. But these, you can survive in these suits for up to six days. So, they are made specifically for missions like this. So, if something goes wrong, they can, you know, last in those suits long enough to get back safely on the ground. So, they're a fantastic upgrade.
COATES: Well, NASA's administrator said tonight, after this mission, I think the path of the surface is open now. I mean, the president congratulated the crew and said, the next step is now Mars. So, talk to me about what this mission means for really both of those goals.
SATCHER: Yes, this is huge. In terms of exploring the solar system and going into deep space, the moon is going to serve as a practice ground, a training ground if you like, to develop the technologies and all the processes we need to be able to explore beyond the moon. Specifically, Mars is the first target because we know the moon is not another planet. It's the moon. Mars will be the first planet that we go to beyond Earth. But we got to get it all right so that we can get people there safely and back safely, and the moon is critical for that.
COATES: I'm really curious about this experimentation that happened aboard the spacecraft. It was called the AVATAR study, Dr. Satcher. And NASA apparently sent these USB-sized organ chips into space derived from the crew members' bone marrow. I guess the goal was to simulate what happens to astronauts' organs when they're in space. Explain to me how this works and what the findings could mean for the future of space travel.
SATCHER: Yes, I think this was inspired by the twin experiment with the Kelly twins where Scott Kelly, who's identical to Mark, was in space for a year, and they looked at what sort of changes happened comparatively with them.
[23:24:53]
So, they're taking tissue from each astronaut and there's some tissue which is here on the ground, flying some of that tissue in space, and then doing comparative analysis of what happens to the cells when they go through the experience of flying in space. And this is all to help us understand what happens to the body so that we can take the measures that we need so that we can have people live and work and be healthy in space and prevent any sort of medical conditions that we may not fully understand as yet today. So, this gives us more insight into what happens.
COATES: I mean, the mommy in me thinks about all the kids who are watching. We're talking about the next generation of astronauts who are looking up to each and every one of you. I mean, people were watching today and thinking about this. What does that mean to you to know that you have inspired, as has this mission as well now, inspired so many young people to think of what could be possible?
SATCHER: Yes, I fully well understand. I'm not only an astronaut, but I'm a parent also. I have a son and a daughter. And when I was growing up, I was inspired looking at the Apollo missions. So, this is their generation's turn to be inspired. And it couldn't come any sooner. It gives us something all to pull together and something to shoot for. They know that this is on them now. They can carry this forward. This is just the beginning. This is really truly just the beginning. We need to carry this forward to do what we as a species are put here to do, which is to explore, to discover, to go beyond.
COATES: Dr. Robert Satcher, thank you.
SATCHER: Thank very much.
COATES: Breaking news, up next, a political bombshell in California's race for governor. One of Congressman Eric Swalwell's former staffers accusing him of rape as other women allege sexual misconduct. CNN's Pamela Brown is here with me with the exclusive investigation and the congressman's brand-new response tonight. And later, the Iranians awaiting Vice President J.D. Vance to enter make-or-break peace talks to end the war, just as the president issues a new threat if the regime doesn't deal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: CNN has new exclusive reporting about Congressman Eric Swalwell. The Democrat is running for California governor, as you know. He has been facing rumors on social media about sexual misconduct allegations that he has denied. CNN's Pamela Brown and her team have spoken with four accusers, including a former staffer who went on camera to share her story. A warning, you're about to hear some disturbing and graphic details. Here's Pamela Brown's report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN: I kept figuring out ways to blame myself. I shouldn't have reached out to him at all. I should have left. I should have done this. Well, Eric shouldn't have raped me.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): This Capitol Hill staffer is coming forward for the first time on camera to talk about her experience with Congressman Eric Swalwell. He is now a leading Democratic candidate for governor of California.
REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): Let's get together, make the biggest wave this state has ever seen.
BROWN (voice-over): Swalwell was in his late 30s and married when she joined his office as an intern and became a junior staffer. She's speaking in shadow as she fears professional consequences.
UNKNOWN: It was in 2019. I was again driving him to an event. This was my job.
BROWN: And you were 21 years old?
UNKNOWN: I was 21 years old. We see some sort of parking lot, and he says to pull over. He pulls out his penis and instructs me to give him oral sex. And I started to -- again, I felt incredibly uncomfortable, and I stopped, and I said to him, this feels really uncomfortable and anyone could see us right now. And he said to me, you're right, it's probably not good for a congressman to be caught with his pants down.
BROWN (voice-over): Swalwell calls her allegations false. His campaign responded earlier to vague accusations on social media related to his behavior with staffers.
