THE WAR ROOM: More than a dozen American warships positioned in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea have stopped at least six merchant ships coming out of an Iranian port, forcing all of them to turn back.

  The US blockade of Iranian shipping started Monday as President Trump claims that there’s a chance of renewed peace talks with Iran. The Navy is staying out of the strait of Hormuz itself, which may have been mined by Iran.

  The President said that US-Iran peace talks may resume “over the next two days” in Pakistan. He was in open disagreement with his chief negotiator, Vice President JD Vance, who proposed a 20-year moratorium on Iran’s nuclear enrichment. “I’ve been saying they can’t have nuclear weapons,” Trump said, “So I don’t like the 20 years.”

  Trump told reporters at the White House that he believes Iran will give up nuclear enrichment. “I think they will agree to it. I’m almost sure of it,” he said. In fact, I am sure of it.”

CLEANING HOUSE: Another woman came forward yesterday to say that now former California Rep. Eric Swalwell drugged and raped her in a West Hollywood hotel room in 2018.

   Lonna Drewes, a former model who works in fashion technology, said at a news conference in Beverly Hills that Swalwell had promised to take her to a political event before drugging and sexually assaulting her.

  Swalwell resigned yesterday amid a flurry of accusations coming now from at least five women.

  Drewes said her delay in speaking up was the product of “fear not doubt.” She described it as “Fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, and his family law enforcement ties.”

  Swalwell, a Democrat from the Bay Area, had been a leading candidate to become governor of California before his political career cratered in a matter of hours. Swalwell insists he is completely innocent and admits “mistakes,” but what is emerging is the profile of a predator.  

INFINITE SCROLL: 

— Vice President JD Vance speaking in Georgia yesterday took issue with the pope’s statement that disciples of Christ are “never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

  The Trump administration is fighting both Iran and the pope.

  Vance, a converted Catholic, was speaking to a gathering for the right wing Turning Point USA when he said, “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis?” Vance said, “I certainly think the answer is yes.”

  He didn’t stop there. Vance said, “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.”

— The Justice Department is moving to erase the seditious conspiracy convictions of 12 members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who helped plan the January 6^th insurrection at the Capitol. Prosecutors have the discretion to do this, even after defendants have been convicted.

  Among those who would have his conviction voided would be Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers and a lead organizer of the riot.

BOOK BEAT: Former New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Harvard graduate, has published a book, “Poisoned Ivies,” about what she describes as the “moral rot” at elite universities.

  Stefanik writes that antisemitism, wokeism, diversity initiatives and “Radical left-wing political ideology is now synonymous with higher education.” She argues that campuses now operate not as shelters for debate but as monocultures, where faculty and administrators “operate like a herd” and dissent is discouraged.

DROPPING OUT: Hampshire College in Western Massachusetts announced that its financial struggles are ending with closure of the small liberal arts at the end of the fall semester. The college has about 650 students.

  Hampshire’s most notable graduate is documentary film maker Ken Burns.  

  With rising tuition and smaller endowments, the little schools are dropping out. More than 300 US colleges and universities closed from 2008 to 2024.

THE OBIT PAGE: Adriano Goldschmied, the Italian businessman known as “the godfather of denim” for creating more refined versions and uses for the world’s most popular fabric, died near his home in Asolo, Italy. He was 82. 

 It’s estimated that half the world’s population wears some version of denim jeans. Emma McClendon, a fashion historian, said recently, “If you wear jeans, you own a pair that is influenced in some way by Adriano’s presence in the industry.”

  Goldschmied was involved in development of the brands Diesel, Replay, and Goldie. He also had a hand in the processes that gave the fabrics an aged look before they were ever worn … “Stonewashed,” “whiskering,” “distressed,” and “destructed.”

THE SPIN RACK: It’s tax day, in case you forgot. — Virginia’s new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed into law a bill to end tax exemptions for Confederacy-related organizations in the state. Taking the biggest hit is the United Daughters of the Confederacy, founded in 1894, which established monuments to confederate heroes and has been a proponent of the “lost cause” theory of the Civil war, which claims that it was a noble Fight for states’ rights rather than the preservation of slavery. — NFL beat reporter Dianna Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic, which is The NY Times sports department, after The New York Post published pictures of her  at a luxury hotel with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. Russini and Vrabel are both married and appeared to be in a romantic relationship. You can have affairs if you want, but not with the people you cover. 

BELOW THE FOLD: Dr. Sandra Lee, who goes by “Dr. Pimple Popper,” revealed that she had a stroke last November while shooting Season 2 of “Dr. Pimple Popper: Breaking Out.” She sustained some brain damage and speech impairment but she is back to popping pimples.

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