The Dictatorship
Former staffer accuses Rep. Eric Swalwell of sexual assault, reports say
A former staffer has accused Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, a current candidate for California governor, of reportedly sexually assaulting her.
The allegations were first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified and worked for Swalwell for nearly two years, alleged she had sexual encounters while he was her boss, and he sexually assaulted her on two occasions when she was too intoxicated to consent, the Chronicle reported. The woman told the paper Swalwell began pursuing her weeks after she was hired at age 21 to work in the Democrat’s district in 2019.
The woman claimed Swalwell invited her for drinks in 2019, and during that encounter, she became too intoxicated to remember what happened. She alleged she woke up naked in his hotel bed, and following the incident, he distanced himself and their relationship eventually dissolved.
Five years later, in 2024, the woman alleged she attended a charity gala where Swalwell was honored. After the event, she said they met for drinks and she became intoxicated, but remembers only fragments of the night, including pushing him away and saying “no” as he allegedly forced himself on her. She texted a friend three days later, according to the Chronicle, saying she had been sexually assaulted by Swalwell.
In text messages, independently review by the Chronicle, the woman told her friend she “blacked out” but “woke up once during it and even told him to stop at one point.”
The Chronicle spoke with the woman’s friend and the woman’s ex-boyfriend, who she said she told about the alleged 2024 assault the following day. Both corroborated her story and described her as appearing disoriented.
Medical records, according to the Chronicle, also show she sought pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease tests about a week after the incident.
The woman told the Chronicle she did not immediately tell authorities because she feared people wouldn’t believe she was telling the truth.
Swalwell, who has represented California’s 14th Congressional District since 2013 and launched his gubernatorial campaign earlier this year, strongly denied the claims in a statement Friday.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor. For nearly 20 years, I have served the public — as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women,” Swalwell said. “I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
An attorney for Swalwell sent the woman a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday, according to the Chronicle, accusing her of making false claims of sexual assault and nonconsensual encounters, and warning that legal action would follow if she did not retract the allegations.
In a separate report, three other women spoke with CNNabout alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct, including Swalwell sending them unsolicited inappropriate messages or photos. The messages, the women said, were often sent through Snapchat, which is a social media platform that allows messages to delete automatically and notifies users of screenshots.
“Some of the allegations I’ve seen, which is that we’ve had NDAs in the office — never. There’s never been an allegation, and there’s never been a settlement,” Swalwell told reporters Tuesday.
Political fallout
Swalwell’s campaign initially showed signs of strong momentum in the crowded California governor’s race to replace current Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called the allegations “deeply troubling.”
“As we continue to learn more, these allegations from multiple sources are deeply troubling and must be taken seriously,” Newsom’s spokesperson said in a statement to MS NOW.
Swalwell’s campaign also benefited from backing from key Democratic allies, positioning him as a viable contender in a fragmented field with no clear front-runner.
But the reports of the allegations, along with separate unverified claimscirculating online, have sparked backlash and prompted some political fallout, including campaign disruptions and heightened attention from rivals. Multiple people resigned from Swalwell’s orbit ahead of Friday’s scathing report of sexual assault, including Courtni Pugh, who served as a strategic adviser.
Rep. Jimmy GomezD-Calif., resignedas co-chair of Swalwell’s campaign, saying in part “he cannot in good conscience remain” in the role and suggesting that Swalell “should leave the race now.” Rep. Adam Gray, D-Calif., also resigned as campaign co-chair and called for Swalwell to suspend the campaign.
Other prominent Democrats also quickly began distancing themselves.
House Democrats issued a joint statement calling for a “swift investigation” and for Swalwell to end his bid.
“All perpetrators of sexual assault and harassment must be held accountable,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY wrote.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared this an “extremely sensitive matter” and said she discussed with Swalwell that the investigation would be “best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he is “deeply distressed” about the allegations surrounding Swalwell and immediately withdrew his endorsement.
“This woman was brave to come forward, and we should take her story seriously,” Schiff said on X. “I am withdrawing my endorsement immediately, and believe that he should withdraw from the race.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., called the allegations “indefensible” and also immediately withdrew his endorsement of his longtime ally.
“Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed. I regret having come to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information. I am equally as shocked and upset about what has transpired,” Gallego wroteon X.
Two of Swalwell’s key labor allies, Service Employees International Union of California withdrew and California Teachers Association, retracted their support Friday, marking a significant blow to his campaign.
“The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support. Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps,” the CTA said in a statement.
Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer said he commends“the brave former staffer who came forward with her story” about Swalwell.
“Speaking out is never easy, and her account must be taken seriously. At a moment like this, we must make sure that women are heard, and justice is pursued,” Steyer added.
Former Rep. Katie Porter called the allegation “horrifying,” adding she is thinking of the courageous women who have come forward to share their stories.”
The California Democratic Party labeled the allegations “deeply disturbing.”
“Any person engaged in misconduct must take responsibility and be held accountable for their actions — including a Member and candidate for Governor,” CADEM Chair Rusty Hicks said.
Swalwell’s Republican gubernatorial opponent, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, blasted Swalwell over the allegations in a statement to MS NOW.
“It’s incredible to me that Eric Swalwell thought he could run for Governor of California while all this was going on,” Hilton said in the statement. “It shows the complete contempt these career politicians have for the public.”
As of Friday evening, Swalwell’s fundraising page on ActBlue appeared to no longer be accepting donations.
Jillian Frankel and Syedah Asghar contributed to this report.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
The Dictatorship
Trump joins Republicans calling to punish Canada for hazardous wildfire smoke in the U.S.
President Donald Trump is threatening to increase tariffs on Canada over wildfire smoke that has blanketed large swaths of the Midwest and Mid-Atlanticjoining several Republicans who have called for the U.S. ally to be punished for the intense air pollution.
“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” Trump wrote on Truth Socialon Friday, adding: “This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the United States Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.”
Trump did not elaborate on his tariffs threat.
Smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has caused air quality from Detroit to Washington, D.C., to plummet to unhealthy levels in recent days.
There are dozens of active wildfires in the U.S. as well. A Canadian helicopter pilot was was killed last week in a crash while fighting a fire in Colorado.
Trump is not the only Republican who has criticized Canada over the wildfire smoke. Earlier this week, four House Republicans from Michigan wrote a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with a warning that appeared to allude to Trump’s threat to annex Canada.
“Sovereignty comes with responsibility,” the lawmakers wrote.
“This is the third consecutive year we have had to write to Canadian officials about a crisis that Canada has the tools to prevent and has chosen not to,” they wrote, later adding: “If Canada will not manage its forests to prevent these fires, the United States will look elsewhere, and act on our own, to protect our people.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has also said he intends to introduce a bill “to sanction Canada and the responsible Canadian government officials for this atrocity.”
In a statementMoreno’s office said: “Canada’s government failed to invest in wildfire prevention methods including forest thinning, fuel reduction, prescribed burns, and stronger enforcement against arson.”
Hotter temperatures and drier conditions as a result of the climate crisis have been major drivers of recent wildfires in North America. The Trump administration has cut funding for climate science, withdrawn the U.S. from global bodies and agreements aimed at tackling climate change and promoted the fossil fuel industry while rolling back renewable energy initiatives.
In response to the GOP complaints, some Canadian officials have noted that their country has helped with firefighting support in the U.S. during recent wildfires.
“If there’s some politicians out there chirping away, well, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday, “because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends.”
Doug Ford on American complaints over wildfire smoke: “If there’s some politicians out there chirping away, well, maybe what you should do rather than complain is send support, send help. Because we have done the exact same thing for our American friends.” pic.twitter.com/9e2TCVbqxC
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson_)”https://x.com/sarobertson_/status/2078166329811460324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>July 17, 2026
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
Nothing has absorbed Maine politics like the candidacy of Graham Platner. Almost from the moment he announced his run for the U.S. Senate in mid-August 2025, he drew big crowds and lots of attention. His strongest backers stuck with him through controversy after controversy until Jenny Racicot publicly accused him of sexual assault. Platner denied the allegation, but his support collapsed.
Yet even after Platner officially withdrew as the nominee on July 10 and the Maine Democratic Party began the process of replacing himit seemed like Mainers were going to keep talking about him for a while. Many of his committed voters were deeply disappointed about what they learned; others were very angry that the news had been revealed. Some suggested they might write in Platner’s name or not vote at all in the fall.
Then came an awful event that starkly shifted Mainers’ attention, and moved the focus of the Maine Senate race from Platner to Sen. Susan Collins.
The killing of 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, on Monday was a real shock in the state. Maine often has the lowest rate of violent crime nationally and homicides are rare, with only 21 in 2025.
Maine, like Minnesota, is a highly participatory state, and both places responded similarly to ICE incursions this past winter.
Of course, it wasn’t just Guerrero’s death that was the story, but also who shot him — an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer — and the circumstances of his killing. For one, unlike other shootings by ICE officers, the Department of Homeland Security did not even claim that Guerrero posed any sort of imminent threat or that the shooter feared for their life. Rather, DHS said that Guerrero’s “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.”
Moreover, Guerrero was legally in the country, according to local immigrant rights groups. And Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said Guerrero wasn’t even the person ICE was seeking.
Witnesses were shaken by what they saw. One bystander, Daniel Boucher, “choked up” recounting his experience, reported The Associated Press. “His face was bloody. His head was bloody,” Boucher said of the victim. “I clearly heard the victim say, ‘I tried to stop.’” In Akerleyanother neighbor who heard the shots and looked out the window to see some of what happened, told a local news station, “You know, it shatters the illusion that Maine is safe … I don’t know what he did, but he didn’t deserve to be executed in the street.”
Mainers quickly mobilized, with demonstrations in BiddefordPortlandBangor and Scarborough. “This is a land for people who want to be here,” said one rallygoer. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, what color your skin is. That’s what America is about.”
Both Senate candidates and members of the public criticized Collins. Protesters in Biddeford crowded the doorway at the senator’s local officeshouting, “Vote her out!” Senate candidate Shenna Bellows argued that she had already acted when, as secretary of state, she blocked ICE from getting undercover license plates and proclaimed, “There should be no secret police in our state.” Another contender, Troy Jackson, referred to “ICE’s rogue actions” and blasted Collins for voting “to send $70 billion dollars to ICE with no reforms.” A third potential Democratic nominee, Nirav Shahcontended, “There is a straight line from Sen. Collins to the lawlessness we saw yesterday.”
While, as I’ve noted, some Platner supporters were deeply unhappy that he wasn’t going to be the Democratic nominee, his absence in the aftermath of the shooting didn’t seem to matter in the least.
And why should it have? Maine, like Minnesota, is a highly participatory state, and both places responded similarly to ICE incursions this past winter.
Collins tried to claim credit for ending the winter surge. But Democrats and immigrant rights leaders were skeptical and pointed to her support for increased ICE funding without any reforms.
In both places, ICE showed up with face masks and randomly detained people, including those in the country legally. Agents smashed in the car windows of a University of Maine-trained civil engineer, Juan Sebastián Carvajal-Muñozand took him away with the car still running. He had a valid permit to work, an engineering job and no criminal record. A man training to be a corrections officer in southern Maine suffered the same fate, and as did others, including asylum seekers.
Then, as now, Mainers came togethersometimes via social media and sometimes through various groups, to try to counteract ICE.
As in Minnesota, ICE was heavy-handed and showed disrespect for civil rights. Two Maine women observing ICE were told they would be put on a domestic terrorist watch list and sued. “Only 11 of the nearly 200 people detained in Maine during a massive January immigration enforcement surge were recorded as having a criminal record,” the Bangor Daily News reportedmaking ICE look even more abusive.
At the time, Collins tried to claim credit for ending the winter surge. But Democrats and immigrant rights leaders were skeptical and pointed to her support for increased ICE funding without any reforms.
Now, Collins is again responding in her classic both-sides way. On the one hand, the incumbent urged DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops” and tepidly acknowledged that the lack of a recording device on the shooter was “extremely unfortunate.” On the other hand, Collins blamed Democrats for a delay in body cameras and contended that eliminating ICE “would make our country less safe.”
Platner’s fall upended the state’s biggest race for a time. But there are plenty of ICE critics, both political leaders and not, who are taking charge of the response to Collins and the agency.
And, though the Democratic Senate nominee is unknown again, Mainers are rising up, speaking out and moving on.
Amy Fried is professor emerita of political science at the University of Maine. She also has a Substack, Political Sightlines.
ByBrian Lowry
Before “The Odyssey” embarked on its theatrical journey, writer-director Christopher Nolan suffered slings and arrows from conservative social media warriors. In their quest to gin up culture war controversy over casting choices in a movie they hadn’t seen, they have succeeded only in helping promote a film that hardly needed extra publicity, while making themselves look stupid.
Because those launching ill-informed broadsides against the film included Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. — railing on social media against the casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy because she’s Black, and Elliot Page as a Greek warrior because he’s trans — the attacks became difficult for the media to ignore. Plus, anti-“woke” crusading against a familiar target like “liberal Hollywood” remains one of those gifts (or grifts) that keeps on giving.
Despite the advance obsession over Nyong’o and Page’s characters, the two actors each occupy no more than a few minutes of screen time.
Yet Nolan’s film merely makes those conservative provocateurs sound foolish. At a run time of almost three hours, “The Odyssey” continues the “Oppenheimer” director’s personal war on moviegoers’ bladders. But despite the advance obsession over Nyong’o’s and Page’s characters, the two actors each occupy no more than a few minutes of screen time in a film that stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway. The beauty of being Nolan, at this point, is that his reputation and track record enable him to attract identifiable talent — a la Zendaya, rapper Travis Scott and horror queen Mia Goth — for even smallish roles, a clever means of broadening the film’s appeal.
Musk and others sought to transform that into something nefarious, bizarrely arguing that the diverse casting represented some kind of cynical ploy for awards attention, as well as anti-white bigotry. Never mind that “The Odyssey” is, after all, a mythological tale, so it’s not like the producers cast Nyong’o to play J. Edgar Hoover.
Nolan himself has diplomatically dismissed the right-wing naysaying when asked about it, even as he basks in a torrent of critical praise for the film. Imbued with a visual grandeur that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible, “The Odyssey” arguably isn’t one of the British filmmaker’s best — movies like “Inception” and “The Prestige” set a very high bar — but it certainly possesses the majesty to qualify as a worthy follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Oppenheimer.”
Without giving too much away, if one can even spoil a 3,000-year-old tale, Nolan’s take on “The Odyssey” also not-so-subtly incorporates modern and timeless themes, including questions about humanity and the toll of eroding a society’s standards of honor and decency. As Jon Stewart told the director earlier this weekthat makes it a fitting companion to “Oppenheimer,” while delivering a perhaps unintended rejoinder to Musk and his army of social media trolls.
In an interview with The TelegraphNolan politely said such criticism “comes with the territory,” calling it “irrelevant” because those griping months ago, when the anti-“Odyssey” campaign began, hadn’t seen the film. He also cited his experience with the “Batman” trilogy, a fan base with very strong opinions about what will best serve the franchise.
Nolan and Universal, happily and deservedly, appear destined to win this latest battle without stooping to engage their loudest critics.
The people grousing when director Zack Snyder cast Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight, however, mostly operated in good faith, which can’t be said for those attempting to use insufficient fidelity to Homer’s original story to tap into an inexhaustible reservoir of outrage.
The saving grace for them is that those parroting their “go woke, go broke” talking points generally don’t devour box-office reporting by the Hollywood trade papers or necessarily grasp that movies are a global product, which is the metric by which the film looks destined to shine. Although the summer box office has proved unpredictable — with horror movies like “Obsession” raking in record totals and “Moana” and “Supergirl” failing to exhibit much girl power — projections are that “The Odyssey,” tailor-made to premium large-screen formats, will earn roughly $200 million worldwide its opening weekend. That voyage began with nearly $18 million in Thursday previewsthe highest domestic total this year.
Whatever the final tally, it should go a long way toward erasing the prospect of a “go broke” scenario for Universal Pictures, the studio releasing the film. Nolan and Universal, happily and deservedly, appear destined to win this latest battle without stooping to engage their loudest critics. But with such relentless foes, consider that one modest victory in what has become a seemingly endless culture war.
Brian Lowry
Brian Lowry is a media columnist and critic, most recently at BLN, and before that Variety and the Los Angeles Times.
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