Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Former Staffer Says Rep. Eric Swalwell Raped Her; VP Vance Arrives In Pakistan For Iran Negotiations; Artemis Astronauts To Return To Houston; State Media: Iranian Delegation Met Pakistan Prime Minister; Sources: United States Intelligence Indicates China Preparing Weapons Shipment To Iran; Former Staffer Says Rep. Eric Swalwell Raped Her; United States Inflation Rate Surge Due To War With Iran. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired April 11, 2026 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to CNN THIS MORNING. We are following two major stories this morning, including a CNN exclusive. Four women described alleged sexual misconduct by Congressman Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he sexually assaulted her. CNN's Pamela Brown sat down with one accuser. Her story, plus the new response from Swalwell overnight. That's coming up.

Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan for high-stakes negotiations to end the U.S.-Iran war. We have live team coverage from the Middle East and from the White House.

It's Saturday, April 11. Good to have you along. I'm Victor Blackwell. We're starting with that new CNN exclusive reporting about Congressman Swalwell. He is currently running for California governor. And recently, he has faced rumors on social media about sexual misconduct. He has denied the allegations.

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 for you. You're about to hear some disturbing and graphic details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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 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.

ERIC SWALWELL, CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was in 2019. I was again driving him to an event. This was my job.

BROWN: And you were 21 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ever behave inappropriately with female staffers?

SWALWELL: No. No. It's false. And also, some of the allegations I've seen, which is that we've had NDAs in the office. Never -- there's never been an allegation. And there's 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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BROWN: And did he ever send lewd photos?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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. And he said as much, too.

BROWN: What did he say?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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.

[07:05:00]

BROWN (voice-over): At the time, she no longer worked for Swalwell's office.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He didn't stop.

BROWN: He didn't stop. And you woke up the next morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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 "Sexually assaulted by Eric." She also shared this note from a physician's assistant, calling her a "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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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, "That swimsuit" with an expletive. You like it? She responded. Yes, very much like, he wrote.

In a statement to CNN, Swalwell said, "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."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BROWN: You want to protect others like you when you were young.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one protected me. Sorry. No one protected me. And I don't want someone else to suffer because I know what I know.

BROWN (on camera): A lawyer for Swalwell sent two of the women CNN spoke with cease and desist letters on Thursday, a day after CNN first reached out to his campaign to request comment. According to copies of the letters they provided to CNN. The letter is called the women's accounts false, ordered them to retract their statements, and warned of potential legal action if they continue speaking out.

The women stand by their accounts they gave CNN. Pamela Brown, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: And Representative Swalwell issued a response to these allegations in a post on social media last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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.

They are 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. And to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position. I also apologize to you if, in any way, you have 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. And I appreciate those who have reached out to me to show support. And I look forward to updating you very soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[07:10:16]

BLACKWELL: Be sure to stay with CNN for developments on that story. Let's talk now about the war. And vice president JD Vance. He's in Islamabad, Pakistan. He's ready for high-stakes peace talks with Iran.

We've just learned that he met with Pakistan's prime minister. This was shortly after the Iranian delegation did the same. And we've learned new details about the talks from Iranian state affiliated media. Talks between Tehran and Washington are expected to start this afternoon, last about a day.

But as for the negotiations themselves, each country has submitted a proposal. The U.S. proposal focuses on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stresses Iran must commit to no nuclear weapons. However, Iran's proposal contains some nonstarters for the U.S., including that the U.S. acknowledge Iranian control of the Strait and reparations are paid for war damages.

We have team coverage for you this morning. CNN's Clarissa Ward from Riyadh. Betsy Klein from the White House. Let's check in with Clarissa first.

