C-SPAN Radio - Washington Today

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shoots and kills a woman in a vehicle in Minneapolis during an immigration-related operation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says the agent was acting in self-defense against "an act of domestic terrorism." Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) asks protesters to "stay peaceful" and "not riot" and "We can't give them what they want." Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) says the shooting was a reckless abuse of power and ICE needs to get out of his city; U.S. House Oversight Committee holds a hearing on the allegedly widespread fraud involving publicly funded welfare programs in Minnesota; U.S. seizes two oil tankers with Venezuelan oil,  one Russian-flagged, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio & Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brief House Members and Senators on U.S. policy toward Venezuela now that President Nicolas Maduro is in a U.S. prison awaiting trial; Secretary Rubio is also asked about Greenland, after the White House said President Donald Trump is discussing options for acquiring the island territory and not ruling out potential use of military force; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. unveils new dietary guidelines encouraging Americans to eat more whole foods and protein, and fewer highly processed foods and added sugar; U.S. House advances bills to restore the expired Affordable Care Act health insurance premium enhanced subsidies and a package of remaining fiscal year 2026 spending bills to avoid another government shutdown at the end of the month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this fifth anniversary of attack on the U.S. Capitol, House Democrats reconvene the January 6 investigative committee. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) saying, "Five years ago today, a violent mob brutally attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Their mission was to overturn a free and fair election. We will never allow extremists to whitewash their treachery." President Donald Trump blames then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for, he says, declining his offer of 10,000 National Guard troops that day, and blames the media for, he says, not reporting that he told protesters to march peacefully and patriotically to the Capitol; President Trump urges Congressional Republicans to be flexible when it comes to their demands that a bill to address the rise in Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums limit coverage of abortion; United States for the first time joins Western European nations in agreeing to come to Ukraine's aid if it attacked again by Russia, the so-called security guarantees; latest on Venezuela in the aftermath of the U.S. removing President Nicolas Maduro; tributes to Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who has died at age 65. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United Nations Security Council held a meeting regarding the U.S. strikes conducted in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Ambassadors representing several Latin American nations--including Venezuela--condemned these actions, saying they violated international law and sovereignty, with some claiming civilians were killed in the operation. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Michael Waltz called the action a "law enforcement operation ... against two indicted fugitives of American justice." After their capture, President Maduro and his wife were brought to New York City, where he pleaded "not guilty" to drug trafficking charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. We'll kick off with conversations with two authors who rounded out Washington Journal's annual holiday authors week series: first up - John Jay College constitutional law professor and civil rights attorney Gloria Browne-Marshall talked about her book, "A Protest History of the United States" Then: author Sarah Kendzior joins us to talk about her book " The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir." Plus: Steve Clemons -- editor at large for the National Interest magazine – previews the foreign policy challenges facing the Trump administration in the year ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FBI says it 'thwarted a potential' New Year's Eve terror attack in North Carolina and the suspect was 'directly inspired to act by ISIS'; President Donald Trump & top officials in Iran threaten each other as deadly street protests continue in Iranian cities; As Somalia's Ambassador to the United Nations takes over the rotating UN Security Council presidency, a reporter asked him about President Trump's criticisms of Somalia-Americans linked to alleged public program fraud in Minnesota; New York City's new Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) creates an Office of Mass Engagement and is asked about Israel saying Mamdani is antisemitic for revoking his predecessors' Executive Orders that barred city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism; Head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Gene Dodaro, has retired after a long career at the agency and in government. We will talk with Government Executive reporter Sean Michael Newhouse about Dodaro's accomplishments and efforts to be bipartisan and how Congress will choose his replacement (36); Full video of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's deposition before the House Judiciary Committee was made public on New Year's Eve. We will talk with Politico reporter Hailey Fuchs about what we learn about the Donald Trump election interference and classified documents cases that were ultimately dropped. (44) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On New Year's Eve, America250 Commission Chair Rosie Rios talks about the special celebrations tonight related to the U.S.'s 250th birthday in 2026, New York City & New Orleans are among the cities increasing their New Year's Eve security and world leaders issue New Year's messages; House Republicans schedule a hearing looking at Minnesota social welfare programs fraud, inviting both Republican state lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) to testify; number of Jeffrey Epstein-related files the Justice Department is working through to release now reportedly tops 5 million; New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) names a new schools chancellor a day before he takes office; former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-CO) has died. We  hear his 2004 remarks at the dedication for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York  City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces new members of his incoming administration, including Deputy Mayor for Health & Human Services; States receive the first allotments from a $50 billion federal rural health care fund; Federal investigation into alleged multi-billion-dollar fraud of Minnesota state services expands, with some Republicans calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz to resign. We will talk about it with Axios breaking news reporter Herb Scribner (16); U.S. pledges $2 billion in for United Nations humanitarian aid, down sharply from previous years; China's Foreign Minister criticizes a record $11 billion in U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan as China conducts military drills simulating a blockade of Taiwan; more performers cancel scheduled dates at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC after President Trump's name was added to the institution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Recap of Sunday's meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky; US strikes Venezuela; China announces military drills near Taiwan.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from the Washington Journal's annual Holiday Author Series this past week. First: a conversation with journalist, documentary filmmaker, and MS Now contributor Trymaine Lee on his book "A Thousand Ways to Die: The True Cost of Violence on Black Life in America" Then: Free speech advocate Greg Lukianoff -- President & CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression -- discusses his book "The War on Words." Finally: George Washington University professor Casey Burgat joins us for a discussion about his book "We Hold These 'Truths': How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Christmas Eve, President Donald Trump & First Lady Melania Trump take children's NORAD Santa Tracker calls and speak to U.S. military servicemembers overseas; Members of Congress of both parties post their holiday greetings; Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) releases his annual Festivus Report on Government Waste. He says he has identified $1.6 trillion worth; Bipartisan group of Senators sign a letter calling for an audit of the Justice Department's slow release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, they say, in violation of the law that set a deadline of 30 days after enactment. Justice Department says it may take several more weeks to release all the files now that a million more have been identified; European leaders condemn the Trump Administration blocking of five Europeans who monitor online hate and disinformation from traveling to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calls them "leading figures of the global censorship-industrial complex"; National Guard troops to deploy to New Orleans; White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller calls for the firing of all producers on the CBS News show '60 Minutes' who protested the pulling of a report on the Trump Administration's deportation of Venezuelan men to a prison in El Salvador. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting on U.S. military actions against Venezuela; European leaders stand with Greenland in response to President Donald Trump latest moves toward his stated goal of having the U.S. own the island; Supreme Court turns down President Trump plan to plan to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) joins faith leaders to condemn what they call 'chaos' that federal immigration agents were sowing with their operations in Minneapolis; Commerce Department says U.S. economy grew at a very strong 4.3 percent annual rate in the third quarter of the year; more than 20 Democratic State Attorneys General sue the Trump Administration over its plan to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump announced a new fleet of ships Monday, known as the "Golden Fleet," as he revealed he approved plans for two new "very large battleships." Trump said the new ships would be "100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built," in an address from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. 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 Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York on his confrontation with Republican leadership for not acting on expiring ACA subsidies. Then: a conversation with John Della Volpe – polling director at the Harvard Institute of Politics. We'll talk about the Institute's latest youth poll – showing growing pessimism among young Americans about the direction of the country. Finally: we'll talk about President Trump's executive order blocking artificial intelligence regulations at the state level with Neil Chilson – former Chief technologist for the FTC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justice Department released the first batch of files on the late sex offender and accused trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, but Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche say not all of the files will be released by today's deadline as required under law; President Donald Trump announces deals with nine pharmaceutical company to lower drug prices; President travels to North Carolina for a speech on affordability and to support Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley; Federal court hearing in the last surviving case against President Trump over his alleged role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol; Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds an end-of-the-year news conference, getting questions on the U.S. policy towards Venezuela, moving to Phase 2 of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House and Democratic lawmakers weigh in on President Donald Trump's Wednesday night primetime TV year-end address, during which the president highlighted what he sees as his achievements after almost a year in office; Democrats make a last-ditch effort to get a vote to extend expiring Affordable Care Act health insurance premium subsidies; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announces new rules that aim to prohibit gender-affirming care for transgender youth; President Trump signs an Executive Order to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, to ease restrictions and allow for more research. We will talk about it with Axios reporter Herb Scribner (30); White House says the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has been renamed by the board of trustees the Trump-Kennedy Center, but there are questions about whether it would take an act of Congress; House votes to require the gray wolf be removed from the Endangered Species Act list; Pope Leo XIV names a new Catholic Archbishop of New York, who is from Chicago, like the pope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four House Republicans sign a discharge petition introduced by Democrats to force a vote an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits in defiance of the wishes of Republican Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); House votes on a bill to criminalize providing gender-affirming care to minors; House votes on bill to prohibit the President Donald Trump from striking alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific and carrying out military strikes against Venezuela without Congressional authorization under the War Powers Act; Senate passes the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act, sending to the president to be signed into law; Senate also passes a bill to provision to reverse a provision in the NDAA concerning safe operation of military helicopters around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation tonight from the White House; former special counsel Jack Smith testifies in closed session before the House Judiciary Committee, which is investigating his investigations of alleged criminal conduct of Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says there will not be a vote on an amendment to extend expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced premium subsidies as part of a House Republican health care bill this week, and some moderate Republicans are not happy about it; Labor Department releases a jobs report that was delayed due to the federal government shutdown that shows 105,000 jobs lost in October, then in November, 64,000 jobs gained and the unemployment rate rising to 4.6 percent; Vice President JD Vance talks about the economy at a factory near Allentown, Pennsylvania; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tells Senators & House Members in closed briefings the Pentagon will not release the full video of the second strike against an alleged illegal drug carrying boat in the Caribbean in September that reportedly killed survivors of the first strike, due to its classified and top-secret nature. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also took part in the briefing; FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford says to the House Aviation Subcommittee the FAA was not consulted before a provision was included in the House-passed defense authorization bill about military helicopter flights near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that some Members and the NTSB Chair say will decrease safety; White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in an interview with Vanity Fair, says President Trump has “an alcoholic's personality" and Vice President JD Vance is a “conspiracy theorist"; a statue of a civil rights leader Barbara Rose Johns replaces a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in representing Virginia in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall collection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is back to work today, and health care remains the top issue. The House is expected to vote this week on an extension of the expiring health care tax credits along with Republicans' alternative proposal… Over in the Senate, debate continues on the annual Defense policy bill… And reaction continues to the two mass shootings that happened over the weekend on opposite sides of the world….Authorities continue to work to find the suspect who opened fire at Brown University…killing at least two students and injuring nine others… Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened his government to come up with ways to tighten gun ownership rules…following an attack in Sydney's Bond-eye Beach that killed at least 15 people and injured at least 40 others at a Hanukkah celebration…Prime Minister Albanese called the attack an act of antisemitic terrorism…. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First: A conversation with National Farmers Union's Mike Stranz – about the state of the U.S. agriculture industry, including the impact of the Trump tariffs and the recently announced aid package to farmers. Then: Career Education Colleges and Universities President & CEO Jason Altmire discusses a new poll that examines Americans' declining attitudes on the value of a four-year college degree, and educational alternatives to it. And finally: Author, law professor, and ABC News legal contributor Kim Wehle discusses the use of executive power by the Trump Administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kilmar Abrego Garcia checks in at an Immigration & Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, under protection from a judge's order not to be rearrested. He says he believes the injustice done to him by the Trump Administration will come to an end; House Republican leadership says a vote to extend Affordable Care Act enhanced premium subsidies may happen next week. The tax credits are set to expire at the end of the month, raising costs for 20 million Americans; State legislators are pushing back against President Donald Trump's Executive Order limiting state regulation of artificial intelligence; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth travels to Huntsville, Alabama, known as Rocket City, to visit defense contractors & U.S. Space Command; Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism are handed out at the National Press Club in Washington. We will hear two winners, CBS 60 Minutes' Correspondent Scott Pelley and Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, which won in a new 'comedic commentary' category; Today is the 25th Anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore to prevent a new presidential election vote recount in Florida, giving Republican George W. Bush the victory over Democrat Al Gore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate fails to advance both Democratic and Republican health care bills the sponsors say would address expected increase in costs for millions of Americans Affordable Care Act insurance at the end of the month when enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire; House passes a bill to reverse President Donald Trump's Executive Order limiting the collective bargaining rights of around one million federal workers in national security departments & agencies; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cancels a meeting to unveil major changes to how the agency responds to natural disasters. We will talk about it with The Hill's Energy and Environment Reporter Frazin (19); Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee and most of the questions from Members are on the Trump Administration immigration enforcement campaign; Indiana Senate, controlled by Republicans, votes down a Congressional redistricting map drawn by Republicans to get two more U.S. House seats for their party, despite Pres. Trump demands that it pass; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is asked about the Venezuelan oil tanker seized by the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal Reserve cuts interest rates a quarter of a percentage point. We will hear from the Chair and President Donald Trump and speak with The Hill's Business Editor Sylvan Lane (4); Speaker Mike Johnson presents a range of health care reform bills to House Republicans that could be voted on soon, but not among them is the Democrat's priority of extending expiring Affordable Care Act insurance premium enhanced subsidies; House passes the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA); Supreme Court hears arguments about how states should determine what makes a criminal defendant intellectually disabled and ineligible for the death penalty. We will talk about it with Ian Millhiser, Vox Media Supreme Court reporter (30); Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at a Congressional Hanukah Menorah lighting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump travels to Pennsylvania for a rally to talk about rising costs and his economic agenda; Senate Republicans say they will offer an alternative health care plan involving personal Health Savings Accounts when the Senate Democratic bill to extend expiring Obamacare health insurance enhanced premium supports comes up for a vote on Thursday; Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) signs a bill to provide greater legal protections to immigrants, as the federal immigration officials double down on enforcement operations in the city; Supreme Court hears a case challenging a rule that prevents wealthy donors from going around campaign contribution limits by funneling money through political parties; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff & Secretary of State Marco Rubio brief senior Senators on the deadly strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean; musician Gene Simmons from the rock band KISS testifies before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee about a bill to require radio station owners pay performers to play their songs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress is back to work this week…And on the Senate's agenda—a vote on extending health care tax credits past the end of the month…Democrats want a simple three-year extension of the tax credits…Republicans oppose that but have yet to put out a plan of their own… The tax credits help millions of Americans pay for insurance on state-run exchanges…We'll hear what Sens. Thune and Schumer had to say about it on the floor earlier this afternoon… Also today, the White House announced a 12 billion dollars aid package to American farmers...who have been hurt by the US-China trade war…It includes 11 billion dollars in one-time payments to farmers who grow corn, cotton, soybeans and other crops…The President talked about it at a roundtable event…We'll hear from him coming up… And at the Supreme Court—oral arguments in the case of Trump v Slaughter…a case that centers on whether presidents can fire officials of independent agencies without cause…It all started back in March when President Trump fired Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter…Saying that her service was “inconsistent” with his goals…. Rebecca Slaughter then sued, arguing that she can be removed only for specific reasons…Today the court heard this case…We'll play you part of what happened inside the court room… 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: President Trump stuns House Republicans with a surprise pardon this week for Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar – whose Laredo seat Republicans were hoping to pick up in the midterms. We'll get the scoop from Gabby Birenbaum Washington Correspondent for the Texas Tribune. Then: A conversation with Shawn VanDiver -- founder and president of #AfghanEvac --a nonprofit run by American veterans helping to resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war. Plus: Electricity and utility prices are rising across the country as winter weather starts to kick in. We speak with Robinson Meyer – Founder of the website Heatmap News – about what's driving the increases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump attends the 2026 World Cup Draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC with the leaders of co-hosts Mexico & Canada. The three talking about what it means to co-host the world's largest sports tournament; President Trump receives the inaugural peace prize from world soccer's governing body, FIFA; Trump Administration releases a National Security Strategy that calls for a  “readjustment” of the US military presence in the Western Hemisphere to fight migration, drug trafficking and foreign power influence in the region. We will talk about it with Breaking Defense senior reporter Ashley Roque (13); former President Joe Biden receives an award from a prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy group; Centers for Disease Control vaccine advisory committee recommends eliminating the recommendation that all newborns receive the Hepatitis B vaccine; Indiana's House of Representatives passes a new Congressional district map designed to gain Republicans two more U.S. House seats, part of nationwide gerrymandering push now by both parties. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) says she was pepper sprayed when she sought more information at ICE raid in Tucson; First Lady Melania Trump reads a Christmas book to patients at National Children's hospital in Washington, carrying on a long-standing First Ladies holiday tradition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 30 year-old man from Woodbridge, Virginia is arrested and charged in the FBI's investigation of pipe bombs placed outside the Republican and Democratic party headquarters on the eve of the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol; A Navy admiral tells lawmakers Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not issue a "kill them all" order against a suspected drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela in September, but Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), Intelligence Committee ranking member, says the video he saw of a second strike against survivors is "deeply, deeply troubling"; President Donald Trump hosts a peace signing ceremony in Washington with the presidents of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he also promotes mineral exploration in those countries; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) says Democrats will put up for a vote next week a clean 3 year extension of expiring Obamacare health insurance enhanced premium subsidies; bipartisan group of House Members release their own health care reform plan; Senate votes to overturn the Biden Administration's limits on oil & gas drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; Muhammad Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, testifies at a Congressional hearing on reforming the sport of boxing; President Trump & First Lady Melania Trump attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican candidate wins the Tennessee 7th Congressional District special election by a comfortable margin, but not as big as President Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election. We get reaction from party leaders in Congress about what this may mean for the 2026 midterm elections; President Trump grants a full pardon to Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and his wife Imelda, who were facing bribery charges; President Trump announces of a roll back of Biden-era vehicle fuel economy standards, arguing it will lower car prices; Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) introduces a bill to cut down on ICE automatic detention of certain groups of immigrants and end for-profit, private immigrant detention centers; NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman gets a second Senate confirmation hearing. He was nominated earlier this year, then the president withdrew the nomination, and then renominated him; NATO Secretary General & British Prime Minister talk about Russian President Vladimir Putin saying Russia is ready to go to war with NATO, comments made while talks were ongoing trying to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting at the White House, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he did not see any survivors in the water when a second strike was ordered and launched on a boat alleging carrying illegal drugs in the Caribbean Sea in September, and President Trump says he does not want Somali immigrants in the United States because they add little to the country, rely on government safety net benefits and complain too much. He calls Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) 'garbage'. Supreme Court hears a case contending faith-based antiabortion pregnancy centers in New Jersey deceived clients and donors by suggesting they offered abortion referrals; Senate leaders discuss plans to vote before Affordable Care Act health insurance enhanced premium tax credits expire; Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell donate over $6-and-a-quarter billion to put $250 in the individual investment accounts for 25 million children, an extension of the Trump Accounts created under the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law earlier this year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House confirmed President Trump will meet today with his national security team to discuss Venezuela as his administration intensifies its pressure campaign on the country…The meeting comes as lawmakers from both parties voice concerns over reports of a possibly unlawful follow-up strike on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean that killed two survivors…We'll hear from the president, Senate leaders Thune and Schumer on this topic coming up… Congress returned today from the Thanksgiving holiday recess….The House is considering legislation banning those who were involved in the October 7th terror attack on Israel from entering the U.S…The Senate is working on judicial nominations…Off the floor, talks continue on proposals to extend health care tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. … Majority Leader Thune has promised to hold a floor vote on health care legislation by mid-December as part of the deal to end the government shutdown. 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 the holiday shopping season kicks off – a discussion about the U-S economy and the "affordability" crisis with Heather Long - columnist and Chief Economist for Navy Federal Credit Union. Then: Pollster and strategist Frank Luntz discusses what his focus groups are telling him about the mood of the nation this Thanksgiving. Plus: From threatening broadcasters to reviewing multi-billion-dollar media mergers - the F-C-C in the Trump administration is flexing its regulatory muscle. We'll take a closer look at the agency's actions so far with TED JOHNSON - political editor for "Deadline." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two National Guard troops patrolling Washington, DC not far from the White House are shot. A suspect, also shot is in custody; Judge in Georgia dismisses the election interference criminal case against President Donald Trump and co-defendants at the request of the prosecutor. We will talk with USA Today Justice Department reporter Aysha Bagchi (11); Vice President JD Vance and his family serve an early Thanksgiving meal to U.S. troops at Ft. Campbell on the Kentucky/Tennessee border; almost two dozen states led by Democratic Attorneys General sue the federal government over SNAP food aid program restrictions for certain immigrants; latest on the U.S.-led peace plan talks to end the war between Ukraine & Russia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two days before Thanksgiving, President Donald Trump pardons two turkeys, named Gobble & Waddle, jokes that former President Joe Biden's turkey pardons are invalid due to his use of an autopen, and says food prices are coming down; Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announces she will not run for a fourth term in 2026; Attorney General Pam Bondi says the federal law enforcement surge in Memphis, Tennessee has been a success in drastically reducing crime;   Ukrainian President Zelensky says Ukraine has accepted the 'essence' of a U.S. plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, while President Trump says "I think we're getting very close to a deal" and that he will be sending special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Putin in Moscow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pentagon announced today it is investigating Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over possible breaches of military law…It comes after the former Navy pilot along with a five other Democratic lawmakers called for troops to disobey illegal orders in a social media post last week… AND after President Trump ramped up the rhetoric by accusing the lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH….”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt talked about it late this afternoon…We'll hear what she and Sen. Kelly are saying coming up… The UN Security Council met today amid escalating tensions in Gaza …The meeting follows last week's approval of President Trump's peace plan there…We'll hear part of what the Palestinian ambassador, Israeli ambassador and the US delegation said about the situation there in a few minutes… 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 Investigative journalist Dave Levinthal about a new push to ban individual stock trading by Members of Congress – and whether HE thinks it'll finally pass. Then: Brad Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies takes a closer look at the Trump administration's promised sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia – and how it COULD impact the balance of power in the Mideast. Finally: It's been over 50 years since the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, but political commentator and author Chris Matthews says RFK's political influence can still be felt today. He joins us to talk about his new book "Lessons from Bobby." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump and incoming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met at the White House today…It's their first meeting since the New York city election earlier this month…And it comes after months of public hostility between the two…with the president calling the mayor-elect a communist and even threatening to arrest and deport him…While the mayor-elect himself has accused the president of acting like an authoritarian…We'll hear part of what they said to reporters coming up… Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's alliance with the US could be at a breaking point…His comments come as the White House pressed President Zelensky to respond by Thanksgiving to its plan to end the war with Russia….Several media reports say the plan includes several items favorable to Russia….President Zelensky put out a video statement about it today…We'll hear part of it coming up… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former President George W. Bush says at the funeral service for his Vice President Dick Cheney that Cheney was "totally devoted to protecting the United States and its interests", while daughter Liz Cheney says her father knew "that bonds of party must always yield to the single bond we share as Americans"; President Donald Trump in online posts calls for six House & Senate Democrats to be arrested, tried and hanged for "seditious behavior at the highest level" after they urged U.S. military and intelligence community members not follow unlawful orders; Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the September jobs report six weeks late due to the federal government shutdown. It shows 119,000 jobs created and the unemployment rate rising to 4.4%. Vice President JD Vance says that shows “Trump economic policies are actually working”; Rep. Sheila Cherfilus McCormick (D-FL) says the federal charges she is facing for allegedly stealing $5 million in federal disaster aid are unjust, and she looks forward to her day in court. Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) is calling for her to be expelled from the U.S. House; President Donald Trump meets at the White House with former hostages held by Hamas; an update from the White House on a new U.S. peace plan presented to Ukraine to end that country's war with Russia; House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a hearing on religious violence in Nigeria. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump at a U.S.-Saudi Arabia investment summit announces Saudi Arabia has been named a major non-NATO ally of the United States and visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has encouraged him to help stop the civil war in Sudan; Bill to require the Justice Department to release all documents in the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has officially passed the Senate and is going to President Trump's desk to be signed. Attorney General Pam Bondi says, "We will continue to follow the law and to have maximum transparency"; House tonight expected to pass bills to repeal a law allowing Senators to sue the Justice Department for $500,000 if their phones were searched as part of an investigation, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol January 6, 2021, and to reinstate cash bail for criminal defendants in the District of Columbia; House committee holds a hearing on a bill to ban Member of Congress stock trades; Congress examines the government shutdown & air travel; First Lady Melania Trump & Second Lady Usha Vance visit military families at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina ahead the holidays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House passes a bill almost unanimously to release all of the files in the federal investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, where the prince pledges to invest $1 trillion in the U.S and the president dismisses a question about the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence pinned on Saudi Arabia, saying the prince was not involved, Khashoggi was "extremely controversial", and "Whether you liked him or didn't like him, things happen”; House passes a resolution criticizing Congressman Chuy Garcia (D-IL) for deciding not to seek reelection only after only one other Democrat had qualified for the primary – his chief of staff; Federal Reserve board member Michael Barr warns there is 'real danger' to weakening the Fed's oversight of bank operations; National Transportation Safety Board points to a loose wire and faulty fuel pump as the causes of the blackouts on the cargo ship Dali that led to the collision with, and collapse of, the Key Bridge in Baltimore in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says he will sign a bill into law to release all the files from the federal investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein if it passes Congress, a reversal from his position a few days ago. He says he does not want the Epstein issue to be a distraction from all the legislative accomplishments of the Republican party. House Rules Committee takes up the Epstein files release bill today, ahead of expected House floor debate and a vote Tuesday. Federal immigration agents descend on Charlotte, North Carolina to make arrests. Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) says, "it's not making us safer, it's stoking fear and dividing our community." President Trump talks about immigration when asked about his comment that he would meet with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as the U.S. continues to use military strikes against suspected drug carrying boats and to deploy military assets to the Caribbean. President Trump threatens to endorse primary opponents of Republican Indiana state lawmakers, after they hold up a Congressional redistricting effort designed to win additional Republican U.S. House seats.  Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks at a food allergy forum about new research to find the causes.  United Nations Security Council passes a resolution on President Trump's Gaza peace plan. 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 Congress ends the longest government shutdown in history – a conversation with Real Clear Politics President Tom Bevan on the winners and losers – if it'll matter in the midterm elections. Then – the other big political story this week on Capitol Hill: renewed efforts to release the Epstein files -- with a vote scheduled next week. That conversation with former federal prosecutor and Politico Magazine writer Ankush Khardori. Finally – as America celebrated our veterans earlier this week – we chat with Paul Rieckhoff – founder and CEO of the group Independent Veterans of America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New survey of Americans finds seven in 10 say raising children is now unaffordable; Trump Administration prepares to lower tariffs on some food items such as coffee & fruit, and announces a new trade deal with Switzerland; Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) visits a food bank in Chicago as federal food aid money through the SNAP program is now restarted with the federal government reopened; We will also hear from Sen. Durbin and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) on FY26 funding & health care debates and votes to be completed in the next few months; President Donald Trump calls for the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's involvement with former President Bill Clinton, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Democratic mega-donor Reid Hoffman, wall street firm JP Morgan Chase and others, as Epstein emails mentioning Donald Trump are released this week and the House will vote next week on whether to release all the Epstein files; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MN) talks about what Democrats can learn from President Trump's campaigning and governing style; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally hangs a new plaque at a Pentagon entrance that reads "Department of War". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices