Resign-o-Rama: Swalwell & Gonzales Call It Quits

[0:00] It's Tuesday, April 14th, and one resignation was just the beginning. [0:05] We start here. [0:08] In the span of an hour, two members of Congress announced they're leaving. [0:12] Sources within the Democratic Party told me, well, if they're going to do that, [0:16] there's Republican members that should be on that list too. [0:18] They're not the only ones facing serious accusations either. [0:21] Could more be on the way? [0:23] The U.S. says we're in charge of the Strait of Hormuz now. [0:26] Iran is doing absolutely no business, and we're going to keep it that way. [0:29] This blockade is already having an effect, but it's not just Iran feeling the pinch. [0:34] And the president doesn't delete many posts. [0:37] He deleted this. [0:38] I don't know how much more offensive you could get than picturing yourself as Jesus. [0:43] A tiff with the Pope has some followers mad as hell. [0:49] From ABC News, this is Start Here. [0:52] I'm Brad Milkey. [0:56] Hey, it's Brad, and guess where I am this morning? [0:58] I'm in Washington, because go figure, just about all the news today is out of D.C. [1:02] A lot has been said about me today through anonymous allegations, [1:07] and I thought it was important that you see and hear from me directly. [1:10] So we have known pressure was building around California Congressman Eric Swalwell, [1:15] the one-time presidential candidate, a Democrat, [1:17] had just suspended his campaign for California governor [1:20] as he denied accusations that he sexually assaulted a woman two different times. [1:26] These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. [1:29] They are absolutely false. [1:30] The question was very quickly becoming whether he would be forced to leave his current job in Congress. [1:36] Well, yesterday, he announced his resignation. [1:39] But what was perhaps more unexpected was he was not the only lawmaker to announce he was stepping down yesterday. [1:46] ABC senior political correspondent Rachel Scott starts us off. [1:48] Rachel, let's start with Swalwell. [1:50] This escalated so quickly. [1:51] How did this end up going down? [1:53] Yeah, Brad, really talk about a fall from grace for Congressman Eric Swalwell. [1:57] I mean, he was once considered this sort of bright star in the Democratic Party, [2:01] really the future of the Democratic Party. [2:03] Did you tell the attorney general that Donald Trump's name is in the Epstein files? [2:06] And we have released where President Trump's name is in the Epstein files. [2:08] It's a simple question. [2:09] Did you tell the attorney general that the president's name is in the Epstein files? [2:12] He was a prominent Democrat over on Capitol Hill. [2:15] Then he announces that he's going to be running for governor of California. [2:18] We can say that we're the fourth largest economy in the world, and we are, and I love to brag about that. [2:24] But what does that mean if you can't afford to live here? [2:26] And all of that goes away with just a matter of days. [2:30] You know, the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as CNN, [2:32] they reported that four women accused Swalwell of inappropriate behavior. [2:36] One former staffer even telling CNN that she was sexually assaulted by Swalwell twice, [2:40] once in 2019 and again in 2024. [2:43] I can recall I was pushing him off of me saying no. [2:49] And what did he do? [2:50] He didn't stop. [2:52] Now, it is important here ABC News has not been able to independently verify any of these claims, [2:57] and the congressman continues to call these allegations false. [3:00] They're absolutely false. [3:02] They did not happen. [3:04] They have never happened. [3:05] And I will fight them with everything that I have. [3:07] But he does say that he has certainly made mistakes in his judgment in the past. [3:11] And he says that those mistakes are between him and his wife to sort out. [3:15] I also apologize to you if in any way you have doubted your support for me. [3:20] But I think you know who I am. [3:22] Now, once he issued that apology, [3:24] I think Swalwell was sort of hoping that maybe all of this sort of dies down. [3:28] He's already dropped his bid to be governor of California. [3:31] He can continue to serve out the rest of his term in the House. [3:34] That is not what happened. [3:36] And you had some Republicans who were saying, [3:38] we do not care if he's dropping his bid for governor. [3:40] We're going to push to expel him from Congress anyway. [3:44] And then sources within the Democratic Party told me, [3:46] well, if they're going to do that, [3:48] there's Republican members that should be on that list too. [3:51] So all of a sudden, this bipartisan list forms of Democrats and Republicans [3:55] accused of wrongdoing in the House [3:58] that are being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. [4:00] And then there becomes this groundswell to put immense pressure on these members [4:05] who are faced with this choice either resign or retire from Congress [4:09] or run the risk of being expelled altogether. [4:12] So then suddenly we saw Swalwell post on social media [4:15] and he made this announcement saying that he will be resigning from Congress, [4:19] saying that he has to take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes that he did make. [4:23] He says it's wrong for his constituents to have him distracted from his duties. [4:26] Well, and Rachel, this is usually where I would ask you to explain, [4:29] like, how is this going to affect the balance of power in Congress [4:32] if the Democrats lose a vote? [4:34] But one of these Republicans that you mentioned that's under scrutiny, [4:37] Tony Gonzalez from Texas, he has now decided to get out of Dodge. [4:40] What happened to him? [4:41] Yeah, because it wasn't just Swalwell that Democrats and Republicans [4:45] were threatening to expel from Congress. [4:47] It's actually a number of members of Congress [4:50] that are facing very serious allegations on both sides of the aisle. [4:55] And that does include Texas Congressman Tony Gonzalez [4:58] because he admitted to pursuing a relationship with his former staffer. [5:03] I am not going to resign. [5:05] I'm not going to resign. [5:06] Gonzalez faces an avalanche of criticism. [5:08] After his congressional aide, 35-year-old Regina Santos Aviles died by suicide in September. [5:14] Now, Brad, ABC actually obtained text messages [5:17] showing conversations between Gonzalez and this former staffer [5:21] more than a year before she died by suicide. [5:24] In these text messages, Gonzalez appears to request inappropriate photos from that staffer. [5:30] In one instance, she replied by saying, [5:32] quote, this is going too far, boss. [5:34] But it does appear in some instances that she may have engaged in some sort of flirtation, [5:39] even by saying, how long have you thought I was this hot? [5:43] After that aide died by suicide and after all of these text messages, [5:47] were released to the public, Gonzalez continued to deny any allegations [5:51] that he had any sort of affair with this aide. [5:54] What you've seen is not all the facts. [5:56] Do you have an extra mirror of a career? [5:57] What you've seen is not all the facts. [5:59] Gonzalez had already said that he was not going to run for re-election. [6:02] And similar to Swabwell, I think he was hoping that that would sort of quiet [6:05] any of the questions over on Capitol Hill. [6:08] But it did not. [6:09] The Ethics Committee announced an investigation into him. [6:12] And then comes this bipartisan push to try to expel him from Congress, too. [6:18] And then, Brad, it just becomes this domino effect. [6:20] So Swabwell announces that he's going to be resigning. [6:23] And then Tony Gonzalez announces that he's going to be retiring from Congress. [6:27] Well, and like you said, these are not the only lawmakers facing calls to resign or threats of expulsion. [6:33] Could there be more of these announcements still? [6:35] Yeah, Brad, believe it or not, there are others out there. [6:37] I think a lot of people across the country think of members of Congress as being sort of the gold standard, right? [6:41] They're representing the American people in Washington. [6:45] Well, these are just two out of four members that Democrats and Republicans are now pushing to possibly expel from the House. [6:52] Absolutely no theft of $5 million. [6:54] You also have Sheila Shirkless-McCormick. [6:56] She's accused of stealing $5 million in FEMA funds from taxpayers. [7:01] The House committee said the Congresswoman violated House rules and ethics standards 25 times. [7:06] She denies any wrongdoing. [7:08] And you also have Corey Mills. [7:09] He's accused of assaulting women and profiting off of federal contracts. [7:13] He's also denying any wrongdoing as well. [7:15] The actual committee of jurisdiction is, in fact, the ethics committee, and cooperating with them is my top priority. [7:21] At a certain point, it's not just these members that are faced with the backlash from the public. [7:26] It's also leaders in the party as well. [7:28] And I think leaders on Capitol Hill were starting to ask themselves, [7:31] are these the best representatives to define our party going forward? [7:35] Of course, on Capitol Hill, you have these razor-thin margins in both chambers of Congress. [7:41] That is something that both parties are keeping in mind. [7:44] But at a certain point, there are ethics. [7:46] There are morals. [7:47] I think that actually has more Democrats and Republicans coming together to support this push to expel these members in a bipartisan fashion if they do not resign or retire first. [7:56] Plus, they get to be seen taking the moral high ground, right? [8:00] Like, we got rid of the bad apples while also not having to give up any votes because there is one from each party going here. [8:07] Again, each of these men denying any wrongdoing, but we'll see what happens next. [8:10] Rachel Scott, thank you. [8:12] Thanks, Brad. [8:14] Next up on Start Here, it's a thing in poker. [8:16] But in the Middle East, is it possible for two players to each be holding a strait? [8:21] We'll take you there after the break. [8:22] Before the war in Iran took hold, the Strait of Hormuz was considered a relatively safe shipping passage. [8:34] Yes, it's just 21 miles wide. [8:36] Yes, it brings you right next to Iran. [8:38] But unless you were a foreign naval vessel, the Iranians were not in the business of harassing you. [8:43] For weeks now, that is no longer the case. [8:46] Iran's military is decimated, but with drones and missiles nearby, it has not been a safe place to sail. [8:52] Iran says this video shows a standoff Saturday with a U.S. destroyer. [8:56] You must alter course and go back. [9:03] No challenges, attendity. [9:05] Critics of the U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran will say, if anything, this has represented a step backwards for the rest of the world. [9:12] President Trump told the Iranians to back down on this. [9:15] Both sides engaged in talks over the weekend, but they fell apart, which prompted Trump to change his military strategy. [9:22] President Trump says the U.S. will blockade ships entering or exiting Iranian ports. [9:27] Their promise was that they were going to open the Hormuz Strait. [9:33] They didn't do it. [9:34] They lied. [9:35] No longer was the message that no one should control the Strait of Hormuz. [9:39] No, the message now was suddenly, we will take over the Strait of Hormuz. [9:43] Anyone who wants to go in or out needs the say-so of the U.S. [9:47] Meaning, if you're sailing towards one of our allies, fine. [9:50] If you're going in or out of Iran, our Navy will physically stop you. [9:55] Well, yesterday at 10 a.m. Eastern time, this blockade went into effect. [10:00] Let's go to ABC's chief foreign correspondent, Ian Pannell, who's in Tel Aviv right now in Israel. [10:04] Ian, I'm just trying to picture this. [10:05] So if you're in a cargo ship, your plan is to go into the Persian Gulf. [10:09] That means you're going through the Strait. [10:11] Iran is on your right. [10:13] The Gulf states are all on your left. [10:14] But what happens? [10:16] Like, what is the scenario for you? [10:18] Yeah, I think what you're looking at is exactly as you mentioned. [10:21] If you're heading to another country, for example, say, Iraq, the port of Basra, then there won't be a problem. [10:28] You'll be allowed safe passage. [10:30] If there's any plan to enter or leave any Iranian port along the entire coastline, then you will be stopped or turned back by the U.S. Navy, presumably with the threat of force. [10:43] In fact, we even saw two vessels that were turned back in the first few hours of this blockade coming into place. [10:50] I didn't like seeing boats come out if they were doing business with Iran. [10:54] But if there weren't, no boats came out. [10:56] So now they're doing, Iran is doing absolutely no business. [11:00] And we're going to keep it that way very easily. [11:02] But they're very dangerous waters. [11:04] You mentioned Iran's navy being decimated. [11:07] But the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which, if you like, is a kind of vanguard of the regime, the military vanguard of the regime, they have these fast boats. [11:17] So they continue to represent a threat. [11:20] They have not been decimated the way the rest of the navy has been decimated. [11:23] Don't forget, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone, their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone. [11:31] That's a lot. [11:31] Iran has sea drones. [11:33] And as you say, it also has mines in the water and drones and missiles. [11:37] So this doesn't come without a threat, not just to the U.S. Navy personnel who are going to be there in the Gulf. [11:45] But the impact on the world economy will be felt. [11:49] And say you're a ship that's servicing Iran somehow, and we already know, like you said, two ships sort of turned away. [11:55] If they tried to pass through, what would happen? [11:57] Would they be blown up by a drone or something, or do we know? [12:00] Well, the president said that if any of these so-called fast boats or any Iranian navy ships approach, they will be eliminated. [12:08] But what I imagine is they'll be given warnings. [12:10] This is normally how business is conducted at sea. [12:13] The ships, the vessels will be in communication. [12:16] They will order them to stop or turn back. [12:19] And then I guess the next level is it's possible to intercept them. [12:22] One imagines if it's a cargo ship, then the very last option would be to open fire on it as it doesn't actually represent a military threat. [12:32] Hey, Ian, the president has talked about not getting involved in endless wars. [12:34] But I'm just thinking about what a blockade is. [12:36] The whole idea is like a long siege, right? [12:38] Like you choke a country off. [12:40] Over time, they got a crack is the idea. [12:41] So how long would this go on for? [12:44] And I guess what would be the aims of the Trump administration here? [12:47] Yeah, well, I think it's a very good question. [12:50] I think there will be hope that the imposition of the blockade will have a medium to short-term effect in Iran's thinking. [12:59] And that that will bring them back to the negotiating table. [13:02] We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that's what they're doing. [13:09] They're really blackmailing the world. [13:11] We're not going to let that happen. [13:12] And you still have this key sticking point, and the president reiterated that on Monday, of the question of Iran's highly enriched nuclear material and whether it has the right to continue nuclear enrichment. [13:24] Iran will not have a nuclear weapon and we're going to get the dust back. [13:29] We'll get it back either. [13:30] We'll get it back from them or we'll take it. [13:32] And in some senses, we shouldn't be surprised that this collapse in talks happened because going into it, they had two very different plans. [13:40] A 15-point US plan, a 10-point Iranian plan, which said diametrically opposite things. [13:45] The Iranians want to continue the ability to enrich uranium. [13:49] And I don't think they're inclined to hand over the highly enriched uranium because they know it's a great bargaining tool. [13:56] The president making clear those are his red lines, saying that Iran has been in contact again. [14:01] I can tell you that we've been called by the other side. [14:04] They'd like to make a deal very badly, very badly. [14:07] We know that mediators are trying to bring the two sides back together again before this two-week ceasefire expires. [14:14] But this is all designed to try and punish Iran economically to force it to make these key concessions. [14:21] And I think it's highly questionable whether or not that will work. [14:25] So the idea being like we'll choke off your oil or any things that Iran needs from the rest of the world. [14:31] We'll choke that off until you have to cave, bring you back to the negotiating table. [14:35] Then, I mean, are there risks, I guess, for the U.S. or for the rest of the world in the meantime? [14:39] Well, it's an open-ended commitment. [14:41] So you said it yourself, you know, with the U.S. [14:44] The Trump administration has committed itself not to being involved in never-ending wars. [14:49] Well, tell me when this ends. [14:51] You know, you have the president on Monday admitting that gas prices may be high, at least, you know, through to much later on this year. [14:59] How much pain can the U.S. endure as well? [15:02] The deal is not reached by the end of the ceasefire. [15:09] Does your threat from before still stand? [15:12] Yeah, I don't want to comment on that, but it won't be pleasant for them. [15:14] Let me put it that way. [15:15] I mean, on one level, Iran and the Iranian regime has endured years of severe economic pain through sanctions. [15:22] Now, this is designed to deny Iran billions of dollars that come through oil sales. [15:28] And, of course, that will add more pressure. [15:30] But the speaker of the Iranian parliament, warning that people will look back fondly when gas prices at the pump was only $4 to $5 a gallon. [15:40] So they think that oil prices go higher. [15:42] And I think they feel that by applying economic pain on the U.S., this has been their strategy since the start of the war, they can put enough pressure on President Trump to make concessions. [15:53] All right. [15:53] Ian Pannell there in the region right now. [15:55] Thank you so much. [15:56] Thanks, Brad. [15:57] Now, for all the whiplash surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, there have been no diplomatic incidents that have forced President Trump to take down some of his own social media messages. [16:09] But yesterday, a different back and forth seemed to reach a boiling point between President Trump and the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV. [16:18] Remember, the new pope himself is an American from Chicago. [16:21] But he's had no problem calling for the end of this military operation in the Middle East. [16:26] President Trump has responded with criticism, even insults, and at one point posted an image of himself, seemingly created by AI, depicting Trump in robes, appearing in front of an American flag and clouds and American troops in the heavens as he