In Pakistan's mediation to end Mideast war, China may hold the key

(The Center Square) - U.S. Rep. Eric Swallwell, D-Calif., said Monday he will resign from Congress after multiple allegations of sexual assault. 

Swalwell dropped out of California's gubernatorial race, in which he was regarded as a front runner. A former member of Swalwell's staff told the San Francisco Chronicle that the congressman sexually asssaulted her. Three more women accused Swalwell of making sexual advances and sending explicit photos. 

"I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I've made in my past," Swalwell wrote in a statement. "I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility for the mistakes I did make."

The U.S. House Ethics Committee announced Monday it opened an investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell. 

"The mere fact that it is investigating these allegations, and publicly disclosing its review, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred," committee leaders wrote in a statement. 

Swalwell cited efforts to begin an "immediate expulsion vote" against him in Congress. He criticized House leadership for attempting a vote without due process. 

"It's wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties," Swalwell wrote in the statement. 

California's 14th Congressional District, where Swalwell represents in the East Bay Area near San Francisco, will hold a special election in his place. In California, the governor is responsible for calling a special election within 14 days of a vacancy. 

Swalwell won his last election, in 2024, by 30 points in a traditionally Democratic district. The candidate to replace Swalwell would need to run again in California's June 2 primary and Nov. 3 general election. 

"I will work with my staff in the coming days to ensure they are able, in my absence, to serve the needs of the good people of the 14th congressional district," Swalwell wrote. 

Swalwell was among leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates. A recent University of California, Berkeley poll showed him tied with former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County, with each at 13% of the support. Republican candidates Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, and Chad Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, led the poll with 17% and 16% respectively. Tom Steyer, a Democratic billionaire who funded the successful campaign to pass congressional redistricting in California, has 10%, according to the poll, which listed 5% or less for each of the five other Democratic candidates.

Swalwell's name will remain on the June 2 gubernatorial primary ballot, despite the fact he quit the race. The deadline has already passed to withdraw a name from the ballot.

Southwest Regional Editor Dave Mason contributed to this story.

(The Center Square) – A strike could happen Tuesday in the Los Angeles Unified School District unless an agreement is reached with all three unions.

The unions currently on board with a tentative agreement are United Teachers Los Angeles and the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles Teamsters.

LAUSD, the nation's second-largest school district, was still negotiating with Service Employees International Union Local 99 as of Monday afternoon.

“Members are hoping to avert a strike. But after two years of negotiations with no movement from the district, they are ready to take strong action to improve their livelihoods and the student services they provide,” said Blanca Gallegos, communications director for SEIU Local 99.

“SEIU Local 99 members are asking for wages that will lift them above poverty, increased hours to ensure students have the services they need, more staffing for student services, and an end to the subcontracting of work to for-profit corporations that have no accountability to the district or community," Gallegos told The Center Square on Monday.

Gina Gray, a high school English teacher and UTLA member, said if SEIU Local 99 does not reach a tentative agreement, her union will stand in solidarity with their “brothers and sisters” at Local 99.

“We will not cross their lines,” Gray told The Center Square.

The tentative agreement reached with UTLA would increase their members’ salary scales by 11.65%. The tentative agreement would also increase the beginning salary for a teacher to $77,00 per year.

Gray called it a step in the right direction, adding that UTLA is "happy with the tentative agreement."

In March, Gray told The Center Square that unions were “demanding” that the district invest in schools, salaries, students, and communities. According to Gray, LAUSD has the money, but schools have been “suffering” due to underinvestment.

“We have evidence that shows where our district has been investing in private equity and in tech,” said Gray. “We know our district has the funds. It’s just about the priorities now.”

Gray said more staff support would mean a lot amid the affordability crisis in Los Angeles. 

She noted 21% of full-time faculty and staff would qualify for affordable housing in California.

“We have many teachers, new teachers who can’t afford to live and work in the communities they serve,” said Gray in March.