UNKNOWN: Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers?
SWALWELL: No. It's false. And also, you know, some of the allegations I've seen, which is that -- we've had NDAs in the office. Never -- there has never been an allegation and there has never been a settlement. And, you know, I will also just take stock that, look, we're 27 days before an election starts.
BROWN: Did he ask you to send him lewd photos?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
BROWN: And did he ever send lewd photos?
UNKNOWN: Yes. He would send short Snapchat videos of him rubbing his penis through his pants while on the airplane.
BROWN (voice-over): The staffer says she liked Swalwell's attention at first and nervously went along with it, which included sending back nude photos of herself. But in September 2019, she says she and some friends met up with Swalwell. After a night of heavy drinking, she says she woke up naked with Swalwell in a hotel room with no memory of what happened.
UNKNOWN: The five of us were having some drinks. At some point, it was time to go home. I got in an Uber. I was taken to the Aloft Dublin- Pleasanton where he was staying. And I don't remember what happened that night. But I know that we -- there was sexual contact because when I woke up in the morning, I could feel that there was.
[23:35:00]
He said as much, too.
BROWN: What did he say?
UNKNOWN: That last night was great. It didn't feel great to me because I didn't remember it.
BROWN: And so, you blacked out and you end up in his hotel room and wake up with him?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
BROWN (voice-over): She says another incident occurred in 2024 after this event in New York where Swalwell gave a speech.
SWALWELL: Some of us are working hard on Capitol Hill.
BROWN (voice-over): At the time, she no longer worked for Swalwell's office.
UNKNOWN: I decided to ask him to meet me for a drink. And I did this because I was so far removed from what had happened in 2019. I felt safe because I was established. I had a partner. I felt more secure that I could have a strictly professional relationship with this person. After that bar closed, we went to another. I went to the bathroom, and I don't remember anything after that.
BROWN: You don't remember anything?
UNKNOWN: I remember the next day, I can see flashes of that evening of him on top of me, me pushing him off, him grabbing me. It was a lot more aggressive. It was aggressive.
BROWN: Did you say no?
UNKNOWN: Yes. I said no. I said I -- in my flash that I can recall, I was pushing him off of me saying no.
BROWN: And what did he do?
UNKNOWN: He didn't stop. He didn't stop.
BROWN: And you woke up the next morning?
UNKNOWN: I woke up the next morning naked, alone in his hotel room. I, for a moment, didn't even know I was in his hotel room. That's how intoxicated I was. And I called my mom, the only person I could think that could help me.
BROWN (voice-over): Her mother confirmed her account in an interview with CNN. CNN also reviewed screenshots of texts she sent to a friend saying she was -- quote -- "sexually assaulted by Eric." She also shared this note from a physician's assistant calling her a -- quote -- "survivor" after she went to get tested for STDs one week later.
BROWN: Why do you feel like it's so important to speak out now?
UNKNOWN: When I found out there were others who might have been impacted by Eric in different ways, I realized I couldn't be scared anymore because that is how he keeps us quiet. The fear, the shame.
BROWN (voice-over): In addition to this former staffer, three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged sexual misconduct by Swalwell. One said he kissed her and touched her without her consent. Two of the women said he sent them unsolicited, explicit messages or nude images of himself, something the others say Swalwell did with them as well. One shared this message where he commented on her photo and wrote -- quote -- "That swimsuit," with an expletive. "You like it?" she responded. "Yes, very much like," he wrote.
In a statement to CNN, Swalwell said -- quote -- "These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women.
UNKNOWN: There is another me out there. There is another young girl who dreams of working in this field and believes in him and could fall into this trap.
BROWN: And that's why you're speaking out?
UNKNOWN: Yes.
BROWN: You want to protect others like you when you were young?
UNKNOWN: No one protected me. Sorry. No one protected me. And I don't want someone else to suffer because I know what I know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COATES: And Pamela Brown joins me now. Pamela, unbelievably intense in terms of that conversation. What else do we know about how the campaign has been responding? I mean, obviously, he's running for governor. He's a member of Congress. This is unbelievably striking.
BROWN: Yes, he is under mounting pressure to withdraw from Democratic leaders. His campaign is unraveling since these allegations came to light today. And Congressman Swalwell, for his part, posted this video defending himself particularly against a sexual assault allegation. So, I want to watch what he posted to social media.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SWALWELL: A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations. I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly. These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They're absolutely false. 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 frontrunner candidate for governor in California. I do not suggest to you in any way that I'm perfect or that I'm a saint. I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife.
