Washington Today

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: A conversation with political activist David Hogg – founder of the group Leaders We Deserve -- about young voters and future of the Democratic Party Then: We chat with former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli - national chair of the Election Transparency Initiative – on the redistricting battles sweeping the nation and how they might impact the midterm elections. Finally: Politico Heath Care Reporter David Lim talks about "Trump Rx" and recent efforts by the Trump Administration to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard resigns, she says to support her husband, who has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer; Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is sworn-in at the White House. President Donald Trump tells him he wants him to be 'totally independent' when making decisions, such as on interest rates. Warsh says he will lead a 'reform-oriented Federal Reserve'; Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden says there has been 'slight progress' in the talks with Iran to end the war; World Health Organization raises the risk of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 'high' to 'very high', but the global risk remains at 'low'; As millions set off on Memorial Day holiday weekend travel, Transportation Security Administration is looking at using more private contractors for airport security screening; In this peak time for college and university graduations, a sampling of commencement speeches C-SPAN has brought in: Gen. Dan Caine, Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), NBC journalist Lester Holt, Olympic gold medal winning skier Lindsey Vonn and rapper & music producer will.i.am; a tribute to CBS News Radio, going off the air after nearly 100 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate Republicans cancel floor debate and votes on a $70 billion immigration agencies package known as the Budget Reconciliation bill because of concerns among Republicans about who would qualify to receive compensation under President Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund; President announces a rollback of environmental regulations on greenhouse gas releasing refrigerants, he says, to lower grocery costs by reducing costs on supermarkets & transportation companies; Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is asked about President Trump endorsing his primary opponent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R); Democratic National Committee releasing a report on why the party lost the 2024 presidential election, along with a disclaimer that the DNC 'cannot independently verify the claims presented.' We will talk about it with Dan Merica, co-anchor of the Washington Post Early Brief (16); House Republican leaders delay a vote on an Iran War Powers Act resolution offered by Democrats to force the President to end the war; House defeats a National Women's History Museum bill. Many Democrats opposed it because the bill specifically excludes transgender women from being represented in the exhibits; Justice Department announces Medicaid fraud indictments in Minnesota; actor Noah Wyle rallies on Capitol Hill on behalf of health care workers; National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration are predicting a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did the results of Tuesday's Republican primaries, especially the defeat of targeted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), say about the power of President Donald Trump's endorsement? We hear from the President, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and an ally of Massie, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA); Justice Department indicts 94-year-old Raúl Castro, former Cuban president and defense minister, on murder and conspiracy, in the deaths of four U.S. citizens in the downing of two planes in 1996. It is part of the Trump Administration's increasing pressure campaign against the Cuban government; Senate Budget Committee advances on a party-line vote the budget reconciliation bill that Republicans are using to fund federal immigration agencies without the need to get the votes of Democratic Senators and therefore without the need to incorporate immigration enforcement reforms they demanded; President Trump is asked about the provision in his tax return leak lawsuit settlement that gives him, his family and his businesses immunity from IRS audits and prosecution for any unpaid taxes; House passes a housing affordability bill that is different than the Senate-passed version; Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. attends the signing of "Iowa MAHA", the first comprehensive state law incorporating elements of the Make America Healthy Again agenda; Senate subcommittee holds a hearing on sports betting and prediction markets regulation; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is questioned at a Senate subcommittee hearing about who paid for him and his family's cross-country Great American Road Trip promotion; former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has died at age 86. He was one of the first openly gay Members of Congress and remembered for being one the authors of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defends before a Senate subcommittee the newly-created $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund designed to compensate people unfairly targeted by the federal government. Democrats on the committee call it President Donald Trump's slush fund; President Trump endorses in the Texas U.S. Senate Republican primary runoff Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn; President Trump tells reporters he was an hour away from ordering more military strikes on Iran when the request came from Mideast allies to give diplomacy another chance; President brings the media out to see the White House ballroom construction site, as Senate Democrats pledge to force Republicans to vote on whether they support a proposed $1 billion in taxpayer money for security upgrades included in a bill scheduled for floor debate this week; Centers for Disease Control & Prevention gives an update on the U.S. response to the deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa; Justice Department says Chinese executives and shipping container companies have been indicted on charges they restricted the supply of shipping containers during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise prices; Congressional Black Caucus Members celebrate that a college sports compensation bill has been pulled from the House floor schedule this week. CBC says it opposes the bill because it would "benefit major athletic institutions that continue to remain silent while Black voting rights and Black political power are being systematically dismantled across the South.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump says he’s delaying a planned strike on Iran after pressure from Middle Eastern allies to continue diplomatic talks. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans push ahead on their reconciliation bill after key provisions were blocked by the Senate Parliamentarian. Plus — the CDC confirms an American aid worker has tested positive for Ebola amid new travel restrictions tied to the outbreak in Africa, and voters prepare for primary elections in six states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump travels to China for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping as tensions over trade, Taiwan, and global security continue shaping Washington politics. Congress debates another War Powers Resolution tied to Iran…while the Senate unanimously votes to withhold lawmakers’ pay during government shutdowns. Plus — the head of the U.S. Border Patrol resigns amid the administration’s immigration crackdown…and President Trump unveils plans for a new “National Garden of American Heroes” in Washington’s West Potomac Park. We also look back at the 1972 shooting of Alabama Governor George Wallace during his presidential campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: A discussion with Bipartisan Policy Center tax policy director Andrew Lautz about President Trump's proposal to pause the federal gas tax. We'll talk about potential impacts on consumers and tax revenue. Then: We chat with former Congressman Jason Altmire- President & CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities – about the role of career education and the skilled trades in today's economy. Finally: Cato Institute's Tad DeHaven discusses the Trump administration taking equity stakes in private companies and concerns about the federal stock holdings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump tells reporters he has 'made no commitment either way' on supporting Taiwan following his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping; President Trump also spoke on the flight home from China about discussions over the Iran war and closing of the Strait of Hormuz to oil shipments, political prisoners in China, and trade deals; House soundly defeats a Republican-sponsored amendment to shift almost half a billion dollars from the Pentagon budget for NATO infrastructure to improving U.S. military bases; House passed overwhelmingly the underlying $157 billion spending bill for military construction and veterans affairs, the first of the FY2027 appropriations bills to pass the House; Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is facing two Republican opponents in Saturday election primary, one endorsed by President Trump. We will talk about this race and U.S. House redistricting in Louisiana with Kirk Bado, editor of National Journal's Hotline (20); Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) says he will not run for reelection, after his Black-majority district was redrawn by the Republican-controlled Tennessee legislature; Vice President JD Vance speaks at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Capitol Hill; U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro says she will prosecute parents of teenagers who violate curfew and engage in sometimes-violent 'teen takeovers'; Updates from the Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization on the hantavirus outbreak, and a new, deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) gives a commencement address at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Trump calls Xi a "great leader" and a "friend," says China wants to help end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz and touts that China will buy 200 Boeing jet planes. Xi calls the U.S.-China relationship the most important in the world, but warns disagreements over Taiwan could lead to conflict; CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper tells the Senate Armed Services Committee the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran achieved all objectives to "significantly degrade" Iran's military capabilities, but Iran still has some left to threaten ships; House defeats for a third time an Iran War Powers Act resolution brought by Democrats to force President Trump to end the war; U.S. Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz announces the U.S. will contribute another $1.8 billion in humanitarian aid, on top of $2 billion previously pledged; Vice President JD Vance travels to Bangor, Maine, to discuss his White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud; Senate defeats a Democratic effort to restore a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule on bank overdraft fees; House passes a Republican-sponsored bill to put restrictions on companies and non-profits that put up money for criminal defendants to post bail; ATF Director testifies before a House Subcommittee about firearms tracing, tracking the movement of guns used in or suspected of being used in crimes, and what happens to that data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate confirms Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve Chair, 54-45, mostly along party lines except Se. John Fetterman (D-PA) voted yes; House leaders react to President Donald Trump saying he does not "think about Americans' financial situation" when negotiating with Iran over a deal to end the war; Senate defeats for a seventh time an Iran War Powers Act resolution offered by Democrats to force the President to bring the war to a conclusion; President Trump lands in Beijing, China. He meets President Xi Jinping on Thursday; Vice President JD Vance announces new anti-government spending fraud initiatives, including a nationwide six-month moratorium on Medicare hospice or home health providers and warning states to actively investigate Medicaid fraud or risk losing funding; House debates whether to allow year-round sales of E15, a blend of 85% gasoline & 15% ethanol; CIA whistleblower tells the Senate Homeland Security Committee that Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases intentionally tried to cover-up the COVID-19 pandemic's origins in a Chinese lab; House marks National Police Week; Former NBA player Jason Collins, first openly gay athlete in the four major American sports, has died. He spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labor Department says inflation in April was 3.8 percent year over year, highest in three years, with the Iran war driving up energy and food prices; Senate leaders weigh in on President Trump's proposal to suspend the federal gas tax as the average for a gallon hits $4.50; Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst testifies to House & Senate Appropriations subcommittees that the war with Iran has cost so far $29 billion. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth & Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also testify about the Trump Administration's war strategy; President Trump heads to China for a visit with President Xi Jinping on the war with Iran, trade, AI and Taiwan, among other issues; $1 billion added for security upgrades to President Trump's White House ballroom reportedly gets a chilly reception from Senate Republicans; FBI Director Kash Patel is questioned at a Senate subcommittee hearing about news reports alleging a pattern of unexplained absences and excessive drinking; Criminal indictments are announced against the companies that operated the ship that crashed into and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in 2024, killing six workers; FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary says he is resigning; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) does an impersonation of the late President John F. Kennedy setting the goal of going to the moon, complete with a Boston accent, to celebrate the recent Artemis II mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump says the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is on “massive life support” after Iran’s latest counterproposal to end the war. Media reports say Tehran’s offer included demands for war reparations…control over the Strait of Hormuz…an end to U.S. sanctions…and the return of frozen assets. Iran also sought to keep nuclear talks separate from negotiations over the Strait. The president called the terms “simply unacceptable.” He spoke to reporters at the White House today — we’ll play some of what he said. Congress is back in town this week after a weeklong recess…with Republicans looking to use the reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement without Democratic support. Also on tap this week: an extension of the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers, set to expire June 15th. And the 17 Americans who were aboard a cruise ship with a hantavirus outbreak are back in the U.S. today…where they’ll be quarantined and monitored. One passenger has tested positive for the virus. Another is experiencing mild symptoms. Health officials say the risk of a large-scale hantavirus outbreak remains low. We’ll hear from them coming up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on The Weekly, tensions with Iran remain front and center — as President Donald Trump insists a ceasefire is holding, even as U.S. and Iranian forces exchange strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz and questions grow in Congress over presidential war powers. A major redistricting ruling in Virginia. The Supreme Court of Virginia strikes down a voter-approved referendum, restoring the state’s congressional map and dealing a setback to Democrats as the fight over control of the House intensifies nationwide. And — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick faces scrutiny on Capitol Hill over his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: A discussion about the Trump administration's handling of the War in Iran, with the National Security Adviser in the FIRST Trump administration - John Bolton. Then: Concord Coalition executive director and former Democratic congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux discusses the rising national debt and a new government report stating it has surpassed 100% of GDP for the first time since World War II. Finally: with May being Mental Health Awareness Month - a conversation with psychologist and former Republican Congressman Tim Murphy about where mental health policy is falling short in the U.S. But we begin with John Bolton, former Trump National Security Adviser, who discusses the War in Iran and the proposed "Memorandum of Understanding" to end the conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Supreme Court strikes down the Congressional redistricting referendum approved by Virginia voters that would have created a new map that favored Democrats, ruling the state legislature did not follow proper state Constitutional amendment procedures; U.S. military says it fired on two Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, as Secretary of Marco Rubio says the U.S. is expecting a response from Iran to the latest peace plan soon; Secretary Rubio also talks about his meeting this week with Pope Leo XIV on the Iran War and the humanitarian situation in Cuba; April jobs report comes in better than most expected. Labor Department says 115,000 jobs were created, and the unemployment rate stayed at 4.3%; President Donald Trump hosts a Mother's Day luncheon at the White House for mothers whose children were killed in military service or by illegal immigrants. President says of the latter, "they saw their precious children stolen from them by the open border policies of the radical left"; Great Britain's ruling Labour Party led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer loses big in local elections against the upstart Reform UK Party led by Nigel Farage. We talk about it with C-SPAN's Westminster Correspondent Peter Knowles (40) ; Pentagon releases a batch of declassified files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), also called UFO's. We talk about that with Associated Press White House reporter Colin Binkley. (51) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. and Gulf allies present a draft United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Iran's stopping commercial shipping, especially oil tankers, in Strait of Hormuz; Federal court of appeals is reportedly skeptical of the Pentagon's military punishment of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for his part in a video reminding servicemembers they have a duty not to follow illegal orders; World Health Organization reassures the world that the handful of hantavirus deaths on a cruise ship is not the start of a pandemic like COVID or SARS; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council issues its final report recommending changes, in many cases reductions, in how the federal government helps states respond to natural disasters. We will hear from the council co-chair and talk about it with Andrew Rumbach, Co-Lead, Climate and Communities Program with the Urban Institute (34); Republican majority in the Tennessee legislature passes and the Republican governor signs into law a new congressional district map aimed at flipping the only Democratic seat in the nine member Congressional delegation to Republican; Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) hosts a National Day of Prayer program in the Capitol Building; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy takes the first ride on the "Freedom 250" Acela train to celebrate America's 250th anniversary; National Capitol Planning Commission meets to consider President Trump's proposal to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's gray granite exterior bright white. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iran says it is looking over the latest U.S. plan to end the war, while President Donald Trump issues a new ultimatum to Iran: accept a deal to end the war or face U.S. bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”; President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay tribute to mothers of military servicemembers ahead of Mother's Day. First Lady says, "At the very heart of America’s strength lies the boundless love and quiet power of mothers"; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is interviewed in closed session by the House Oversight Committee in the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; major party candidates are set in the Ohio U.S. Senate race after Tuesday's primaries: incumbent Republican Jon Husted vs. former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown; national debt reaches 100% of GDP, highest since World War II; Border Czar Tom Homan threatens a federal immigration enforcement surge in New York if that state passes a sanctuary law; CNN founder Ted Turner has died age of 87. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump & Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both say the ceasefire in the war with Iran still holds, despite the attacks from Iran on U.S. ships and U.S. sinking Iranian small military boats; Secretary of State Marco Rubio fills in for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a White House news conference while she is on maternity leave and is asked about his meeting later this week with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican after President Trump again on Monday criticized the Pope over the Pope's criticism of the President's handling of the Iran War; Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) celebrates Cinco de Mayo; Vice President JD Vance votes in Cincinnati, Ohio on this primary day; President Trump signs a proclamation bringing back the Presidential Physical Fitness Test; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. outlines steps to reduce what he says is the overprescription of antidepressants; apparently successful petition is submitted to the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada election office to trigger an independence referendum for the province. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First day of a new strategy President Donald Trump calls Project Freedom to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and there are reports of attacks by both the U.S. and Iran; Spirit Airlines goes out of business over the weekend, blaming the rising cost of fuel from the war with Iran, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pointing to a Biden Administration decision to block a merger with JetBlue a few years ago; Supreme Court blocks a lower court ruling that had stopped access to the abortion pill mifepristone at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor; two National Guard members who saved the lives of civilians and other servicemembers during last year's targeted attack on the Guard on Washington, DC streets, receive medals at the Pentagon for their bravery; Justice Department announces the investigation of potential antitrust violations in U.S. cattle and beef meatpacking markets that have led to high beef prices; Ireland is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led effort to establish rules for the exploration and commercialization of the moon, Mars and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices