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The Story Is with Elex Michaelson

U.S. Blockade on Iranian Ports in Persian Gulf Underway; House Representatives Eric Swalwell Announced Plans to Resign; Swalwell Accuser Says His Resignation "The Right Thing" To Do; Trump Denounces Pope Leo for His Opposition to Iran War; Medical Team on Trial in Death of Footballer Diego Maradona; Slum Art Foundation Helps Kids in Nigeria Learn the Process of Making Art. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired April 14, 2026 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:39]

ELEX MICHAELSON, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Elex Michaelson live in Los Angeles. Next on THE STORY IS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS the U.S. military blockade at the Strait of Hormuz is now underway. What it means for your gas prices.

THE STORY IS Eric Swalwell resigns from Congress. New exclusive reaction from one of his accusers.

And THE STORY IS the president versus the Pope.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Pope Leo said things that are wrong.

POPE LEO XIV, HEAD, CATHOLIC CHURCH: I have no fear of the Trump administration.

MICHAELSON: Unprecedented feud between the leader of the free world and the American born head of the Catholic Church.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Live from Los Angeles, THE STORY IS with Elex Michaelson.

MICHAELSON: It is 9:00 p.m. here in Southern California, 7:30 a.m. in Iran, where a U.S. military blockade on Iranian ports is in place. And sources say U.S. officials are exploring options for a potential second round of in-person talks with Tehran. President Trump says the U.S. will sink any Iranian ships that come near the blockade, but he remains open to more negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are another round of talks planned with Iran? And if so, will you send Vice President J.D. Vance again? TRUMP: Well, he's done a good job, and Steve and Jared. They've all

done a very good job. And I can tell you that we've been called by the other side. They'd like to make a deal very badly. Very badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Meanwhile, Iran's president warns that threatening the Strait of Hormuz will have widespread consequences for the world. He says it will resume negotiations only under international law. Meantime, Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to meet for direct talks in Washington in the coming hours. U.S. officials said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in those negotiations.

Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson, live from Hong Kong.

You are at a global shipping conference, Ivan. What kind of impact does the blockade have on global shipping?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is largely paralyzed, a big chunk of it, particularly the shipping that is linked to energy. And that is something that I think consumers are feeling all around the world, with energy prices going up.

We heard from the head of the International Chamber of Shipping, which is a century old trade association that represents about 80 percent of the world's shipping fleet. And his reaction to not only the war, but now the U.S. blockade of Iranian ships or ships coming from Iranian ports out of the Strait of Hormuz is to describe that specifically as a step backwards.

And also characterizing the shipping industry as basically bystanders, onlookers, who have little to no influence on what governments are doing, which is affecting the lifeblood of international commerce, that is shipping. Those ships that can carry everything from the fuel that runs our cars and our power plants, to the container ships that move around the goods that we consume, and also commodities like fertilizer, for instance, which has been impacted as well by this enormous disruption.

The head of the shipping association was also asked about Iran's practice that has been imposed to charge $2 million tolls on ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. And he said that that was also not acceptable and it could lead to a slippery slope where other channels could also seek to impose their own toll fees such as, he pointed out, the Straits of Gibraltar, the English Channel.

I've heard a top Singaporean official suggests that people could try to impose that on the Straits of Malacca, which is a passage point for a huge amount of the world's shipping. The point he's arguing is for free trade, free shipping, which is something that consumers around the world have benefited from because it lowers the prices of the things that we buy.

And right now we're in a situation where a major international chokepoint for energy is being compressed by both Iran and now the U.S.. [00:05:13]

What we've seen on the ground or on the waterways is that one ship did in fact go through after the U.S. imposed blockade went into effect. And that was a ship called Elpis, which had been sanctioned in 2025 by the U.S. government for transporting Iranian oil and bypassing U.S. sanctions. That actually passed through. But a Botswana registered tanker ship turned back after the U.S. blockade went into effect.

Interesting to note that the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has basically argued in favor of the blockade, saying, hey, if Iran is going to restrict shipping then, in his words, two can play at that game. He's accused Iran of economic terrorism by restricting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. But that's what the U.S. has added on to. So long story short, don't expect any of your energy prices to go down anytime soon -- Elex.

MICHAELSON: Ivan Watson for us live in Hong Kong. Ivan, thank you.

The story now is congressman quitting. In the past two -- few hours, two different U.S. lawmakers announced their resignations from the House of Representatives just minutes apart from one another. Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzalez were both facing possible votes to be expelled by their congressional colleagues.

Gonzalez was facing pressure after he admitted to an affair with a staffer, violation of House rules. That staffer later died by suicide. And Swalwell's resignation comes just days after CNN and "The San Francisco Chronicle" reported multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him, including rape, charges he denies.

Here's a closer look at those allegations and a warning some of the language in this report is graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Eric Swalwell is resigning from Congress, saying, "I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make," and, quote, "It's wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties." It represents one of the fastest and most dramatic falls from grace in recent political history.

REP. ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA): These allegations of sexual assault are flat false.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): On Friday night, Swalwell posted this while facing sexual assault allegations.

SWALWELL: I have certainly made mistakes and judgment in my past, but those mistakes are between me and my wife.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): By Sunday night, Swalwell suspended his campaign for California governor after a former Capitol Hill intern and junior staffer spoke to CNN's Pamela Brown about interactions with the congressman in 2019. She was interviewed in shadow out of fear, she says, of professional consequences. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He pulls out his penis and instructs me to give

him oral sex.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): In September 2019, after a night of heavy drinking, she says she woke up naked with Swalwell in a hotel room with no memory of what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know that we -- there was sexual contact because when I woke up in the morning, I could feel that there was.

MICHAELSON: Why do you want to be governor of California?

(Voice-over): Last November, Swalwell gave me the first TV news interview of his campaign for governor.

SWALWELL: I want to be its fighter protector.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): The former presidential candidate, House impeachment manager, and frequent online troller of President Trump.

SWALWELL: Dumb, dumb, Donnie's got it wrong again.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Quickly became a favorite on betting markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.

SEN. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): Let me say how proud I am to support you, Eric.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Senator Adam Schiff and nearly two dozen members of Congress endorsed his campaign, all of them swiftly and publicly asked for Swalwell to drop out after allegations came to light on Friday.

ELIAS DABAIE, ERIC SWALWELL'S ATTORNEY: The congressman categorically denies any misconduct took place.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Swalwell's lawyer joined me exclusively Friday night to respond.

Is he saying that he cheated on his wife but didn't do anything illegal?

DABAIE: I'm not going to get into the details of that.

MICHAELSON (voice-over): Over the weekend Swalwell's own staffers urged him to drop out of the race, some urging him to resign. He did both.

This is a look at polling in the California governor's race before the Swalwell scandal broke. The race to lead the nation's most populous state is now upended, and the previously lower polling candidates hope voters will give them a second look. Super PAC supporting San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan says it raised $10 million this weekend.

MAYOR MATT MAHAN, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: The Democratic Party has got to lift up people of high integrity who have a track record of results.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON (on-camera): Our CNN debate in that race is May 5th.

Now, one of the women accusing Eric Swalwell of sexual misconduct is glad that he's resigning from Congress. Her name is Ally Sammarco. She told CNN that she had received unsolicited nude photos from Swalwell. She spoke exclusively with my colleague Pamela Brown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLY SAMMARCO, SWALWELL ACCUSER: I think that it was 100 percent the right thing for him to do. I think it should have been done even sooner, but I'm glad that he did it.

[00:10:00]

I don't think that putting him back into a congressional office would have been good for anybody. And I don't think those women in his office or on Capitol Hill in general should be around him for one more day. So I am glad that they won't have to endure that and it's over for them.

He never should have ran for governor to begin with knowing what he knows and nobody else is responsible for what happened to him. Eric Swalwell is responsible for Eric Swalwell, not the media, and definitely not the women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Ally Sammarco's husband and Democratic consultant Adam Parkhomenko joins me now live from Washington.

Welcome to THE STORY IS. What is your reaction to Congressman Swalwell saying that he's suspending his campaign and now resigning his seat in Congress?

ADAM PARKHOMENKO, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Well, first of all, thanks for covering this. And I don't think we would be where we are today without brave women like my wife, Ally Sammarco, the other women and the incredible reporting from CNN and Pamela Brown and some of the other writers, as well as "The San Francisco Chronicle."

I think it is incredibly needed, but I think there's a long way to go. You know, when you have somebody suspend their campaign and then you have somebody who is backed into a corner, and if you look at his statement in terms of resigning, he doesn't say accusations, plural. He says accusation in terms of what he is going to go after. There's a lot more to do. And what is that to do? That is accountability. Accountability and justice for the victims. And I think that we're going to hear from many other women.

I'm so proud of Ally stepping up because in that CNN article that came out on Friday, she was the first and one of the only up-to-date women to put her name on the record. Her story is very similar to others, although they all have different stories. But if it wasn't for that CNN report, I don't think we would be where we are today.

MICHAELSON: I mean, tell us a little bit about your wife's experience with him and why it was important for her to put her name on the record, and why now.

PARKHOMENKO: You know, she's somebody who grew up in a family with conservative politics and found her own politics and she, long before we ever met, you know, she was a Trump supporter while I was working for Hillary Clinton. And once she saw Donald Trump in office, she really figured out who he was and where she wanted to go with this country. And she started working for Terry McAuliffe and she did everything she could to elect Joe Biden president.

And in that process, while she was working for Terry McAuliffe, when he ran a second time for governor, she connected with Eric Swalwell, who was somebody who was offering to help her find a position on Capitol Hill. Anyone that knows, when you catch the political bug and you're interested in working on Capitol Hill, not only is it very competitive and hard, but you'll take any and all help that you can get.

It, you know, looking back, obviously it's strange that a member of Congress would want to spend so much time helping somebody who is not a constituent, and at the time that this happened, her and I didn't know each other. And she was, you know, ecstatic and eager to be connected with a member of Congress. And he was going to introduce her to his staff and share her resume with his colleagues.

And when she showed up at his office, the only person that was at the office was Eric Swalwell, and he was obsessively contacting her over and over again, and he had absolutely no interest in helping her find a position on the hill.

MICHAELSON: You know, Congressman Swalwell has denied all wrongdoing, including this video from Friday night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SWALWELL: A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations, and I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly. These allegations of sexual assault are flat false.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: What's your response to that?

PARKHOMENKO: You know, I watched that video in full and my first response was, in short, he said I'm so sorry for everything and it's not true. That's basic math. Those two don't add up and they don't go together. And it's just a plain lie.

One of the most important things that took place with that CNN article that Pamela Brown was involved in is Ally has receipts. He did this in writing. And so CNN was able to corroborate all of this based on what he did himself in writing. And he's just a liar. And somebody who is dangerous. And I want to say again, I respect Ally so much for stepping up and I know there's this interview that's coming out tomorrow with her and Pamela, but she said, and last week when she made this decision to go public, you know, she knew that she was putting everything on the line and she may not have any work after this.

[00:15:05]

But she said if it helped one more woman come forward or help one more person not be victimized, she wanted to do it. And that's where we are today.

MICHAELSON: And you say that some are coming forward and we expect to hear more tomorrow. There's supposed to be a press conference with more potential victims coming out.

On Friday night, I know you were watching when we had Swalwell's attorney, Elias Dabaie, here on THE STORY IS, he said that he never sent you and Ally a cease and desist letter before you say that. He never sent you guys that. But during the interview with us, he said that he has sent them to other accusers, and I asked him if he would pursue legal action against them. Here's that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DABAIE: These allegations were made anonymously. We triangulated sources and we were able to identify who was making these claims. We believe that these claims are false. And once we had enough information to determine who was making them, we sent cease and desist letters. And we're now looking at all available legal options. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So how do you respond to that?

PARKHOMENKO: Well, what I found very interesting about the letters, the cease and desist letters that I saw circulated online is they said delivered by text message. And again, putting Ally aside, who, she has not received a cease and desist letter. They delivered these by cell phone. Where did they get all the cell phone numbers? You know? It seems to me that Eric had these cell phone numbers in his phone.

Again, I don't know the facts around that, but what I did say at the time is I wholeheartedly welcome him to file a lawsuit against me, and I will provide him with my address where he can serve me if he thinks that Ally is a liar because we have all of this in writing. And if we didn't, that article would not have come out last week. And I think that this is an intimidation factor and tactic that Eric is using, which I find very strange considering just days before, maybe seven, 10 days before, he did the same thing, saying he was going to send a cease and desist to the FBI to withhold certain things relating to a case from years ago about another alleged relationship with him.

So this is -- it's a very Trump playbook thing, and it's very disappointing to see from Eric, who by all accounts over the years has been somebody who has been a cheerleader for victims and victim rights. And right now he's just acting like Donald Trump. MICHAELSON: Yes. And meanwhile, tonight, the director of the FBI

publicly said, Eric Swalwell, if you've got evidence of wrongdoing, come forward, come meet with us. Meanwhile, he also said if women have evidence of that, come forward to the FBI as well.

Adam Parkhomenko, thank you so much for sharing your perspective, and please send our best to your wife as well.

PARKHOMENKO: Thank you. Thank you for covering this story.

MICHAELSON: President Trump is not asking for forgiveness in his feud with Pope Leo. We'll have the latest in the war of words between the president and the pontiff next. Plus an update on how the world is reacting to the major political shift in Hungary. The latest on the country's new prime minister and his landmark victory, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:22:32]

MICHAELSON: THE STORY IS the president versus the Pope. President Trump is doubling down on his criticism of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV.

Now, all this started on Palm Sunday at the end of March when the Pope said that Jesus doesn't listen to the prayers of those who wage war. Trump responded, calling the Pope weak on crime, terrible for foreign policy, and saying the Pope didn't care if Iran had a nuclear weapon.

Today, reporters asked the president if he thought he should apologize.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: No, I don't, because Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran.

POPE LEO: The things that I say are certainly not meant as attacks on anyone. And the message of the gospel is very clear. Blessed are the peacemakers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: Now, the president kicked things up a notch, posting an image that appears to depict him as Jesus healing a sick man. He took the post down and explained it to reporters this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross, as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one. So I had, I just heard about it. And I said, how did they come up with that? It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better. And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: There are now lots of memes online of doctors wearing that outfit in emergency rooms.

Katie McGrady is CNN's Vatican analyst and host of the "Katie McGrady Show" on the Sirius XM, The Catholic Channel.

Katie, have you ever walked into a doctor's office and seen anybody dressed like that before?

KATIE PREJEAN MCGRADY, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: I think "The Pitt" is going to have to reshoot their season finale to put everybody in those costumes.

(LAUGHTER)

No, my doctor's hands glow. That's really what happens. That was ridiculous.

MICHAELSON: I want to go to your doctor, if that's the truth. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

MICHAELSON: I mean, look, that's obviously an absurd thing to say, but what's interesting about this is a rare moment of sort of bipartisan outrage, with the exception of J.D. Vance. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It would be best for the Vatican to stick to matters of morality, to stick to matters of, you know, what's going on in the Catholic Church, and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:25:09]

MICHAELSON: Talk about the fallout that we're seeing today on both sides of the aisle.

MCGRADY: It's been interesting that people from both the right and the left and the center, which a lot of American Catholics are pretty center. I mean, there are definitely MAGA Catholics, and there are definitely very progressive Catholics, but the majority of American Catholics feel a little politically homeless, especially those who are maybe pro-life. There's been quite a few Trump administration things lately that have not been part of the pro-life coalition's plans, along with a lot of the progressive side. You know, obviously, they would be very against many of Trump's policies.

But today there was unity. Across Twitter people who have voted across the aisle and across the spectrum, people who have lashed out on various items, usually feuding with one another, all of a sudden were all kind of collectively enraged. Now, some people tried to Trump- splain in the same way that some people tried to Pope-splain. Everybody is trying to explain away what was just clearly immature, main character energy behavior of a president trying to get the Pope's attention and saying, I don't like you because I think you don't like me.

I really feel like that's kind of what was at the heart of this. And so people saw that for what it was, which was a late-night rant about the Holy Father, who has never actually called Trump out by name, but who has called war out by name, which is something that we would expect any Pope to do. John Paul II did it during the Iraq war. In fact, Popes have been doing it since Vietnam, long before that in fact.

The Holy Father is always going to be the advocate for peace and the gospel. And if that afflicts the president, I think that says a little bit more about where he thinks he is in all of this than it does about what the Pope is saying with regard to the gospel.

MICHAELSON: Well, I'm trying to sort of understand the Trump mindset, and here's what it seems like happened. President Trump was watching the masters and Rory McIlroy won. He put out a post congratulating Rory McIlroy. The very next show on was "60 Minutes." The lead story on 60 minutes was three cardinals slamming Trumpism and his policies and basically quoting the fact that the Pope is not going to be in America for the 250th anniversary, he's going to be focused on refugees instead.

The whole thing felt very, very anti-Trump. And Trump has been trained for decades that if somebody punches you, you got to punch back harder. And just like any opponent he's ever seen, he thought the Pope is my next opponent. I got to punch back. We can't let this go without punching back. It seems like that's what happened, right?

MCGRADY: Yes. I think that's a great analysis. I mean, somebody even asked him, you know, are you going to apologize? He said, well, why would I? He hit me first. He came at me first. And again, preaching the gospel isn't coming at the president. It's inviting the global leaders who have obviously the world's safeties in mind, obviously want us all to live, hopefully in a collective pursuit of common good.

The Holy Father is challenging everyone to pursue peace. And if that again afflicts the president and he feels as if he's being called out, well, then maybe he is. And maybe that's something he should discern or he should consider, or he should try to pick up the phone and call the president and have a conversation with him and say, OK, give me your perspective and here's mine. And that's not what he's doing. He's just late-night tweeting about the Holy Father.

And when he saw those three cardinals, I imagine a lot of people probably saw those three cardinals and thought, oh, Pope Leo sent them out to "60 Minutes." That's not how it works. The Pope doesn't just call people up and send them out to be his sycophants. The Pope preaches the gospel, and we who follow the gospel, we who believe in the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church go proclaim that to the ends of the earth. So those three cardinals were being leaders in the American Catholic Church. Bothers the president. He calls out the Pope.

The thing about the tweet that bothers me the most, and I've been ruminating on it all day, is he references Pope Leo's brother, and he's trying to drive like this familial wedge. Like, oh, I much prefer his brother because he's all MAGA. That tells us everything we need to know about this. The president wants the Pope to be a fan of his, and he's not. Or at the very least, he's more a fan of the gospel and definitely a follower of Jesus.

And that seems to bother the president. He's trying to drive this wedge issue. It actually, interestingly enough, united many people in the church today and saying, we stand with the Pope.

MICHAELSON: Katie Prejean McGrady, great to talk with you. Really appreciate it and best of luck with your broadcast.

MCGRADY: Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

MICHAELSON: Voters are celebrating in the streets of Budapest, Hungary, as the country welcomes its newly elected prime minister there. The landmark victory ends the 16-year reign of nationalist pro- Russian leader Viktor Orban.

[00:30:09]

Many European leaders are breathing a sigh of relief as Peter Magyar promises to root out corruption and rebuild Hungary's ties with the E.U. and NATO.

His opposition party is now expected to gain a two-thirds majority in parliament, which would unlock the power to reverse controversial changes made under Orban's regime. Experts say the new mandate is the result of widespread grassroots campaigning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PRESSMAN, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY: It is a surprise that a candidate in an environment as controlled as the one that Viktor Orban has created over 16 years, and control is able to emerge and break through and connect with constituencies across the country.

I mean, Peter Magyar was generating rallies and movements and -- and -- and huge presence of voters in constituencies in rural Hungary that were thought of as completely written off to be supportive of Orban and the Fidesz movement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: So, there is a lot to unpack with a political panel tonight. Joining us live right now, Areva Martin on the left, Jennifer Horn on the right.

We'll talk about President Trump and the pope, and Eric Swalwell, Viktor Orban and more. Stay with us. You're watching THE STORY IS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [00:36:00]

MICHAELSON: Supporters and longtime Democratic allies turning on outgoing California Congressman Eric Swalwell. He announced he's resigning from the House.

It became clear he was unlikely to politically survive the recent allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies.

Senate Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who, by the way, has said he's best friends with Eric Swalwell, made clear he could no longer stand by him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ): The man led a double life, and for many -- more than 20 congressmen, people that have served with him for a long time, we had no clue.

The victims deserve justice. But he literally led a double life. And -- and tricked many of us into thinking he was something he was not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAELSON: The two of them spent a lot of time together, away from Congress. So interesting story there.

Areva Martin is a legal affairs commentator and civil rights attorney, and Jennifer Horn is the host of "The Morning Answer" on 870 AM here in Los Angeles.

Ladies, welcome back. Good to see both of you --

JENNIFER HORN, HOST, "THE MORNING ANSWER": Good to see you.

MICHAELSON: -- back together again.

HORN: Yes.

MICHAELSON: Let's start with the attorney here on the panel. Areva, what kind of legal challenges is Eric Swalwell looking at now?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, both criminal and civil. We already know that the district attorney in Manhattan and Alameda County have both announced that they are opening investigations, because one of the allegations is that some sexual assault took place in Manhattan in 2024.

And there's a possibility that some of these allegations relate to incidents that occurred in Alameda County back in 2019.

So, he is facing a potential of some very serious charges if these allegations prove to be true.

And then let's not forget about civil charges. So even if they're not criminal charges brought and upheld in a court of law, he could still face civil charges, because these women, apparently, were his employees at some point. They were former staffers.

So, there are strict laws, civil laws against discrimination, sexual harassment in the workplace.

And then we have this cease-and-desist letter, which could be seen as some kind of obstruction of justice, some effort to influence these witnesses and to prevent them from coming forward. So, I think the legal jeopardy is pretty clear.

MICHAELSON: And one of the reasons that he may have resigned is that the House Ethics Committee hearing about him stops, because they don't look at former members of Congress.

And if that committee would have gone to work and started collecting documents, those documents could have been used in any of those cases that you just talked about. That could have been discovery for those cases, which may have been a reason that he decided to get out. Also looked like he was going to lose this vote.

And think about this, Jennifer, in terms of the dramatic drop-off. I mean, a week ago, he looked like he was the frontrunner to be the next governor of California. Now, he's potentially looking at prison time.

HORN: Yes, the Democrat machine had started to kick in behind Eric Swalwell. They were pushing him to the top, not because he had really any plans of his own, but because he was the loudest critic of Trump, which seems to matter most to California Democrats.

But what I think is really interesting is that you not only saw the union support, you saw Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and others pull their support and run very quickly away from Eric Swalwell.

But I think the bigger issue is that this was a very poorly kept secret. People knew that these allegations were coming, and these were not Republican allegations. These were from Democrats, Democrat circles. It was a poorly kept secret that he had all of this stuff behind him.

And the fact that the unions, Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff and others decided that he was the appropriate person.

MICHAELSON: Pelosi did not endorse him.

HORN: Well, she told him to get out. That's for sure.

MICHAELSON: Pelosi told him to get out. She did not tell him to get in, didn't endorse him.

HORN: That's a good thing. But -- but Adam Schiff.

MICHAELSON: But -- but all the rest of them did. I mean, there was a long list: 21 members of Congress.

HORN: That's right.

MARTIN: No doubt about that. But we just heard the congressman from Arizona, his best friend, say that he led a double life.

So, it's not clear that these unions or these other Congress leaders or other elected officials knew --

HORN: They knew.

MARTIN: -- about the conduct that he was. No, we have no evidence of that. There's no evidence that they knew that. Why would a union -- why would a congressperson --

[00:40:06]

MICHAELSON: They knew, probably, about the rumors. Probably.

HORN: We all knew about the rumors. How did they not know?

MARTIN: Yes, but rumors are not credible.

MICHAELSON: Right. Well --

MARTIN: And you cannot endorse or not endorse. There are rumors about Donald Trump. Come on. If we're going to talk about rumors, there are all kinds of rumors about him raping girls or rumors about him with Epstein. There are rumors about all kinds of --

MICHAELSON: We don't have proof.

MARTIN: They're rumors. That's what we're saying. There's not proof.

MICHAELSON: Right.

MARTIN: It's rumors.

MICHAELSON: Right.

MARTIN: So, to indict those unions or to indict those Congresspeople on the basis of endorsements is not fair, because there are rumors about all kinds of elected officials, including those sitting in office.

HORN: How you seriously endorse another candidate when you've already made the poor choice of endorsing Eric Swalwell. Because don't forget" whether or not this happens to -- to pan out criminally, he was having staffers in his office sign NDAs. Now there's a DHS investigation.

MICHAELSON: He says they -- he says they weren't.

HORN: And now there's a DHS investigation.

MARTIN: Rumors.

HORN: DHS investigation, not a rumor, Because apparently, he's being investigated for hiring an illegal immigrant to be his nanny and paying her with -- with campaign funds.

There were questions about whether or not he lived in the state of California. There were always questions about his finances. This guy has had a pretty dark history. To say that he has baggage is probably the nicest thing I could say.

MARTIN: I'm not going to sit here and try to defend Eric Swalwell. These allegations are really serious. I am a civil rights attorney. Any kind of accusations of sexual assault against victims, women -- whether they're women or men -- I take very seriously.

And I think he did the right thing by resigning. I think investigations, criminal investigations should be opened up.

But we also have to be clear: what happens to someone because of rumors in a political context --

MICHAELSON: Yes.

MARTIN: -- does not impact what happens in the courtroom.

HORN: Right.

MARTIN: Due process. Proving these allegations is what's going to happen in the courtroom. Very different standards, very different than the court of public opinion.

The court of public opinion spoke. He resigned.

MICHAELSON: Right.

MARTIN: But he now will have an opportunity to present his case. And if these allegations are false, as he says they are, he will have an opportunity to prove that in a court of law.

MICHAELSON: Right. And that thing about rumors, some people are saying, well, why didn't you report it sooner? There is a process, a legal process of going through to vet claims to make sure that we are able to stand behind the claims of corroboration, to actually have victims come forward and go on the record, all those things.

So, yes, we had heard the rumors, too, but we need to be able to back the story up before we go forward and report it, which we were able to do on Friday. And then within hours, we saw what happened to Eric Swalwell's career.

Let's talk about President Trump, Jennifer. We just saw the -- the attack on Pope Leo on social media. The picture of President Trump, apparently, as a doctor, who also, I guess, was a carpenter on the side.

HORN: Look, you can have multiple jobs, right?

MICHAELSON: What do you make of -- of that? I mean --

MARTIN: Dr. Trump.

MICHAELSON: And -- and interesting that a lot of folks on the right are calling him out for this. HORN: Yes. Look, I think the -- the issue is actually separate for me.

The picture is the picture. It's kind of Internet garbage. I don't waste much time on that.

He took it down. He apologized and moved on. He never apologizes. And he did in this case, say he didn't want to offend anybody. But the --

MICHAELSON: I mean, OK.

HORN: The thing with the -- with the pope.

MICHAELSON: I don't know if that was much of an apology.

MARTIN: That -- that wasn't an apology to the pope, Jennifer. Come on.

HORN: Well, no, he didn't apologize to the pope. And I don't think he needs to, actually.

Look, the pope, I -- just to set the stage, 12 years of Catholic school. Born and raised Catholic. I have always had a problem when the pope starts dipping their toes, whoever it is, whether it's Leo or someone else, into politics.

Because let's be real: the Bible is filled with -- with anecdotes of war. The -- I would love to hear the pope evenly apply pressure to the Iranian regime that killed 50,000 of its own people.

MICHAELSON: He did put out a statement.

MARTIN: Oh, Jennifer.

HORN: I mean, it seems --

MICHAELSON: He did -- he did put out a statement about -- he did put out a statement on that.

MARTIN: He absolutely did. HORN: When you start getting overtly political, then, look, the pope gets to say his piece. President Trump gets to say his piece.

And I don't know that it's necessarily -- needs to blow up into an issue other than two leaders -- one spiritual and one political -- having a disagreement about what's appropriate.

MICHAELSON: Real quick. We're out of time.

MARTIN: Republicans are the ones also saying that this was this was horrible. This was blasphemy. They are as outraged as Democrats, so this --

HORN: Maybe some of them are. I'm just talking to you from my perspective.

MARTIN: Well, this isn't just a Democratic issue. This is -- I think this is an American issue, unnecessary.

HORN: And my perspective is that a political pope is unnecessary.

MARTIN: Well, it's not a political pope. He is the moral leader of 1.5 billion Catholics. He has a right to weigh in on the issue of war. He's talking about --

HORN: And so does President Trump. That's what I'm saying. He gets his stand.

MARTIN: Well -- well, President Trump can stand his ground. Why did he take the post down? If he can stand his ground and go to war with the pope?

HORN: Well, the post is different.

MICHAELSON: Two different things.

HORN: Yes, the post is different than than -- than the pope's comments.

MARTIN: Go to war with the pope and see what happens in the Midwest with all those Catholics who voted for Trump in 2024 who broke for him.

MICHAELSON: Yes.

HORN: I don't necessarily believe they're at war with one another.

MARTIN: So, from a political standpoint, it was an incredibly noncerebral thing to do.

MICHAELSON: All right. We have to leave it there, because we're out of time. I wish we could keep talking. Areva, Jennifer, great to see both of you. Thank you so much.

We'll be back with more of THE STORY IS right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:49:34]

MICHAELSON: A new trial over the death of Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona is set to begin on Tuesday. Seven members of his medical team are charged with negligent homicide.

CNN's Cecilia Dominguez reports from Buenos Aires.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CECILIA DOMINGUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world was watching as the trial over the death of football icon Diego Armando Maradona unfolded --

DOMINGUEZ: -- but a scandal stopped it in its tracks. Now, almost a year later, a new trial is about to begin here in the San Isidro courts, aiming to determine who should be held responsible for Maradona's death. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: There are too many people involved in a conspiracy for someone to end up losing their life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: We hope justice will be served.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: We want to know what happened to my brother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: We're very anxious for this to be over and for everyone who must pay to be held accountable.

DOMINGUEZ (voice-over): In the nearly three months the first trial lasted, there were 21 hearings, more than 40 witnesses, and seven medical professionals on trial.

The court reviewed photos and videos as evidence. There was an arrest for perjury, requests for searches, and even a one-week suspension.

In the end, one of the judges was removed, and the trial was declared invalid.

May 15 marked the beginning of the end. Judge Julieta Makintach was accused of lacking impartiality and of allowing people close to her to film a documentary during court hearings. A request was filed to remove her.

She denied the allegations, but the court suspended the trial for a week. On May 29, the trial was nullified.

VERONICA OJEDA, MARADONA'S FORMER PARTNER: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: For five years we've been fighting. We've been in this trial for two months. And now all this scandal. Honestly, Diego didn't deserve this.

COSME IRIBARREN, PROSECUTOR: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC: Unfortunately, today is a very sad day for everyone. We never wanted to reach this point, but we had no other option than to make the request we filed on Tuesday. The truth is, we will have to start over.

DOMINGUEZ (voice-over): More than five years after Maradona's death from heart failure on November 25, 2020, while under home hospitalization in a private neighborhood in Tigre, Buenos Aires, a new court will hear testimony from around 100 witnesses.

Seven medical professionals are once again facing charges of simple homicide. All remain free and deny any wrongdoing. DOMINGUEZ: After the collapse of the first trial, this process will be

watched even more closely, not only because of its global impact, but also for the chance to finally shed light on one of the most controversial deaths in the world of sport.

Cecilia Dominguez, CNN, Buenos Aires.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAELSON: The man accused of attacking the home of OpenAI Sam Altman gets charged with state and federal crimes. Coming up, the latest on that investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:57:12]

MICHAELSON: A nonprofit in Nigeria is giving children in one Lagos neighborhood a safe place to learn and express themselves. And now those young people have channeled their gratitude into a massive artistic tribute to celebrate the 10th anniversary of CNN's My Freedom Day campaign.

CNN's Zain Asher has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In one of Nigeria's most impoverished neighborhoods, there's beauty hiding in plain sight.

For nearly ten years, volunteers and students at the Slum Art Foundation in the Ijora Badia neighborhood of Lagos have quietly been working on their craft.

It's not just about the artwork, per se. It's more about learning the art of work, says co-founder Adenle Adetunwase.

ADETUNWASE ADENLE, CO-FOUNDER, SLUM ART FOUNDATION: Most children found in this community are, from an early age, meant to fend for themselves. And I discovered that these young children has a lot of energy, but they lack direction. They lack mentorship and guidance.

ASHER (voice-over): The foundation provides that mentorship., as well as resources to those who might otherwise have to go without.

TITILAYO OLUOMO GAWAT, GRANDMOTHER (through translator): What Ade's doing here, we thank God. Since he's been teaching them, we see the impact.

ASHER (voice-over): Still, in places like Ijora Badia, danger can lurk around any corner. Bijore (ph) was just three years old when she disappeared. Her grandmother says she was kidnapped from her home and gone for a year.

GAWAT (through translator): When she came back, she had marks on her body. It looked like, when they took her, she had been hit on her tailbone. When she first came back, she used to walk like this. The way she used to talk had changed. The things she used to know, she didn't know anymore.

ASHER (voice-over): The Slum Art Foundation tries to provide a safe place for the children of Ijora Badia to grow and learn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give him a lot of applause.

ASHER (voice-over): In addition to art, the foundation places an emphasis on trade skills like carpentry and hairdressing. There's also a social justice component that Adenle hopes will stay with them long after they graduate the program.

ADENLE: When I started explaining what My Freedom Day means to these young people, they were like, oh, so they can -- they could relate it to their own immediate environment.

And the power of media in ending modern-day slavery has been a journey for both we here as a school and as an impact agent, and the community itself.

ASHER (voice-over): To celebrate My Freedom Day, the students and staff set forth an audacious goal: to create a portrait of every on- air journalist at CNN, and Adenle says it was for a simple reason.

ADENLE: It's just something that -- a kind gesture from us to say.