[23:40:00]
And to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position. I also apologize to you if in any way you've doubted your support for me. But I think you know who I am. For over 20 years, I have served the public as a city councilman, as a member of Congress, and as a prosecutor who went to court on behalf of victims, particularly on behalf of sexual assault victims. That's who I am and have always been.
This weekend, I'm going to spend time with my family and friends. I appreciate those who have reached out to me to show support. I look forward to updating you very soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: And the lawyer for Swalwell sent two of the women CNN spoke with seize and desist letters on Thursday. That was a day after CNN first reached out to his campaign to request comment according to copies of the letters that they provided CNN, the women. And the letters called the women's accounts false, ordered them to retract their statements, and warned of potential legal action if they continue to speak out. The women stand by their accounts to us, Laura.
COATES: Pamela Brown, thank you so much.
BROWN: Thank you.
COATES: The political fallout, it has been swift. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is encouraging him to drop out of the race for California governor, saying any investigation that happens -- quote -- "is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign." Other Democrats, even more forceful. Longtime ally and California Senator Adam Schiff saying -- quote -- "I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately and believe that he should withdraw from the race."
I want to bring in Mike Madrid, co-founder of the Lincoln Project and co-host of "The Latino Vote," and Julie Roginsky, Democratic strategist and author of the "Salty Politics" newsletter on Substack. Welcome to both of you. This reporting, as we were talking with Pamela Brown, particularly stunning this week. Julie, Swalwell is denying the allegations. And as of now, he remains in the race for governor. Do you think he's going to listen to his colleagues and quit the race?
JULIE ROGINSKY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER AUTHOR: I think he should listen to what is best for himself and for his marriage and for his family. It's not for me to say, but it sounds to me very much like he's going to take the weekend to contemplate what that is.
COATES: Yes.
ROGINSKY: He should drop out.
COATES: Julie, I want to fix -- I want to hear what you have to say. It's very important to me. So, I want to fix your sound for a second. Let me just go to Mike. We aren't hearing -- I mean, Swalwell frequently called out Trump, the president of the United States, even when he was candidate Trump, over the allegations that he faced. Swalwell told the New York Magazine back in 2019 -- quote -- "We have a president who was a serial liar, grifter, and assaulter. To the extent we can, we should hold him accountable for all of this. I wouldn't take anything off the table."
How much more damaging are these allegations given, frankly, the brand that he has built and how forceful he has been with respect to allegations in the past?
MIKE MADRID, POLITICAL ANALYST, CO-FOUNDER OF THE LINCOLN PROJECT, "THE LATINO VOTE" CO-HOST: I think that's a great question. It brings up a whole lot of issues. The first is why is this not held to the same standards across parties because we are seeing the Democratic establishment move rather quickly to call for his resignation. You just mentioned Adam Schiff, who's very close to him. U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, very close to him. Mayor Karen Bass just made a statement at Los Angeles telling him it's time to kind of suspend the campaign.
And as Julie correctly pointed out before we lost her audio, it sure sounds like he's leaving the door open here to make some decisions over the weekend and do what's right for his family, for his children. And the viability of this campaign, I think, is really, really suspect. So, yes, I think the previous pronouncements that he made, no question, we are going to have to weigh into the viability of his prospects going forward, but those prospects were probably dramatically diminished to begin with.
COATES: We have Julie back. Glad to have you. I mean, Congressman Swalwell, he invited an Epstein survivor to the State of the Union this year. Teresa J. Helm is her name. And Democrats have been hoping the Epstein issue would motivate voters in the midterms. And also, they've been calling for justice on behalf of the survivors. How does this impact the Democrats' message on a topic like this? Does it fatally undermine their credibility if he stays or if people continue to support him, at least those who are office holders?
ROGINSKY: I'm not really sure who's still supporting him. You saw the entire leadership of the House, you saw Nancy Pelosi, you saw Adam Schiff, you saw the chairman of his own campaign and so on tell him to drop out. You saw Ruben Gallego, one of his closest friends in -- formerly in the House, now in the Senate.
COATES: They're telling him to leave the governors' race, not resign. Does that impact it, Julie?
ROGINSKY: Well, listen. There is a House Ethics Committee that has probably investigation that is going to be open into this.
[23:44:56] I have worked on the Hill, and I will tell you right now, if I were advising Eric Swalwell, I would tell him to resign before he has to go through that committee because if one of these accusers, particularly the main accuser who Pamela interviewed, speaks under oath and testifies under oath before that committee, it is going to be devastating for him and it is only going to make his life more painful.
His career is over. It is not one woman. It is four women, one of whom went on the record, three of whom had incredibly, incredibly detailed allegations, two of whom had allegations, although they seem to not know each other, that mirrored almost identically what happened to them. That is not a good narrative for Congressmen Swalwell.
If I were in his shoes, I would go home, I would address my relationship with my family. Sounds to me like he admitted that there were troubles there. And there are more important things, I think, than politics these politicians need to understand. And it sounds to me like he's got a lot of stuff going on that he needs to take care of at home and not worry so much about who the next governor of California is going to be at the moment or even whether he wants to run for another term.
COATES: I will note there is a range of accusations, one of which we've heard through Pamela Brown's reporting, others that involved different conduct at issue.
But the larger point, Mike, as we're talking about, I mean, he has been steadfast, at least even through tonight, that this did not happen, that he is denying the accusations. I obviously recognize as a former prosecutor that we are in a presumed innocent world, at least in the court of law. Now, the court of public opinion has a very different take on a lot of issues similar to this. And polls suggested that he was one of the frontrunners in the race for governor. He has cited his race for governor contextualizing what he calls the accusations.
Whether he drops out or not, how do you see this impacting the overall race for governor of California?
MADRID: Yes. That is a great question. I think it is fair to characterize Eric Swalwell as having been the frontrunner for the governor of California. The polls were bouncing between, you know, one or two points.
But he clearly was being called out by Donald Trump as kind of the leader of Trump resistance, which was, you know, an untold benefit to be had by a Democratic candidate seeking to separate himself in a multi-candidate field.
And most of the recent polling up until today was showing that that consolidation was starting to happen. Democrats were beginning to rally around his campaign and kind of back him as sort of this leader of the resistance as California Democratic leaders are kind of expected to be. But you're asking the right question which is, what happens now? There are so many questions about the state of the Democratic Party in California. This is a state that should have three or maybe four future presidential aspirants running for governor, but there's nothing even remotely like that. This does open up, I believe, this next tier of candidates where you could have six or seven viable candidates running in the Democratic primary that could emerge in the next couple of weeks.
And the unfortunate part is you have a Democratic Party chair who's also a friend asking people to get out of the race. I think the Democratic Party really is having this come to Jesus moment where it needs to have a very robust discussion between as many candidates as possible to figure out what it is, what it stands for, and who's going to be the standard bearer to start driving California forward.
That argues for a bigger field, a bigger discussion. Use this as an opportunity to open up and not narrow it down and try to predetermine who those candidates are going to be.
COATES: Mike, Julie, thanks for your insight this evening. Breaking news, next, we are just hours away from the high stakes talks between the United States and Iran. Vice President J.D. Vance set to lead the negotiations just as the president and Iran trade new threats. Plus, does Iran know where its minds are? Stunning new reporting tonight on why the regime may be struggling to reopen the strait.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[23:50:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COATES: Right now, critical time in the Iran war. We are moments away from Vice President J.D. Vance arriving in Pakistan to begin peace talks with Iran. Iranian officials arrived earlier tonight. So far, the two-week ceasefire seems to be holding.
But neither side is getting exactly what they want before talks begin. The United States wanted the Strait of Hormuz reopen. But only one oil tanker passed through today. Iran wanted a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel says that's not happening for now. And President Trump told the New York Post if talks collapse, he's ready to act. Quote -- "We're loading up the ships with the best weapons ever made, even at a higher level than we used to do a complete decimation."
I want to bring in Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute, he was the lead architect of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, and Alex Vatanka, who is senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. Glad to have both of you here this evening as we are on the cusp of these peace talks.
Alex, I mean, these talks, they're starting out on shaky ground, given what has happened in the last several days. You had Iran today demanding the United States hand over assets that blocked by the U.S., and Trump saying he's getting the military ready if it doesn't work out, as we just saw.
[23:55:05]
Do the Iranians really want to work out a deal? Is that their goal here?
ALEX VATANKA, SENIOR FELLOW, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Well, I think they wanted to deal from the very beginning of the war, but they weren't sure if the American side was serious about a diplomatic solution to this. As this war sort of progressed and they became more comfortable that the American president, Donald Trump, wants an end to this war, they became more comfortable moving in that direction. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent such a senior Iranian delegation to Islamabad.
And we have to remember, Laura, these people are coming out of hiding. They're taking a big risk showing up in Islamabad. To me, that suggests they are serious about at least trying to see if diplomacy might work.
COATES: Netanyahu is not going to be there. What impact is that going to have given that, as I said, there is the issue of Lebanon?