We now hear that the talks are moving forward. Although those prerequisites that were required by the Iranian speaker of the parliament were not met -- ends of attacks in Lebanon. The paid reparations already. What do we know about what's ahead?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we actually know very little, Victor, except that there is a huge amount of ground to cover. The journalists who are in Islamabad, including our own International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson, are being kept in a hotel across the street from where these talks are taking place. And they're being given very little information as to what the format of these talks is, what the exact start time is, whether they will be held directly, indirectly. But one thing is very clear, as you just mentioned in your introduction, which is the glaring disparity between Iran's position coming into these talks and the U.S.'s position going into these talks. And basically, they have a relatively small amount of time in which to find some serious overlap. Previously, as you mentioned, the head of the Iranian delegation, primary interlocutor with the U.S., Mohammad Ghalibaf, who was the speaker of Iran's parliament, had said that the talks wouldn't even begin unless there was a cease fire in Lebanon and unless Iran's assets were unfrozen.

Now, we know that that cease fire in Lebanon has not transpired. There has been continued Israeli military activity in the south of the country up until this morning. Although there has been some movement on the question of peace talks with ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon, holding a conversation over the phone and plans for them to meet in Washington, D.C. this coming week.

For those in the region, and particularly here in the Gulf where I am, the primary focus is on that crucial Strait of Hormuz, which continues to be under a sort of chokehold of Iran, despite the fact that these ceasefire and these talks were literally predicated on Iran agreeing to open the Strait completely. According to our calculations, just a handful of vessels, most of them Chinese, have headed toward the Strait today. And when you compare this to nearly 200 ships going through every day before the war, it gives you a sense of just what a dramatic slowdown we are talking about.

And for all these Gulf countries, the idea that Iran would in some capacity be able to maintain its control over the Strait, even if they do open it up, is absolutely a red line. So, a lot of pressure on that U.S. delegation going into these talks, and the Iranian delegation. And a lot of questions as to what these talks can achieve in such a short space of time, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Clarissa Ward for us there in Riyadh. Thank you, Clarissa. And let's talk now about the view from Washington. CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us from the White House. What have you heard from the administration?

BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The administration is clearly watching this incredibly closely. Vice President JD Vance, along with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arriving in Islamabad earlier today for these very high-stakes negotiations during this very fragile ceasefire with all of the pressure and challenges that Clarissa just laid out. Now, who is involved in these talks here is very notable.

[07:15:03]

Because we had learned that the Iranians said they didn't want to negotiate any more with Witkoff and Kushner. They, of course, have been leading talks on behalf of the U.S. prior to the start of this conflict. And are some of the president's most trusted advisors. Vice President JD Vance stepping in here now, and Iran has signaled that they view him as a more reasonable negotiator. But ahead of all of this, we've learned that Vance and the delegation met with Pakistan's prime minister, really underscoring the key role that this country has begun to play as a mediator in these talks. But as he departed Washington yesterday, Vice President Vance telling reporters that President Trump had given him some pretty clear guidelines from which to negotiate. And we know from our reporting that Vance has spent weeks in the lead up to these talks behind the scenes, preparing for this moment, really emerging as a central player. So, this is also a key moment for him politically as he looks to establish himself as a peacemaker on behalf of the Trump administration.

Now, at the heart of these talks is reconciling the Trump administration's 15-point plan with a 10-point plan from the Iranians. The White House had said that one of the 10-point plans put forth by the Iranians was fundamentally unserious and had been thrown away. They said there is another plan that they described as workable, that they have been communicating with the Iranians on privately. They say that that is more likely to move forward. But President Trump's red line, specifically the end of uranium enrichment, remain unchanged, according to the White House.

Now, just to give you a sense of the jockeying in the media ahead of these talks, we've already learned that an Iranian official told Reuters that the U.S. had agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets from Qatar. A senior U.S. official pushing back strongly on that, calling those reports false. But the world now waiting to see whether and when and how these talks will begin, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Betsy Klein at the White House, thank you very much. We'll, of course, be watching that very closely throughout the morning.

Now, after the historic trip, the Artemis II mission crew is back on land. What happens next for the astronauts as they adjust to life back on Earth? That's ahead.

And the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Who's in the lead, chasing a back-to-back win? You know it's Rory McIlroy. We'll talk more about that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:15]

BLACKWELL: New this morning, NASA released the first pictures of the Artemis II astronauts after they completed their historic 10-day mission. They'll return to Houston today to undergo some medical tests. They'll also eventually reunite with their families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Yes, there was a splashdown that deserved those cheers, Orion capsule last night, right there in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. Doctors were ready to welcome the four crew members back to Earth. And choppers flew the astronauts back to land. The astronauts' test flight mission was designed to provide NASA with data as it seeks future missions to the moon.

Joining me now to discuss, Tariq Malik. He is the editor-in-chief of Space.com. Good to have you on this morning. And so, let me just start here.

It seemed to go so smoothly. I mean, you consider the numbers here, 700,000 miles traveled. The speed, 24,000 miles per hour. And they come within a mile of their target zone. What did you think and feel when you saw this splashdown last night?

TARIQ MALIK, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SPACE.COM: Well, I have to say, this was a spectacular mission from launch to landing. I was there for the launch. And it was a smooth liftoff, the smoothest I've ever seen in 25 years of space reporting. And then watching this reentry again, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. They were able to get the crew back onto the recovery ship within a couple of hours, which was their goal as well.

And from all reports, I mean, this crew is in great spirits. You saw those photos right there. I mean, this seemed to really exceed NASA's expectations from soup to nuts for an entire test flight, the first of its kind with astronauts on the spacecraft.

BLACKWELL: So, of course, as I said, undergoing these medical tests, and they've got to re-acclimate. When should we expect to hear from them, maybe in their own news conference?

MALIK: Well, I know that the astronauts are probably pretty tired. You know, they're returning to Houston this afternoon. As you mentioned, they're going to meet their family.

Again, their family was -- and friends were in mission control watching their reentry closely. You heard those cheers there. And they will be going through a bunch of tests.

Actually, on the ship, they were expected to do a bit of an obstacle course that NASA had planned a few hours after splashdown to see how astronauts could do some critical tasks, like an emergency escape from their capsule. And they're expected to do some spacesuit tests in Houston as well over the next few days. We are expecting, at least to hear from them, maybe in the next week, where they would have like a crew conference to meet the media, to meet the public, to kind of describe once again, in their own words, what this ten days to the moon and back was like for them.

[07:25:11]

BLACKWELL: Yes. You had on your website the NASA spokesperson's comments that this was a new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbor. What do you think this chapter means as we look ahead to the next and the next, as the goals of NASA pile up?

MALIK: You know, one thing that comes to mind is it does seem that NASA has momentum now. You know, when I first started this beat, NASA just announced that they were going to the moon. And then they had a bunch of false starts. And they never seemed to get there.

Now they've actually done it. And they have a grand plan. The administrator, Jared Isaacman, rolled out a really ambitious timeline to get astronauts on the surface of the moon once, if not twice, by the end of 2028. That's only a couple of years away now.

And they have a lot to do. They need moon landers. They need spacesuits. They need to demonstrate a lot of new technology.

But it seems like they are committed to going there. And they did make a call to companies to say, look, we need your help. We need you to rise to this challenge as well. And, you know, it seems more real than ever now that they're actually going to reach there.

BLACKWELL: There -- were going into the splashdown -- the concerns left over from the Artemis I mission, the heat shield. There was also on this mission, the concern about the valve redesign of the capsule's service module, the toilet situation.

MALIK: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Put those into context, though. When you think about just the enormity of what we've just watched, it seems as if these now kind of seem a bit minor.

MALIK: You know, I think the biggest question of all was the heat shield, as you mentioned. During NASA's first uncrewed test flight, Artemis I, in 2022, NASA saw more charring, more material, kind of burn off the heat shield than they were really expecting. And that's a critical phase.

This is the first crew -- the first astronauts to return to earth, 24,000 miles an hour, hitting that -- the Earth's atmosphere at Mach 33. There isn't any backup for that. And it had to go well. Seeing that it did perform and that NASA has plans to improve it over the next few missions, you know, that gives them a shot in the arm to say that our designs, our analysis, it was all correct.

Aside from that, as you mentioned, a lot of the issues on this flight felt relatively minor. There were some helium leaks in the propulsion system that they're going to redesign and fix. The toilet was annoying. But they still were able to use it most of the time. So, that was pretty good for certain purposes. And it seems like NASA expected more problems with the spacecraft than what they saw.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Being able to use the toilet on a 10-day mission was absolutely a good thing. They got that solved. Tariq Malik, thank you so much for being with me.

MALIK: That's right.

BLACKWELL: Space.com. All right, officials from Tehran and Washington -- they are in Pakistan today as the world is waiting for what will come out of, if anything, these peace talks between the countries.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [07:32:40]

BLACKWELL: Historic talks between the U.S. and Iran are expected to happen today. Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Pakistan this morning to head up the U.S. delegation. He says he'll know pretty quickly if the Iranians are negotiating in good faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are to try to have a positive negotiation. The president gave us some pretty clear guidelines, and we are going to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The Iranians say there are more than 70 representatives in their delegation headed up by the speaker of parliament. As the talks open, several ships are heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, five or fewer. And President Trump insists it's going to open completely soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The strait will open up. If we just left the straight, otherwise, they make no money. So, the strait is going to open. But what we have is no nuclear weapon, but we'll open the strait anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, let's bring in now, CNN global affairs analyst Kimberly Dozier. Kimberly, let me start here. First, good morning to you.

Iran state affiliate media is reporting that Iranian officials have signaled that no final decision has been made yet on whether there will be talks, whether they will proceed. Is it conceivable at this point that a 71-person delegation from Iran and the vice president of the United States come to Islamabad, and they don't talk?

KIMBERLY DOZIER, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: Look, the Iranians know the value of high stakes negotiations and also of embarrassing the other side. They understood in the cease fire agreement that they thought they agreed to that there would be a cease fire in attacks on Lebanon, and you saw that Ghalibaf, the speaker of parliament, who is one of the two main delegates from the Iranian side, had tweeted in the past 24 hours that there wouldn't be talks unless there was some sort of cessation of violence by Israel against Lebanon.

So, there is a chance that they could walk away. At the same time, it's just one more way to try to ring early concessions and keep the U.S. side off balance.

BLACKWELL: Yes, the Iranians have said that they don't want to talk with Jared Kushner. They don't want to talk with Steve Witkoff, because if we look back to before the start of the war, they just come off, talks that the Iranians said went well, there were talks on the table for the following week after the initial start of the war.

[07:35:08]

They wanted the vice president.

So, now that J.D. Vance is leading up the U.S. delegation, how does his added variable change the equation? Make it any more likely that they will come out of this with some points from their respective plans that they can agree on?

DOZIER: Well, J.D. Vance has pretty skilled national security staff, even though a lot of Europeans Westerners don't like some of the things that staff has advanced in terms of ideology. But Vance also brought experts with him from the state department who understand the nuances nuclear negotiations.

One of the complaints we heard from the Iranian side about earlier meetings with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner was they didn't bring any experts along, and they didn't seem to understand the details that you need to negotiate what happens with nuclear material, for instance. So, there is a positive on that side. J.D. Vance, could do something like say, we have gotten Israel to say that they'll stop the attacks in 24 hours on Lebanon, but you all have to get Hezbollah to stop rocketing northern Israel, which has also been going on.

So, you could see his imprimatur of office come into effect that way, in a way that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could not.

BLACKWELL: Let me get your thoughts on some CNN reporting. The three sources tell CNN that China is preparing to send air defense systems to Iran over the next several weeks. China denies it, but there the shoulder fired anti air missile systems known as MANPADS.

More than the change or the impact they would have militarily, geopolitically, consider the president is going to meet with Xi next month. What does this mean that the China is getting involved in supporting Iran?

DOZIER: China needs oil from Iran. It's a major supplier to Chinese industry. So, they are playing the long game. You know, Iran's ace in the hole is control of Strait of -- the Strait of Hormuz, and even President Trump said in his own remarks, all that Iran needs to do is have a guy on a pickup truck with something like a rocket, shoulder fired rocket.

So, China is making sure that Iran has that ace in the hole going forward, and that leaves the U.S. over the barrel in these negotiations, because they need -- they need a win. But for Iran, this is existential.

BLACKWELL: All right. Kimberly Dozier, always good to have you. We'll see where these talks go. Scheduled to start later today.

Coming up, a campaign in free fall. Congressman Eric Swalwell's bid for California governor, reeling as top Democrats pulled their endorsements after sexual misconduct allegations. We will bring the latest on the fallout. That's next.

And if you are heading out, you can always stream our show from anywhere in the U.S. You can do it right from the Sean app. Also check out CNN.com/Watch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:43:04]

BLACKWELL: This morning, Congressman Eric Swalwell is facing serious allegations from four women, as we discussed at the top of this hour. They have alleged sexual misconduct by Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her. Swalwell is denying the allegations, but several top Democrats are now calling for him to end his bid as a candidate for California governor.

With me now is Washington bureau chief for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Tia Mitchell. Tia, welcome in.

So, let's start with some of the calls for him to end former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. They have called for him to drop out of the race for California governor.

California Senator Adam Schiff, Arizona senator Ruben Gallego, long term allies, they have withdrawn their support.

Flesh out the political implications of these allegations.

TIA MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION: So, I mean, in the short term, they jumble up -- politically, they jumble up the California primary for governor.

Politically, also, you know, because Democrats have, you know, gone hard on the Epstein files. They have gone hard on some Republicans who have been accused of misconduct. Think about the reaction Democrats had during Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, for example.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MITCHELL: So, I think politically, there are many Democrats who don't want to be seen as hypocrites. But I think, you know, this goes beyond the politics. There are several women whose stories are eerily similar, and I think that's what's made it harder for Democrats to just kind of say, well, this is just, you know, given the benefit of the doubt, it's one person, let it play out.

This is multiple people, saying, many of the same things, even if you don't go as -- even if you kind of put the rape allegation in its own box, there are still so many other allegations in addition to that.

[07:45:00]

BLACKWELL: Yes. He says, he -- Swalwell says he spent the weekend with his family and friends. We'll see at the start of the week a decision he makes about the future of his campaign. Let's talk about these new economic numbers out for March. Annual rate of inflation up to 3.3 percent, up from 2.4 in February, monthly rate, 0.09.

White House tweeted this, "Although gas and energy prices are seeing volatility, prices of eggs, beef, and prescription drugs, dairy, and other household essentials are falling or remaining stable. Thanks to President Trump's policies. Yet, groceries were down 0.02 percent on the month, but up nearly 2 percent for the year.

Republicans can't have too many months like this heading into the Midterms.

MITCHELL: No, and you know, this flies in the face of everything Donald Trump campaigned on in 2024. It kind of flies in the face of what he was saying earlier. Well, late last year, earlier in this year, he was saying, look, gas prices are down, something to celebrate. Prices of groceries are coming down. So, gas prices, as we know, are now way up, and groceries are flat, if not slightly up for the year. And so, where is -- what is he going to run on? What are Republicans going to run on, as far as an economic message?

And yes, it could be better by November, but primary season is getting underway now.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MITCHELL: And so, there are a lot of Republican incumbents who, I think, wish they had a stronger economic message to run on.

BLACKWELL: The Democrats, many of them, not all, are now pushing for the president to be removed using the 25th Amendment. Of course, vice president, the president's Cabinet would have to lead that. They are not going to do that. Why is this the push from Democrats now?

MITCHELL: So, I think, some of it is it allows Democrats to talk about Trump's removal without putting themselves the burden on them to do another impeachment. Because, quite frankly, Trump has been impeached twice. That wasn't successful in his removal either. So, I think there is not a lot of interest among Democrats in Congress to do a third impeachment right now.

BLACKWELL: But you don't think that the voters who they are trying to say, this man needs to leave office, and the Republicans should do it. If Democrats win control, those same voters are not going to say, well, if you thought he should leave office, you now have the action.

MITCHELL: They might. They might. But at the end of the day, it takes two-thirds to actually remove.

BLACKWELL: Sure.

MITCHELL: And Democrats, I think, know that they faced some political kind of repercussions of the two Trump impeachments.

BLACKWELL: Yes. MITCHELL: You know, there are plenty of people in the middle and on the right who said it was a distraction, it was a waste of time, it was politically motivated, and particularly on the right, we know that that's any efforts to remove Trump from office are going to be opposed by people on the right. I just think Democrats don't know if it's worth the effort.

Unless there is something really, really egregious that comes out.

BLACKWELL: Tia Mitchell, always good to have you. Thank you.

Still ahead, Rory McIlroy is off to a historic lead at the Masters tournament. We have report from Augusta.

And Eva Longoria is back. This time she is in France. She is exploring the country's rich history and world-famous cuisine in the CNN Original Series, "SEARCHING FOR FRANCE". Eva Longoria, "SEARCHING FOR FRANCE" premieres tomorrow night. Catch back-to-back episodes at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN, and then, the next day on the CNN app.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:52:46]

BLACKWELL: At the Masters, Rory McIlroy is dominating. Our Don Riddell is in Augusta, Georgia, joins us now, putting on a master class, Don.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes. No kidding, Victor.

Up until last year, this was the scene of so much heartache for Rory McIlroy. But now, he is making it look like his personal playground. An extraordinary performance on Friday means he is now six strokes clear of the field. That is a record lead after 36 holes.

He birdied six of his last seven holes on Friday afternoon, including a fantastic chip in on 17. And the difference between this tournament and last year could hardly have been more pronounced. So, I asked him about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: What for you would be more fun? Eking out a victory by the skin of your teeth or potentially running away with it and lapping the field?

RORY MCILROY, FIVE-TIME MAJOR CHAMPION: What do you think?

Look, I have -- I have built up a nice cushion at this point, you know, and I guess my mindset is just trying to, you know, keep playing well and, you know, keeping my foot on the gas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: Remember, by winning here in 2025, McIlroy achieved the Career Grand Slam, winning all four major titles. He is now in with a great chance of becoming only the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles.

He says that he thinks this major tournament could be the one in which he is the most productive for the rest of his career, certainly, when he gets in the groove.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCILROY: I definitely find a sense of flow those last few holes. The only way I can describe it is everything that you see, or any situation that you come across, you can find a positive in it, and then, you see birdies, and you could see ways to make birdies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: But here is the thing, McIlroy is making it look easy, but actually he's doing it the hard way. There were 91 players in the field, and so far, 89 of them have been more accurate off the tee. He is kind of all over the place, and yet, he still thinks he can make birdie.

He reminds me of the pilot Chesley Sullenberger, whose years of flying experience helped him land his plane on the Hudson River.

McIlroy's experience means that he is getting it done no matter how hard the circumstances, Victor.

[07:55:06]

BLACKWELL: All right. Don Riddell, with the Miracle on the Hudson reference. Thanks so much from Augusta.

Hey, "FIRST OF ALL" is coming up at the top of the hour. We are tracking the ongoing talks between the U.S. and Iran, or the talks that are scheduled to happen today. My guest today, retired Brigadier General Shawn Harris, Air Force veteran Kelvin King, and Bishara Bahbah, he is a chairman of the group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump. They dropped the president's name after some of his moves in the Middle East.

Plus, the crew of Artemis II, back on Earth after historic journey. I'll get the first reaction from the father of Victor Glover, the first black astronaut to travel to the moon.

And later, the perfect soundtrack to get your baby in formation. Yes, there is a new album that takes the songs from Beyonce's Lemonade album and turns them into lullabies. You are going to hear what it sounds like. Spoiler, it slaps. Those stories and conversations you won't see anywhere else, coming up after a short break on "FIRST OF ALL".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END