Friends and Enemies

Good afternoon. This is the Final NOTUS newsletter for April 14, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Eric Swalwell filed his resignation from Congress today, effective immediately, NOTUS’ Reese Gorman reports. His staffers (the ones who hadn’t yet quit) will now work for the voters in the district until the seat is filled.

At a press conference this morning, another woman, Lonna Drewes, accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her in a California hotel room in 2018.

• Drewes also said that she planned to file a police report with the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office.
• In a resignation letter read on the House floor, Swalwell said he would “fight the serious, false allegations made against me.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego, a close friend and ally of Swalwell’s and a potential 2028 Democratic candidate for president, is also feeling the heat. He spoke to a throng of reporters outside his office, including NOTUS’ Igor Bobic, for more than 30 minutes today to answer questions about his relationship with Swalwell, saying that he had no knowledge of the alleged misconduct and that he felt “betrayed.”

• “Eric Swalwell lied to all of us. He lied to the most powerful people in this country, and they trusted him,” Gallego said. “I fell for it.”
• He apologized to the victims who accused Swalwell of misconduct and said he would cooperate with any law-enforcement investigations that may arise.
• When asked if he had ever personally engaged in misconduct, Gallego said: “No.”

Rep. Tony Gonzales also submitted his resignation this afternoon, which is set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. tonight.

• Once Rep.-elect Clay Fuller is sworn in, the makeup in the House will be 217 Republicans to 213 Democrats, along with one independent who votes with the GOP, per Punchbowl.

THE HILL

Embattled Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, meanwhile, does not plan to join her colleagues in resigning, despite calls from her colleagues to do so. The Democrat from Florida was federally indicted last year over allegations that she funneled $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds to her campaign, and the House Ethics Committee in March found her guilty of dozens of rule violations.

• “The allegations I am addressing are not the same as those facing some of my colleagues,” she said in a statement to NOTUS’ Oriana González. “Lumping them together, particularly with cases involving sexual assault and rape, is irresponsible.”

Republicans in the Senate are prepared to move quickly on a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito should he retire this summer, Majority Leader John Thune told the Washington Examiner. Rumors have been swirling that Alito may do so, and Republicans would want to confirm another justice before the midterms this November.

THE ADMINISTRATION

Donald Trump’s beef with Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, exploded out into the open today when he told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that he found her “unacceptable.” The president was incensed at what he sees as a lack of support for the U.S.’s war with Iran and her defense of Pope Leo XIV, a critic of Trump’s.

• “I’m shocked by her. I thought she had courage. I was wrong,” Trump said.
• The two were close allies until recently. Just last month, Trump told the same paper: “She is an ‌excellent ⁠leader and she is a friend of mine.”

The U.S. turned back six commercial ships that departed from an Iranian port during the first 24 hours of Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said in a post on social media.

• “No ships made it past the U.S. blockade,” CENTCOM also claimed.

The Treasury Department says it will not extend its waiver on Iranian oil sanctions, which is set to expire later this week. The one-month waiver was issued in March to blunt the Iran war’s impact on U.S. consumers and drive down the price of gas, which has shot up as a result of the conflict.

• “Treasury is moving aggressively with Economic Fury, maintaining maximum pressure on Iran,” the department posted on X.

CONVERSATION STARTER

What IS the Midwest, anyway?

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