00:00At least four Iran-linked ships, including one tanker under a Chinese flag,
00:04passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, nearly 24 hours into President Trump's blockade.
00:09U.S. Central Command insists the blockade has been successful in keeping ships out of Iranian ports,
00:14and suggested those four ships that the tracking data showed traveling in the strait were doing so
00:18during a grace period with U.S. Navy permission. The aim of the blockade is to increase economic
00:24pressure on Iran by not allowing it to sell oil. While things remain very much in flux with the
00:29Iran peace negotiation process, the blockade does seem to be working. President Trump told
00:34the Post on Tuesday that backdoor talks were going, quote, a little bit slow, and said his
00:39administration is looking for a new location to hold more in-person talks with Iran. The president
00:43confirmed the U.S. won't return to Pakistan, where the most recent talks fell apart. But then he called
00:49us back. The latest update? Another round of talks, quote, could be happening over the next two days
00:55in Pakistan. Make sure to check NYPost.com for the latest on what is a very, very fluid situation.
01:02The alleged victims of disgraced and soon-to-be former Congressman Eric Swalwell are speaking out.
01:08First, there was a fresh allegation from a fashion executive and model named Lana Drews. She said she
01:13met Swalwell socially on two occasions before she claims he drugged and raped her during their third
01:18meeting. She held a press conference detailing what she says happened.
01:21He raped me. And he choked me. And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness.
01:35And I thought I died. I did not consent to any sexual activity.
01:43Another accuser, Annika Albrecht, told CBS News that the married congressman once allegedly tried
01:47to lure her to a hotel room after sending her pervy messages on Snapchat. She says she constantly
01:53thinks about how she dodged a bullet and that the close call left her shaken to her core.
01:57Meanwhile, the alleged victim who started this cascade of accusations by saying that Swalwell
02:03sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in New York City in 2024 offered more details, telling CNN,
02:09quote, I was pushing him off of me saying no, he didn't stop.
02:13Swalwell, who announced his resignation from Congress earlier this week, will officially be an
02:18ex-congressman on Friday. But he won't be leaving government without a parting gift at your expense
02:25and mine, his congressional pension. The Post's politics reporter Ryan King explained why Swalwell
02:31and his congressional colleague, Representative Tony Gonzalez, who also resigned this week amid a sexual
02:38misconduct scandal, will still get perks even after resigning in disgrace. Perks like taxpayer
02:44funded checks and even a congressional gym membership. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzalez are
02:49still eligible for congressional perks despite resigning from Congress in disgrace. We saw this
02:56with George Santos when he was expelled from Congress in late 2023. Santos still retained access to the
03:03House floor. He showed up to a State of the Union address and we saw him every now and then
03:10appear at the
03:12Capitol talking with reporters and walking to the House floor. And there were a lot of lawmakers in
03:19Congress that weren't happy about that. In the case of Eric Swalwell, he'll get to retain a pension
03:26because he served five years. So nothing about his resignation precludes him from getting that.
03:31And both him and Tony Gonzalez will still have access to the House floor for big events, just like
03:39Santos did after being expelled. And there are lawmakers that are not happy about that, that are talking about
03:47considering ways to strip some of the benefits that they will still receive despite the circumstances
03:55in which they resigned in disgrace for alleged sexual misconduct. So I think that this is something
04:04we're going to hear a little bit about in the future as kind of lawmakers decide what to do.
04:10The House just gobbled back into session on Tuesday, just days after news of the accusations
04:18against Eric Swalwell broke. So Congress is still kind of grappling with what to do here.
04:24Another day, another disturbing incident involving Brian Hooker, whose wife Lynette somehow went overboard in the
04:30Bahamas and hasn't been seen in over a week. Brian was released from custody Monday night without being
04:36charged, but vowed to stay on the island to search for his wife. As if on cue, another allegation has
04:42surfaced.
04:42This one, a child abuse charge from 2005. Hooker allegedly pinned his daughter against a wall,
04:49leaving a bruise on her neck because he was reportedly furious at her mother for teaching
04:54her creationism. His previous partner, Elizabeth Hosseth, called the police at the time claiming
04:58he assaulted their homeschooled daughter while she was at Brian and Lynette's for a scheduled
05:03visitation. In a police report reviewed by The Post, Hosseth said, quote,
05:07her dad was upset about what the book said because he didn't want her to believe in God.
05:13Now, she contends one of Hooker's stepdaughters witnessed the abuse,
05:16claiming Hooker choked his daughter and lifted her a foot and a half off the floor during the alleged
05:20encounter. For more on these stories and everything else you could possibly want to know,
05:26check out the New York Post in print or online. And don't forget, like and subscribe to the New York
05:30Post cast wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. I promise you'll be glad you did.
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