C-SPAN Radio - Washington Today

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

First day of the federal government reopening following a record-long shutdown, and now the work begins to send the government employees who were furloughed back pay, get SNAP food aid benefits that were held up to beneficiaries' accounts and get air travel back to normal; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announces $10,000 bonuses for TSA officers who came to work without being paid during the shutdown; more reflections on the deal in the U.S. Senate at the start of the week with eight Democrats that reopened the government without getting the health care demands that the other Senate Democrats wanted. We will hear from a Democratic & Republican Senator; President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order on First Lady Melania Trump's "Fostering the Future" initiative to help children in, and those transitioning out of foster care. The First Lady urges Americans to “Rise above the ease of inaction"; group of House Democrats blame Republicans in part for not being able to attend the COP30 global climate talks in Brazil; three fired immigration judges talk about the Trump Administration asylum & deportation policies at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history is about to end with the House Republicans expected to join the Senate in passing a bill to fund most of the government through January and part of the government for the full fiscal year, through September 2026. House Democrats are speaking out against the bill because it does not have an extension of Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies they have been demanding. A provision the Senate added to the bill to allow Senators to sue for half a million dollars if their phone data was collected in a federal investigation is coming under House scrutiny. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says the House will vote next week to repeal it. Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) summit in DC. House Oversight Committee Democrats release emails in which the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein suggested President Donald Trump knew more about Epstein's alleged sex trafficking that he has admitted. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) is sworn in, weeks after she won a special election. President Trump threat to sue the BBC for $1 billion over its edits of a speech he gave prior to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol comes up during Prime Minister's Question Time. Leonardo DiCaprio, actor & environmentalist, gives a eulogy to the late conservationist Jane Goodall at her funeral at Washington National Cathedral. U.S. Mint says it has stopped producing pennies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Veterans Day holiday, President Donald Trump travels to Arlington National Cemetery to honor those who have served in the U.S. military and to highlight his administration's efforts to provide veterans with benefits they have earned. He also says, "we're not going to be politically correct anymore. From now on when we fight a war, we only fight for one reason: to win"; Federal government shutdown, now on Day 42, could end Wednesday, when the House plans to vote on the bill the Senate passed Monday night to reopen the government. But in the meantime, the shutdown fallout continues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy discusses cancellations and delays at the airports; The two Republican Senators from Kentucky vote on opposite sides on whether to allow sales of hemp-derived THC 'intoxicating' products; National Civics Bee crowns a 14-year-old winner from Ohio; United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on the deteriorating situation in South Sudan. Trump Administration blames the transitional government's mismanagement of international aid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate is expected to vote to fund the government and end the shutdown this evening. On Sunday, lawmakers reached a deal and advanced the measure in a 60-40 vote, setting up this evening's final action. The agreement---for now---includes funding to reopen the government until January and a vote on the expiring health care tax credits next month… Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson has instructed House lawmakers to make their way back to Washington for possible votes this week…. We'll hear from him, both Senate leaders…and the Senate Democrats who broke from their party coming up…… There is one thing complicating members' return---the ongoing flight cancellations because of the shutdown…The latest reports show more than 5,800 flights had been delayed and nearly 2,000 canceled….That's because of air traffic controller shortages as a result of the shutdown…Their union president talked about how his members are dealing with the 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: Kirk Bado -- editor of National Journal's "Hotline" -- discusses Tuesday night's off-year election results and what it means for the upcoming midterm elections. Then: a conversation with Democratic Representative-Elect Adelita Grijalva of Arizona about her delayed swearing-in to Congress – and how it's impacting her constituents in her Tucson district. Plus: we speak with former Trump CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield about his new book – and his reflections of how the first Trump administration handled the covid pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) makes a new offer to Republicans to end the federal government shutdown, now at Day 38, that includes a one-year extension of expiring Affordable Care Act health insurance premium tax credits; U.S. Agriculture Department says it is working to comply with a federal judge's order to fully fund SNAP food aid benefits for November, even as the Administration is appealing the ruling; More than 1,000 flights across the country have been canceled as the Federal Aviation Administration begins to cut 4 percent of flights, scheduled to ramp up to 10 percent in the coming days, due to air traffic controller staffing shortages during the government shutdown; Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), staunch ally of President Donald Trump, announces she is running for New York governor. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) is seeking reelection; Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban visits the White House and asks President Trump for an exemption to sanctions for Russian oil imports; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces changes to how the Pentagon buys weapons, saying the goal  is to operate on “wartime footing,” rapidly accelerate capabilities, focus on results, and build an “arsenal of freedom”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats hold lengthy, separate, private meetings on Day 37 of the federal government shutdown strategizing on how to end the stalemate. Republicans may bring to a vote a new proposal that includes some regular spending bills and a promise for a vote on extending health insurance premium tax credits; President Donald Trump comments on plans to cut 10% of airline flights at 40 of the busiest U.S. airports due to air traffic controller staffing shortages during the government shutdown; House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announces she will not run for reelection after nearly 40 years in Congress; President Trump announces a deal with the makers of popular weight loss drugs to drastically cut prices; Senate defeats a resolution that would have blocked the President from conducting military operations against Venezuela; leaders of five Central Asian countries are in Washington as the Trump Administration looks to secure new sources of rare earth minerals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court hears a case brought by business owners challenging whether President Donald Trump had the power to declare national emergencies to implement global tariffs. Most news articles suggesting the answer is 'no', We will hear some of the oral argument and talk with The Hill's Legal Affairs reporter Zach Schonfeld (1); Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announces a 10% reduction in scheduled airline flight capacity at the nation's top 40 high-traffic markets due to the federal government shutdown, now at a record Day 36, and strain on air traffic controllers not being paid although required to work. President Trump meets with Senate Republicans and again calls for the Senate filibuster rule to be abolished so that the Republicans can reopen the government and pass other legislation with a simple majority vote instead of the 60 votes needed, bypassing the objections and demands of Democrats; President and party leaders react to the sweeping election night victories by Democrats in the races for Virginia & New Jersey governors, New York City mayor, and in the California Congressional districting ballot initiative. We will also hear from the incoming officeholders. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Intelligence Committee vice chair, speaks to reporters after a closed door briefing by the Secretaries of Defense & State on the Trump Administration's military strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats off the coast of Venezuela.. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's election day, with key races for New York City mayor, New Jersey  and Virginia governors and California's congressional redistricting ballot initiative; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) announces a commission to explore congressional redistricting in his state with the aim of flip the only Republican-held seat to Democratic; It's Day 35 of the federal government shutdown, tying the record for the longest ever. Another Senate vote fails to reopen the government, but bipartisan talks about a path are ongoing; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Trump Administration will comply with a court order to fund the SNAP food aid program through emergency funds. This comes after President Trump posts that the funding would go out only after the government reopens; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warn of "mass chaos" in air travel if the government does not reopen by next week, when air traffic controllers will miss a second paycheck; former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at age 84. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's day 34 of the government shutdown… and this afternoon the Trump administration said it will provide half benefits to Americans who receive federal food assistance…That after states filed lawsuits against the White House to fund SNAP with an emergency reserve… Meanwhile, members of both parties are looking for a way out after weeks of minimal progress….including a group of Democratic senators and a bipartisan group of House members….House and Senate leadership talked to reporters today…We'll play for you what they said… And one day more until election day 2025…it's first of President Trump's second term…. And Voters will choose new governors in Virginia and New Jersey…a new mayor in New York City…and new congressional districts in California…We'll talk about it with National Journal Hotline editor Kirk Bado coming up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, two segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: A conversation with award-winning documentary filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein who discuss their upcoming PBS' series "The American Revolution." Then: National Constitution Center President & CEO Jeffrey Rosen discusses his new book, "The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A federal judge orders the Trump administration to use emergency funds to pay for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the federal government shutdown, which is now on Day 31; Senate Republicans do not appear eager to heed President Donald Trump's call to get rid of the Senate filibuster to overcome Democratic opposition to the Republican bill that would reopen the federal government; President Donald Trump says media reports that he is considering military strikes on Venezuelan territory are not true, but questions continue from Members of Congress of both parties about the legal justification for the deadly military attacks on suspected illegal drug carrying boats off the Venezuelan coast; Just a few days until election day 2025. We will take a closer look at the race for governor in Virginia and New Jersey; Daylight Saving Time comes to end this weekend. There was another unsuccessful try this week in the Senate to pass a bill that would stop the twice-yearly clock switching and make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate votes to overturn President Donald Trump's global tariffs; President Trump touts trade deals he said he made in his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea; U.S government shutdown is now 30 days old. Saturday, federal funding will stop for the 42 million people on food aid program SNAP; nominee for head of U.S. Strategic Command is questioned at a Senate hearing about President Trump saying the U.S. is restarting nuclear weapons testing; Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-VA) criticizes the Trump Administration and his Republican Senate colleagues after a briefing on the legality of deadly strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean excluded Democrats; Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) calls for a Halloween pause on federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago; Virginia Democrats move a step closer to drawing new congressional districts lines for partisan gain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by a quarter point for the second time this year, but Fed Chair Powell says another rate cut in December is not a foregone conclusion given concerns about the job market. We hear from the Fed chair and talk with Reuters Federal Reserve Correspondent Howard Schneider (5); Federal government shutdown is now at Day 29. Senate Democrats try and fail over Republican objections to pass a bill to extend funding only for the federal food aid program SNAP; Senate votes with the support of five Republicans to overturn President Donald Trump's emergency declaration to impose 50 percent tariffs on Brazil; President Trump promotes U.S. & Southeast Asia investment and development at a CEO's luncheon at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea and previews his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping; Food & Drug Administration says it is looking to reduce the number of human clinical studies required for approval of certain biosimilar drugs to speed approval and reduce costs; Senate Veterans Affairs Committee holds a hearing on allegations of fraud in the VA disability benefits program; Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Judiciary Committee chair, talks about the news that many more Republicans were targeted in the Biden Justice Department's "Arctic Frost" investigation after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On day 28 of the federal government shutdown, Senate fails to advance a temporary government bill to reopen the government for the 13th time. It is supported by most Republicans but opposed by most Democrats because it does not address expiring Affordable Care Act health insurance premium tax credits; two dozen states led by Democrats sue over the federal Agriculture Department's plans not to release emergency funding for federal food assistance starting this weekend; air traffic controllers, who must work without pay during the shutdown, miss their first paycheck. We will hear from Transportation Secretary & the president of the Air Traffic Controllers Union; President Donald Trump meets with Japan's new Prime Minister in his latest stop on his weeklong trip to Southeast Asia, calling her a "winner" and signing rare earth minerals deal; U.S. House Oversight Committee Republicans release a report on former President Joe Biden's mental fitness and use of an autopen, concluding that certain executive actions, including pardons, are void, and the Justice Department should investigate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate returned to Washington today with no end to the government shutdown in sight. Meanwhile, the effects are piling up, and food assistance for more than 40 million low-income Americans is at risk. Major airports are seeing more flight delays because of the growing air traffic controller shortage, and the largest federal workers union is urging Congress to pass a “clean” funding bill. We'll hear the latest from Senators Thune and Schumer & Speaker Johnson, and Leader Jeffries about it coming up. President Trump is in Japan today. It's the second stop of his Asia tour…He started the day with a visit to Emperor Naruhito at Tokyo's Imperial Palace. Meanwhile, US trade negotiators are reporting progress on a potential trade deal with China ahead of the president's expected meeting with President Xi Jinping later this week. The president spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One. 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 Ryan Berg of the Center for Strategic & International Studies, about the recent U-S military strikes on suspect drug boats off the coast of Venezuela. Next – we turn our attention to the Trump administration's trade and tariffs agenda ahead of President Trump's high-stakes meeting next week with China's president Xi Jinping. That conversation with Wall Street Journal trade reporter Gavin Bade. Finally – we speak with documentary writer and producer Michael Wiser about his latest PBS Frontline film "The Rise of RFK Jr." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump gets ready to fly to Southeast Asia for meetings with leaders of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and one-on-one with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. We will talk about it with Politico trade reporter Ari Hawkins (3); President Trump ends trade negotiations with Canada after Ontario's government runs a TV ad with former President Ronald Reagan expressing opposition to tariffs; Inflation report from the Labor Department: Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose in September at an annual rate of 3 percent, highest since last January; U.S. government shutdown Day 24. House & Senate are not in session. Over 600,000 civilian federal workers miss their first full paychecks. We will talk with The Hill's Senior Staff Writer Mike Lillis about bipartisan warnings that SNAP food assistance that over 40 million Americans receive will soon be in jeopardy (31); New York Attorney General Letitia James pleads not guilty in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia to charges of mortgage fraud, saying outside the courthouse, she said, "There is no fear. This is not about me. This is about all of us and a weaponized justice system"; Pentagon says the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is being deployed to the Caribbean Sea to support military operations against drug traffickers and there was another strike today on small boat, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said "six male narco-terrorists" were killed; Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits the operations center in Israel that is the headquarters of the U.S.-led effort to maintain the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, and to plan for rebuilding and securing Gaza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Day 23 of the federal government shutdown, Senate votes down a bill offered by Republicans to pay the military and federal workers who required to work without pay. Senate Democrats offer an alternative to pay all federal workers, even those on furlough, but that, too, is rejected; President Donald Trump pardons the founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who was convicted of violating federal anti-money-laundering laws; President Trump holds a roundtable discussion at the White House on efforts to stop human trafficking by criminal cartels; San Francisco's mayor says the President has canceled a federal law enforcement & possible National Guard surge into his city; Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives in Israel as VP JD Vance is leaving. Both criticize a vote in the Israeli Knesset related to Israel's annexing the West Bank; In DC, Republican and Democratic Senators question President Trump's nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Amer Ghalib over past online posts some see as antisemitic; FBI Director Kash Patel announces arrests in an NBA multi-million dollar gambling scandal, including a player and a coach. Charges include sports bets rigging and operating illegal rigged poker games in cooperation with the mafia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks all night and all day on the Senate floor about what he calls President Donald Trump's "growing authoritarianism"; He is closing in on the record for the longest Senate floor speech in history; Day 22 of the federal government shutdown, and it appears Republican and Democratic positions have not moved and remain at odds, and the government will stay closed for now; less than two weeks until the closely-watched Virginia gubernatorial election between Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Washington for meetings with President Trump & Senators after the postponement of a summit between President Trump & Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary on Russia's war in Ukraine; Vice President JD Vance joins Israeli Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Vice President says say he and other Trump Administration officials are not there to monitor the status of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza as one monitors a toddler but ensuring that "our people are doing what we need them to do.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A New York man who was convicted and sentenced to prison on charges related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, then pardoned by President Donald Trump, is arrested on charges he threatened to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (R-NY). We get reaction from Jeffries & Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); President Donald Trump hosts Senate Republicans for a lunch at the White House on the patio near the West Wing that he calls the Rose Garden Club to tout the Republican agenda and what he sees as successes. This comes on Day 21 of the federal government shutdown, with little apparent movement towards a resolution of the standoff between the parties; House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) says his panel wants to hear from former President Bill Clinton in the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and accuses Democrats of falsely linking Epstein to President Trump; Vice President JD Vance visits Israel and expresses optimism that ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will hold, despite sporadic violence; Former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns talks about on the expected meeting between President Trump & Chinese leader Xi Jinping; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) on government safety net programs for children; White House celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is Day 20 of the government shutdown…and there are few signs that lawmakers are close to a deal to end it….The House continues to hold only brief sessions…The Senate is in today….and they have an 11th vote scheduled on the Republicans short term funding bill…But it does not include the extension of federal health care tax credits…Meanwhile, federal workers continue to feel the shutdown's effects…As the federal agency overseeing the US nuclear stockpile began furloughing most of its workforce today….We'll hear what House and Senate leaders had to say about the shutdown coming up… President Trump welcomed Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to the White House today…The two signed an agreement on rare earth materials…The President also said he could meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month during a summit in South Korea…and he took questions on the cease fire in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war…You'll hear what he had to say coming up… 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 preview of this week's "No Kings" rallies taking place across the country this weekend with Joel Payne of the group "MoveOn" – one of the progressive groups organizing the events. Then: A conversation with Mike Brest - defense reporter for the Washington Examiner. We talk about how the shutdown impacted payday for active-duty military members this week – and the new Pentagon press policies which many news organizations are pushing back on. And finally: From long-lines at TSA to canceled or delayed flights - we check in with Reuters Correspondent David Shepardson about the impact the government shutdown is having on air travel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump tells Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a White House meeting that if the U.S. gives Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles, it would escalate the war between Ukraine & Russia; President Trump expresses confidence his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary will go a long way to ending the war in Ukraine; President Trump also talks about Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and recent military tensions; John Bolton, former Trump WH National Security Adviser, turned critic, pleads not guilty today in federal court in Maryland to felony charges of mishandling classified materials; Day 17 of the federal government shutdown, and with House & Senate not in for business, the shutdown will extend into the weekend; Saturday there will be mass protests around the country against the Trump Administration, what organizers call "No Kings" rallies; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gives an update on U.S.-China trade negotiations; former Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo & Anthony Blinken tell jokes at the annual Alfred E. Smith Foundation charity dinner in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump speaks by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announces they will meet in Budapest, Hungary in the coming weeks to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine. President Trump will be meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday to discuss possibly sending Tomahawk long-range missiles to Ukraine; President Trump also asked about this online post, "If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"; Venezuela brings the matter of what it calls President Trump's “bellicose” language to the United Nations Security Council, after President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela was considering military strikes on Venezuelan territory to combat illegal drug smuggling; U.S. government shutdown is on Day 16 and will go through the weekend, after the Senate rejected for the 10th time a Republican proposal to temporarily fund the government and did not advance a standalone Defense spending bill; Former Trump White House National Security Adviser John Bolton is indicted on federal charges of illegally keeping and transmitting classified material; Democrats push back on Republicans calling the 'No Kings'  protests planned for Saturday around the country 'Hate America Rallies'; President Trump announces new steps designed to expand access to IVF; Border Czar Tom Homan flatly denies he took a $50,000 bribe from FBI undercover agents; President Trump presents models of a proposed Independence Arch he wants to build near the Lincoln Memorial as part of the America's 50th Anniversary in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House Budget Director Russell Vought suggests at least 10,000 federal workers could be fired during the government shutdown, now in Day 15, but a federal judge in California temporarily blocks the layoffs as a violation of the law; Senate again votes down the Republican-drafted temporary government funding bill for a ninth time, with Senate Democrats insisting health care provisions be included; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accuses China of going back on a trade deal on rare earth minerals, saying, 'China is a command and control economy, and the United States and our allies will neither be commanded nor controlled'; President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel give an update on anti-crime efforts across the country they call 'Summer Heat'; Supreme Court hears a case on involving a Black-majority Congressional district in Louisiana & the Voting Rights Act whose decision could limit the use of race in drawing legislative maps. We will hear some of the oral argument and talk with The Hill's courts & legal reporter Zach Schonfeld (34); Arizona's Democratic Congressional delegation makes another push to get Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva sworn-in, accusing Speaker Johnson of not doing so to prevent release of federal files on the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal government shutdown reaches Day 14, and Republicans and Democrats seem to be digging in for the long haul; Air traffic controllers union president talks about the first missed full-paycheck for his members; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says despite no official economic data due to the government shutdown, the outlook for employment and inflation has not changed much since the September interest rate cuts, suggesting there could  be more cuts this year; President Donald Trump welcomes the President of Argentina to the White House and is asked about the $20 billion the U.S. is using to support Argentina's economy; Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) reacts to the guilty plea and sentence of the man who broke into the governor's residence earlier this year and set it on fire; assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presents the annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace & Security; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defends new Pentagon media policies prohibiting reporters from publishing information not authorized for release, even if it is unclassified. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump proclaims, "dawn of a new Middle East" in a speech to the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem; world leaders sign the Gaza peace deal; Hamas frees the 20 living Israeli hostages, while Israel released nearly 2000 Palestinian prisoners; U.S. government shutdown is entering its third week with no end in sight.  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, House Speaker Mike Johnson talks about the government shutdown and answers questions from our viewers. Then, a closer look at how the shutdown is impacting federal workers with Randy Erwin -- National President of the National Federation of Federal Employees. And finally, a preview of the new Supreme Court term that began this week. That conversation with SCOTUSblog Co-Founder and Reporter Amy Howe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House Budget Office Director Russell Vought announces on X that federal worker layoffs have begun, with the federal government shutdown now 10 days old and expected to continue through the weekend; Conservative commentator Benny Johnson says the Democratic Party is 'mainstreaming violence as a political tool', as he appears with Attorney General Pam Bondi to announce federal charges again a man who mailed a death threat to him and his family; Senate defeats an amendment from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to limit President Donald Trump's power to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago and other cities in the name of supporting law enforcement to fight crime and ICE agents carrying out immigration raids; Venezuela's opposition leader wins the Nobel Peace Prize, and the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee is asked about President Trump's visible campaign for the award; First Lady Melania Trump says she has a regular communication channel with Russian President Putin, and it has helped reunite children separated from their families in the war in Ukraine; former Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI), former Congressional Black Caucus Chair, has died. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump & Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk about Israel & Hamas agreeing to a pause in their two-year-old war and the release of hostages held by Hama in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, what President Trump calls Phase One of his Gaza ceasefire plan; Federal court hearings today challenging President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon and Chicago, the president says, to protect federal immigration authorities from threats by protesters; New York Attorney General Letitia James is reportedly indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of bank fraud. She writes on X, "This is nothing more than a continuation of the president's desperate weaponization of our justice system." Day 9 of the federal government shutdown and Senate votes down for a seventh time Republican and Democratic proposals for short-term funding extensions; Federal Reserve Board Member Michael Barr urges caution on any further interest rate cuts, citing the risks of inflation from President Trump's tariffs; former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she believes the Trump administration is preparing for 'some kind of military action' against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty in federal court in Alexandria to two felony charges related to previous testimony before Congress. We will talk with The Hill's courts reporter Ella Lee, who was in the courtroom, about the arraignment and what is next in this case (1); President Donald Trump holds a roundtable at the White House with journalists he says were attacked by anti-ICE Antifa protesters in Portland, Oregon; Federal government shutdown now at Day 8 and the situation remains the same: Senate again votes down competing Republican and Democratic temporary government funding bills; Arizona's two Democratic U.S. Senators confront Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson over the delayed swearing-in of a newly elected Democratic Congresswoman from Arizona, who would provide the crucial 218 signature on a discharge petition to force release of the federal files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; IMF Managing Director gives an update on the world economy ahead of next week's IMF/World Bank meetings; Supreme Court hears oral argument in a case brought by Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), who seeks standing to sue over Illinois' mail-in voting law that allows ballots postmarked by election day but which arrive later to be counted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal government shutdown at Day Seven shows no sign of ending soon; White House memo says the 750,000 federal government employees furloughed are not entitled to backpay when the government reopens; President Donald Trump meets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House to discuss trade and tariffs; Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, pointing to a report this week that the FBI as part of its investigation of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol tracked Republican lawmakers' private phone records; Attorney General Bondi also has tense exchanges with Democratic Senators over everything from the Epstein files to a dropped ethics case against Border Czar Tom Homan and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey; Supreme Court hears a case challenging a Colorado law that bans 'conversion therapy' for LGBTQ minors; today is the two year anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate is back without a deal to end the government shutdown that's now in its sixth day. Meanwhile, the legal showdown over White House efforts to deploy National Guard troops into US cities continues. The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago sued the Trump administration today to stop the deployment of National Guard troops, while Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order declaring city property "ICE-free zones". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices