KOLKATA: Mina Jalal, 77, who never knew she was eligible to be a voter in her life, is on trial under the SIR. The elector of the Chowringhee parliamentary constituency died on March 27, days after the Electoral Commission included him in the final list for April 9. Although she qualified, neither her husband Jalaluddin Ahmed Siddique nor her son Imran Zaki made it through the adjudication process. Both appealed to the courts. Her three other sons and a daughter have been qualified as “voters” after submitting their registration forms. “She was sick and mentally stressed because she knew she couldn’t vote in the parliamentary polls, but when the electoral committee cleared her name, she ceased to exist – it was an irony of fate. She had participated in all the polls in the past and this time she was a bit distressed… because she was sick and BLO came and collected all the documents,” said Imran Zaki, a social entrepreneur and educationist. “All our names are in the 2002 SIR, but after sharing all the data and documents, we are still being harassed. They have not given any reason for removing our names. The EC should be transparent. They are playing hide and seek with malicious intentions.” Zaki added: “Our family has lived in Weston Street in Bobazar for more than seventy years, where our grandfather Nazir Ahmed worked for the British police, but we still live in the same building.” He said his father, an 81-year-old businessman and social worker, was “very worried” because he feared he would not be able to vote this time. “We belong to this country and are associated with this city since British times. How can they remove our names? It is a mockery of the democratic system. We hope we will be admitted soon,” he added.
Native American-owned gas station cushions impact of high gas prices during Iran war
Junelle Lewis was looking for relief from the pressure from the war with Iran that has driven up gas prices in the Seattle area, when an app on her phone gave her the answer: the Tulalip reservation north of the city, nearly a half-hour from her home.
She didn’t hesitate.
“I drive here specifically just to get gas,” Lewis said this week as she filled up her Chevrolet Suburban at a Tulalip market, where the price was $4.84 per gallon (3.8 liters), about 75 cents cheaper than prices near her hometown. “Gas is ridiculous. But honestly, I’ve found this gas station to be cheaper than a lot of gas stations here over the years. Probably the cheapest.”
Lewis isn’t the only driver to discover that some of the cheapest fuel can be found on Native American reservations.
Particularly in California, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma and Washington state—where there are dozens of tribal-owned gas stations, some located in busy travel corridors—tribes exempt from state gas taxes sell for much lower prices than nearby competing gas stations.
Gas prices drive bargain hunting
Apps like Gas Buddy make finding the cheapest gas easier than ever.
Since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28, gasoline prices nationwide have risen more than $1 to an average of $4.15 a gallon, according to AAA.
Prices have been heading higher, topping $5 in the summer of 2022, but economists believe prices will continue to rise as geopolitical tensions persist, fueling inflation in the coming weeks.
However, you can find discounts at many of the nearly 500 tribal convenience stores with gas stations across the United States
Fifty Five is located in California. At the Chukchansi Crossing gas station and tourist center between Fresno and Yosemite National Park, gas costs $5.09, 60 cents cheaper than at nearby gas stations.
New Mexico resident Jamie Cross usually saves money on the Mescalero Apache Reservation, where gas prices were as low as $3.79 this week.
“I hope we don’t go higher,” Cross said Thursday.
In eastern New York state, on Catauragus Indian Territory between Buffalo and Erie, Pa., the cheapest gas at six stations was about $3.65, 50 cents cheaper than in nearby towns.
Tribal lands find way to evade gas taxes
So how do tribes do it? Two words: tax-free.
Generally, tribes must pay federal fuel taxes, which are 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents per gallon on diesel, and pass that cost on to drivers. State fuel taxes are another story.
For more than a century, U.S. courts have held that states do not have the right to tax Native Americans on their lands, said Dan Lewerenz, an assistant law professor at the University of North Dakota who specializes in Native American law.
“The Supreme Court has consistently upheld this view, which is one of the most enduring principles of Indian federal law,” Leverenz said.
Federally recognized Native American tribes are located in 35 states, and state gas taxes range from 9 cents per gallon in Alaska to 71 cents per gallon in California.
From there, things get complicated based on where fuel is taxed (for example, at a fuel terminal, or when a distributor buys or sells fuel) and various agreements between states and tribes.
The court ruling comes into play. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that off-reservation dealers in Kansas could collect state taxes on sales of on-reservation fuel to tribes. But in 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that an 1855 treaty between the United States and the Yakama Nation, which ensures tribal members the freedom to travel on roads carrying goods, prohibits the imposition of state gas taxes on tribal lands in Washington state.
“It’s a little different from the principle of no taxation by Indians within Indian territory, because this particular treaty also reserves certain off-reservation rights for Indians,” Leverenz said.
Gas is just a way for stores to make money
Convenience store gas sales are not as profitable as bringing people in from the gas station.
Selling snacks can increase profits. But tribal businesses are increasingly delivering groceries in “food deserts” far from grocery stores.
“Sometimes these gas stations and convenience stores are the closest and best place to buy affordable food or household supplies,” said Matthew Klas of Klas Robinson QED, a consulting firm in Minneapolis.
Klas conducts market research and consulting for tribal businesses and tracks 245 tribes across the country, which as of 2025 operate 496 convenience stores with gas stations.
Oklahoma, California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan and New York have the most. Some tribes, including the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, have their own chain stores.
Drive-thru smoke shops, car washes and truck stop facilities also bring in revenue. And then there are the casinos: There are 205 tribal-owned gas stations in or near them.
Some tribal casinos are resorts with gas stations. Some tribal gas stations are a type of casino called “gasinos” with only a handful of gambling machines.
Tribal-owned businesses are a major source of revenue on Native American reservations. On the Tulalip Reservation in the Seattle area, growing gas sales are being reinvested in the community, helping to pay for roads, police, health care, education, housing and other needs, Tanya Burns, CEO of the Tulalip Tribal Confederated Corporation, said in a statement.
“Like any government, we provide critical services to our people,” Burns said.
It’s not just about saving
“It’s terrible,” said Todd Hall of Paden, Oklahoma, who paid about $90 to fill up his trailer at a Citizen Potawatomi Nation gas station about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Oklahoma City.
But, he added: “The prices here are cheaper than elsewhere.”
Hall pays $4.57 a gallon for diesel and said prices are more than $5 in many places in the area.
Mark Foster said he saves about $5 a week buying fuel at tribal-owned gas stations. But he said he’s a loyal customer because the tribe is a good community partner.
“I like the way the tribe operates,” he said. “And the price is good.”
At the Tulalip Market north of Seattle, Jared Blankenship’s complaint wasn’t about the price, but about the gas he had to pay.
“Yeah, well, my electric car just died,” Blankenship said. “So this sucks. This is new. Either Costco or find a cheaper place like the rez. So here we are.”
Milgram’s electroshock experiment: An experiment that exposed the dark side of human obedience to authority |
In the early 1960s, a seemingly simple question arose in a Yale University laboratory: How far would an ordinary person go if instructed by an authority figure to harm others? Psychologist Stanley Milgram provided an answer that would become one of the most cited and controversial discoveries in modern psychology.Milgram’s obedience experiments, conducted between 1961 and 1962, did not begin as abstract inquiries. They were shaped by the aftermath of the Holocaust and, more specifically, by the trial of Adolf Eichmann, who defended his role in organizing the logistics of the mass deportation of Jews to ghettos and extermination camps, a central part of the Nazis’ program of systematic mass murder, claiming that he was “merely following orders.”Stanley Milgram asked the question directly in his 1974 book Obedience to Authority: “Were Eichmann and his millions of co-conspirators in the Holocaust simply following orders? Can we all call them accomplices? “
How the experiment is designed
Milgram recruited participants through newspaper ads, presenting the study as a study on learning and memory. In the most widely cited version, 40 men participated, each paying $4.50. Participants were assigned the role of “teacher.” Another person was introduced as a participant but was actually an actor working with the researcher, playing the role of a “learner.” Learners were placed in a separate room and connected to what appeared to be an electric shock device. The teacher sat in front of a shock generator with voltages ranging from 15 volts to 450 volts in 15 volt increments. The switches are labeled in escalating terms: “Mild Shock,” “Moderate Shock,” and “Danger: Severe Shock,” with the final switch simply labeled “XXX.” The task is structured but repetitive. The teacher reads out the word pairs and tests the learner’s memory. Each wrong answer requires an electric shock, and the voltage increases each time. The shock wasn’t real. Participants did not know this. As the course progresses, learner responses are scripted. At lower levels, he showed mild discomfort. As the voltage increased, his reactions became more urgent, he complained of a heart attack, demanded to be released, and began banging against walls at 300 volts. After saying that, he fell silent. The experimenter instructed that silence should be considered an incorrect answer. When participants hesitated, they received a series of standardized prompts: “Please continue.” “The experiment requires you to continue.” “It is absolutely essential that you continue.” “You have no choice, you have to carry on.”
What Milgram reported
In the most famous version of the experiment, the results were shocking: 65% of the participants (26 out of 40) continued to use the maximum voltage of 450 volts. Many showed visible distress. Some protested, some laughed nervously, others questioned the procedure. Many people ask if they should stop. But with guidance, most continued. Milgram concluded that people are highly sensitive to authority, even when obedience conflicts with their personal values. He believed that it was situational factors that influenced behavior, not just individual personality. Some of these factors are consistent across versions. The physical presence of an authority figure increases compliance. Partnering with Yale brings credibility and trust. The gradual increase in voltage makes each step feel gradual rather than extreme. Participants also seemed to shift responsibility to the experimenter, believing they were following instructions rather than making independent decisions. When these conditions change, obedience changes. Compliance decreases when authority figures are absent or giving instructions remotely. Compliance dropped sharply when other participants refused to continue, and in one case 36 of 40 participants stopped early.
What the experiment showed, and what subsequent research discovered
Milgram’s research showed that obedience is not just a matter of personality but also a matter of environment. In some cases, individuals may comply with instructions that they would otherwise refuse. Later research made the situation more complicated. Research and analysis show that obedience depends not only on authority but also on identification, the extent to which participants identify with the authority figure’s goals and identify with the authority figure. When people believe that authority is legitimate and consistent with their own values, they are more likely to follow instructions.
Stanley Milgram American social psychologist Stanley Milgram and the “shock generator” used in famous experiments at Yale University in the 1960s/Photo: Encyclopedia Britannica
Additional analyzes found multiple variables that influence compliance, including proximity to the victim, the legitimacy of the authority, and the presence of dissenting colleagues. These findings suggest that obedience is not automatic or consistent but is determined by specific social conditions.
Ethical issues and criticism
From the outset, these experiments raised serious ethical questions. Participants were deceived about the nature of the study and led to believe they were causing real harm. Many people experience severe psychological distress, including anxiety, stress, and guilt. The experimenter’s insistence, especially the instruction “You have no choice; you must continue,” has been criticized as undermining the participant’s right to withdraw. Participants were then debriefed and the true nature of the experiment explained, Milgram said. However, subsequent investigations raised questions about the consistency and thoroughness of this approach.Australian researcher Gina Perry examined archived recordings and documents to write “Behind the Shock Machine: The Untold Story of the Infamous Milgram Psychology Experiment” after retracing Milgram’s footsteps and interviewing participants decades later. She believes the reality of the experiment is more complex than published reports suggest, noting that what appears to be obedience may also resemble stress: “When you listen to these recordings, the slavish obedience to authority we associate with Milgram’s experiments sounds more like bullying and coercion,” Perry suggested in a report. article For Discovery Magazine. Perry’s study also raised questions about debriefing, showing that many participants were not fully aware of the deception, sometimes for months or even years.
