Rubin Report's First Look on April 15, 2026, scrutinizes Zohran Mamdani's $70 million NYC grocery initiative, Eric Swalwell's resignation amid Lana Drews' assault allegations and FBI involvement, and Jose Medina Medina's Chicago murder trial. The episode highlights how Biden-era sanctuary policies allegedly obstructed federal cooperation, enabling Medina's release despite flight risks. Ultimately, these segments expose the severe fiscal costs of municipal socialism, the fragility of political careers under sexual misconduct accusations, and the life-or-death consequences of restrictive immigration enforcement failures. [Automatically generated summary]
It's Wednesday, April 15th, 2026, and this is First Look.
We've got a packed show for you this morning.
Here's what we're tracking.
New York's mayor pushing government-run grocery stores, but even he admits only a small basket of goods will actually be cheaper.
The Swalwell scandal explodes further.
A fifth accuser comes forward with disturbing new claims as more details surface about his past behavior.
And later, a tragic murder case in Chicago raising serious questions about border policy and why a suspect flagged as dangerous was released into the country.
Let's get into it.
We start in New York City, where Mayor Zorhan Mamdani is moving forward with his plan to create city owned grocery stores.
But the details are raising serious questions.
After pitching the idea as a solution to high food prices, Mamdani is now clarifying that only a limited basket of goods. Will be guaranteed at lower prices.
That basket hasn't even been finalized yet, but officials say it will likely include basic staples like bread, milk, and eggs.
Everything else in the store?
No guarantee.
City officials say they'll try to keep prices low across the board, but admit they may not always be able to maintain those discounts.
So the headline promise, cheaper groceries, is now being narrowed to a handful of essential items.
And the cost to taxpayers is significant.
The flagship store planned for La Marqueta in Harlem is expected to cost around $30 million to build for a roughly 9,000 square foot space.
That raised eyebrows across the grocery industry.
Executives pointed out that a typical 15,000 square foot grocery store can be built for under $10 million, meaning this smaller, government run version is coming in at roughly three times the cost.
It gets more interesting.
There are existing retail spaces just down the block, one with 33,000 square feet, another with 15,000, currently listed for about $15 million and $7 million.
So critics are asking why build from scratch at a premium when cheaper options already exist?
Mamdani says the Harlem location will take longer, not opening until 2029, because it's being built from the ground up.
Other stores are expected sooner, with the first opening projected for late 2027.
In total, the city plans to spend around $70 million to launch these stores across all five boroughs, pending city council approval.
The goal, according to Momdani, is to give people predictability in pricing and help families budget.
Former Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has already resigned, is now facing even more serious allegations, with a fifth accuser coming forward publicly.
At a press conference in Beverly Hills, model Lana Drews accused Swalwell of rape, saying he drugged, choked, and assaulted her.
She says she did not consent and plans to file a police report.
This adds to a growing list of allegations, ranging from sexual assault, To inappropriate behavior and explicit messages sent over Snapchat.
Two other women have said Swalwell contacted them under the pretense of mentoring, then steered conversations towards sexual encounters.
One said he sent unsolicited photos of his genitals.
Another development.
A video from 2022 has resurfaced showing Swalwell on a yacht in the French Riviera partying with a group of young women.
According to reports, people on the trip were told to keep his presence quiet.
Everything stays on the boat, as one source put it.
The video shows him in a robe, adding another layer to questions about his conduct while in office.
Now law enforcement is getting more involved.
The Manhattan District Attorney is investigating one of the alleged incidents, and FBI Director Kash Patel has publicly invited anyone with information to come forward, even sharing the Bureau's tip line.
Patel said the FBI would welcome Swalwell himself to sit down and provide any information.
Despite all of this, Swalwell continues to deny the most serious allegations, calling them false, while also acknowledging mistakes in judgment.
But politically, the damage is already done.
He's resigned from Congress, suspended his gubernatorial campaign, and gone from a high profile national figure to the center of a growing scandal in just a matter of days.
And with multiple investigations now potentially underway, This story is far from over.
And finally, a tragic case out of Chicago that's raising serious concerns about immigration enforcement.
A Venezuelan illegal immigrant, now charged with murdering 18 year old college student Sheridan Gorman, had previously been stopped at the southern border and released into the United States despite clear warning signs.
According to documents uncovered by the House Judiciary Committee, Jose Medina Medina was apprehended in 2023 while crossing the border illegally.
When questioned, he told agents he did not fear persecution if returned to Venezuela.
meaning he did not qualify for asylum.
On top of that, agents flagged him as someone likely to abscond, essentially someone likely to disappear and not comply with court proceedings.
Despite both of those red flags, he was released into the country under Biden-era policies.
Fast forward to March 2026.
Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was out with friends trying to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
According to witnesses, a masked man approached the group, opened fire, killed Gorman, and fled the scene.
That suspect, police say, was Medina Medina.
He's now charged with first degree murder as well as illegal possession of a firearm.
And there's more.
He had previously been arrested in Chicago for shoplifting and failed to appear in court.
So you have multiple points of contact with the system at the border, in the city, and at each point he was released.
Gorman's parents are now speaking out criticizing sanctuary policies that limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
And even some Democrats are acknowledging the failure.
Senator John Fetterman called the killing preventable, pointing directly at the policies that allowed someone flagged as a risk to remain in the country.
And that's the broader issue here.
It's not just one tragic case.
It's a chain of decisions, warnings, and missed opportunities that led to it.
That's your first look for this Wednesday, the stories you need to know as you start your day.
We'll keep tracking all of this and bring you more as it develops.