Pointing to the tentative agreement with LAUSD, Gray said Monday that UTLA has been sharing it in area meetings. She applauded union officials for their hard work.

“The bargaining team was at it until the wee hours of the morning,” Gray said Monday. “It was a hard battle, but we're happy.’ 

After being contacted by The Center Square, LAUSD pointed to a statement on its website saying that it will continue to meet with labor partners “with the intent to reach additional agreements” that would allow schools to remain open on Tuesday.

(The Center Square) – An unusually large number of crude oil tankers on the open seas has the American Gulf coast as a destination as the ships are redirected to load cargoes bound for markets around the world already experiencing shortages.

Second-term Republican President Donald Trump said Saturday on social media that "massive numbers" of "completely empty" oil tankers are en route to the United States to purchase American energy.

“Foreign buyers are voting with their ships: American energy means stability, strength, and freedom from Middle East blackmail,” the president posted on Monday.

Shipping data posted by maritime intelligence company Windward shows 171 crude tankers are bound for the U.S. Gulf to load crude oil cargoes, which compares with about 110 in a typical month.

The surging vessel traffic comes as nations throughout Europe and Asia grapple to secure energy supplies and regional prices skyrocket. Germany is providing emergency fuel relief to its citizens while officials in the Philippines recently declared a national energy emergency as the world looks increasingly to the U.S. to replenish war-starved oil and gas markets.

On Monday, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures advanced 2.6% to settle at $99.08 per barrel, while international benchmark Brent crude settled at $99.36 a barrel, up 4.37% on the day.

Oil markets research firm Kpler estimates U.S. crude oil exports in April will reach 5.2 million barrels per day, up about one-third from 3.9 million barrels a day in March, the Financial Times reported last week.

North Carolina-based Kpler analyst Matt Smith described the great volume of incoming ships as an "armada of tankers heading this way."

Trump on Saturday remarked that the U.S. oil output is more than the combined total of Saudi Arabia and Russia, the next two largest producers, and the president promised a "quick turnaround" for the arriving fleet.

Shipping data shows approximately 28 very large crude carriers, which can hold about 2 million barrels of oil, have been contracted to load U.S. crude in May compared to a monthly average of just five in a typical month, according to Kpler.

Trump shared a post on Saturday by oil market researcher Rory Johnston that read “very cool seeing the wave of empty tankers heading to the U.S. to pick up some desperately needed crude for Hormuz-starved markets,” to which the president responded, "Great!!!"

America and Israel on Feb. 28 launched military strikes against Iran. The Iranians, with control of the Strait of Hormuz, has stymied an otherwise one-sided confrontation. An 11th-hour ceasefire to last two weeks was announced Tuesday.

As the shipping logjam continues, Windward’s daily intelligence report on Monday shows 732 vessels carrying oil, gas, refined fuels, and other fossil fuels-based products await transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

To avoid the volatile region, many of these vessels are now rounding the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa – a detour that bypasses the Suez Canal but adds up to 15 days of travel time to reach American docks.

In March, Port of Houston officials announced completion of the Project 11 channel widening project, which eliminated longstanding nighttime vessel movement restrictions in place for more than a century, allowing large vessels to safely transit the channel without waiting for daylight.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, has been formally charged with corruption after a years-long criminal investigation, according to a court ruling published Monday.

The probe is one of several corruption cases that have embroiled the Socialist leader’s family and former allies, putting pressure on his minority coalition government.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado opened the investigation in April 2024 to determine whether Gomez had exploited her position as Sanchez’s wife for private gain, which she and the prime minister deny.

The case centers on the creation and management of a chair at Madrid’s Complutense University that was co-directed by Gomez, as well as the alleged use of public resources and personal connections to advance private interests.

Peinado said his investigation had found sufficient indications of criminal conduct by Gomez, 55, according to a ruling dated April 11 that was made public on Monday.

He formally charged Gomez with embezzlement, influence peddling, corruption in business dealings and misappropriation of funds, the ruling added.

"The chair served as a means of private professional development for the person under investigation," the judge wrote.

It is now up to the courts to decide whether Gómez will stand trial.

Gomez, who is on an official visit to China with Sanchez, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Sanchez has dismissed the allegations against his wife as an attempt by the right wing to undermine his government. Opposition parties have called for his resignation.

The case originated from a complaint filed by an anti-corruption group with far-right ties.

The prime minister’s brother, David Sanchez, has also been indicted in a separate investigation into alleged influence peddling tied to his hiring by a regional government.

Sanchez’s former right-hand man and former transport minister, Jose Luis Abalos, went on trial this month over alleged kickbacks linked to public contracts.

str-ds/tw

US immigration officers on Monday detained Brazil's former intelligence chief, who fled to the United States after being convicted for his role in a coup plot.

The fugitive Alexandre Ramagem was sentenced in September to 16 years in prison over the failed scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after winning the 2022 election over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem sneaked out of the country before he could be arrested.

Brazilian police said in a statement that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had detained "a fugitive from Brazilian justice following his conviction for the crimes of armed criminal association, attempted coup d'etat, and the attempted violent abolition of the rule of law."

A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that the detainee was Ramagem -- who is listed as being in ICE custody on the website of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ramagem, 53, is a former police officer who commanded Brazil's main intelligence agency, ABIN, under Bolsonaro.

He was later elected a federal lawmaker, but lost his seat after his conviction.

Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year jail term over the conspiracy, which prosecutors said failed only because of a lack of support from military top brass.

Local media reported that Ramagem left Brazil via the border with Guyana, bypassing immigration controls, and entered the United States on a diplomatic passport.

Brazil formally requested the extradition of Ramagem in December.

The police statement said the arrest was the result of "international police cooperation between the Federal Police and US law enforcement authorities."

Bolsonaro ally and influencer Paulo Renato Figueiredo, who lives in the United States, wrote on X that Ramagem had been detained for a "minor traffic infraction."

Figueiredo -- grandson of the last general to preside over Brazil during the 1964-1985 dictatorship -- said that Ramagem's immigration status was legal, and that he has a pending asylum application.

"We expect him to be released as quickly as possible, at this time, we see no risk of deportation."

In a separate case, Ramagem is under investigation for allegedly leading a criminal group which carried out illegal spying on behalf of the far-right leader and his inner circle using Israeli surveillance software.

Federal police have recommended that charges be brought against Ramagem and around 30 others, including the former president's son Carlos Bolsonaro, in connection with this probe.

Ex-president Bolsonaro has been serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons since last month, when he was rushed from prison to hospital with bronchopneumonia.

He has chosen his eldest son, the senator Flavio Bolsonaro, to face off against Lula in October elections.

The latest poll by the Datafolha Institute published Sunday showed Flavio Bolsonaro with 46 percent of voter intentions compared to 45 percent for Lula in a potential runoff.

fb-rsr/dw

The head of the French energy giant TotalEnergies said Monday that reopening the Strait of Hormuz -- even with a toll -- was critical for global markets.

"It's clear that reopening and the free circulation through the Strait of Hormuz, even if you have to pay to anybody, is fundamental for the freedom of markets and global markets," Patrick Pouyanne, the company's CEO, said at an event on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington.

Since the start of the war in the Middle East on February 28, shipping across the strait -- through which some 20 percent of the world's oil and gas is transported -- has been largely paralyzed.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump further ordered a naval blockade of Iranian ports -- another obstacle for passage through the strait.

This move will add a "layer of less liquidity in the market," Pouyanne said at the Semafor World Economy Conference.

The energy CEO said that Western countries had largely been buffered from the worst economic effects of the war through their stockpiles of oil and gas.

He warned, however, that "if this war and this blockade last more than three months, we'll begin to face some serious supply issues," notably in jet fuel and diesel.

He also pointed to fertilizer -- derived from petroleum products -- being "almost a system risk," as shortages could lead to higher food prices and thus inflation.

Pouyanne noted that fees are paid by ships transiting the Panama and Suez canals.

"The real problem is the threat" of sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he said, explaining that the uncertainty will drive up prices.

tmc/myl/pnb/des

(The Center Square) – Minnesota’s fraud committee is uncovering what its Republican chair calls a systemic failure of oversight that allowed billions in taxpayer dollars to flow unchecked to fraudsters.

In an exclusive interview with The Center Square, state Rep. Kristin Robbins said the scale and scope of fraud in Minnesota stunned even lawmakers who pushed for years to investigate it.

“We didn’t have any idea of the breadth and the depth of the fraud here,” Robbins said.

Robbins, R-Maple Grove, is chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee in the Minnesota legislature.

She explained that sustained pressure from whistleblowers, federal investigators, and journalists is only just beginning to expose the problem throughout the state.

“We were just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of prosecution,” Robbins said. “We can investigate and shine a spotlight and gather information, but the law enforcement piece comes through either the [state] Attorney General’s office or the U.S. Attorney’s Office . . . we have to let them build their case.”

This comes as criticism of Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison intensifies, with some Republican lawmakers even raising the possibility of impeachment for their alleged role in the fraud.

Currently, impeachment hearings are scheduled for Wednesday.

Robbins described Minnesota’s fraud problem not as a single scandal, but as a breakdown spanning multiple government programs – from child nutrition to housing assistance – enabled by weak internal controls and years of inaction.

“Minnesotans thought we had responsible governance,” she said. “It is absolutely clear they cannot do the most basic internal controls that everyday business owners do all the time.”

According to Robbins, agencies failed to verify whether services were provided or even whether recipients existed before issuing payments. These are lapses she called a “complete dereliction of duty.”

The fraud committee has already pushed policy changes, including shutting down the housing stabilization program and restricting new providers in high-risk areas. But Robbins said prosecutions are still in early stages.

“We’re just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of prosecution,” she said.

The firestorm first broke about the Minneapolis fraud cases following the release of reports in late November which alleged that millions of taxpayer dollars had been fraudulently stolen from the Minnesota welfare system and then sent to the Somali-based terror group Al-Shabaab.

Independent and federal investigators now estimate the potential value of fraud schemes could range between $9 billion and $20 billion.

One case highlighted by Robbins she said illustrates both the scale of alleged fraud and the state’s failure to catch it.

A man previously charged in the Feeding Our Future scandal – identified by Robbins as Gandi Yusuf Mohamed – allegedly used the same shell company tied to that case to purchase property and launch two assisted living businesses after being charged.

“The brazenness of that is stunning to me,” Robbins said. “After he’d already been charged, he took that same shell company . . . and used it to start two assisted living businesses.”

State agencies did not flag the activity, she said. Instead, it was discovered only after being identified by the legislative committee.

“The fact that they don’t have a red flag on everyone who’s already been charged … is that complete dereliction of duty? I think it is,” Robbins said.

While fraud exists nationwide, Robbins argued Minnesota stands apart in both scale and pattern.

“You can see these webs of interconnected Medicaid programs tied to these fraudsters,” she said, adding that “they were building a system in multiple program areas.”

Democrats have pushed back on that characterization. During a U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance hearing in January, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, argued that fraud is everywhere.

“Fraud is endemic in government,” he said, as previously reported by The Center Square. “All over the world, there are fraudsters attacking our public institutions, trying to undermine them and rip them off.”

He argued that the federal fraud investigations in Minnesota were just a “pretext” for the Trump administration.

Robbins disagreed with this characterization, arguing Minnesota’s fraud problem stands apart from other states

“I do think Minnesota is unique,” she said, adding that federal involvement is not meant to target the state. “I don't think it's vindictive. They are trying to help us stop this theft of our taxpayer dollars, so that we can clean up these programs and make sure that they're serving the right people who they're intended for.”

As an example of the unique challenges in Minnesota, Robbins noted the state was “certainly the first, certainly the largest” in the Child Nutrition Program scandal. She also pointed to data showing hundreds of millions of dollars in cash leaving the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport annually, a trend previously reported by The Center Square.

“That has tripled since this issue first became public,” she said. The totals for MSP far exceed those at larger airports such as JFK and LAX, coming in at $350 million in 2025.

Despite all this, Robbins said she is hopeful Minnesota is moving in the right direction, especially as federal agencies are now helping following years of stalled action at the state level. She urged the public to be patient.

“I totally understand people's frustration and how fed up they are, but we have to follow the process and the law,” Robbins said.

She explained agencies including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Justice and the Treasury Department have stepped in to audit programs, track suspicious financial flows and expand investigations.

“It’s been a whole-of-government response,” Robbins said. “They are really helping shut down programs [and] hold DHS accountable.”

That intervention, she said, has begun to “turn the tide” by forcing reforms and increasing scrutiny. But, despite federal involvement and competing reform plans from Republicans and Democrats, Robbins said the full scope at the state level remains unclear.

“The real answer is, I don’t know,” she said when asked how deep potential wrongdoing might go.

Robbins said an ongoing lack of responsiveness from state agencies has only deepened those concerns.

“We have put out dozens of data requests that we have not gotten answers to,” she said. “I definitely think it’s beyond just mistakes . . . there is willful neglect and malfeasance.”

The Trump administration has given the green light for the LGBTQ rainbow flag to once again fly above New York's Stonewall, a US national monument to the struggle for gay equality, a rights group that sued for its return said Monday.

The administration had taken down the flag in February from the listed site in Manhattan, under a National Park Service edict prohibiting the display of flags other than the Stars and Stripes, with some limited exceptions. 

The Stonewall National Monument commemorates riots that erupted in June 1969 after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, an inciting event in the history of US LGBTQ activism. 

According to the Washington Litigation Group, which initiated legal proceedings in New York to demand the return of the rainbow colors, the administration agreed, under a settlement, to reinstall the flag permanently.

"The government has acknowledged what we argued from day one: the Pride flag belongs at Stonewall. The flag will be restored and it will fly officially and permanently. And we will remain vigilant to ensure that the government sticks to the deal," said Alexander Kristofcak, lead counsel for plaintiffs and a lawyer with Washington Litigation Group.

The case they argued, which the administration accepted, is that unofficial flags can be permissible on certain sites -- as long as their display is justified by a historical context. 

The removal of the Stonewall rainbow flag had provoked the anger of LGBTQ groups and many local elected officials. 

Activists erected a replacement flag in protest. 

Since returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump has put the brakes on LGBTQ rights progress -- particularly on the rights of transgender people. 

On his inauguration day, he decreed that there were only two biological sexes, male and female, and has since sought to limit access to gender-affirming treatment.

rh-gw/ksb/msp

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued more than 2,200 notices urging companies and researchers to comply with federal publication rules. 

A recent FDA crackdown highlights transparency issues in clinical research, as thousands of companies and researchers have failed to disclose required trial results. Some of the agency’s reminders went to taxpayer-funded projects.

Although the initial effort was described as a reminder, it noted possible civil fines of up to $10,000 a day. The FDA reminded companies and researchers of the requirements to submit certain clinical trial results information to ClinicalTrials.gov.

The federal agency, which has its own criminal investigations branch, said that companies and researchers often fail to disclose negative trial results. That creates gaps in the public record, overrepresenting successes and underrepresenting failures.

"Far too often, companies are suppressing unfavorable clinical trial results and keeping them secret from patients and the scientific community," FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said in a statement. "Those sponsoring clinical trials have an ethical obligation to make results public regardless of the data's influence on the company's share price."

The Center Square reached out to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America for comment on Monday.

Almost 30% of studies likely to fall under mandatory reporting have not submitted results to ClinicalTrials.gov, according to an internal FDA analysis. These studies include interventional studies with a U.S. nexus and an FDA-regulated product that are past the reporting deadline. Phase 1 and device feasibility studies are excluded.

At the end of March, the agency sent messages to more than 2,200 companies and researchers associated with over 3,000 clinical trials, including some publicly funded trials. These entities did not appear to have submitted required results to ClinicalTrials.gov or may not have completed the National Library of Medicine's quality review process. The messages seek voluntary compliance with requirements.

The FDA said it could also send Pre-Notices of Noncompliance and Notices of Noncompliance as part of compliance efforts. The agency said messages issued on March 30 "represent an extra step the agency is taking to provide the relevant responsible parties with the opportunity to comply with federal law before the agency considers whether to take further regulatory action."

"I fully support this new initiative to increase the prompt publication – as required by law – of results information from interventional studies of the medical products we regulate," said Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, the acting director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "We hope that the thousands of messages sent to sponsors and investigators reminding them to publicly report their findings will improve patient safety and keep researchers and the public better informed of the benefits and risks of new and investigational products."

The FDA has issued eight Notices of Noncompliance since 2021 and 232 Pre-Notices of Noncompliance since 2013. None of those have resulted in a civil penalty so far, according to agency reports.

Movie theater owners huddled in Las Vegas on Monday for their annual meeting, buoyed by optimism over the year's strong start at the box office.

CinemaCon, where film studios bring in their stars and offer a sneak peek at their upcoming slate, will serve as a stage to celebrate a 23-percent jump in takings year-on-year, in the industry's best first-quarter performance since before the pandemic.

But it will also provide an opportunity to reflect on how to sustain the momentum in a year that could bring significant changes — such as the expected takeover of legendary studio Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skysdance.

"When you have consolidation of legacy studios, as we learned with Disney and Fox, the amount of movies produced goes down, prices go up, and we think that is bad for theaters," Michael O'Leary, CEO of Cinema United, which organizes the gathering, told AFP last week. 

The trade group has voiced its concerns to US and international regulators, urging them to scrutinize the expected merger closely.

"We continue to oppose this transaction (and) encourage them to look closely at this merger, because the consequences of it are serious," he said.

- Demographic Shifts -

CinemaCon is set to draw a constellation of stars to the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace. 

This year, attendees can expect appearances from Zendaya, Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Timothee Chalamet, and Tom Cruise, as well as acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, who is behind the epic "The Odyssey" slated for release in July. 

Presentations by the traditional studios kick off on Monday, when Sony will reveal what it has in store for 2026. 

CinemaCon, which runs until Thursday, will also serve as a forum to discuss some of the structural changes in movie-going habits that are affecting the industry.

These include the shifts in audience habits engendered by the pandemic and the explosion of streaming, which has seen viewers choosing to stay on the couch.

But they also include a surge in cinema-going by Gen Z, apparently attracted by the "authenticity" of the experience.

A decade ago, filmgoers in the United States and Canada would frequently spend more than $11 billion annually at the cinema, but since the pandemic, the total take has not exceeded $9 billion.

This year's string of big releases has sparked hopes that there could be a return to such lofty numbers.

The opening weekend for Amazon MGM's "Project Hail Mary" logged a healthy $81 million, and was followed up by "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" with $131 million.

Upcoming releases expected to do well include Michael Jackson biopic "Michael," "The Devil Wears Prada 2," "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu," "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "The Odyssey," and the third installment in the epic "Dune" series.

CinemaCon will also present awards for big-screen achievements to a diverse group of stars, including actor LaKeith Stanfield ("Atlanta"), rapper and songwriter Queen Latifah, and acclaimed director James Cameron. Catherine Laga’aia, the star of the live-action adaptation of "Moana", will be recognized as the Breakthrough Star of the Year. 

pr/hg/ksb