Washington Today

Catch up on the biggest stories of the day from Washington with interviews and analysis from leading journalists. Posted weekdays at 6:30 pm ET. From C-SPAN, the network that brings you the "Q&A" podcast.

Website : https://www.c-span.org/podcasts/subpage/?series=washingtonToday

RSS Feed : https://feeds.megaphone.fm/cspanwashingtontoday  

Last Episode : August 20, 2025 10:54pm

Last Scanned : 1.2 hours ago

Episodes

Episodes currently hosted on IPFS.

Confirmed 1
Texas House starts long debate on new Congressional redistricting map ahead of expected easy passage by Republican majority over Democratic objections
The Congressional redistricting battle in the two most populous states moves from debate to votes. In Texas, Republicans are seeking to gain five more U.S. House seats for their party, and California, the exact opposite, with Democrats drawing a new map favoring their party in five more seats. We will hear debate from the Texas House of Representatives and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA); Vice President JD Vance travels to Union Station in Washington to visit with and thank National Guard troops President Donald Trump has called up to deal with what he says is an out of control crime and homeless problem in the city; DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is asked about the Justice Department reportedly investigating whether DC manipulated crime statistics so they would appear lower than they really are; President Trump calls on Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook to resign after allegations she committed mortgage fraud; Gov. Josh Stein (D-NC) tells residents of his state to take the threat of Hurricane Erin seriously, even though it is not expected to make landfall; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia needs to be involved in developing Ukrainian security guarantees as part of a peace agreement to end to the war between Russia & Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Expires in 35 hours
Published Wednesday
Confirmed 1
Boston Mayor Wu says she will not comply with Attorney General Bondi's demand to give up 'sanctuary city' immigration policies
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says Boston will not comply with the ultimatum from Attorney General Pam Bondi to give up sanctuary city policies, saying,, "This has always been a city of revolution, of innovation, of standing up for the public good and never bowing down to tyranny"; California Assembly & Senate committees begin work on a new congressional districts map to favor Democrats to balance Republicans in Texas rewriting U.S. House seat lines to favor Republicans; President Donald Trump says there will be no U.S. troops in Ukraine as part of any security guarantees connected to a peace agreement with Russia; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirms that Intel must give the U.S. government equity in the company in exchange for billions of dollars in grants from the CHIPS Act for building semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Expires in 28 hours
Published Tuesday
Confirmed 1
Pres. Trump meets with Ukrainian Pres. & European delegation at White House, is open to U.S. troops as part of Ukrainian security guarantees, is hopeful of trilateral meeting with Russian Pres.
President Donald Trump holds high level meetings with the President of Ukraine and the leaders of major European nations, and the NATO Secretary General, on how to end the war in Ukraine. President Trump not ruling out sending U.S. troops as part of security guarantees, and sounding hopeful that a trilateral meeting with himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could be set up soon. Some of the European leaders express their preference for a ceasefire before a peace agreement, something President Trump says is not necessary; Texas House Democrats end their protest blocking Congressional redistricting written the Republicans, returning to Texas and allowing the House to establish a quorum, after California's Democratic Governor leads an effort to redistrict to neutralize any Republican gains in Texas; former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who lost reelection, announces he is running for Senate again, against Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH); Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) responds to the news over the weekend that several Republican Governors have authorizing sending National Guard troops to DC to join the DC Guard that was called up by President Trump; former Attorney General Bill Barr gives the first deposition in the House Oversight Committee investigation the case of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; Canada Industrial Relations Board declares a strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants illegal, but union leaders says they will not return to work without a new contract. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Expires in 28 hours
Published Monday
Weekend Edition: Federal Takeover of DC Police, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and 2026 Midterm Elections
1
In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: With this week's federal takeover of the DC police, we speak with Jillian Snider – a senior fellow at the R Street Institute and former NYPD officer - about the opportunities – and challenges – of the crackdown. Then: Axios Senior Economics Reporter Courtenay Brown discusses the controversy over the President's pick for the Bureau of Labor Statistics – and if Americans can trust future jobs reports. Finally: National Journal's Kirk Bado (BAY-doh) discusses the electoral landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections including redistricting battles and races to watch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published Saturday
1
Gov. Newsom says California will go forward with new Congressional district map designed to get Democrats five more U.S. House seats in response to Texas Republicans doing the same
Gov.  Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announces his state will redraw Congressional district lines with the express purpose of Democrats gaining five U.S. House seats to offset what is happening in Texas where republicans are trying to pass a new map to net five seats for their party.  Gov. Newsom calls it "liberation day for California"; President Donald Trump claims that the official crime data for Washington, DC is fake, and that crime in the nation's capital is the “worst it’s ever been”,  as his deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops is ramping up; President Trump signs a proclamation on this 90th anniversary of the creation of Social Security, saying his administration is protecting and strengthening those programs. Democrats say that is not true; Wholesale inflation comes in unexpectedly hot in July; President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on their meeting tomorrow in Anchorage, Alaska on the war in Ukraine; Israel announces a major expansion of settlements in the West Bank; Hunter Biden says he will not apologize for saying the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein introduced First Lady Melania Trump to President Trump, after Melania Trump threatens to sue for $1 billion in damages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published Thursday
1
DC Mayor & Police Chief meet with U.S. Attorney General on federal takeover of DC Police & bringing in National Guard; Labor Dept says inflation in July same as June
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith meet with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi about implementing President Donald Trump's putting DC police under federal control and calling out the DC National Guard to deal with crime & homelessness; Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the gunman in the deadly shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound and had written that he “wanted to make the public aware of his public distrust of the COVID-19 vaccines”; Labor Department says the Consumer Price Index for July was 2.7% year over year, same as June; President Trump has extended trade talks with China for another 90 days, preventing a dramatic increase in tariffs. We will talk about it with Trevor Hunnicutt, Reuters White House Correspondent (23); Gov. Greg Abbott's (R-TX) threat to call endless special legislative sessions if Texas House Democrats continue denying a quorum to pass a new Congressional redistricting map written by Republicans could be tested as early as this week; Latest on preparations for the meeting between President Trump & Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine; U.S. indicts a notorious gang leader in Haiti who is trying to overthrow the government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/12
1
President Trump places DC police under federal control, calls out DC National Guard, in response to the city's 'crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor'
President Donald Trump places the Washington, DC, police department under federal control and deploys the DC National Guard to address, in his words, “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor,” calling it “liberation day in DC"; Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser says she is not surprised by the president's actions, but this is legally an obligation under the Home Rule Act to provide the federal government police services, and DC Police Chief Pamela Smith is still the chief, and also she thinks the president's views are wrongly colored by the crime rate increase during the COVID-19 pandemic; still no quorum in the Texas House of Representatives for Republicans to pass their new congressional redistricting map favoring their party, as the standoff with Democratic representatives who have fled the state begins a second week; President Trump says his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in Alaska is a "feel-out meeting" to urge Putin to end the war in Ukraine, and a deal would include "some swapping, changes in land"; Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his country will recognize a Palestinian state when the UN meets in September, joining France, Britain and Canada as major powers indicated they would do so. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/11
Weekend Edition: President Trump's Tariffs Agenda, Trump Admin "AI Action Plan," and Lawmakers Trading Stocks
1
In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First, there's been a flurry of economic news in recent days from the July jobs report to the President's tariffs agenda. We break it all down with Mike Konczal of the Economic Security Project -- and E.J. Antoni of the Heritage Foundation. Then, the Trump administration rolled out its "A-I Action Plan" in recent week. We speak with Josh Smith of The Abundance Institute about what's in it - and how it could transform the energy sector in this country. Finally, a conversation with investigative journalist Dave Levinthal on a revived effort in Congress to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/09
1
President Trump calls Armenia & Azerbaijan peace deal signed at White House 'historic', reporter asks about possibly winning Nobel Peace Prize
President Donald Trump hosts the leaders of Armenia & Azerbaijan to sign a peace deal; President Trump asked about his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and how to end the war in Ukraine; Vice President JD Vance and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy talk about the war in Gaza… as they meet at the Secretary's home in Kent, England; Texas House of Representatives fails to meet a quorum for the third time this week as Democratic lawmakers continue staying away to prevent a vote on a republican-leaning congressional redistricting map. Texas Republican are promising to increase efforts end the standoff, including arresting the Democrats; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Chicago says the mayor of that city and the governor of Illinois are among the Democratic state officials who are promoting sanctuary immigration policies that are letting violent criminal illegal immigrants go free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/08
Weekend Edition: Medicare and Medicaid Anniversary, Homelessness in the United States, and Dasha Burns host of C-SPAN's "Ceasefire"
1
In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First, Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Harry S. Truman, discusses this week's 60th anniversary of the signing of Medicare and Medicaid. Then, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity's Michael Tanner discusses efforts to combat homelessness in the U.S. Finally-- Politico White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discusses her role as host of C-SPAN's new series "Ceasefire" – scheduled to debut this fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/02
1
Dow falls after weak July jobs report, downward revisions to May & June, concerns about tariffs; Pres. Trump first BLS head, calls jobs numbers 'rigged'
Wall Street falls after a weak July jobs report, combined with a downward revision to the jobs numbers for May and June and concerns about President Donald Trump's tariff schedule, finalized overnight with rates ranging from 10% to 50% for dozens of countries' President Trump fires the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, citing the jobs numbers revisions, calling her a "Biden Political Appointee" and saying, "She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified"; President again calls on the Senate to cancel August recess and stay in session to confirm a large backlog of his nominations… Senate Republicans have asked the Democrats to bundle some nominations and approve them with a voice vote, but the Democrats have refused; Texas House Committee on Congressional Redistricting holds its first hearing since the Republicans put forth a proposed new district map designed by their own admission to give them an advantage in five more U.S. House seats; former President Joe Biden warns the country is facing 'dark days' under President Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 08/01
1
President Trump flies to Scotland to promote his golf courses, meets UK & EU leaders on trade; DOJ interviews Ghislaine Maxwell for 2nd day in Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation
President Donald Trump flies to Scotland for a private visit to promote his golf courses there, but he will also be meeting elected leaders in Scotland, the United Kingdom and the European Commission, likely to talk about trade and foreign affairs hotspots. We will get a preview from C-SPAN's Westminster Producer Pete Knowles, who is in Scotland (8); Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche finishes a second day interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a long prison sentence as an accomplice to the late Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes, amid the pressure on the Trump Admin to release the Epstein investigation files. We will hear from Maxwell's attorney, President Trump, and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), ranking member on the Oversight Committee; Texas Senate Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting holds a public hearing on Republicans attempts to redraw district maps mid-decade to try to pick up seats; former FCC Commissioners analyze the FCC's approval of the multi-billion dollar Paramount-Skydance merger that comes with commitments to address complaints of editorial bias at CBS News; latest on the collapse of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations; former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who had a dramatic rise and fall in politics, reports to federal prison after his fraud conviction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Published 07/25