seems to heal a sick patient. [16:42] But yesterday afternoon, though, that post was gone, and it's raised real questions about whether Trump himself thinks he might have overstepped here. [16:51] I want to talk to Father James Martin. [16:52] He's a Jesuit priest. [16:53] He's the editor at large for America Magazine, a Catholic publication. [16:56] He's also an ABC News contributor. [16:58] Father Martin, can you just kind of walk me through, first of all, how this beef kind of evolved? [17:02] Because this has been going on for a little bit now. [17:03] Well, it's kind of a long story, but I think it originated with Pope Leo's strong defense of migrants and refugees, and then more recently, his call for peace and reconciliation. [17:17] Enough of the idolatry of self and money. [17:21] Enough of the display of power. [17:24] Enough of war. [17:26] And also talking about not using the name of God in terms of justifying military interventions or killing. [17:33] I don't think he's doing a very good job. [17:35] He likes crime, I guess. [17:37] Even though he didn't mention President Trump's name or Secretary Pete Hegseth's name, I think they took offense. [17:43] He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. [17:50] Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result. [17:53] And then the other night, there was a documentary on 60 Minutes with three American cardinals, [17:58] Cardinals Tobin, McElroy, and Cupich, which seems to have prompted President Trump to attack Leo and then finally post this picture of himself as Jesus. [18:08] Yeah. [18:09] And looking at this picture, I mean, you've got Trump, like, you've got light beaming out of his hands as he's healing this unidentified man. [18:16] But like Trump has said, he thought the image was depicting him as some sort of doctor. [18:20] I just heard about it, and I said, how did they come up with that? [18:24] It's supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. [18:29] But like taking it at face value, though, Father, how offensive is this image to you? [18:34] I don't know how much more offensive you could get than picturing yourself as Jesus. [18:39] Really? [18:39] I think the proof for me was that you had Catholics on the progressive side and Catholics on the traditional side, and of course, even people who aren't Catholic or Christian, really reacting strongly to this, using words like blasphemy or idolatry. [18:55] I mean, the first commandment is, you shall have no gods before me, right? [18:58] And that includes an American president. [19:01] So the idea of almost like, don't worry about this religious leader. [19:04] The message to some people seem to be, I'll be your religious leader, which was considered incredibly offensive to some. [19:11] What have you made of Pope Leo's response to all this? [19:14] Not even just the tête-à-tête with Trump. [19:15] I know that he said he's not going to be intimidated by this White House. [19:18] But how do you think he's been approaching this broader conflict so far? [19:23] Well, by not seeing it as a conflict. [19:25] You know, he said he doesn't want to get into a debate. [19:27] I do not look at my role as being a political politician. [19:31] I don't want to get into a debate with him. [19:34] I don't think that the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing. [19:41] And I will continue to speak out loud. [19:43] Pope Leo is a religious leader, and so he's preaching the gospel. [19:45] And part of the gospel is Jesus saying pretty clearly, blessed are the peacemakers. [19:50] You can't get any clearer than that. [19:52] Not blessed are the warmongers. [19:54] And, you know, standing up for migrants and refugees, Jesus says, welcome the strangers. [19:58] So, you know, Leo, he only noticed, he only uses President Trump's name when people ask him specifically. [20:05] But otherwise, in his prayer for peace a couple of days ago, he just talked about peace and reconciliation in general. [20:12] So he's trying to make it nonpartisan. [20:14] He's trying to make it religious. [20:15] Is he in a more complicated position being an American himself, or would this be the same message we would hear from any other Catholic pope? [20:22] That's a good question. [20:23] I mean, we have to remember the Vatican's been dealing with diplomats and military leaders and political leaders since, you know, like the time of Charlemagne. [20:29] Right. [20:29] I mean, so they know how all this stuff works. [20:31] Too many people are suffering in the world today. [20:33] Too many innocent people are being killed. [20:35] And I think someone has to stand up and say, there's a better way to do this. [20:40] This is the same message that we heard all the way back, I mean, pretty much every pope. [20:44] Right. [20:44] St. John Paul II said, war is always a defeat for humanity. [20:48] Under Benedict, he was, the popes were opposed to war. [20:51] And Francis, of course. [20:53] Pope Leo is on very firm ground, obviously. [20:55] He's not, you know, he's not anti-Donald Trump. [20:59] He's pro-Jesus Christ. [21:02] To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think it's not understanding what the message of the gospel is. [21:13] The pope is, of course, very reserved. [21:16] You know, he rarely mentions names, but you're right. [21:18] He sort of gauges carefully what he needs to say. [21:21] I think the big difference now, though, is unlike under Pope Francis, you know, where some American Catholics would say, well, we don't have to listen to him because he doesn't understand the United States. [21:32] You can't say that about Pope Leo. [21:34] Oh, that's interesting. [21:35] Of like, listen, this is a new world that we're in, and he's not from this tradition, and he doesn't know what it's like having our military, and we have to be the protectors of every—Leo was raised in that. [21:43] So if he's coming out and saying, no, no, no, that's not an excuse, then that carries weight. [21:48] Well, and, you know, under Francis, they said, well, he's an Argentine Jesuit. [21:51] What does he know about the United States and whatnot? [21:53] Well, I mean, Leo is an American, so he knows a little bit about the United States and its history and our politics. [21:59] All right. [22:00] Father James Martin, by the way, the author of a new book called Work in Progress. [22:04] Thank you so much, Father. [22:05] My pleasure. [22:10] Okay, one more quick break. [22:11] When we come back, it's not the end of the rainbow after all. [22:14] One last thing is next. [22:15] And one last thing, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a flag worth? [22:27] Yesterday, gay rights activists cheered the settlement of a federal lawsuit that will keep the pride flag flying at the Stonewall Monument in Lower Manhattan. [22:37] So you might have heard about this controversy earlier this year. [22:40] The Stonewall Monument is a small park just across the street from New York's famed gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. [22:46] It was the scene of the 1960s riots that ignited the LGBTQ pride movement around the country, around the world. [22:53] Under President Obama, it was enshrined as a national park with a pride flag flying overhead. [22:58] But then in February, under orders from the Trump administration, the Park Service took down that flag. [23:04] The White House said this was a simple policy issue. [23:11] There are rules about what flags can be flown on national park grounds. [23:15] The U.S. flag, the flags of departments or agencies, and the POW flag. [23:19] That's it. [23:20] It's not anti-LGBTQ, they said. [23:22] It's just a rule. [23:23] Gay rights groups were incensed. [23:25] Donald Trump is sending a message to young LGBTQ people that you don't belong, and that our national monument isn't a place for the flag that represents your struggle. [23:38] First, they said it was obvious that the Trump administration was trying to erase queer culture, and it also just removed the word transgender from the monument's plaques. [23:47] Secondly, they argued, you can't talk about Stonewall without acknowledging gay pride. [23:52] That's the point of the whole thing. [23:53] This is the symbol that emerged from that site. [23:57] But perhaps most persuasive was a legal argument. [24:02] Yes, there was an executive rule barring flags from national park sites, unless that rule said they were there to provide historical context. [24:10] That's why Confederate flags are still displayed at Gettysburg. [24:14] What we will be doing is protecting this flag from any political interference. [24:18] That might have been persuasive to lawyers, as the government agreed to permanently return the flag to the monument within seven days. [24:27] It'll fly below the U.S. flag and above a flag for the park service. [24:30] Now, in truth, pride flags have been flying at this site for weeks. [24:38] There are flagpoles maintained by New York City, and a group of protesters put up their pride flag that was not removed by the feds. [24:44] But there's a difference between protesting your government and being recognized by your government. [24:50] That, activists say, is the legacy of Stonewall. [24:53] It's the progress of the 21st century, and they're not going back. [24:58] And yet anyone who knows that neighborhood will tell you. [25:02] You'll hear the best show-tuned sing-alongs coming out of the duplex, the bar a couple doors down. [25:07] Hey, many thanks to Mike DeBuskie for filling in yesterday with the news changing every minute out of the Middle East while I was meeting some team members here in D.C. [25:14] I'm getting on a train back to New York, and we'll be with you again first thing in the morning. [25:18] I'm Brad Milkey. See you tomorrow.