Questions about validity and reproducibility
Further criticism focused on how the results were interpreted. A widely quoted figure. 65% of obedience comes from a specific change. In other versions of the experiment, compliance rates were significantly lower, and in some cases, no participants gave the biggest shock. There was also evidence that some participants were skeptical of the setup. Later analysis showed that those who believed the shocks were real were less likely to continue, while those who doubted that the learners were actually harmed were more likely to continue. Replications of the study produced mixed results. Ethical constraints need to be modified, for example, limiting maximum shock levels or screening participants more carefully. Some of these studies found similar compliance patterns, while others suggested that differences in design make direct comparisons difficult. The core problem remains unresolved: The original experiment cannot be fully replicated under modern ethical standards, which limits the ability to verify its findings in the same form.
Why experimentation still matters
Despite its problems, the Milgram experiment still occupies a central place in psychology. It is often taught not only because it purports to demonstrate obedience but also because it reveals the limitations of experimental designs.Part of its impact comes from the simplicity of the setting, a clear, controlled situation that produces results that many find both disturbing and familiar. It provided a way for people to think about authority, responsibility, and moral choices, while also sparking ongoing debate about how the experiment itself was conducted.As Gina Perry notes, this research endures as a lasting narrative rather than a definitive answer. Reflecting on its legacy, she noted: “I think it puts social psychology in a difficult position… It’s an iconic experiment. I think it does beg the question of why we continue to cite and believe Milgram’s results. I think the reason Milgram’s experiment is still so famous today is because in a way it’s like a powerful allegory.” It’s so well known and often quoted that it takes on a life of its own. …This experiment and this story about ourselves did something for us 50 years later. “
West Bengal polls: Didi claims attempts to cancel her nomination from Bhowanipur
KOLKATA: Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee on Saturday claimed that an attempt was made to cancel her Bhowanipore nomination through a “false affidavit”. She submitted her nomination on April 8 and it was accepted on April 10 after review.Bhowanipore currently has 13 candidates, one of the highest number of candidates in Bengal, including eight independent candidates, more than the number of registered political parties. Two complaints against her, which were traced to one of Nadia’s independent candidates, were dismissed, sources said.“We are not fighting the BJP but the party’s vanishing machine. In my own constituency, those traitors filed two false affidavits against me to cancel my nomination. They didn’t succeed, but remember, they tried… They made a lot of efforts to keep me from competing. So, you can understand: If they can do this to me, what can they do to you? ” Banerjee said.One of the objections stated that the proposer, Ismat Hakim, is the spouse of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and there was a “name mismatch”. She had earlier used her maiden name Ismat Ara but updated the documents to Ismat Hakim. Documents submitted during the review addressed that issue.“Normally, these things take a few minutes. But when all the proposers were forced to wait for two hours after the chief minister submitted his nomination, we got some hint of it,” said a TMC member monitoring the Bhovanipore polls.Another objection alleged undisclosed criminal cases from two decades ago when Banerjee was in opposition. “This cannot be proven and no evidence has been provided,” the party staffer said, adding that she had marked the column as “not applicable.”The third hot spot involves ballot logistics. The initial 17 candidates risked pushing Banerjee’s name to the second EVM as one cell can show 16 names. TMC objected. “The sitting CM cannot be pushed to the second EVM. It will cause chaos,” the official said. Four nominations were later cancelled, eliminating the need for multiple machines.
Nancy Guthrie Update: Explosive details emerge about kidnapper’s contacts with police; Savannah in relief
Nancy Guthrie’s long-running case may be approaching a critical turning point, with a former prosecutor saying her kidnapper may have been known to authorities and was something of a “career criminal.”
Law enforcement confirmed the 84-year-old was missing from his home in Tucson, Arizona, and they are treating it as a kidnapping. However, more than two months after Nancy Guthrie disappeared, authorities still have no updates on the main suspect.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie update: Experts say there’s only one way to solve kidnapping case
Murphy believes the suspect is an acquaintance
Former Orange County prosecutor Matt Murphy, who shared his insights on the YouTube channel “Prof Jo Explains,” is convinced the suspect in this case may have been arrested and booked into the legal system before.
In the interview, Murphy detailed the types of suspects the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department are dealing with based on his personal encounters with criminals.
“I bet this guy, whoever he is, is a well-known figure in the Pima County Jail,” he told host Joe Portuto.
Murphy questioned Chris Nanos and his team further and said he was surprised the Pima County Sheriff’s Office had not previously identified the suspect as a repeat offender.
He further stated that he was sure the suspect was a familiar person, saying, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this guy wasn’t a frequent flyer and was released through some ridiculous social justice program. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see it.”
Investigation shows ‘no signs of attack’
According to Entertainment Now, there were “no signs of an attack” and the interior of the home was “immaculate.”
Although blood was found on Nancy Guthrie’s front porch after she disappeared, authorities have not released much information about the condition of the rest of her house.
“NewsNation” reporter Brian Entin said: “[This] It makes sense when you go back to what Savannah Guthrie said, when her sister and brother-in-law showed up, they weren’t sure what was going on.”
She further cited comments from Savannah Guthrie and her family, saying, “She basically just disappeared. They even thought maybe an ambulance took her away because, according to sources, there’s nothing in the house now that looks completely out of the ordinary.”
Representatives from 22 countries praise India’s voting process
New Delhi The impressive turnout in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry, with two of the three states/UTs achieving record highs, attracted global attention, with 38 international delegates from 22 countries witnessing the results first-hand and expressing their admiration for the high voter participation, careful planning and seamless execution of the elections. The delegates are here as election committee2026 International Election Visitor Program (IEVP). Branimir Farkas, a representative from Croatia, described their experience as a “real democratic festival” and said the election was “a huge process done correctly”. Paulus Shigwedha from Namibia said: “We were very impressed with the organization and preparation of the polling station, which was ‘very good, with wheelchair and nursery facilities’.” Delegates visited the district-level media monitoring center and expressed their appreciation for the continued monitoring of opinion polls through live webcasts. They also participated in plantation activities at polling stations, demonstrating environmentally friendly and sustainable electoral practices. Abubakarr Mahmoud Koroma from Sierra Leone noted: “One of the great things about India is using EVM… we can take some of the learnings back home and see how to implement them…”. The international representatives began their two-day visit (April 8-9) to Assam, Kerala and Puducherry with a visit to dispatch and distribution centres, where they observed polling parties and the systematic movement of election materials through carefully planned logistics and established standard operating procedures. The representatives also interacted with the chief electoral officers and state police nodal officers of the states regarding the overall conduct of the elections as well as security arrangements. They also visited the CCTV control room set up by the CEO’s office to monitor 100% of the polling stations’ live webcasts, calling it a “strong pillar of transparency”. tennessee
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s alleged San Francisco Molotov cocktail attacker has been identified as Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama
Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama, 20, of San Francisco, was arrested and charged for allegedly attacking a San Francisco resident’s home. open artificial intelligence CEO Sam Altmanaccording to U.S. law enforcement officials and court records.Police said Moreno-Gama threw an incendiary device, known as a Molotov cocktail, at Altman’s home in the city’s Russian Hill neighborhood in the early hours of the incident. Authorities said a small fire broke out at an exterior door but extinguished itself before emergency crews arrived. No injuries were reported.Investigators said that after the attack, the suspect also issued threats to OpenAI’s headquarters in the Mission Bay area of San Francisco. Police later confirmed that he was arrested outside OpenAI’s offices, where he allegedly further threatened to set the building on fire.The San Francisco Police Department said officers responded to the initial incident around 4 a.m., recovered an incendiary device from the scene and reviewed surveillance video showing someone outside the property. Subsequently, through investigation, the suspect’s identity was locked and he was criminally detained.Moreno-Gama was charged with multiple felonies, including attempted murder, arson, criminal threats and possession of incendiary and destructive devices. After his arrest, he was booked into the San Francisco County Jail.Authorities have not publicly disclosed the motive behind the attack. However, Sam Altman addressed the incident in a blog post, saying he had recently seen an “inflammatory article” about himself and reflecting on the anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence (AI).OpenAI has not issued a detailed public statement on the case, other than acknowledging it is aware of the reports. Altman, a co-founder of the company behind ChatGPT, was not injured.Moreno-Gama remains in custody as prosecutors continue their case. The charges are merely accusations and have not been proven in court.
Trump’s H-1B visa changes hit small employers hard, applications down 15%
Sweeping changes to the H-1B visa program Donald Trump is dramatically changing the way U.S. employers hire foreign workers, with fees of up to $100,000 and new wage standards. According to the New York Times, these rules have had an uneven impact across industries.
As detailed in The New York Times, the administration’s changes disrupted critical pipelines in industries ranging from technology to health care and education.
The most controversial change is a $100,000 fee for certain new products H-1B visa The scheme was launched in September, leaving many small employers unable to afford it.
Read more: Indian H-1B technician accused of ‘fraud’ by Texas whistleblower Sara Gonzales
Impact of rising costs on small employers
Nonprofits, rural hospitals and small businesses are among the organizations most affected by these changes.
Sara McCabe, president of Wayside Youth and Family Support Network in Massachusetts, told The New York Times that her organization can no longer hire teachers through the program because of the new costs. As a result, schools turned away students due to lack of staff.
Likewise, health care providers in rural areas say rising costs have made it more difficult to recruit doctors and specialists.
Michaelle Waters, office manager of Carolina Nephrology Associates in Shelby, North Carolina, told the New York Times that the private practice is trying to use the H-1B program to hire a doctor in India. However, the federal government recently rejected its request for a fee waiver, which would only apply to foreign employees whose presence in the country is “in the national interest.”
Waters said that because the clinic cannot afford the $100,000 fee, it is not sure whether it can still hire the doctor. These practices are even considering taking out loans to cover visa fees to cope with financial stress.
“It’s not really feasible to fill this position with domestic candidates. They’re not interested in coming here. We can’t compete with the larger districts,” Waters told the New York Times.
Big tech companies and U.S. workers less affected
Experts such as immigration attorney Vic Goel told the New York Times that the impact of these reforms is “not uniform” and varies across industries and employer types.
While smaller organizations have struggled, large tech companies have been relatively immune to these changes.
The New York Times cited other immigration experts as saying that many large companies are recruiting international students already in the United States. These candidates have already waived the $100,000 fee, bypassing the biggest cost hurdle.
Additionally, these companies are in a better financial position to absorb higher visa costs and comply with new wage requirements.
Read more: H-1B visa registrations ‘down’, but some companies benefit from tighter visa rules
What’s happening with Trump’s H-1B visas?
The Trump administration argued the changes were necessary to protect American workers and raise wages.
In addition to fees, new rules introduced in February 2026 prioritize higher-paid positions in the visa allocation process and propose raising the minimum salary threshold H-1B worker.
Officials said the measures would prevent businesses from taking advantage of the program to hire cheaper foreign labor and instead encourage domestic hiring.
In addition, many immigration attorneys report that the number of companies applying for H-1B visas has dropped significantly this year.
Figures cited in the report show some employers have seen a 15 per cent drop in applications and limited amounts to cover the new fees, suggesting a “chilling effect” on demand.
Rare interaction between Modi and Rahul breaks the internet
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul GandhiOn Saturday, at an event, they exchanged pleasantries and had a brief conversation, a rarity in their icy relationship. Rahul rarely joins ministers and senior officials such as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in greeting the prime minister at commemorative events at the Parliament House, but he did so on Saturday at an event to pay tribute to reformer Jyotirao Phule. As Modi greeted everyone, he seemed to ask Rahul something and the two then chatted for a while while waiting for Vice President Radhakrishnan and President Drupadi Murmu. The exchange went viral on social media and sparked interest in political circles. Modi was suggested to inquire about the health of Rahul’s mother Sonia Gandhi, who was recently hospitalized. However, there is no official word on what happened between them. Rahul has often been absent from such events in the past and has often been accused by the BJP of not taking due account of state events and senior dignitaries. Congress, in turn, often claims that the government is not adhering to the protocols laid out in the LoP. As expected, the pleasantries between Modi and Rahul created a stir. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Phule’s birth next year, the government has announced a two-year plan. To oversee the national observances from April 11, 2026 to April 11, 2028, the government established a high-level committee chaired by the Prime Minister.
Eric Swalwell sexual misconduct scandal: Four women claim internal accusations of assault by congressman
California Rep. Eric Swalwell, the front-runner in the gubernatorial race, is facing sexual assault and misconduct accusations from four women, including a former aide who claims he raped her.The allegations involve a high-profile Democrat using his political position to groom young women in their twenties and then engage in inappropriate sexual messages or non-consensual physical contact, CNN reported. Swalwell, a married father of three, denies this. He called the claims “false” and politically motivated lies aimed at disrupting the upcoming election.His legal team has sent cease-and-desist letters to two accusers, warning of legal action if they continue to speak out. However, medical records, text messages and corroborating statements from friends and family have emerged supporting the women’s claims.
Former staff member: Rape and bodily harm charges
The most serious accusation came from a woman who began interning for Swalwell in 2019 when she was 20 years old. She eventually joined his campaign and district office, and she says the congressman initially made her feel like “he was the coolest person in the room.”She claimed that after a night of heavy drinking in September 2019, she blacked out and woke up naked in her hotel room in Swalwell. She said she could “physically feel” a sexual encounter had taken place. In another incident that same year, she claimed he forced her to perform oral sex on him in a car.The woman claims the abuse came to a head in April 2024 at a party in New York City. She said she regained consciousness in Swalwell’s bed after becoming intoxicated after drinking at a hotel bar.“I pushed him off of me and said no,” she told CNN. “He didn’t stop.”She described waking up alone the next morning, wrapped in a blanket and with “cuts and bruises” on her ribs and thighs. CNN reviewed medical records from a health clinic where she went for testing days later, where a medical provider described her as a “survivor.”
Political aspirants: The ‘blur’ in the hotel room
Another woman who connected with the congressman because of her interest in 2025 Democratic politics described a similar “star-struck” adoration that turned into a traumatic experience. After weeks of text messages, the two met in person when Swalwell visited her city.She alleges that one night at a bar, Swalwell touched her legs and kissed her multiple times without consent. She ends up losing her memory of that night and wakes up in his hotel room. The Uber receipt showed she left the hotel at 5:41 a.m.The woman described her experience as “blurred” and said she felt “disgusted and ashamed”. When she later messaged Swalwell telling him “all you are doing is hurting me,” he responded: “I won’t bother you anymore! Sorry.”
Ally Sammarco: Active nudity and late-night runs
Social media founder Ally Sammarco was one of the women who chose to be named. In 2021, she first contacted Swalwell on Twitter to discuss politics. What started as professional advice quickly turned into an “inappropriate” Snapchat exchange.Samarco claimed the congressman sent her unsolicited photos of his genitals and shirtless selfies while drinking. She noted that he, a sitting member of Congress, “drunkly texted” her when she was 24 and out with friends.She also claimed that Swalwell would run past her apartment building multiple times after learning where she lived. Although they stayed in contact occasionally, she said she stopped responding to his sexual advances once she entered a serious relationship.
Marketing Professionals: The Four-Year Model of Explicit Content
A fourth woman who works in marketing claimed that Swalwell began contacting her in 2021 after she liked one of his social media posts. She told CNN that a month later their conversation turned sexual, with the congressman asking for nude photos and unsolicited videos of his penis.“When you get unsolicited sex videos, it just makes you feel like I’m inferior,” she said.The two never met in person, but their digital relationship lasted four years.