The Daily Brief - Apr. 14, 2026
The latest on redistricting in Maryland, a Minnesota ICE investigation, the resignations of Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, and more
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Iran
President Trump suggested that further negotiations between Iran and the United States could soon take place in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Speaking to a New York Post reporter who was located in Islamabad, where a first round of US–Iranian talks occurred on Saturday, Trump said, “You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days.”
The negotiations over the weekend, overseen on the US side by Vice President JD Vance, lasted for most of a day but did not produce an agreement. A ceasefire between the United States and Iran is set to expire next week if no deal is made. Iran reportedly rejected a US request that it cease uranium enrichment for 20 years; Iran countered with five years, a proposal the US team did not accept.
Saudi Arabia, an important US ally in the Middle East, is urging the US to return to negotiations and drop its blockade of ships attempting to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz on the way to or from Iranian ports, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Saudi government reportedly fears that Iran might respond by asking the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, which it supports, to fire on tankers attempting to exit the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia, which Iran repeatedly targeted during the recent fighting, has depended heavily on the Red Sea route to export its oil after traffic out of the Persian Gulf all but stopped in response to Iranian threats and attacks.
So far, the US blockade has turned back six merchant ships seen leaving Iranian ports. US warships are positioned in the Gulf of Oman, where they intercepted the ships after they cleared the strait.
Swalwell and Gonzales Resign
Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales have both resigned from Congress.
Over the weekend, several women came forward accusing Swalwell of making sexual advances toward them, and one said he raped her twice while she was incapacitated. Today, another woman accused Swalwell of drugging, choking, and raping her in 2018.
Yesterday, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into Swalwell, and members from both sides of the aisle said he should step down.
In a statement, Swalwell denied the serious allegations but said he had made mistakes and didn’t want his constituents to be harmed by the “distraction.”
Rep. Tony Gonzales announced he was leaving hours after Swalwell, saying, “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office.”
Gonzales admitted last month to having a relationship with a young staff member who later died by suicide. After her death, the woman’s husband released sexual messages that Gonzales had sent her.
Last week, The San Antonio Express News published text messages from a different woman who worked for Gonzales, showing he asked her for nude pictures and to have sex with him.
Newsbreak
We Are Mighty is the kind of book I wish every child could have in their hands. It introduces young readers to twelve real people from America’s past — some famous, some not — whose courage changed the world around them. These are true stories of kids, teachers, and everyday people who stepped up in ordinary moments and made an extraordinary difference.
Beautifully illustrated and written for families, classrooms, and anyone who wants to raise children with courage, hope, and a sense of agency, We Are Mighty offers something increasingly rare: a way to teach history that is both honest and deeply inspiring. If you want to give a child a book that says, “You don’t have to be famous to matter,” this is that book.
Minnesota ICE Investigation
Local prosecutors in Minnesota are investigating ICE’s January arrest of an Hmong American man as a possible case of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and burglary. The arrest was caught on video. Federal officers burst into ChongLy “Scott” Thao’s St. Paul home through the front door with guns raised and without a warrant, then led him outside in his underwear and a blanket in freezing weather.
Immigration agents remove ChongLy “Scott” Thao from his home during a January arrest
Thao is an American citizen. Officers reportedly drove him around and questioned him for several hours before returning him to his home.
The investigation is meant to determine whether any federal or state crimes were committed in the course of the arrest. Elsewhere in Minnesota, local officials have sought to investigate other misconduct by federal immigration enforcement officers — including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. However, the Trump administration has claimed state officials don’t have the jurisdiction to investigate those cases.
Maryland Redistricting
The Maryland State Senate officially stopped an attempt to redraw the state’s congressional map, despite pressure from Democratic Governor Wes Moore, and support from Democrats in the State House.
Moore had pushed for the redistricting after Republicans in other states began to redraw their maps in ways that would help more Republicans win Congressional seats in the midterm elections in November.
Maryland has eight US congressional seats, and only one is held by a Republican. The redrawn maps would have likely flipped that seat to the Democrats.
The State House passed the new map, but Bill Ferguson, the Maryland Senate president — who is also a Democrat — said he didn’t support the redistricting plan because it was happening too close to the midterm elections and would be blocked by the courts.
Without his support, the bill sat in the state’s Senate Rules Committee and never got a full vote, which needed to be done by the end of the day yesterday.
DHS Shutdown
Although DHS remains shut down amid Congressional Democrats’ and Republicans’ dispute over funding for ICE and CBP, thousands of furloughed workers were ordered back to work this week. An April 10 memo said that employees for agencies including FEMA and CISA were being “returned to a work and paid status” and should report back to work on their next regularly scheduled day.
The memo stated that “DHS is using available funds to ensure employees are paid.” The move is unusual, because during lapses in federal funding the only employees whose work is necessary for the protection of life and property are typically required to keep working. Earlier this month, President Trump ordered that all DHS employees receive pay during the shutdown using funds redirected from other parts of the budget.
DHS has been shut down for 59 days. Democrats have refused to support any funding bill that doesn’t include reforms to immigration enforcement such as body cameras, a warrant requirement for arrests, and a ban on masks. An effort to pass a bill that would fund all of DHS except ICE and CBP failed after it passed the Senate but was rejected by the House. Republican leaders are slated to meet today to develop a plan to end the shutdown without Democratic support.