Washington Today

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: A discussion with Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor on what the brutal Texas GOP Senate primary tells us about President Trump's grip on the Republican party – and the bigger fight over the Senate this fall. Then: OJ Oleka of the State Financial Officers Foundation discusses his group's efforts across the country to expose government fraud. Finally: Institute for Global Affairs Director Jonathan Guyer discusses new polling on American views of the Iran war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump posts a list of requirements for any deal to end the war with Iran peacefully, then says he is meeting in the White House Situation Room to make a final determination. Some media reports say he did not reach a decision; Russian military drone hits an apartment building in Romania. U.S., NATO & the European Union condemn it as a 'reckless act' by Russia; Week ends as it began outside the Delaney Hall Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, with protesters clashing with federal agents; former Attorney General Pam sits for a closed door interview with the House Oversight Committee on the process for releasing the files of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Democrats on the committee say she pinned the blame for any mistakes on now Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. She says that is not true; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gives a speech at the Reagan National Economic Forum in California titled “While America Slept”, arguing that U.S. policymaking has prioritized efficiency over resilience; Disney-owned ABC criticizes the Federal Communications Commission as it formally applies to renew early licenses for its eight broadcast TV stations, as the FCC  demanded. One station writing, "This effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process must not prevail"; Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) says she will not run for reelection; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) promotes a bipartisan bill he introduced this week to overhaul the business of college sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are reports of a possible agreement between the U.S. and Iran to extend the ceasefire and start negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, while a new inflation report shows the increase in oil prices from the Iran war has led to the highest inflation level in three years. We will hear from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; He is also asked about an effort to put President Donald Trump's portrait on a new $250 bill, and the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund that has already postponed legislation in the Senate because of concerns from some Republicans; Vice President JD Vance, giving the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, tells the cadets is it okay to use artificial intelligence in warfare, but 'never submit to it' and 'if the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines'; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, visiting New York City, calls for increasing the economic and diplomatic distance between his country and the U.S., what he calls 'strategic autonomy', which, he says, will make both countries stronger; Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MMI) says she will not run for the Democratic nomination for President in 2028; former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) speaks to graduates of his alma mater, Harvard Business School; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is asked whether he will sit with President Trump if the President attends an NBA Finals game in Madison Square Garden. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting at the White House, talking about Tuesday's election primary results, including in Texas, where his preferred Republican nominee for U.S. Senator, Ken Paxton, defeated incumbent John Cornyn. President also talks about talks to end Iran war, saying Iran was "negotiating on fumes" and "maybe we have to go back and finish it, maybe we don't"; and the President is asked about immigration, after protesters and federal agents having been clashing outside an Immigration & Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, New Jersey; American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten calls for guardrails on advanced technology in classrooms, such as screen time limits and a ban on artificial intelligence in elementary schools; Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) at a retirement tribute in the Illinois state legislature in Springfield his work to ban smoking on airplanes; former Vice President Mike Pence is asked at a policy conference in Michigan if he ever picks up the phone and calls President Trump; Iowa Democrats pitch the Democratic National Committee that their state deserves to once again be among the first to hold a Democratic presidential primary in 2028. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has a routine physical fitness examination, posting 'Everything checked out PERFECTLY'; Republican South Carolina state senators help defeat a new Congressional district lines map intended to eliminate the state's only Black majority district and make the entire delegation Republican; Election day in Texas, with the closely watch Senate Republican primary runoff where President Trump endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton against incumbent John Cornyn; Secretary of State Marco Rubio predicts it will take 'a couple of days' to finalize any agreement with Iran to end the war, while Iran denounces new U.S. military strikes in Iran, which the U.S. calls defensive, as a sign of 'bad faith and unreliability'; Russia threatens more, intense attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and warns foreign nationals, including Americans, to leave for their safety; Trump Administration has proposed all federal workers be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prohibiting them from sharing 'confidential government information', in an effort to stem leaks. We will talk about it with Scott Nover, Washington Post media reporter (35); Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) is pepper sprayed while at a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark, New Jersey; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tells supporters of a referendum in Alberta to make the province a separate country that it is a 'dangerous bluff' and they might regret it if actually passes; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is giddy that his hometown Knicks are back in an NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices