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Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) is Interviewed about the Strait Blockade; Polls on Swalwell; Judge Tosses Trump's WSJ Lawsuit; McIlroy Wins Masters. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired April 13, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:30:48]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are standing by, just 30 minutes away now, from the promised U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters is reporting that U.S. CENTCOM is giving this note to shippers, quote, "any vessel entering or departing the blockaded area without authorization is subject to interception, diversion and capture."

With us now is Congressman Adam Smith from Washington. He is the ranking member, the lead Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Congressman, great to see you.

Brett McGurk, our friend who has negotiated across the table from the Iranians over the course of several administrations, both Democratic and Republican, said what the Iranians were doing was holding the Strait over negotiations and this situation. They were using it as a gun. Now, what the United States has done is to bring a bigger gun. How do you see it?

REP. ADAM SMITH (D-WA): Well, I don't know if the gun's bigger, but I think it's basically the same. No, I think that's the perfect analysis.

Look, we had overwhelming military superiority on Iran, and that was demonstrated during the first, I guess, during the five and a half weeks of the conflict. But where Iran demonstrated was the asymmetry of warfare. You may be the far weaker opponent, but if you can find a vulnerable point in your opponent, then you can change the entire equation. That's what Iran did by, you know, shutting down effectively Strait of Hormuz, undermining our economy, undermining the global economy. So, we wanted to find a choke point on them. And the choke point on them would be blockading their oil to make them pay that price.

Now, like I said, I debate whether or not that gun's any bigger because Iran, a, seems to have a pretty high capacity for suffering, and, b, all they have to do is survive. The regime just has to survive. As long as they're inflicting pain on us, to some degree that's a win. They've already suffered a lot of pain. BERMAN: Do you support this move?

SMITH: No, I don't support this move. I think we should get to the negotiating table, end the war and end the conflict.

Look, we never had a realistic plan for eliminating the regime in Iran. That has always been the problem in this discussion going back 15 years now, as we've dealt with it. Now they're trying to get a nuclear weapon, their ballistic missile program, their support for terrorism. All of those things were a problem. And yes, it was tempting to say, gosh, isn't there just one thing we can do to solve it? And everyone concluded, no, because the military options weren't going to get you that fundamental regime change. Donald Trump ignored all of that, started this war, and the chaos has resulted. So, I think what we need to do is negotiate a settlement.

Now, of course, they're talking about negotiating a nuclear settlement that looks very similar to the JCPOA that President Obama negotiated and Trump tore up. This was an impulsive sort of gut move by President Trump that everybody knew was a bad idea. And now we're stuck. So, we got to negotiate our way out of it.

BERMAN: I mean, we are where we are this morning. I'm curious why you don't think the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports could push things forward?

SMITH: Well, because, like I said, I don't -- I don't think Iran is, at the moment, willing to respond to that. Now, look. Look at the list of demands. I mean their demands are basically to continue to control the Strait of Hormuz and get paid basically to repair the economy and all the impacts they've had on them. And they've offered nothing in return. Nothing on nuclear weapons. Nothing else.

So, I don't see this fundamentally changing the equation, number one. Number two, let's not forget about the impact of this. What was it a week and a half ago now that President Trump actually lifted existing sanctions on Iranian oil tankers to the tune of like $14 billion. And he did that because he was concerned about how the price of oil and the lack of access basically to oil globally was devastating the economy. So, he was taking the exact opposite move a week and a half ago because of the devastating impact.

So, I don't support this because it's going to hurt us too. And it's going to hurt the globe. We are going to lose more and more potential allies as they suffer because of this.

[09:35:02]

And they're not just talking about an increase in gas prices. They're talking about lacking (ph) access to oil that is essential for their energy supply. So, the impact of this is going to be devastating. And it's far from clear that it would significantly change the negotiating outcome.

BERMAN: Congressman, what signs of any, did you see, out of these, I guess, 21 hours of talks over the weekend, that there might be an opening for a new round of talks or further discussions?

SMITH: Yes, well, I -- the only positive sign was they talked for that long, a, and, b, coming out of it, the Iranians and others have said we should keep talking. And I think that's the approach. But again, you look at Trump's 15 points and Iran's ten points, they could not possibly be further apart.

Now, the fact that they're continuing to talk is helpful. If we can get other nations involved to make this more -- have more people invested in it. Because as I said, please understand it. The kind -- and you've reported on it, but the countries across the world that are being just devastated by this economically because of the lack of access to oil is having a huge impact. So, it's encouraging that they talk. It's encouraging that they want to continue to talk. But there's a long way to go.

BERMAN: Congressman, you are in Seattle, Washington, right now. You're headed to the other Washington shortly. Congress will have votes again for the first time in a long time. Feels like you've been gone a while, all of Congress.

SMITH: Yes.

BERMAN: You do know one of the issues that could come -- very well come to the floor is the issue of Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, who's dropped out of the California governor's race, accused by four women of sexual misconduct, including one woman accusing him of rape. He's denied those allegations.

If there is a vote that comes to the floor to expel Eric Swalwell, how will you vote?

SMITH: Yes. Based on the allegations that have come out, and on his own comments where he seemed to have admitted some form of wrongdoing, though he didn't specify, I think he should probably resign. And I'll have to see evidence before I vote to expel. You know, the allegations are incredibly serious, but I got to look at it very closely because expelling a member of Congress is a big move. We've done it twice now in my career in Congress. Both times it was after the person in question had actually been found -- well, in one case found guilty. That was James Traficant way back in the day. And then Santos.

BERMAN: George Santos.

SMITH: That was -- the Ethics Committee had reached a finding, OK. It wasn't just an allegation.

This seems very damning. I think it probably will lead to that. But I want to look at the evidence before I substitute my judgment for the judgment of the voters who elected Eric Swalwell, or anyone else for that matter.

BERMAN: Congressman Adam Smith, from Washington, we do appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very much.

Just moments ago, we saw the markets open on Wall Street. And you can see, opening down a little bit. This on the news of this new blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations falling apart in Pakistan and oil prices rising.

And why does a robot need to run a half marathon? And here's a question I'm not sure anyone's really thought about here, what are they going to do with the water stations?

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[09:42:44]

BERMAN: California Congressman Eric Swalwell has dropped out of the California governor's race, as we've been discussing all morning. The real question now is, will he be expelled from Congress? And he might not be the only one expelled from Congress.

But how did we get here? How fast did things change? Of course, women have come forward, four accusing him of sexual misconduct, one accusing him of rape. Swalwell denies the allegations.

With us now, CNN chief data correspondent -- actually, chief data analyst --

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes, very good.

BERMAN: Harry Enten is here.

Things changed quickly.

ENTEN: Things changed really quickly. And it really left Eric Swalwell with no choice in terms of dropping out of the race. I mean, just take a look at the Kalshi prediction markets. Chance that Swalwell wins the California governorship. You go back to the beginning of the month. Look at this. It's about a three in five. He was the clear favorite at this point to be the next California governor. But by Friday, his chances were already adios, amigos, goodbye, basically. He was down to two percent. He saw the writing on the wall. And then, of course, now we're at a zero percent chance as he has suspended his campaign.

But Eric Swalwell dropped out of this race because, simply put, there was no path forward for him to be the next California governor.

BERMAN: And this was less than two weeks ago.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: This was Friday. Basically where it is now, which is zero, after he dropped out.

ENTEN: Correct.

BERMAN: Whether or not he dropped out, he was basically at zero.

And Democratic lawmakers, they saw this quickly, yes?

ENTEN: Yes, they saw it really quickly. Eric Swalwell's support basically disappeared overnight. I mean you just take a look here. I mean last week the members of Congress who were endorsing Swalwell for governor was 21. It was 21 members of Congress. But by Sunday, by the time he dropped out, again, it was already zero.

Eric Swalwell dropped out because he realized, no matter how much he actually fought the allegations, there really was no base of support for this campaign. It evaporated overnight. It was done already by Saturday. And by Sunday, when he dropped out, he realized the writing was on the wall.

BERMAN: And people were paying attention.

ENTEN: People were really paying attention. So, you know, you members -- look at these members of Congress, right? But just take a look at the Google searches in California. Look at this, Google searches for Swalwell in California, up 3,200 percent versus last week. This was an all-time high over the last four days. As soon as these allegations hit the press, Eric Swalwell Google searches went up because the members, the voters in California were realizing this.

[09:45:02]

The members of Congress were realizing this, and they recognized, Eric Swalwell on the campaign, that there was no escaping this. All eyes were on him and in a very negative way.

BERMAN: So, people are looking at California polls the last several months. Everyone was all bunched up. You know, Swalwell might have had a slight lead at the very end there.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: But what now? What are the prediction markets saying now?

ENTEN: You know, all I can say is, I don't know what's going to happen next in California. But if you look at the Kalshi prediction market, look at this, Tom Steyer, who has spent a ton of money, you might remember him if you remember the Democratic campaign back in 2020. He ran. On Thursday he had a 29 percent chance. Now at 56 percent chance. So, he's a majority favorite, but a bare majority favorite.

The truth is, I'm just going to shrug my shoulders when it comes to who's going to be the next California governor, because there's a lot of time until the first votes or the votes are actually cast. And so, we'll just have to wait and see.

BERMAN: It'll be a fascinating few weeks to watch there.

Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you.

BERMAN: We have a lot of news this morning. We'll be right back.

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[09:50:27]

BOLDUAN: All right, we have some details and news coming in right now. A federal judge has now dismissed a lawsuit brought by President Trump against "The Wall Street Journal." This was over, you might remember, the newspapers reporting on Jeffrey Epstein and what became known as his birthday book.

Let's get over to CNN's chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, who's got the details coming in.

Brian, what are you learning about this?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA ANALYST: Apologies for catching me in the car. I pulled over to write this story.

But yes, this is a big defeat for the president in court because this lawsuit filed against "The Wall Street Journal," it was the first time in living memory that a sitting U.S. president sued a news outlet over a story he didn't like. Trump has since sued "The Wall Street Journal." He's -- excuse me, sued "The New York Times," sued the BBC. But this "Journal" lawsuit was the first of its kind. And now U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles has thrown it out. He says Trump has failed to plausibly allege that Rupert Murdoch's newspaper acted with actual malice. So, it's not meeting that high standard for defamation lawsuits.

Now, Trump does have another chance. Gayles has dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, which means Trump has until April 27th to file a new complaint if he wants to. If he tries. But in order to proceed, Trump will have to allege the journal knowingly published false information. And the thing about this Epstein birthday book is that everybody has now seen the image for him or herself. Everyone has seen this in the public domain. And "The Journal" continues to aggressively fight this case.

So, it's another legal loss for the president. His lawsuit against "The New York Times" was similarly challenged by a judge last year. So, even though the president has gone up against news outlets, when these news outlets decide to fight back in court, they usually win. And here, today, Rupert Murdoch's "Wall Street Journal" with a big win against the president.

And it raises a question that dates back to last summer, when Trump filed the lawsuit, did he sue over this Epstein birthday book report because he didn't want people to believe it? Was he trying to muddy the waters? Was he trying to pick a fight with Rupert Murdoch or win a settlement deal? Well, if he was trying to do that, he has failed today.

BOLDUAN: Yes. Brian, thank you for pulling over before calling in.

STELTER: Yes. Yes.

BOLDUAN: And thank you for your reporting, as always.

STELTER: (INAUDIBLE). BOLDUAN: Now put that seatbelt back on and we'll see you soon, Brian. OK.

I mean there is some element of you -- just welcome to it.

BERMAN: There's traffic coming by there.

BOLDUAN: I know.

BERMAN: Pull over -- Brian, maybe pull over a little bit further the next time.

BOLDUAN: No, he is fine. He is totally fine.

BERMAN: OK. Goo. I just wanted to make sure he's safe. That's my main concern, safety first.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

BERMAN: All right, Rory McIlroy back to back Masters champ. Let's get to CNN's Andy Scholes, who's been there for it all.

Here's a fun fact. We say like multiple green jackets. Don't you only get one green jacket? If you win multiple times, do you just get the same green jacket each time, right?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: That is true. You just put on the same green jacket that you already had. But you get a whole new ceremony, the trophy once again, John. And, you know, we did go on the Rory coaster once again here in Augusta. But in the second straight year we got the same result.

But Rory McIlroy further cementing his legacy, he's now just the fourth golfer ever to go back to back here in Augusta, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. But again, it was not easy.

Yesterday, in the final round, Rory was actually two shots back of Justin Rose during the round. But the difference, like it's been at so many Masters, came down to amen corner on 12. Rory, the fabulous tee shot here. He birdied that hole. Rose, meanwhile, had bogeyed 12 moments before.

Rory then went to 18. He was up two strokes, but he made it an adventure. He hit his tee shot way right into the trees, but he was able to get out of there, and then he would put in to win the Masters.

He let out a huge scream and a sigh of relief at the same time, I imagine. He then shared an awesome moment with his daughter, Poppy, wife, Erica, and his parents who were there.

And then here's what Rory had to say about what he was thinking on that 18th green.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RORY MCILROY, WON SECOND STRAIGHT MASTERS SUNDAY: When the ball trickled by and I marked it there from, you know, two inches or whatever, I just looked at the back of the green and I give it one of these because I saw my mom and dad and Erica and Poppy and I was just like, can't believe I've just done it again. So, yes, more, more joy. More, like, yes, not -- not as emotional, but just, wow, this is, you know, it's amazing. I can't believe I did it again

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: All right. And for Justin Rose it was another Masters of what could have been. He had the lead midway through yesterday's final round. But once again, it slipped away.

[09:55:00]

The 45-year-old finished tied for third. That comes a year after he lost to Rory in a playoff.

Two-time champ Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, he almost made the greatest comeback in Masters history. He was 12 shots back of Rory entering Saturday, but he stormed up the leaderboard. And had Scottie made this putt on 17, he would have got to 12 under and potentially force a playoff. What could have been.

Another former Masters champ, though, he had a really rough day. Sergio Garcia was very mad at his shot off the second tee, slammed his driver, then broke it on a cooler. According to ESPN, Sergio was issued a code of conduct warning, which was the first ever in Masters history. But in a lighter moment, later on the hole, Sergio, he carried Jon Rahm's bag because Rahm's caddie was fixing a bunker. So that was kind of funny. But Sergio said after his round, obviously not super proud of his actions, but sometimes it happens.

But, John, you know, Rory McIlroy likely on his way back to Florida as we speak. And he joked that he was going to probably have a headache this morning because he was going to celebrate properly.

BERMAN: He earned it. He earned it. I have to say, the tee shot on 18, I could not believe how far off he hit that, but then managed to pull himself back.

BOLDUAN: You should have seen me at putt putt yesterday.

BERMAN: The same thing. You (ph) was smashing it like Sergio Garcia.

BOLDUAN: I was -- yes, exactly. And for the record, my daughters did beat me. Yes, that's how bad I can actually putt.

BERMAN: Thank you all for joining us. "SITUATION ROOM" up next.

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