Two Blocks from the White House

The final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs this week. It’s being called the end of an era, and some critics say the cancellation of the iconic late night talk show represents a broader attack on dissent during Donald Trump’s second administration. This week Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry ask: What, if anything, does Colbert’s cancellation say about the state of free speech in Trump’s America?

From UFOs to 'missing scientists', fringe ideas and conspiracy theories have come to the forefront during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second administration. This week, Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry dig into the long history of conspiracy theories intersecting with American politics. Has Trump made conspiracy theories mainstream?

The race is on to redraw U.S. electoral districts after a landmark Supreme Court ruling last week on the Voting Rights Act. The court neutralized a longstanding piece of the voting rights legislation — a change that could have huge consequences for future U.S. election results.

The 1965 Act was designed to ensure African American representation in Congress, but in a 6-3 decision, the top court ruled that a congressional map in Louisiana was unconstitutional because the state gave too much consideration to race when drawing up its voting districts.

Following the court ruling, many states began redrawing existing electoral maps, with Florida passing a gerrymandered map giving Republicans more of an advantage in the state just hours after the Supreme Court decision was released.

CBC Washington correspondents Paul Hunter, Katie Simpson and Willy Lowry unpack what the ruling could mean for U.S. politics.

Our Washington correspondent Paul Hunter was in the room at the White House correspondents’ dinner when shots rang out. Today on Two Blocks from the White House, he shares new details about the scene. Fellow correspondents Katie Simpson and Willy Lowry bring us the latest on the suspect. As the political fallout continues, we ask what a third alleged attempt to assassinate Donald Trump says about the state of America.

Paul Hunter was at the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting on Saturday. 

We're working on a new Two Blocks from the White House episode on the fallout from the shooting, to drop on Wednesday. But until then, here’s Paul speaking with Front Burner host Jayme Poisson about what happened when shots rang out. 

From a gigantic arch set to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, to the deployment of National Guard troops, to the construction of a massive White House ballroom, the face of America’s capital city is changing during Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. president.

And while some critics have dismissed Trump’s projects as garish, the president is undeniably leaving his stamp on the historic district. Today on Two Blocks from the White House, CBC’s Washington correspondents Paul Hunter, Willy Lowry and Katie Simpson report.

Today we’re talking about how U.S. President Donald Trump's touch is backfiring, both at home and abroad, as Trump loomed large over two recent international elections. 

On Monday, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney clinched a majority government, a win being attributed in part to widespread anti-Trump sentiment among voters.

And over the weekend in Hungary, Trump’s close ally and fellow right-wing populist leader Viktor Orbán was defeated after 16 years in power in a landmark election. Just days before that, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance was in Budapest campaigning for Orbán on behalf of the Trump administration.

CBC’s Washington correspondents Willy Lowry and Katie Simpson, along with Radio-Canada’s U.S. correspondent Louis Blouin, report on the volatile value of Trump’s brand.

The world held its breath Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure if Iran did not meet a deadline that night to open the Strait of Hormuz. Then, the same day, he accepted a Pakistan-brokered deal for a two-week ceasefire.

After inciting outrage and then abruptly halting the war, what exactly has Trump accomplished in Iran? CBC’s Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Willy Lowry and Paul Hunter try to find an answer.

Reporting on U.S. politics sometimes means leaving D.C. From war in Iran to whirlwind diplomatic meetings in France to a moon-bound mission in Florida, the CBC's Washington correspondents trade their seats two blocks from the White House for a trio of windows into the world. 

Willy Lowry, Katie Simpson and Paul Hunter take us behind the scenes on their reporting and share what we can learn about the biggest stories in American politics and Canada-U.S. relations when we look at them from an outside of Washington perspective.

Winning is a word U.S. President Donald Trump likes to hear, and while midterm elections are months away, the November vote is definitely driving his decisions today. 

With the cost of living and gas prices continuing to soar, the midterms are a chance for voters to weigh in on whether Trump has delivered on his promise to put America first, considering his administration's war with Iran and other operations stretching beyond the U.S. borders.

CBC's Washington correspondents Paul Hunter, Willy Lowry and Katie Simpson bring us up to speed on how the midterms are influencing the political calculus, what they're watching for and why the outcome of this vote is so crucial to Republicans and Democrats alike.