Washington Today

The war with Iran intensifies as U.S. operations continue and tensions rise in the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of broader escalation. At the same time, a rare and escalating clash unfolds between Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV over the conflict, highlighting a deep divide between Washington and the Vatican. Back on Capitol Hill, lawmakers move to extend key surveillance authorities under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, reigniting debate over national security and Americans’ privacy. 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: As millions of Americans filed their 2025 taxes this past week - a discussion with Wall Street Journal reporter Richard Rubin about how the Trump administration is actually scaling back tax enforcement. Then: Congressional hearings began this week on the President's 2027 budget request – including $1.5 Trillion dollars for defense spending. We'll dig into the numbers with Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress and Veronique de Rugy from the Mercatus Center. Finally: we end with a conversation with writer and truck driver - Gord Magill on his new book "End of the Road: Inside the War on Truckers." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister say the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels, but President Trump says the U.S. naval blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports continues; France and Britain say they will lead a multinational defensive mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz that will be deployed only after a lasting peace is agreed to; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is questioned at a House hearing about vaccine policy, dietary guidelines and President Trump's mental fitness; A 10-day extension of FISA Section 702 warrantless wiretap authority is approved by the House & Senate, after an overnight House session where proposals to try to satisfy Republicans seeking greater protections against surveillance of Americans fail to pass. We will talk about it with The Hill's National Security Reporter Rebecca Beitsch (40); Democrat Analilia Meija beats Republican Joe Hathaway in a New Jersey 11th Congressional District special election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Israel & Lebanon, to pause the war between Israel & Hezbollah in Lebanon. President Trump says the next round of negotiations in the war between the U.S. & Iran could happen this weekend; House votes down by just a few votes an Iran War Powers resolution to limit the president's authority to wage war on Iran without Congressional approval; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compares news media criticizing the U.S. war with Iran to the Pharisees, the biblical Jewish group who criticized Jesus; House passes a bill to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian immigrants living in the U.S., as the Trump Administration is looking to revoke that protection; Senate joins the House overturning a Joe Biden-era environmental regulation banning mining operations on federal land in Minnesota's Superior National Forest; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. testifies before the House Ways & Means Committee on rooting out health care spending fraud; astronauts from the Artemis II moon mission hold their first news conference since returning to Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is Tax Day, the deadline to file federal and most state tax returns. IRS CEO and Members of Congress are talking about the changes to your tax bill from last year's tax cut legislation known by supporters as the One Big Beautiful Bill; Senate votes down for a fourth time an Iran War Powers Act Resolution that would require President Donald Trump to end military action against Iran without Congressional authorization; President Trump continues his posts attacking Pope Leo XIV over the Pope's criticism of the war with Iran; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicts the prices of gasoline, now averaging about $4 a gallon, will drop to $3 by summer; House Republican majority postpones a procedural vote on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), warrantless surveillance authority, which expires Monday, after a group of conservative Republicans demanded more protections against the incidental collection of Americans' communications; First Lady Melania Trump goes to Capitol Hill for a roundtable discussion with Members of Congress on foster care reform; Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gives a speech at the University of Texas at Austin on America's 250th Anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) resign amid accusations of sexual misconduct, and another woman comes forward saying Swalwell drugged, raped and choked her; Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosts talks in Washington with the Ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon on reaching a settlement to end with the war between Israel and Hezbollah; President Donald Trump says the U.S.-Iran negotiations to end the war could resume soon; Republicans in Congress are moving ahead with plans to fund immigration enforcement with only Republican votes, and without the reforms Democrats have demanded to end the Homeland Security Department shutdown; solemn Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony is held at the U.S. Capitol; Vice President JD Vance talks about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban losing reelection; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) announces the location of the first of his promised city-run grocery stores with lower food prices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A U.S. military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is now underway after peace talks with Iran collapsed over the weekend in Islamabad, raising tensions in an already volatile region. President Trump is warning Iranian vessels to stay clear, even as he insists diplomatic talks are still ongoing. At the same time, the President is escalating his criticism of Pope Leo following the pontiff’s condemnation of the war—controversy that comes after the White House quietly deleted a social media post depicting Trump as Jesus. Back in Washington, lawmakers return from a two-week recess facing key votes in both chambers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The war involving Iran dominates the week, as tensions rise and a fragile ceasefire is tested. Melania Trump delivers rare public remarks drawing attention in Washington, while oil prices climb near $100 a barrel amid growing global uncertainty. 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 latest in Iran including the two-week ceasefire and efforts to negotiate a peace deal, with Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Then: Sophia Besch of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discusses NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's visit to Washington and President Trump's threats to leave NATO. And finally: Breaking Defense's Ashley Roque discusses the cost of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and the Pentagon's $200B funding request. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President JD Vance warns Iran not to 'play' the U.S. ahead of talks in Pakistan to end the war. He says, 'If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand'; Iran's Parliament Speaker says Israel must stop bombing Lebanon before negotiations begin; former Vice President Kamala Harris says what she calls President Trump's 'war of choice' with Iran will cause long-term damage to the U.S. She also says she is considering running for president again in 2028; President Donald Trump's latest 10% global tariffs are challenged before the U.S. Court of International Trade. We will talk about it with Reuters reporter Dietrich Knauth (25); Top Senate Republicans meet with President Trump on a plan to fund immigration enforcement within the still-closed Department of Homeland Security with only Republican votes; California's Attorney General Rob Bonta announces a major operation to prosecute health care fraud; Artemis II moon mission crew returns to Earth tonight; former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) has died. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says he sensed President Donald Trump's disappointment with European allies who were not helping at the start of the war with Iran, but he insists they are stepping up now, especially to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz, which is still effectively closed by Iran as they claim Israeli violations of the current ceasefire. General Rutte also says, 'Let me be clear: This alliance is not whistling past the graveyard as you would say in the United States'; U.S. House Democrats try to pass a War Powers Resolution to stop President Trump from waging war on Iran with Congressional authorization, but a Republican presiding over the brief House session does not recognize them to make the motion; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva says the Iran war will mean the IMF will downgrade its forecast for the world economy; First Lady Melania Trump criticizes what she calls “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein”, the late convicted sex offender; Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is asked by a University of Alabama Law School student about bridging political divides with other justices; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) takes part in Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network conference in New York City; NASA expresses confidence in the Artemis II moon mission capsule heat shield that will allow the crew of four to land back safely on Earth Friday night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Challenges on the first full day of the Iran War two week ceasefire with the White House & Iran disagreeing over whether Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon is covered, and if in fact, as Iranian state media claims, Iran has closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz to commercial ships because Israel is still fighting in Lebanon; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. has secured an 'historic and overwhelming victory' over Iran, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calls President Donald Trump a 'military moron' and says Democrats will force a vote on a War Powers Resolution next week 'to end this war for good'; Republican Clay Fuller wins easily in the Georgia 14th Congressional District special election runoff and thanks President Trump for the victory; Political activist Ralph Nader helps organize a symposium on impeaching President Trump; Artemis II moon mission astronauts are two days away from Earth splashdown; National Capital Planning Commission hears a proposal to spruce up Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump posts ahead of his threatened deadline to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on electrical infrastructure and bridges, 'a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will'; China & Russia veto a United Nations Security Council resolution on the Strait of Hormuz, sponsored by Bahrain and supported by the U.S., because, China & Russia say, it blames Iran for closing the strait to commercial shipping but not the U.S. & Israel for starting the war; Artemis II astronauts speak to NASA scientists on their way back to Earth about what they saw when they flew around the moon; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin visits western North Carolina to discuss FEMA's work to help the area recover from recent hurricanes; Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says at his first news conference since replacing Pam Bondi that accusations the Trump administration is weaponizing the Justice Department are 'completely false'; Vice President JD Vance campaigns in Budapest for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's reelection, and President Trump calls into the rally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump shares details of servicemember's rescue and threatens Iran's infrastructure. Artemis II astronauts break the record for farthest human travel away from Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, we're featuring three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: We hear from Global Affairs Journalist Elise Labott on President Trump's address to the nation Thursday night on Iran – and what she's watching in the days ahead as the conflict continues. Then: we look to the skies with Space journalist Kristin Fisher on the future of space exploration with this week's launch of the Artemis II manned rocket. Finally, it's been a year since President Trump announced his "Liberation Day" tariffs. We take a closer look at the impact of the President's tariffs agenda on the economy with Jeff Ferry of the Coalition for a Prosperous America and Michael Negron of the Center for American Progress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An American fighter jet shot down over Iran, two crewmembers ejecting, one safely rescued by U.S. forces, and the search continues for the other; President Donald Trump proposed a federal budget for next year that include a 42% increase in defense spending, to $1.5 trillion; Labor Department says the U.S. created 178,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate ticked lower to 4.3%. but are their warning signs due to the war with Iran? We will talk with MarketWatch Economics Editor Greg Robb (10); NASA gives a status report on the Artemis II mission to the moon; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche talks about taking over as acting Attorney General when Pam Bondi leaves; debate for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court; America250 Chair Rosie Rios on latest events to celebrate the nation's semiquincentennial; On this Good Friday before Easter Sunday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks about the importance of her faith, and that of others work in the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says Attorney General Pam Bondi will be leaving the Justice Department to take a position in the private sector, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche; A day after President Trump's primetime speech on the war with Iran, during which he said the U.S. & Israel will "hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks….We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutteres warns the world is “on the edge of a wider war.” We will talk about where the war with Iran stands with Elise Labott, founder of 'Cosmopolitics' Substack Founder (16); Senate passes an agreement to end the Homeland Security Department shutdown, but the House does not, so the partial government shutdown will extend into next week; National Capital Planning Commission gives final approval to his plans to build a 1,000 seat White House ballroom where the East Wing used to be; Labor Department publishes a rule to implement the President's proposal to allow 401(k) retirement plans to contain alternative assets, like cryptocurrency and private equity. We will talk with Brett Samuels, Bloomberg Law retirement benefits reporter (44); Health & Human Services Department puts microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the draft list of drinking water contaminants kept by the Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court hears a challenge to President Donald Trump's Executive Order ending birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and President Trump attends, a first for a sitting president. We will hear some of the oral argument and talk about the case with USA Today White House Correspondent Bart Jansen (9); President Trump is giving a primetime address tonight on the war with Iran after telling reporters he expects the war to end in two to three weeks; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is asked about President Trump saying he is considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO after European allies have not shown an eagerness to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to allow oil tankers to pass; Vice President JD Vance, chair of the new anti-fraud task force swears-in Colin McDonald, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the new fraud enforcement division at the Justice Department; NASA gets ready to launch the Artemis II mission sending four astronauts around the moon, the first time humans have gotten that close to the moon in 50 years; Passover holiday message from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court strikes down a Colorado law that banned 'conversation therapy' for LGBTQ+ children. We will talk about the decision with The Hill's Supreme Court reporter Zach Schonfeld (1); Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the role of the U.S. military in Iran is to 'negotiate with bombs' and 'ensure that we compel' the current regime to realize it is 'in a better place if they make that deal" to end the war; President Donald Trump posts that countries not able to get oil due to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz should buy it from the U.S. or "build up some delayed courage" and fight for it; United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting after three UN peacekeepers are killed in southern Lebanon, amid the military conflict between Israel & Hezbollah; Federal judge rules President Trump's White House ballroom construction must stop without Congressional approval; U.S. Homeland Security Department is still shutdown, now at a record 46 days; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convenes the Endangered Species Committee for the first time in 30 years to approve a national security exemption to the Endangered Species Act for oil & gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico; one day until NASA launches the Artemis II moon mission; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is honored by her original home state of Maryland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The situation in the Middle East has ramped up over the past few days as reports emerged that the U.S. may escalate the conflict in Iran with ground troops…. Meanwhile, over the weekend President Trump said there has been progress in talks with Iran…but that he wanted to QUOTE take the oil there if those talks don't pan out… Oil prices rose today to as much as $116 a barrel after that comment…. The average US gas price according to AAA—3 dollars and 99 cents a gallon… That’s the highest since 2022…. Americans are finding some relief at the airport…As security wait times have begun to ease as TSA employees are now receiving paychecks… But, with Congress on its two week Easter/Passover break, there is still no long term funding deal in sight for the Homeland Security Department… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices