Washington Today

Republican senators are pushing back against President Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel fuel.

North Carolina's Thom Tillis, South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, and Texas' John Cornyn have all criticized the move.

But President Trump is defending his decision, saying easing economic pressure could help bring Russia to the negotiating table with Ukraine.

The president spoke to reporters before leaving for Kansas today, where he's campaigning for Republican Senator Roger Marshall in his closely contested race against Democrat Adam Hamilton.

It's the first stop on a swing through key election...

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

First: A discussion on polling & how MAGA has impacted the Republican Party with Mark Mitchell, founder of The Honest Poll.

Then: Jessica Tarlov, Democratic strategist and co-host of Fox News Channel's "The Five," discusses her new book "I Disagree: Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends."

Finally: The winner of the 2026 National Civics Bee Championship, Peter Daniell from Broomfield, Colorado, discusses the competition and the importance of civics education.

President Donald Trump says he told the new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia she should reconsider whether she wants to continue in that job less than a week after she started; President Trump holds a campaign rally in Georgia, where there are competitive races for governor and U.S. Senator; Debates in the tight U.S. Senate races in Maine and Alaska. We will hear from the candidates and talk about the Alaska contest with Alaska Public Media reporter Liz Ruskin (25); Cook Political Report moves 11 more U.S. House races towards the Democratic side. We'll hear from Speaker...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) campaigns in Michigan for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, saying special interest money is being used to make sure no one can 'open their ears and their eyes to even give this guy a shot'; Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District race is a prime example of a Republican held seat that Democrats are hoping to flip on their way to getting majority control of the House. We will hear the candidates debate and talk about the race with Margery Beck, Flatwater Free Press Elections Reporter (14); Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) defends telling a UMD student...

Final Commerce Department inflation report before the midterm elections show the Consumer Price Index increasing 0.6% in September and 3.7% year over year; U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire is a close one that could help decide which party controls the Senate in the next Congress. We will hear from the candidates John Sununu (R) and Chris Pappas (D) on Social Security at an AARP forum and talk with Andrew Sylvia, Assistant Editor of Manchester Ink Link (11); President Donald Trump campaigns in Arizona for Rep. Andy Biggs (D-AZ), who is challenging incumbent Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ); Health & Human Services Secretary...

U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle resigns amid allegations she asked a Republican donor to pay off a $100,000 credit card debt in exchange for political access; new White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia holds her first White House news conference; President Donald Trump answers questions about continuing military strikes by Russia and Ukraine against each other targeting energy infrastructure despite the President announcing an 'energy ceasefire'; President Trump flies to Alaska to campaign for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan's reelection; Vice President JD Vance is back in Texas in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, after...

Federal agents search the home of Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, prompting reactions from both parties just weeks before the midterm elections. A bipartisan group of senators calls on President Trump to reverse his agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel sales in an effort to lower fuel prices. Plus, with just 22 days until the midterm elections, we examine key congressional races in Iowa, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

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

First – On Wednesday President Trump made his third trip to Texas in a month to support Republican Governor Greg Abbott and Senate candidate Ken Paxton who are facing stiffer-than-expected political headwinds. We'll dig into some Lone Star state politics with Spectrum News Texas reporter Reena Diamante.

Then: The debate over whether and how to regulate artificial intelligence continues here in Washington as the President huddled with tech leaders again at the White House earlier this week. We br...

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticizes New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's response to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involved shooting in the city. Mamdani again called for ICE to be abolished. Mullin says Mamdani's 'words are dangerous and incite hostility'; President Donald Trump celebrates at the White House the Columbus Day federal holiday, which is Monday, saying Columbus is a hero, and decrying the tearing down of Columbus statues, as happened in many cities during the racial justice protests in 2020; Vice President JD Vance campaigns in Ohio for Sen. Jon Husted's reelection; Michigan U.S. Senate Democratic n...

Vice President JD Vance announces Microsoft and some other technology firms have been suspended from sponsoring foreign workers with H-1B visas. He says Microsoft has been undercutting U.S. workers and treating foreign workers like indentured servants; President Donald Trump awards Microsoft's CEO the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, one of six technology & science medals he handed out today. President called another recipient, Elon Musk, head of Tesla and SpaceX, a 'modern day Thomas Edison'; New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman argues for greater regulation of AI at an American Bar Association conference on AI and national...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off the coast of California as the ship returns from a record-setting deployment in support of combat operations against Iran, blaming some in the media for highlighting reports of poor conditions and crew morale; Solemn remembrances on this third anniversary of Hamas' military attack on Israel; Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a speech at historic Pnyx Hill in Athens, warning that Western civilization and its values derived from ancient Greece is at a critical inflection point; World Health Organization seeks more information from Russia about a...

Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) debates his reelection opponent Dan Cox (R); Gov. Moore says the White House blocked him from speaking at an announcement of a multi-billion dollar defense company investment to build a submarine shipyard in Baltimore; reaction today to President Donald Trump's remarks Monday night at a rally in Nebraska suggesting Iran could 'take out' Los Angeles or San Diego; California ballot measure Prop 40 to impose a one-time tax on billionaires is attracting major money for ads and national figures such as Sen. Bernie Sanders. We will hear from him and talk about it with Politico California...

The Supreme Court opens its new term with arguments in a case involving efforts by state and local governments to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for damages linked to climate change. Plus, U.S. B-1 bombers return home from a British air base following an alleged terror threat, and with 29 days until the midterm elections, we check in on key races in Alaska, Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, and New Hampshire.

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

First: Gas prices around the country continue to rise as the conflict with Iran drags on. We speak with Patrick De Haan -- head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy – about what's behind the rise in gas prices – the impact on consumers - and who been profiting.

Then: The looming crisis in Social Security is forcing many Republicans to re-think the party's long-standing position against raising taxes. We'll dig into the debate with anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist - pres...

Jobs report for September comes in far lower than expected. Labor Department says 29,000 jobs were added and the unemployment rate increased from 4.1 to 4.2 percent; With diesel fuel at record high prices, President Donald Trump posts, 'Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel. The process will begin immediately'; President Trump heads out again to campaign for Republican candidates, this time in Alabama, after yesterday's stops in Texas & Oklahoma. We will hear from him and Democratic Pollster John Anzalone about how things look a month out from election day; Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) appoints...

President Donald Trump heads out on the campaign trail with just over a month until election day, and is asked why he is filling the itinerary with red states where his Republican party is already strong; Senate adjourns until after the midterm elections, but not before Democrats try and fail to reverse President Trump's over $800 million in spending cuts; Veterans and lawmakers rally at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery against the building of President Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch; Gov. Bill Lee (R-TN) orders a suspension of executions for the rest of the year and calls for an...

Senate Democrats block a Republican-drafted bill on making tech companies pay for additional electricity costs from data centers, saying it does not have enforcement provisions; Bipartisan group of Senators unveil a bill to reform energy project permitting, but by agreement it will not be debated or voted on until after the midterm elections in November; President Donald Trump announces $200 billion in South Korean investments in U.S. energy projects, including more than $50 billion in Alaska, which has a very competitive U.S. Senate race this year; Candidates in the U.S. Senate contest in Texas – Democrat James Talarico & Republican Ke...

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith tells the Senate Judiciary Committee his investigation proved 'beyond reasonable doubt' that President Donald Trump engaged in 'serious crimes,' but some Republicans on the committee accuse him of weaponizing the Justice Department when he sought records of their phone calls with the President after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building; President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson meet with the CEOs of technology companies at the White House to discuss the future, and any government or voluntary limitations, of AI (Artificial Intelligence), while the President says he will officially rename...

The Trump administration rolls back fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks, and the White House announces a new tariff agreement with China. Plus, the Senate begins its final scheduled work week before the midterm elections, lawmakers debate college athlete compensation, and we check in on key races in Iowa, Maine, Ohio and New Jersey.

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

First: The future of Artificial Intelligence was among the topics in the high-profile summit this week between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. We speak with former Biden Defense Department A-I official Gregory Allen about what's at stake.

Then: The Trump administration said this week they will remove several hundred thousand people off the ACA rolls who THEY say fraudulently enrolled. We did into the allegations and the fallout with Paragon Health Institute President Brian Blase – a former economic adviser in President Tr...

Chinese President Xi Jinping finishes a state visit hosted by President Donald Trump with tea at the White House and a trip to the National Archives; this time it is all on network TV, as the White House TV pool is back in operation now that the President has allowed CNN to return to the pool rotation, after a federal judge ordered it; Supreme Court lifts restrictions on the Trump administration use a federal database to identify voters suspected of being non-citizens; North Carolina Senate race is a top one to watch this year. We will hear from Republican...

CNN, Politico and MSNOW White House reporters are back at the White House after a federal judge put a temporary restraining order on President Donald Trump's attempted ban of those news outlets; President Trump hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House for a state visit. President Trump says the two 'have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people.' President Xi says '(U.S.-China) competition should be a healthy one and should be kept within bounds'; Senate defeats again an Iran War Powers...

Iran's President tells the United Nations General Assembly his country has been the victim of terrorism by the United States and Israel and the Iranian people will never 'bend the knee' or submit to the 'language of force'; President Trump's Board of Peace meets in New York to unveil a multi-billion dollar plan to rebuild Gaza; Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and says there is interest in a 'limited ceasefire' with Ukraine involving grain shipments and energy-related targets; Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington, DC tonight for a state visit; OpenAI...

President Donald Trump in a speech at United Nations says he has 'big decision to make' about Iran: cut a deal with them 'that lets them rebuild' or 'annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again'; President Trump also calls Cuba an 'absolutely failed state' that 'will fall' under U.S. pressure, leading the Cuban delegation to walk out; President Trump also meets the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham for the first time, saying he is man he can do business with; Former President Bill...

Politico, CNN & MSNOW sue in response to President Donald Trump banning their reporters from the White House, and four major TV networks suspend their shared coverage of presidential events, called a pool, in protest of the president's action; Calls for an independent investigation after an Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shoots an immigrant from Venezuela during a traffic stop in Austin, Texas; Foreign affairs on President Trump's agenda this week with the United Nations General Assembly in New York City and a state visit to Washington, DC by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss trade and AI; Transportation Secretary...

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

First: Washington this week was dominated by the debate over regulating A-I amid more threats from tech execs of the dangers if the technology is left unchecked. Politico A-I and tech influence reporter Brendan Bordelon breaks it down for us.

Then – despite the AI debate, the House adjourned EARLY this week, kicking off its 7-week recess heading into November midterm elections. We speak with Reese Gorman of the Washington Sun about what happened.

...

President Donald Trump says he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House for what he calls their 'fake news' reporting; President announces all 50 states will be joining a program to provide prescription drug prices to Medicaid at the same, lower costs paid for the drugs in other countries; President Trump is asked about Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) putting out an ad critical of his immigration policy; Vice President JD Vance campaigns in Iowa for Republicans in close races, including Zack Lahn running for governor against Democratic nominee Rob Sand; Planned protest by artists and their...

A Republican and a Democrat in the U.S. House join forces on a bipartisan bill to confront potential risks of Artificial Intelligence; White House continues to criticize the Federal Reserve and Chair Kevin Warsh for raising interest rates this week. Presidential adviser Peter Navarro calls it a 'monumental mistake' that could push the U.S. economy into recession; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomes closer ties to Europe even after President Donald Trump threatens more tariffs in response; U.S. Senate votes to advance a college sports regulation bill by a comfortable margin, almost guaranteeing a successful final...

Federal Reserve votes unanimously to raise interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, first hike since 2023 Fed Chair Kevin Warsh says, 'The plain fact is that inflation is too high and has been for too long.' We will talk about the Fed's decision with Julia Shapero, Cryptocurrency and Finance Reporter for The Hill (6); House votes on the Russia sanctions bill related to its war with Ukraine named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) accuses House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of cancelling Thursday's legislative session,  sending Members home a day early to c...

Attorney General Todd Blanche fills in as White House press secretary for today's news conference and is asked about the Supreme Court blocking the Trump Administration's plans to restrict mail-in ballots for the midterm elections; FBI Director Kash Patel tells the Senate Judiciary Committee FBI agents may be sent to the polls on election day; Director Patel is also asked about changes to hiring standards to no longer automatically disqualify applicants who had engaged in prostitution or bestiality; More questions to lawmakers about potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence and whether legislative action is needed, after President Donald Trump called su...

Congress returns to Washington with artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency legislation, college sports and Russia sanctions on the agenda. Plus, with 50 days until the midterm elections, we look at key races in Michigan, New Mexico and Alaska.

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

The first-ever Republican convention took place in Dallas – and the legal fight over mail-in voting dominated the week.

We begin with a discussion with Cliff Young of Ipsos Public Affairs who shared fresh polling on the national mood as the midterm campaign season kicks into high gear.

Then we dive into the mail-in ballot fight – and other voting issues overhanging the midterm campaign. That conversation with former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli now...

Twenty-fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, with ceremonies at the Pentagon, where President Donald Trump spoke, at Ground Zero in New York City, where widow Terry Strada criticized the government for not holding Saudi Arabia responsible for the attacks, and at the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which included Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA). We also hear from: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin; candidates for U.S. Senate in Michigan, Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim; a retired New York firefighter at a ceremony in California; Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was a White...

Day Two of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, with the keynote speech from Vice President JD Vance. People are still talking about some of the moment from Day One: President Donald Trump proposing $5,000 for every American adult if Republicans keep control of the U.S. House and Senate and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) introducing Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA); Texas U.S. Senate race has been in the spotlight with the Republican convention in Texas; Rhode Island's governor loses the Democratic primary for reelection; President Trump visits the Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas; United Nations Security...

Republican midterm convention begins in Dallas, Texas. We get a preview from President Donald Trump, a reporter, and two republican congressional candidates from Illinois who are attending, plus the perspective of the chair of the Texas Democratic Party; On the way to Texas, President Trump tells reporters high energy prices due to the war with Iran will not fall until after the midterm elections in November; In New Hampshire, former U.S. Senator John Sununu wins the Republican Senate primary over another former U.S. Senator, Scott Brown, while in the state's first Congressional District race, Stefany Shaheen, daughter...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani orders the release of over 170,000 pages of documents revealing that city officials knew of severe toxic air quality risks at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terror attacks, and President Donald Trump honors 9/11 first responders at a Tunnel to Towers event in front of the White House, ahead of Friday's 25th anniversary; Canadian tariffs of up to 50 percent against $20 billion of imports from the United States take effect. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says, 'I don’t believe in escalating the conflict. But our tariffs are necessary to protect our workers, protect our companies and ou...

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

First: We dig into the legal back and forth over mail-in voting and what it means for states ahead of this November's elections. That conversation with Dion Nissenbaum of the website "Votebeat."

Then: The economy is the number one issue on voters' minds as the midterm elections approach. We speak with financial journalist Roben Farzad – host of the public radio show and podcast "Full Disclosure" - on the recent jobs numbers and what it means for the he...

Labor Department reports the U.S. economy gained 162,000 jobs in August, much more than many economists predicted. Unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%. President Donald Trump posting the numbers are 'great' and 'you haven’t seen anything yet!'; President Trump signs an Executive Order aimed at lowering beef prices by easing regulations on ranchers and farmers so they can process the meat themselves; Reaction to the Missouri Supreme Court striking down a new Congressional District map that advantages Republicans; North Carolina sends out the first mail-in ballots even as the Trump Administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to al...

Vice President JD Vance holds a White House news conference and is asked about the war with Iran and rising fuel prices ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend, when millions of Americans will be traveling; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responds to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's assertion that the Canadians cut off trade talks with the U.S. because of internal Canadian politics; State Department launches the Foundry School, which the administration says is 'a national program to train the entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders needed to rebuild American manufacturing'; House passes a...

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...