VATANKA: The Iranian bottom line on Bibi Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, is simple. If the Americans feel they can have a deal with Iran, Washington will get Israel to back off in Lebanon and perhaps even elsewhere.
COATES: There's lot of heated rhetoric that's going both ways. The president is saying today, "The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the world by using international waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate." Now, we've heard the idea of who has the cards with respect to Ukraine most recently. Is he right in his assessment, though, here?
JAMIL JAFFER, FORMER ASSOCIATE WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL TO GEORGE W. BUSH, FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SECURITY INSTITUTE AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: Well, I think the Iranians would disagree. I think the Iranians would say they've got all the cards. They forced the president to the table. They forced this negotiation in Pakistan. They forced the world price of oil up and put the pressure on.
That being said, both parties really want a deal to get done here. I agree with Alex that we want a deal here. The U.S. wants a deal to get oil prices down, get the economy back on track, end this conflict. The Iranians want to stop getting beat down, their navy, their missile fleets, their drone fleets.
At the same time, the parties are far apart. The U.S. is talking about no nuclear enrichment. Iran says we've conceded nuclear enrichment. The U.S. says no support for terrorism. Iran says the axis of resistance will not be attacked again.
These parties, I mean, you and I are recovering lawyers, there's no meeting of the minds on this deal, right? And so, who knows if the ceasefire holds? It's not really happening in the sense that the Strait of Hormuz is not really open today. And who knows if there's a deal to be had in two weeks? What's clear, though, is both parties want a deal. The question is, is there any real deal space to be had?
COATES: A real sticking point, Strait of Hormuz, and whether it's reopening or not. This is recently as yesterday when we were talking about the ultimate leverage of being able to control, even if not physically, that strait and not benefiting Iran. But then there's New York Times reporting that U.S. officials believe that Iran can't open Strait of Hormuz because it can't locate all the mines that laid in the water and doesn't have the ability to remove them. Any idea about that assessment?
VATANKA: A very quick reaction to that. I think, look, so much of this is psychological. If those captains and those tankers feel that they're not going to get Iranian drones and missiles coming their way, they might take their chances in terms of the mines. So much of this is about not feeling that Iran is going to attack them. So, once the Iranians on paper say they're not, I think that's going to remove a lot of sort of essentially the reservations you have away.
But very quickly on the point of the long term and the short term. Look, in the short term, the United States president has said no Iranian nuclear weapon. That's something you can negotiate with Iran because the Iranians are at least officially saying they're not interested in a nuclear weapon. They wanted the right to enrich uranium, but not a weapon. But that's a long term, you know, agenda that you have to pursue. That's not going to be done in Islamabad.
I mean, if you go back to 2015, the last time U.S. and Iran actually made a successful nuclear agreement, first, it began with a temporary agreement, six months. Both of them decided to do certain things to please the other side. But it took a year and a half to actually get to a point where they didn't have an agreement.
So, Islamabad, the very best it can achieve is to agree on a framework. What are they going to talk about? To your point, they only really know right now what they're going to talk about. They're going to narrow it down. They are going to drop the maximalist demands if they want diplomacy to work.
COATES: But John Bolton thinks it's a mistake for the vice president, J.D. Vance, to be the one who's spearheading these talks. You mentioned the idea of the high-ranking nature of who is going to be in Islamabad being very impactful in the conversations. Bolton thinks it should be Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Does the U.S. gain or lose by having Vance lead it?
JAFFER: Well, it's clear the president almost called out J.D. Vance multiple times in the last few weeks, saying he knows J.D. doesn't really support this war. So, the Iranians think they have an advantage with having J.D. Vance --
COATES: But he's falling in line.
JAFFER: He is falling in line, but Marco Rubio would be the person to say, look, if it's going to happen, if you really want to worry about the war, I'm going to bring it to bear and really put pressure on them. If the goal is to force a good deal for the United States, you want the most hawkish person in the room there. That's almost certainly, in this administration, Marco Rubio. The person that isn't is J.D. Vance.
COATES: Quickly, who is the final word from Iran?
[00:00:00]
VATANKA: Well, we've heard from the new Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, yesterday, which is very important. He pretty much said, this is what we want to do. We want to negotiate. And now, they've sent their foreign minister, Araghchi. They've sent this fellow by the name of Bagher Ghalibaf, who is pretty prominent. So, most senior figures they could send. And that, to me, is pretty telling. I think they really want diplomacy to work. Whether it works or not remains to be seen.
COATES: Yes. Just really hours away from wondering and knowing whether it will. Jamil, Alex, both of you, thank you so much. Thank you all for watching. Elex Michaelson in "The Story Is" is up next.
