Washington Today

Latest Episodes:

Chevron signs Venezuela oil deal; Pres. Trump says he was not serious about renaming Strait of Hormuz 'Trump Strait'; House votes down proposal to require Supreme Court have nine justices Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

Chevron signs an agreement to invest $7 billion in Venezuela to double its oil production in five years. We hear from the Chevron CEO & U.S. Energy Secretary in Caracas; President Donald Trump says he was joking when he posted the Strait of Hormuz should be renamed the Trump Strait. He is also asked about the resumption of U.S. and Iran trading missile strikes for the past several days; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick hosts technology company CEOs at 'G20 Innovation Ministerial' in North Carolina to discuss development of Artificial Intelligence; U.S. House Democrats meet on possible changes to party rules after two House Democrats voted with Republicans to advance Republican bills that were set to fail; House defeats a proposed Constitutional Amendment to require the Supreme Court have nine justices; House Intelligence Committee holds a hearing on national security threats that includes a discussion of Chinese spying; Wreath-laying at the World War II Memorial in Washington on this V-J Day, marking the Allies' victory over Japan that ended World War II in 1945.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House joins Senate in passing CR to avoid federal gov't shutdown before election day, House votes to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) for sexually harassing staff Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

House joins the Senate, with a large, bipartisan vote, in passing a short-term federal government funding extension from end of the fiscal year, September 30, through December 11. That means when President Donald Trump signs it into law there will not be another government shutdown before election day in November; It is primary election day in Massachusetts, where incumbent Ed Markey is being challenged by Congressman Seth Moulton; Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) defends himself on the House floor during debate on a resolution to censure him after the Ethics Committee found he sexually harassed two female staff members; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in New York City announces the arrest of over 2,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the past month. At the same time, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) call upon Secretary Mullin to releases tens of millions of dollars in counterterrorism grants they say are being withheld from the city; Senior House Republicans react to the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; Bill to create a monument in Washington to Medal of Honor recipients is about to become law; new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham makes his first statement as prime minister before the House of Commons.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court Backs Trump White House Ballroom, Iran Strikes & Campaign 2026 Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

The Supreme Court allows President Trump to move forward with construction of a new White House ballroom. Plus, the latest on renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran, Congress returns from recess, and Campaign 2026 heats up in Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, Maine and California.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weekend Edition: Lake Ontario "Lake America," 63rd Anniversary of the March on Washington, Supreme Court and Mail-In Voting Aug 29, 2026

Show notes

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal.

First: The U.S. and Canada are in the throes of an all-out trade war that started with an announcement of new tariffs at the beginning of week – and ended with the President renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America." We speak with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro to hear what the tiff is all about.

Then: This Friday marks the 63rd anniversary of the March on Washington.

We spoke with the Reverend Al Sharpton about THIS YEAR's March that he's leading – and why voting rights is the focus.

And speaking of voting – the Supreme Court issued an emergency opinion this week – siding with President Trump on mail-in voting restrictions. We spoke with election law expert Michael Morley from Florida State University – about what it all means.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

63rd annual March on Washington | Fed Chair Warsh on inflation & interest rates | Iran War hits 6-month mark| Pres. Trump creates U.S. Space Academy Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Lawmakers and civil rights activists speak at the March on Washington's 63rd anniversary, with the theme "Defend the Vote"; Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh gives his first speech at the Fed's economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, saying inflation is still too high, suggesting interest rate cuts may be coming. We will hear from the Chair and talk with Washington Post's Global Economics Correspondent David Lynch (17); U.S. war with Iran is six months old today. We will talk with Elise Labott, author "Cosmopolitics" Substack newsletter about the state of the conflict, strategy on each side, and what may come next (36); President Donald Trump visits the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas to award medals to the Artemis II crew, discuss plans for future space exploration and to announce the creation of a new U.S. Space Force Academy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pres. Trump signs Exec. Order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America amid ongoing U.S.-Canada trade war; Federal judge holds hearing on adding Pres. Trump's name to Kennedy Center. Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

President Donald Trump signs an Executive Order renaming Lake Ontario on the U.S.-Canadian border to Lake America, as the U.S.-Canada trade war shows no sign of ending; President Trump flies to Houston, Texas to raise money for Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, who is in a close race with Democratic nominee James Talarico; House Speaker Mike Johnson also campaigns today in Texas for Republican U.S. House candidates in Congressional districts that could decide the balance of power after election day; Data centers have become a campaign issue around the country seemingly overnight. We will talk about it with Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation (34); Attorney General Todd Blanche in Puerto Rico announces a major international drug trafficking bust; Federal judge holds a hearing on the future of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, both its renovation and whether to add Donald Trump's name to the facade; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says goodbye on her last day on the job at the White House.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meta settles multi-state lawsuit over youth being addicted to apps; Pres. Trump may ease beef processing regulations to lower prices; 5th Anniv. of Abbey Gate bombing during U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Meta settles a multi-state lawsuit alleging the technology company intentionally got young people addicted to their Facebook and Instagram media platforms, causing them harm, for $18 billion as a trial was underway in California; President Donald Trump and his senior trade adviser Peter Navarro defend U.S. tariffs on Canada that led this week to equal tariffs from Canada in response and the start of what could be a prolonged trade war; President Trump at the urging of radio talk show host Glenn Beck says he will look into easing beef processing regulations to bring down the price of meat. President earlier said he will allow more beef imports tariff free. We will talk about it with Washington Examiner White House reporter Naomi Lim (20); Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is questioned about the measles deaths of two unvaccinated people in Pennsylvania; Head of International Atomic Energy Agency is asked about Iran's nuclear program; On this fifth anniversary of the deadly bombing at Abbey Gate in Kabul, Afghanistan during the U.S. military withdrawal, Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth honors Marines who acted heroically that day; Campaign 2026 roundup of Tuesday's elections in South Carolina, Oklahoma and Georgia.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canada to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports; Wall Street Journal reporter Michelle Hackman on new, proposed $100K H-1B visa fee; Dolly Parton dies Aug 25, 2026

Show notes

Canada announces retaliatory, dollar for dollar, tariffs on U.S. goods in response to President Donald Trump imposing 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian products; Michigan U.S. Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim, calls out what he says is anti-Muslim rhetoric being used against his campaign; In South Carolina, Republicans are choosing between Ralph Norman and Darline Graham in a primary runoff election for the U.S. Senate nomination; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) defends his meeting with White House adviser Jared Kushner, promising if the Democrats retake control of the U.S. House after the November elections, investigations will proceed and “no one from the Trump cartel is getting a pass”; Trump Administration is proposing a new version of a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers that it believes will withstand court review. We will talk about it with Michelle Hackman, Wall Street Journal immigration reporter (39); Today is the 110th anniversary the National Park Service; Nashville, Hollywood and Washington are mourning the death of country singer Dolly Parton at the age of 80.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Announces New Iran Sanctions, Threatens Canada With 50% Tariffs | Campaign 2026 Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announces new sanctions on Iran as President Trump threatens economic retaliation against countries doing business with Tehran. Plus, Trump escalates his tariff fight with Canada, and the latest from the 2026 campaign trail in South Carolina, Michigan and Georgia.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Weekend Edition: The State of Oil and Gas Reserves, Campaign 2026, and Progressives in the Midterm Campaign Aug 22, 2026

Show notes

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal.

First: As gas prices continue to rise with the war with Iran, there's renewed scrutiny of America's oil and gas companies. We speak with Dustin Meyer from the American Petroleum Institute about the impact on consumers and the state of oil and gas reserves in the U-S.

Then: Conservative columnist and podcaster Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center discusses Campaign 2026 and political news of the week.

Finally: A conversation with Amanda Litman – co-founder of the group "Run For Something" whose goal is to help elect young progressives. We'll talk about that effort – and the role of progressives in the midterm campaign and beyond.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected