Washington Today

House passes tax cut & spending cut Budget Reconciliation "One Big Beautiful Bill", 218-214, sending it to the President to be signed into law, after a dramatic all-night session to convince enough Republican holdouts to vote yes, and after a record-breaking 8 hour, 44 minute speech against the bill by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); June jobs report: 147,000 jobs created, unemployment rate falls to 4.1%; Fourth of July fireworks on the National Mall security preview; DC Mayor & Police Chief talk about the fatal shooting of an Capitol Hill college student intern from Massachusetts; First Lady Melania Trump meets with young patients at National Children's Hospital; President Donald Trump speaks by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin after reports the U.S. is pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House is slowing working on the modified Budget Reconciliation bill, the tax cut & spending cut 'One Big Beautiful Bill', passed yesterday by the Senate with VP JD Vance's tie-breaking vote, slowly because Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump have been meeting with both conservative and moderate Republicans opposed to the bill for different reasons, either it does not cut enough spending or cuts too much, and Republicans can only afford to lose 3 of their Members since all Democrats plans to vote 'no'; FCC Chair Brendan Carr lays out what he calls a 'Build America' agenda in his first major policy speech as chair to “unleash high-speed infrastructure builds…. restore America’s leadership in wireless… boost the U.S. space economy…. and advance our national security'"; interview with Variety Senior TV Editor Brian Steinberg on Paramount settling a lawsuit with President Trump over the editing of a CBS News' "60 Minutes" interview with then Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris (24); State Department and Pentagon comment on the U.S. reportedly pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate passes the budget reconciliation bill, also called the One Big Beautiful Bill, containing President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans' domestic agenda of tax cuts, spending cuts and more money for border security and defense, by a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie. Sen Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) provided the necessary 'yes' vote for passage after negotiating last-minute changes on health care and food aid; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell confirms that the Fed would have cut interest rates this year had it not been for President Trump's 'Liberation Day' high tariffs, whose impact on inflation is still uncertain; Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with the foreign ministers of Australian, India & Japan, the so-called Quad, as tariffs and trade talks continue with those allies; President Trump visits a new immigrant detention center a remote area of the Florida Everglades dubbed Alligator Alcatraz and says it could be a model for similar facilities to increase deportations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate's vote-a-rama continues, as members offer and vote on amendments to the Republican's tax and spending cuts bill. But passage of the bill isn't a sure thing. Republicans Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have both said they're voting "no", while Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska haven’t said how they'll vote. Congressional Republicans and President Trump have said they want the bill passed and signed into law by July 4th. Last night on the floor, Sen. Tillis criticized both the bill's Medicaid cuts and the president for breaking a campaign promise to not interfere with Medicaid benefits. That prompted responses from the president on social media, including one announcing he'd said he would back a primary challenge against the senator. Not long after, Sen. Tillis announced he would not seek reelection next year. A federal appeals court heard arguments today on the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union say the Trump administration is unlawfully using the law to take away due process for possible deportees. The administration maintains that a Venezuelan gang is carrying out an invasion of the US at the direction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. 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, Congressman Adam Smith – top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee - discusses U.S. military action against Iran – and what comes next. Then - a discussion about the history and evolution of the War Powers Act Philip Wallach from the American Enterprise Institute. Plus, it was a stunning win for Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani in this week's Democratic primary for New York City Mayor. We speak with Spectrum News New York One (NY1) political director Bob Hardt about what happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court rules that individual judges do not have the power to block a president's policies across the country, known as nationwide injunctions. The underlying case, whose merits have not been decided yet, involves President Donald Trump's Executive Order restricting birthright citizenship; Supreme Court also handed down other closely-watched decisions today, including in favor of Maryland parents who want to have their children opt-out of a curriculum with LGBTQ books and upholding a Texas law requiring age-verification for adult websites; Senate Republicans look to have their first vote on the tax cut & spending cut budget reconciliation bill on Saturday; House members get a classified briefing on the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear site; Foreign Ministers of Rwanda & the Democratic Republic of Congo meet in Washington to sign a peace agreement brokered by the White House; Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) talks about this year's Virginia governor election between Winsome Earle-Sears (R) and Abigail Spanberger (D). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court decides that South Carolina can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood because the group provides abortions, ruling that Medicaid patients are not allowed to sue over their right to choose their doctor; Senators get a classified briefing on the U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear sites, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth & Gen. Dan Caine, Joint Chiefs of Staff chair hold a news conference with more details about the attack and fresh criticism of news outlets for their coverage of a Pentagon intelligence on the extent of the damage; On the tax & spend One Big Beautiful Bill, some Republicans want the Senate Parliamentarian fired for ruling some key Medicaid provisions cannot stay in the bill because they violate Budget Reconciliation rules; President Trump holds an event at the White House to champion the bill and the first Senate test vote is expected soon; former Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) has died. She was known for supporting gun control, elected after a mass shooting that killed her husband and severely wounded her son. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says the leaked U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report suggesting Iran's nuclear program has been set back only a few months after the recent U.S. bombings is wrong, the nuclear sites have been destroyed – in his word 'obliterated' - and the reporters who published the DIA reports finding are 'bad people', 'sick' and are demeaning the hero pilots who carried out the U.S. attack; CDC Director nominee Susan Monarez says at a Senate confirmation vaccines are "life-saving" and she has not seen evidence linking them to autism; Senate Commerce Committee approves Bryan Bedford, CEO of a regional airline, to be FAA Administrator; Claims of a Justice Dept whistleblower who says the Trump Administration planned to disregard court orders that would hinder immigrants deportations come up at several Senate hearings today, with the Attorney General Pam Bondi and former top Justice Dept official Emil Bove, nominated for a federal appeals court judgeship; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell again points to the threat of inflation from President Trump's tariffs for not cutting interest rates; surprise win in the New York City Mayoral Democratic primary by Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says a ceasefire between Israel & Iran is "in effect", after expressing frustration with both countries for apparently violating the agreement he mediated; President spoke before flying from Washington to The Hague, Netherlands for a NATO leaders' summit; House & Senate Democrats upset today that scheduled classified briefings by Trump Administration officials about the U.S. military attacks on Iran's nuclear sites have been postponed until later this week; House votes down an impeachment resolution against President Trump introduced by Rep. Al Green (D-TX) over the bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities. A majority of House Democrats voted against the impeachment resolution; As Senate Republicans are still putting together the final text of tax cut and spending cut One Big Beautiful Bill, with debate and votes that could run into the weekend, Senate Parliamentarian has been knocking out bill provisions that violate budget reconciliation procedures – known as the Byrd Rule. We will talk about what is no longer in and how Senators could restore them if they want with Forbes Senior Writer Kelly Phillips Erb (32); Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tells a House committee that an interest rate cut in July is not likely; Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) wins a House Democratic Caucus secret-ballot vote to be the next ranking member of the Oversight & Reform Committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump responds on social media, "Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered….There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was “set free,” because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction. I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done." On Capitol Hill, two bipartisan war powers resolutions are moving their way through Congress. In the House, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) are leading one that blocks U.S. involvement in the conflict. In the Senate, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) says he plans to push for a vote this week on a similar resolution and that Republican lawmakers in his chamber have expressed support for it. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and European leaders urged Iran to return to the negotiating table. 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 discussion about the history – and future -- of Iran's nuclear program - with Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association. Then, Axios Politics Reporter Steph Kight (like kite) discusses members of Congress receiving security briefings following the Minnesota lawmaker shootings. Finally, CNN's Jake Tapper discusses former President Biden's declining health during the last year of his term in his book "Original Sin." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says two more weeks he is waiting to decide to whether to attack Iran over its nuclear weapons program is “a time to see whether or not people come to their senses"; United Nations Ambassadors from Iran and Israel trade accusations at a UN Security Council meeting as their countries continue their military campaigns against each other; head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warns the Security Council of the dangers of a military campaign targeting nuclear facilities; federal appeals court in California rules President Trump likely had the authority to deploy National Guard troops to deal with protests against immigration raids without Gov. Newsom's consent but the courts do have a role in reviewing the specific actions the troops will be doing; Federal Reserve board member thinks interest rates should be cut as early as next month; Supreme Court releases decisions, including one allowing a lawsuit from fuel producers against California vehicle emissions standards to continue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises revenge against Iran after an Iranian missile hits an Israeli hospital and is asked by reporters about the prospect that the U.S. will become more directly militarily involved in the conflict; White House says President Trump believes this is "substantial chance" of U.S. negotiations with Iran and therefore he will decide within two weeks the U.S. path will be, diplomacy or strikes; President extends for a third time by 90 days the requirement in U.S. for the TikTok short-video app to be sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance to a non-Chinese entity or be banned from the U.S.; celebrations on this Juneteenth National Independence Day federal holiday; Vice President JD Vance announces a long-term health study in East Palestine, OH on the effects of the 2023 toxic train spill; U.S. Conference of Mayors meet in Tampa, FL, discussing immigration and ICE raids across the country and deployment of National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles ad tax provisions in the budget reconciliation bill moving through Congress. We will talk with Wall Street Journal technology & cryptocurrency reporter Amrith Ramkumar about the Senate this week passing a bill on stablecoins, first ever federal crypto regulation bill (38); Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) gives more details about confronting Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) over his posts following the fatal shootings of Minnesota state lawmakers, seeming to blame the violence on Democrats and their allies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says he has not decided whether to attack Iran's nuclear and military facilities alongside Israel, which has been doing so for the past week; Federal Reserve keeps interest rates steady again. We will talk with MarketWatch Economics Editor Greg Robb (25); Supreme Court upholds Tennessee's law banning transgender medical treatments for minors; Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on former President Joe Biden's mental acuity and fitness for office; Senate passes a resolution congratulating C-SPAN2 for four decades of live gavel-to-gavel Senate coverage and calling on all TV providers, including streaming services, to carry C-SPAN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump is back in Washington, DC, returning early from the Group of 7 leaders' summit in Canada, posting and commenting about the ongoing military conflict between Israel and Iran, including he wants 'better than a ceasefire', "I have not reached out to Iran for “Peace Talks” in any way, shape, or form", calling that Fake News, and on Iran's Supreme Leader, "We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now"; U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco hears oral argument in Newsom v. Trump, case where Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is challenging President Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in response to immigration protests with the governors' consent. We will talk about it with The Hill's Legal Affairs Reporter Zach Schoenfeld (23); Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) deletes social media posts in which he blamed Democrats and Marxists for the fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband and the wounding of another lawmaker and his wife; latest on proposed Medicaid changes in the Senate Republican version of the budget reconciliation bill – the one big beautiful bill – which are different than the House-passed version. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First court appearance for Vance Boelter after federal and state authorities file several charges in connection with the murder of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and attempted murder state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. President Trump is in Canada at the G7 summit where he talked about global economic issues and the widening Israel/Iran conflict. Israeli officials have say their operation in Iran is expected to take “weeks, not days”. Meanwhile, Iranian President said that his country does not want to expand the conflict with Israel but it will respond “in proportion” to any attack. 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, with a federalized national guard and the Marines on the streets of Los Angeles – a conversation with Mary McCord of Georgetown Law about the legal and Constitutional issues surrounding the domestic deployment of the U.S. military. Then, Former NIH Director Dr. Harold Varmus (VARR-muss) discusses how spending cuts to his former agency is impacting the future of federal medical research. And finally we chat with Wall Street Journal trade reporter Gavin Bade on the latest in U.S.-China trade talks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

United Nations Security Council meets on the military exchanges between Israel and Iran. Iran announces it is pulling out of nuclear talks with the U.S. President Trump posts, "Two months ago I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to “make a deal”…Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!" Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant who was deported from Maryland to El Salvador, then brought back after an indictment, pleads not guilty in federal court in Tennessee to human trafficking charges. More Republican governors call up the National Guard ahead a weekend of expected protests against Trump Administration policies; Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) talks about the future of his party and young people; former President Bill Clinton and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) give eulogies at today's funeral service of the late Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) is forcibly removed from a news conference in Los Angeles being held by Homeland Security Sec Kristi Noem on federal immigration enforcement operations; three Democratic governors testify before U.S. House Oversight Committee about sanctuary policies to limit local cooperation with Immigration & Customs enforcement; U.S. House passes a bill to rescind $9.4 billion in federal spending on foreign aid and money to support National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); Senate confirms a new IRS Commissioner, former Rep. Billy Long (R-MO); President Donald Trump signs bills overturning California's rules mandating electric vehicle sales and setting tailpipe emissions standards; President Trump is asked about reports Israel may soon attack Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent questioned at a House committee on a U.S.-China trade agreement announced by President Donald Trump; House considers a resolution to make changes to the tax cut & spending cut Budget Reconciliation bill (aka One Big Beautiful Bill) but Republicans and Democrats disagree about how significant today's vote really is; House also debates a bill to classify fentanyl permanently as schedule one, reserved for the most dangerous drugs; House debates a bill to revoke Washington, DC's "sanctuary city" law; Attorney General Pam Bondi says the Trump administration is not afraid of going further than using the Marine Corps and California National Guard when dealing with anti-federal immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom says, "Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived"; FAA Administrator nominee Bryan Bedford testifies before a Senate committee; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is questioned by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Ukraine war policy; tonight is the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices