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 : May 31, 2025 8:00am
Last Scanned : 5.6 hours ago


Episodes
Episodes currently hosted on IPFS.

Confirmed 3
In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First, a discussion with former Republican Congressman Chris Gibson on his new book "The Spirit of Philadelphia" – about reviving bipartisanship and civic engagement in American politics. Then, Dr. Richard Besser from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation joins us– to talk about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior's "Make American Healthy Again" agenda - and changes to public health policy. Finally, NAACP president & CEO Derrick Johnson discusses the 5th anniversary of the killing of George Floyd – and reaction to Trump administration policies so far.
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Expires in 47 hours
Published Saturday
Confirmed 3
Elon Musk meets with Pres. Trump in Oval Office, reflects on DOGE legacy, on last day as Special Government Employee Elon Musk, Former head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) joins the President Trump in the White House Oval Office on his final day as a government employee; President Trump accuses China of violating a trade agreement from a few weeks ago that led to the lowering of high tariffs on both sides while negotiations continued on a longer-term deal; Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to take away temporary legal protections from over half a million immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela; former President Joe Biden talks to reporters about prostate cancer diagnosis after speaking at a Memorial Day service in Delaware. Today is also the 10th anniversary of the death of his son, Beau Biden; Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia tells the Security Council that any ceasefire with Ukraine must include the West pausing sending weapons to Ukraine; Bernard Kerik, former NYC Police Commissioner who rose to national prominence after the September 11th,
2001 terrorist attacks, has died. He served time in prison and wrote a book
about it. We hear what he learned from that experience, at a 2015 CSPAN2
BookTV appearance.
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Expires in 47 hours
Published Friday
White House is calling on the Supreme Court to intervene after a federal trade court struck down many of President Donald Trump's tariffs because the president exceeded his legal authority when he put them in place. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt say, "America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges"; State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce is asked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement that the U.S. will start “aggressively” revoking the visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields; Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC reopens a week after the two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed by a suspect who says he did it in support of Palestinians. The ceremony includes Jewish, Muslim & Christian clergy mourning the victims and condemning the attack; from the Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, an SEC Commissioner on the role of the government in regulating cryptocurrency, and a son of President Trump on why the Trump family is investing in crypto.
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Expires in 47 hours
Published Thursday
Confirmed 1
President Trump rejects TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) meme on his tariff strategy, saying, 'It's called negotiation'President Donald Trump responds to a nickname some on Wall Street have given him to describe his tariff policy that includes the word 'chicken'; President is asked about Elon Musk saying he disappointed with the amount of spending in the budget reconciliation 'one big beautiful bill' passed by the House; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy calls for more spending on upgrading air traffic control systems, as he gives an update from Newark Airport; Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) hold town hall meetings; Vice President JD Vance promotes cryptocurrency at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas; latest on the Trump Administration pause on international student visas; interim U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro is sworn in; United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on the troubled new attempt to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza.
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Expires in 19 hours
Published Wednesday
King Charles III opens Canada's parliament, saying 'the True North is indeed strong and free', amid Pres. Trump threats of annexation
Great Britain's King Charles III opens the Canadian parliament in Ottawa by declaring, "As the anthem reminds us, the True North is indeed strong and free." Associated Press calls it "a speech widely viewed as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump"; on Wall Streets, stocks climb after President Trump says he will delay 50 percent tariffs on the European Union; Special Presidential Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg talks about the president's frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine; State Department is asked about reported food aid riots in Gaza at a distribution center run by a new organization supported by Israel and the U.S.; Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) announces a run for governor instead of reelection as senator; Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) returns from El Salvador where he was not able to visit in prison with deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia; Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) outlines how the District will cut its spending by hundreds of millions of dollars this year to meet a congressional mandate; Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks at the funeral of the late Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-VA); remembering former Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who has died at age 94.
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Published Tuesday

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First, a conversation with Dr. Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association. We'll talk about changes the Trump administration is making to public health, under the leadership of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Then, Congressional Republicans and President Trump are taking aim at Biden administration energy initiatives and tax credits in their so-called "big, beautiful bill." We'll talk about what's on the chopping block with Sara Chieffo from the League of Conservation Voters. Alsoin that Republican tax cuts and spending package are BILLIONS in new spending for immigration enforcement. We'll chat with Julie Kirchner from the Federation for American Immigration Reform about the specifics.
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Published 05/24
Federal judge blocks Trump Admin. ban on Harvard enrolling international students; Pres. Trump threatens high tariffs on European Union & Apple's iPhones
A federal judge puts on hold the Trump Administration order to Harvard not to accept any international students after the school refused to turn over information about those students' political activities; President Donald Trump threatens to impose a 50% tariff on the European Union and a 25% tariff on smartphones from Apple and Samsung not made in the U.S.; President signs Executive Orders to promote nuclear energy; Vice President JD Vance tells the graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy the administration has "reversed course" in U.S. foreign policy and there will be "no more undefined missions" and "no more open-ended conflicts"; UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres speaks about humanitarian situation in Gaza saying Israel is allowing only a "teaspoon of aid" to enter "when a flood of assistance is required"; DNC considers ousting Vice Chair David Hogg, but not for his stated goal of challenging some Democratic incumbents in primaries; two more commencement addresses in Maryland: Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) at Bowie State University
and Kermit the Frog at the University of Maryland, College Park.
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Published 05/23
House passes 'One Big Beautiful Bill" by one vote; bipartisan condemnation of deadly shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in DC
House Republicans pass the budget reconciliation 'one big beautiful' tax cut and spending cut bill by one vote after an all-night debate and daybreak vote; FBI is investigating as an 'act of terror' the shooting death of two Israeli Embassy aides outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC by a man who shouted "free, free Palestine"; Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission releases a report on what is causing chronic disease, especially in children; Democrats criticize President Trump's dinner tonight with the top investors in his meme
coin; NOAA predicts a 60% chance of an above-average hurricane season, which starts June 1.
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Published 05/22
Speaker Johnson says 'plan is to move forward' on vote on budget reconciliation bill after White House meeting with Freedom Caucus
House Rules Committee meets all night and then all day on the Republican tax cut and spending cut package called Budget Reconciliation or "One Big Beautiful Bill", but negotiations continue among Republicans to reach the near-unanimity that will be need to pass it through the House without any Democratic votes; Education Secretary Linda McMahon testifies before a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Trump Administration efforts to close the department and shift Education money and programs to states; President Donald Trump confronts South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House Oval Office over what President Trump claims is a "genocide" against white South African farmers; Federal judge rules the Trump Administration “unquestionably” violated a court order when it deported seven immigrants from Asian nations to South Sudan; Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) has died at age 75.
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Published 05/21
House GOP leaders want Trump to dissuade hard-liners on deeper Medicaid cuts
-House Speaker Mike Johnson says the Republicans federal budget resolution still has QUOTE a lot of hurdles left following its passage out of the House Budget Committee late last night…Fox News Digital reporter Liz Elkind reported that Speaker Johnson said on a conference call this morning…. That members are facing the “most important 48 hours ahead of us that we will ever have in our lives… Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that President Trump will make a personal pitch to House Republicans to pass the bill at a meeting at the Capitol tomorrow…
-President Trump also announced that “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and an END to the War…The statement followed what the president said was a 2 hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin…He added that the tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent.”…And that he has talked about it to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders…
-And early this morning, Former president Biden posted a picture on social media of himself along with former First Lady Jill Biden that read "Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support."…That after political allies and rivals sent well wishes and tributes to the former president.…President Trump said that he and First Lady Melania Trump extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery…Former vice president Kamala Harris said on social media that Joe Biden QUOTE will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership…
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Published 05/19

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First, Wall Street Journal Supreme Court correspondent Jess Bravin breaks down the Supreme Court case heard this week on Trump administration's effort to end birthright citizenship. Then, a conversation with Maria Snegovaya of the Center for Strategic & International Studies about where Ukraine-Russia peace talks stand – after Russian President Putin was a no-show this week in Turkey. Plus, President Trump signs an executive order on prescription drug pricing. Daniel Payne of STAT news explains what the order does - and it means for consumers.
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Published 05/17
House Republican tax cut & spending cut Budget Reconciliation fails in committee after a handful of Republicans vote 'no'
House Budget Committee votes down the Republican tax cut, spending cut, border and defense Budget Reconciliation, the one they call the One Big Beautiful Bill, after four Republicans join Democrats in voting no; President Donald Trump finishes up his Middle East trip at a business breakfast in the United Arab Emirates, saying UAE could buy advanced computer chips for AI development; Russian & Ukrainian officials hold peace talks in Turkey, with no ceasefire announced. President Trump is asked about his desire to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to
settle the matter for good; Republican chair of the FCC and a Democratic
Commissioner both speaking today at separate events in Washington about the agency's role in preserving freedom of speech, but with very different conclusions about the problems and solutions; C-SPAN's CEO Sam Feist previews a new program coming to C-SPAN this fall called CeaseFire.
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Published 05/16