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Morning Wire

Hormuz Cut Off & Scandals Rock Congress | 4.14.26

14 Apr 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What actions is the Trump administration taking regarding the Strait of Hormuz?

4.182 - 9.492 Georgia Howe

The Trump administration says Iran has overplayed their hand as the Hormuz blockade takes effect.

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10.133 - 20.492 John Bickley

We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world. It's just what they're doing. They're really blackmailing the world. We're not going to let that happen.

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20.512 - 41.184 Georgia Howe

I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire executive editor John Bickley. It's Tuesday, April 14th, and this is Morning Wire. A showdown is brewing between the White House and the Vatican as Trump calls the Pope out of touch for his criticism of the Iran war.

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41.944 - 50.374 Unknown

I don't want to get into a debate with him. I don't think that the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.

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51.275 - 61.847 Georgia Howe

And Democrat Eric Swalwell resigns from Congress amid a flood of accusations. Who else could be on the way out? Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.

64.527 - 80.321 Unknown

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80.722 - 94.534 Unknown

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94.514 - 110.639 Unknown

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113.023 - 132.03 Georgia Howe

Following talks in Pakistan with the Iranians, President Trump and his team are making good on their promise to take control of the Strait of Hormuz. Joining us to discuss is Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olihan. So, Mary Margaret, all eyes are right now on how the U.S. handles this blockade against Iran. What's the latest from the White House on this?

Chapter 2: How is the Pope's stance impacting U.S.-Iran relations?

150.404 - 170.622 Mary Margaret Olihan

on Monday beginning at 10 a.m. ET. So, of course, all of Washington was dialed in, watching breathlessly as this deadline drew near. Now, Monday morning, the president posted again, reminding us that Iran's navy has been, as he says, completely obliterated and that some 158 of their ships are, quote, laying at the bottom of the sea.

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171.062 - 191.787 Mary Margaret Olihan

He then sent the Iranian regime a clear warning, and I'm quoting here, what we have not hit are their small number of what they call fast attack ships, because we don't consider them much of a threat. Warning, if any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on the boats at sea.

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192.187 - 199.918 Mary Margaret Olihan

It is quick and brutal. Now, he was asked at the White House yesterday what he will do if a deal isn't reached by the end of the ceasefire, and he didn't give us much.

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200.135 - 204.043 John Bickley

Yeah, I don't want to comment on that, but it won't be pleasant for them. Let me put it that way.

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204.543 - 215.224 Georgia Howe

Now, some form of talks are still continuing. You've spoken to some officials about how those negotiations are going. What are the sticking points at the center of this impasse?

215.204 - 231.005 Mary Margaret Olihan

Here's what they told me. The negotiations, though they didn't end in a deal, helped the United States understand just how little Iran understood their own situation. Vance dug into the Iranians' assessment of their own position, and he figured out that they had fundamentally misunderstood the cards that they had in their hand.

Chapter 3: What controversies surround Eric Swalwell's resignation from Congress?

231.286 - 242.661 Mary Margaret Olihan

That's why Vance left after he made that final offer, I'm told, because in his view, if the Iranians believe they have leverage that they don't have, no deal is possible. I'm also told that the White House views it this way.

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243.061 - 260 Mary Margaret Olihan

And before they're ready to entertain a serious offer, the Iranians need to recognize that the realities on the ground do not match their assumptions heading into these negotiations. And of course, after Vance left the country, Trump announced that the U.S. would blockade the Strait because Iran had refused to commit to abandoning its nuclear program.

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260.421 - 263.704 Georgia Howe

So what does the White House say they need Iran to accept here?

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264.065 - 269.511 Mary Margaret Olihan

Well, President Trump addressed this a little bit on Monday afternoon as he spoke to reporters outside the Oval Office.

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269.828 - 291.077 John Bickley

Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. And we agreed to a lot of things, but they didn't agree to that. And I think they will agree to it. I'm almost sure of it. In fact, I am sure of it. If they don't agree, there's no deal. There'll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. And we're going to get the dust back. We'll get it back either. We'll get it back from them or we'll take it.

291.243 - 291.884 Mary Margaret Olihan

Another U.S.

Chapter 4: What are the implications of Congress's return amid scandals?

291.904 - 310.179 Mary Margaret Olihan

official who I spoke with laid out six key objectives, and these are what they are. One, Iran must end all uranium enrichment. Two, dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities. Three, retrieve highly enriched uranium. Four, accept a broader peace, security, and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies.

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310.86 - 329.967 Mary Margaret Olihan

Five, end funding for the terrorist proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. And six, finally, fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage. Now, I'm told that this is absolutely still a deal that's on the table, but it's up to the Iranians whether or not they're going to accept it. I was also told on Monday afternoon by a U.S.

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330.008 - 347.582 Mary Margaret Olihan

official that, and I'm quoting, there is continued engagement between the U.S. and Iran and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement. That's as we hear rumors about more peace talks coming up potentially this week with U.S. officials and Iranians. Now, I'll be traveling with the vice president to Georgia today.

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347.622 - 354.094 Mary Margaret Olihan

And if I can, I intend to ask him some of these questions about the upcoming peace talks, where things stand with Iran and more.

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354.554 - 358.662 Georgia Howe

All right. Well, we're looking forward to that. Mary Margaret, thanks for coming on. Thanks for having me.

359.755 - 379.12 Unknown

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Chapter 5: What are the key demands from the U.S. regarding Iran's nuclear program?

483.839 - 493.332 Megan Basham

So as you might imagine, Trump wasn't shy about responding to that. In fact, he referenced this dispute over law and order when he was asked about the pope yesterday.

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493.993 - 501.424 Unknown

I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person and he's a man that doesn't believe in stopping crime.

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501.893 - 512.527 Megan Basham

So that backdrop was already in place when the Pope a few days ago began speaking out more strongly about the war in Iran, including urging voters to contact their representatives.

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513.008 - 526.686 John Bickley

I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war always.

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526.902 - 540.237 Megan Basham

Then on Friday, he said this, God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.

540.419 - 564.52 Megan Basham

Well, immediately, many Trump supporters pointed out that not only does the Bible, specifically in several places, allow for war, famously in the book of Ecclesiastes, saying there is a time for war, but also the Pope's own father stormed the beaches of Normandy. So we have to remember, I think, that Leo is an American, and he's from Chicago, and he's publicly engaging in American politics.

564.5 - 572.498 Megan Basham

president by name. So he's not just making general statements of principle. And I think that is a setup for some of these dramatic tensions that we're talking about.

572.879 - 581.378 Georgia Howe

Now, more recently, there have been some dramatic controversies on both sides that have required some later clarifications. Tell us about those.

581.358 - 601.306 Megan Basham

Yeah, they've been coming very fast and furious, so it's a little hard to keep track. But toward the end of last week, we had the Avignon papacy controversy. It started when the free press ran a story claiming that the Pentagon's officials threatened a Vatican envoy, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, with a new Avignon papacy.

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