Washington Today

In this weekend's episode we're featuring segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: The combative House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi got a lot of headlines this week. We get two different perspectives on the hearing -- and the on-going controversy over the Epstein files -- with Republican Mike Flood of Nebraska and Democrat Scott Peters of California Then: Justin Riemer of the group Restoring Integrity & Trust in Elections discusses the SAVE Act – and GOP efforts to change federal election law. Finally: a conversation with Jacob Weisberg – Chair of the Committee to Protect Journalists – on what the Committee sees are threats to First Amendment and Freedom of the Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homeland Security Department shutdown is all but inevitable, with Congress out of session and no deal in sight to extend funding beyond tonight. Democrats are insisting that immigration enforcement reform be part of any agreement; Government inflation report comes in a bit lower than expected. Consumer Price Index rose 2.4% in January from a year ago; President Donald Trump congratulates U.S. special forces at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina for their role in capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last month; U.S. and world leaders attend the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Topics include a perceived divide between U.S. and European priorities, the war in Ukraine, and climate change policy. We hear from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Michael Walz, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; an update from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on Artemis II, the delayed mission to send astronauts around the moon for the first time in 50 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Partial federal government shutdown of the Homeland Security Department is looking likely after Senate Democrats block Republican attempts to fund the department beyond Friday's deadline. Republicans say the extra time is to finish negotiations on immigration enforcement reforms. Democrats say reforms need to be in the bill now; White House Border Czar Tom Homan announces the federal immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis will be coming to an end. We hear from him and from Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN); Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) testifies before a U.S. Senate Committee on the immigration operation in his state. A second panel of witnesses included leaders of Immigration of Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs & Border Protection (CBP), who are questioned about the shooting death of protester Alex Pretti by federal officers; Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) repeals a rule that classifies carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as a threat to public health. We hear from President Donald Trump and talk with Amy Harder, AXIOS National Energy Correspondent (37); Senate joins the House in passing a bill to nullify a Washington, DC law that exempts the city's local tax code from last year's Republican tax & spending cuts law, the One Big Beautiful Bill; U.S. House Press Gallery is renamed in honor of Frederick Douglass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee with many of the questions about the Justice Department's handling of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and many news articles describing her exchanges with Democrats on the committee as 'sparring' or 'combative'; Senate Democrats indicate they will oppose extending Homeland Security Department funding beyond Friday's deadline, even for a short time, without acceptable reforms to immigration enforcement attached; House votes on a bill to require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote; January jobs report from the Labor Department is stronger than many expected; House votes on a resolution to overturn President Donald Trump's emergency declaration that allowed him to put tariffs on Canada; President Trump promotes the use of coal; New federal deficit & national debt projects from the Congressional Budget Office; Senate Democrats are outraged that federal prosecutors tried to get an indictment against six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video telling active-duty members of the military and intelligence community they should refuse illegal orders. The grand jury refused to indict; Former boxing champion Mike Tyson talks about his Super Bowl ad promoting the Trump Administration's new dietary guidelines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons tells the House Homeland Security Committee, "Let me send a message to anyone who thinks they can intimidate us. You will fail," as Democratic Members question him about federal agent tactics like the ones that led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota; Senate party leaders differ on how to avoid a partial government shutdown of the Homeland Security Department when funding expires Friday. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) pushes for another temporary extension while talks over ICE reforms continues. Minority Leader Schumer (D-NY) wants ICE reforms now; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admits visiting the private island of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but downplays his connections, after newly released emails appear to contradict his earlier accounts of their relationship; House postpones a vote that would block for six more months any attempt to reverse President Donald Trump's tariffs because enough Republicans to defeat it have said they will vote no; President Trump threatens to delay the opening of a bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada unless the U.S. is given 50% ownership; Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with mobile phone company executives about former special counsel Jack Smith seeking phone records of Members of Congress during his investigation of President Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election; a group of monks arrive in Washington, DC after a three month 'Walk of Peace' from Texas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a prison sentence for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to abuse young women, pleads the Fifth Amendment and refuses to answer questions from the House Oversight Committee about who else might have been involved. Democrats say she is holding out for a pardon from President Donald Trump; Today is the first day Members of Congress can view the unredacted versions of Epstein files the Justice Department has released; Homeland Security Department funding runs out in five days, but no word yet if Republicans and Democrats can reach agreement on immigration enforcement reforms to avoid another partial government shutdown; House passes a housing affordability bill; Vice President JD Vance visits Armenia, while a bipartisan Senate delegation lands in Greenland; FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez warns about media ownership consolidation; President Trump's Religious Liberty Commission meets on confronting antisemitism; as NASA prepares to launch a new crew to the International Space Station, questions about the agency's readiness to handle emergencies like one that led to the first ever medical evacuation recently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Weekly Podcast: A Review of the Week in Washington takes a clear look at the major political and policy developments shaping the nation’s capital. Each episode breaks down the top stories from Congress, the White House, the courts, and across the country, with context on why they matter and what comes next. This week: Congress made quick work to end the partial government shutdown, passing a $1.2 trillion package to fund 5 remaining agencies thru the end of the year…with one exception--The Homeland Security Department… That is only funded until next week…as Democrats try to force guardrails on the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts. 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: Law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley discusses his new book "Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution." Then, we turn our attention President Trump's recent comments about elections – and House Republican efforts to overhaul election administration in this country. That conversation with Michael Beckel of the cross-partisan political reform group ISSUE ONE. Finally, POLITICO Magazine's Ankush Khardori discusses his latest piece which explores how deadly clashes with ICE are impacting law enforcement across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House removes a video shared by President Donald Trump that included images showing former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, after Republican and Democratic lawmakers denounced the posting as "racist" and "offensive"; Attorney General Pam Bondi announces the arrest of a suspect in the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans; U.S. holds indirect talks with Iran in Oman, but no major breakthroughs announced; Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson says is "cautiously optimistic" about the 2026 economic outlook, expects growth to stay slightly above recent trends, the labor market to stabilize and inflation heading back down to the Fed's 2% target; On Wall Street, Dow jumps 1,000 points to close about 50,000 for the first time; Democrats in New Jersey call out President Trump for holding up billions of dollars for the Gateway Tunnel transit project, reportedly because Democrats did not agree to name Penn Station in NYC and Dulles Airport in Virginia after him; former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks at a Ronald Reagan 115th birthday celebration in California about Reaganomics; Vice President JD Vance meets with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony; Maryland's Senate takes an official on who will win Sunday's Super Bowl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump at the annual National Prayer Breakfast talks about his chances of getting to heaven and announces an upcoming prayer gathering in May on the National Mall in Washington. He also touches on other issues like immigration enforcement; Congressional Democrats spell out their demands for reforming the Department of Homeland Security's immigration operations in exchange for supporting an extension of funding in a week. Congressional Republicans and the White House react; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before the Senate Banking Committee on affordability and Federal Reserve independence; Last major nuclear weapons control treaty between the U.S. and Russia, New START, expires today. President Trump calls it a 'badly negotiated deal' and calls for a 'new, improved & modernized treaty that can last long into the future'; House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) warns of threats to the First Amendment in a speech at the Washington Press Club Foundation annual dinner; Vice President JD Vance lands in Italy to lead the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics; former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN) has died at age 94. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Border Czar Tom Homan says 700 federal agents will leave Minneapolis and any further reduction will depend on the level of cooperation from local officials and the community in what he says are targeted immigration enforcement against criminal undocumented aliens; Just over a week until temporary Homeland Security Department funding expires, and Senate Democrats say they will not vote for an extension without meaningful reforms to how the immigration raids are being carried out; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before the House Financial Services Committee about the Trump Administration's economic agenda, and some of the exchanges are quite testy; Vice President JD Vance says the White House is proposing a critical minerals trade zone to counter China's overwhelming control of rare earths; Tesla & Waymo executives testify at a Senate committee hearing about safety concerns of self-driving cars and the need for national regulation; First Lady Melania Trump meets with freed American-Israeli hostages at the White House; Secretary of State Marco Rubio previews Friday's talks between the U.S. & Iran; Former British Ambassador to the U.S. Lord Peter Mandelson's friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dominates Prime Minister's Question Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House barely passes a package of government spending bills to end a partial shutdown. One bill for the Homeland Security Department runs two weeks, intended to provide time to develop federal immigration agent conduct & accountability reforms; Brothers of Renee Good, who was shot & killed during an ICE protest in Minneapolis, testify in Washington at a Democratic forum; House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-KY) announces former President Bill Clinton & former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will sit for depositions at the end of February in the committee's investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The agreement puts on hold House votes holding the Clintons in contempt of Congress for not obeying a subpoena to testify; more Congressional reaction to President Donald Trump's call for Republicans to 'nationalize' and 'take over' elections; National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya answers questions about vaccines & autism before the Senate Health Committee; Senate hearing on Netflix buying Warner Brothers and antitrust implications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s day three of a partial government shutdown, as lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill today with renewed talks aimed at keeping the disruption brief and reopening shuttered parts of the federal government. As negotiations continue, we’ll also take a closer look at developments in Minneapolis, where questions about federal enforcement and local response remain in focus. Plus, the Trump administration is rolling out a new health initiative, and President Donald Trump is outlining plans for a memorial arch spanning the Potomac River — a proposal drawing early attention on Capitol Hill and beyond. Those stories, and more, on Washington Today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Weekly Podcast: A Review of the Week in Washington takes a clear look at the major political and policy developments shaping the nation’s capital. Each episode breaks down the top stories from Congress, the White House, the courts, and across the country, with context on why they matter and what comes next. This week: It was a cold, snowy week in Washington — as the White House named the next chair of the Federal Reserve, the Senate worked to avoid a government shutdown, and protests continued around the country over immigration enforcement and ICE. 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 conversation with Jillian Snider – a former law enforcement officer and senior fellow at the R Street Institute. We talk about ICE operations in Minneapolis – and best practices for law enforcement in the wake of another fatal shooting there. Then: Amid the fallout in Minnesota, President Trump tried to pivot back to the economy and efforts on affordability. We dig into the numbers with Natalie Baker of the Center for American Progress and Brittany Madni from the Economic Policy Innovation Center. Finally: President Trump may have backed off his threat to takeover Greenland – but relations are still frayed between the U-S and Europe. That conversation with Andrew Roth of The Guardian -- and Stefanie Bolzen of the German News channel VELT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate reaches a deal to pass six federal spending bills before funding expires tonight, five as a package & Homeland Security for just two weeks while Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) reforms are negotiated, but still there will be a weekend partial government shutdown because the House does not return to session until Monday; Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is among four journalists arrested and charged by the Justice Department after they covered an anti-ICE protest in a church in Minnesota where an ICE official serves as a pastor; President Donald Trump nominates Kevin Warsh to be Federal Reserve Chair; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announces the release of 3 million files related to the late sex offender the Jeffrey Epstein, half of the total files reviewed; President Trump signs an Executive Order to have an IndyCar race around the National Mall in Washington, DC as part of the country 250th anniversary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate does not advance a package of six FY2026 spending bills ahead of Friday's deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown, but Senators and the White House are reportedly working on a deal to pass five bills as a group and separate out Homeland Security funding and extend it for a short period to allow for more talks on how to reform ICE; President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting, but does not call on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or Attorney General Pam Bondi to speak and does not take any reporters' questions; White House Border Czar Tom Homan says he has ordered federal immigration authorities to work on an eventual drawdown plan for federal law enforcement in Minnesota, operations until then will be targeted and he is “staying ‘til the problem’s gone”; Suspect in the attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) at a town hall this week faces federal charges, as she blames President Trump's rhetoric for threats to her safety; updates from the White House Cabinet meeting on the war in Ukraine, U.S. military build up near Iran, and the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Phase 2; President's National Security Agency Director nominee testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee; Senate Agriculture Committee passes a bill to regulate the digital assets market; some in Europe are talking about boycotting the World Cup matches in the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged, ending a streak of three consecutive quarter percentage point cuts; Senate Democrats present their demands for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to get their votes to pass a Homeland Security spending bill and avoid a partial government shutdown. Those demands include: ending roving patrols, tightening the rules for warrants, barring federal offices from wearing masks and requiring them to wear body cameras. We will talk about it with The Hill's Alex Bolton (19); Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells the Senate Foreign Relations Committee there has been 'good and decent progress' in Venezuela since the U.S. military removed President Nicolas Maduro; Veterans Affairs Secretary testifies before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on improving the VA health care system; musician & entertainer Kid Rock testifies before a Senate Commerce Subcommittee about what he sees as unfair business practices in the selling and reselling of tickets to concerts & sporting events; today is the 40th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump calls for "a very honorable and honest investigation" of the shooting death in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents, and the president defends Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem while Congressional Democrats are calling for her impeachment; Senate returns to session just a few days before the deadline to pass a Homeland Security spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown, with Democrats demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the price for their votes; President Trump travels to suburban Des Moines, Iowa to talk about the economy and affordability; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) testifies before a Maryland House committee about the Congressional redistricting bill that could lead to the only U.S. House seat in the state held by a Republican flipping to Democratic control in 2026; National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) holds its final hearing on the mid-air collision last year between an American Airlines regional jet and Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney denies he walked back criticism of President Trump's foreign policy in a phone call with the president this week; Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moves its symbolic Doomsday Clock to the closest it has ever been to midnight; United Nations Secretary General marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a snow day in the nation's capital…. Much of the federal government is closed…. The House is in a district work period this week… The Senate is in today… but votes have been postponed until tomorrow because of the weather… Of course, the Senate must pass a 6-bill spending package by Friday at midnight to avoid a government shutdown…. The legislation includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security through September 30th, which several Senate Democrats have said they will not support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices