President Donald Trump has signaled that a second round of U.S.–Iran talks is coming into focus. Officials are now indicating how soon both sides could be back at the table.
Plus, Rep. Eric Swalwell is out, but the story isn’t slowing down. A new accuser says he drugged and sexually assaulted her, and now she’s going to the police.
And a dramatic return from space playing out on video. New footage shows Navy divers reaching the Artemis II crew — and bringing them safely home.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
US, Iran move toward new talks as mediators say ceasefire extension agreed in principle
Momentum is building for new U.S.-Iran talks, even as the U.S. tightens its military grip in the region. Mediators say both sides have, in principle, agreed to extend the current ceasefire, set to expire next week, by at least two more weeks, according to The Associated Press.
It comes as tensions remain high around the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump said a new round of talks could happen in Pakistan within days. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also said it’s “highly probable” those talks move forward.
In a Fox News interview Wednesday morning, Trump said he believes the war won’t go on much longer.
“I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over,” Trump said. “You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country. And we’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
At the same time, the U.S. military said its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now fully in place.
U.S. Central Command said American forces have achieved “maritime superiority” and claim trade into and out of Iran by sea has been halted. A U.S. official said warships warned six vessels in the first 24 hours. All of them turned around.
Five of those ships were reportedly carrying oil.
New accuser details assault claims, saying Swalwell drugged and attacked her
Former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., faced new and graphic accusations just hours after he announced his resignation from office.
Model Lonna Drewes came forward Tuesday, accusing Swalwell of drugging and sexually assaulting her during a 2018 meeting at a California hotel. She spoke publicly for the first time at a Beverly Hills news conference.
“On the third occasion, I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine,” she said. “When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, and I couldn’t move my arms or my body. He raped me, and he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness.”
Her claims add to a series of allegations against Swalwell that emerged in recent days. Swalwell has denied any sexual misconduct, calling the accusations false.
In a video posted last week, Swalwell rejected the claims and said he would fight them.
“Immediately, we will be filing a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office,” Drewes attorney said Tuesday. “We will be providing all of her evidence there, including text messages, journal entries, photograph, and witness information.”
Swalwell announced his resignation from Congress on Monday, shortly after the accusations became public.
He officially announced his departure on Tuesday by submitting a resignation letter to the House clerk. He is no longer a candidate for California governor after dropping out last weekend.
Lawmakers expand push for expulsions, saying additional members could face removal votes
The two lawmakers who helped lead the bipartisan push to expel Swalwell, as well as Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said there could be more to come.
Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., teamed up to introduce expulsion resolutions, a required step under House rules.
They told CBS News their effort could extend to other members under scrutiny.
Luna said she would support expulsion, if warranted, in cases involving Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla.
Mills is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations of dating violence and campaign finance violations.
A grand jury indicted Cherfilus-McCormick in Florida on charges of stealing FEMA funds and making illegal campaign contributions.
Both have denied any wrongdoing.
Swalwell and Gonzales both stepped down this week rather than face expulsion votes.
DOJ moves to erase Jan. 6 convictions, seeks to vacate cases against Proud Boys, Oath Keepers
The Justice Department is now seeking to erase some of the most serious convictions stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Federal prosecutors asked a court Tuesday to vacate the convictions of a dozen members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, including those found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
The request targets some of the highest-profile defendants still facing Capitol riot cases. These are defendants whose sentences were commuted last year, but whose convictions remain in place.
The filings, signed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, ask the appeals courts to permanently erase those convictions.
“In the executive branch’s view, it is not in the interests of justice to continue to prosecute this case or the cases of other, similarly situated defendants.”
— U.S. Attorney’s Office
The move builds on Trump’s earlier actions after he issued pardons for most Jan. 6 defendants and commuted sentences for others. Those included leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, some of whom were sentenced to more than a decade in prison.
Prosecutors had said those groups organized and led breaches of the Capitol, including assaults on police and damage to the building. More than 1,500 people were charged in connection with the attack.
These filings target some of the last remaining cases still on the books.
Federal Reserve turns away prosecutors, criminal probe into Powell stalls in court
Federal prosecutors showed up unannounced Tuesday at the Federal Reserve to try to get inside a multi-billion-dollar renovation project. They were turned away.
The visit by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s team comes as a criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell has stalled in court.
Last month, Chief Judge James Boasberg blocked subpoenas, writing the government had produced “essentially zero evidence” of a crime and “no evidence whatsoever” that Powell had done anything wrong beyond “displeasing the president.”
The Fed’s outside counsel then warned prosecutors not to bypass the courts, calling any direct contact with the central bank inappropriate unless legal representation was present. Pirro defended the attempted tour, saying the project’s nearly 80% cost overruns warrant scrutiny.
The standoff is now spilling into Capitol Hill politics.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said he will not advance Trump’s nominee to replace Powell — Kevin Warsh — until the Justice Department completes its investigation.
Navy crews recover Artemis II astronauts: Video
The Artemis II crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, with U.S. Navy crews ready to move in and receive them. New video of the astronauts’ homecoming has surfaced, and it includes plenty of handshakes, cheers and “Welcome home’s” as divers reached the capsule.
The Navy crews briefly evaluated the four astronauts, helped them maneuver out of the capsule and onto a raft, and then hoisted them into a helicopter.
From there, the crew was flown to the USS John Murtha for comprehensive medical checks.
The mission lasted 10 days — an around-the-moon flight without a landing — covering roughly 700,000 miles and capturing new lunar images.
Now, NASA shifts to the next step.
Artemis III — set for next year — will keep astronauts in Earth’s orbit as they practice docking the Orion capsule with a commercial lunar lander. That’s a critical step before any return to the moon.
After that, Artemis IV, targeting 2028, could put astronauts back on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17.
More from Straight Arrow News:
How Waymo is changing the playbook for teens learning to drive
Karly Treacy didn’t want her teenage children driving in Los Angeles traffic, so when her eldest daughter admitted she had no desire to get behind the wheel, Treacy felt immediate relief.
“It’s way too much responsibility for teens whose frontal cortexes aren’t fully developed,” she told Straight Arrow News.
But coordinating the schedules of three children while both she and her husband worked full-time wasn’t easy. At first, Treacy let her oldest children, then 12 and 13, take rideshares, as long as they weren’t alone, but she said they had a few “scary experiences.” They tried public transportation, but that felt unsafe, too. When Waymo became available for kids, Treacy and her husband decided to let the older kids test it out.
Families have long weighed questions about safety, insurance and fuel prices when determining when to teach teenagers to drive. But as gas prices spike, and autonomous rideshares become more readily available, some parents are adding a new variable to their equation: Waymo.