Washington Today

Virginia Supreme Court strikes down the Congressional redistricting referendum approved by Virginia voters that would have created a new map that favored Democrats, ruling the state legislature did not follow proper state Constitutional amendment procedures; U.S. military says it fired on two Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, as Secretary of Marco Rubio says the U.S. is expecting a response from Iran to the latest peace plan soon; Secretary Rubio also talks about his meeting

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U.S. and Gulf allies present a draft United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Iran's stopping commercial shipping, especially oil tankers, in Strait of Hormuz; Federal court of appeals is reportedly skeptical of the Pentagon's military punishment of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for his part in a video reminding servicemembers they have a duty not to follow illegal orders; World Health Organization reassures the world that the handful of hantavirus deaths on a cruise ship is not the start of a pandemic like COVID or SARS; Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council issues its final report recommending changes, in many cases reductions, in how the federal government helps states respond to natural disasters. We will hear from the council co-chair and talk about it with Andrew Rumbach, Co-Lead, Climate and Communities Program with the Urban Institute (34); Republican majority in the Tennessee legislature passes and the Republican governor signs into law a new congressional district map aimed at flipping the only Democratic seat in the nine member Congressional delegation to Republican; Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) hosts a National Day of Prayer program in the Capitol Building; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy takes the first ride on the "Freedom 250" Acela train to celebrate America's 250th anniversary; National Capitol Planning Commission meets to consider President Trump's proposal to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's gray granite exterior bright white.

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Iran says it is looking over the latest U.S. plan to end the war, while President Donald Trump issues a new ultimatum to Iran: accept a deal to end the war or face U.S. bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”; President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay tribute to mothers of military servicemembers ahead of Mother's Day. First Lady says, "At the very heart of America’s strength lies the boundless love and quiet power of mothers"; Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is interviewed in closed session by the House Oversight Committee in the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; major party candidates are set in the Ohio U.S. Senate race after Tuesday's primaries: incumbent Republican Jon Husted vs. former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown; national debt reaches 100% of GDP, highest since World War II; Border Czar Tom Homan threatens a federal immigration enforcement surge in New York if that state passes a sanctuary law; CNN founder Ted Turner has died age of 87. 

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President Donald Trump & Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both say the ceasefire in the war with Iran still holds, despite the attacks from Iran on U.S. ships and U.S. sinking Iranian small military boats; Secretary of State Marco Rubio fills in for White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a White House news conference while she is on maternity leave and is asked about his meeting later this week with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican after President Trump again on Monday criticized the Pope over the Pope's criticism of the President's handling of the Iran War; Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) celebrates Cinco de Mayo; Vice President JD Vance votes in Cincinnati,

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First day of a new strategy President Donald Trump calls Project Freedom to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and there are reports of attacks by both the U.S. and Iran; Spirit Airlines goes out of business over the weekend, blaming the rising cost of fuel from the war with Iran, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pointing to a Biden Administration decision to block a merger with JetBlue a few years ago; Supreme Court blocks a lower court ruling that had stopped access to the abortion pill mifepristone at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor; two National Guard members who saved the lives of civilians and other servicemembers during last year's targeted attack on the Guard on Washington, DC streets, receive medals at the Pentagon for their bravery; Justice Department announces the investigation of potential antitrust violations in U.S. cattle and beef meatpacking markets that have led to high beef prices; Ireland is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led effort to establish rules for the exploration and commercialization of the moon, Mars and beyond.

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This week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced lawmakers on both sides of Capitol Hill—pressed on U.S. policy in Iran, military posture, and the path forward amid rising global tensions.

Across town, a royal visit drew attention and diplomatic focus—as King Charles III arrived in Washington, highlighting the state of U.S.-U.K. relations at a complicated moment.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers moved major legislation—passing an extension of FISA surveillance authorities and advancing a budget reconciliation package after a marathon round of votes in the Senate.

And in the aftermath of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, questions lingered about political rhetoric and security following a high-profile incident that drew bipartisan reaction.

That’s all ahead on The Weekly.

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In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal.

First: A conversation with Axios Chief Economic Correspondent Neil Irwin about the looming change in leadership at the Federal Reserve and how the ongoing Iran conflict is muddying the economic picture in the U-S..

Then: A discussion about sexual misconduct allegations by Member of Congress and other public officials with Emma Davidson Tribbs from the National Women's Defense League.

Finally: Retired U.S. Army Major General Randy Manner discusses the latest developments in the U.S.-Iran war and recent firings at the Pentagon.

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President Donald Trump says he is rejecting the latest offer from Iran to end the war with the U.S. and Israel, and the President says he is not complying with the War Powers Act to withdraw U.S. forces after 60 days or get Congressional authorization because no other President has followed that law. His administration is also arguing the 60-day clock stopped with the ceasefire; President Trump has threatened this week to withdraw U.S. troops from Germany and some other European countries whose leaders have been critical of his handling of the war with Iran. We will talk about that with Wall Street Journal National Security Correspondent Michael Gordon (13) ; The President visits The Villages

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On Day 76 of the Homeland Security Department shutdown, the House joins the Senate in passing a full fiscal-year spending bill to fund all the department's agencies except ICE & CBP; Illinois Accountability Commission releases its final report on what it says were abuses by federal immigration agents in Chicago; Commerce Department says core inflation is 3.2%, driven by higher fuel prices from the war with Iran; Senate votes for a sixth time almost along party lines to block a Democratic resolution to require the U.S. stop military action against Iran without Congressional authorization; President Donald Trump signs an executive order to create a new government website where people can find and compare private-sector retirement savings accounts; House passes a five-year farm bill, after passing an amendment to remove a provision that

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Iran War hits the 60 day mark, and President Donald Trump is asked when it might end and the Strait of Hormuz might reopen; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies before a Congressional committee for the first time since the start of the Iran War, saying the biggest obstacle for U.S. success in the war is Congressional Democrats and some Republicans; Pentagon's Chief Financial Officer testifies that the cost of the war so far is $25 billion; Federal Reserve votes to leave interest rates unchanged, and chair Jerome Powell says he plans to stay on as Fed governor after his term as chair expires in two weeks because the Justice Department's criminal investigation of him is not fully settled; Senate Banking Committee approves the president's nominee for the next Fed chair, Kevin Warsh, in a party line vote; House passes a 3-year reauthorization of FISA Sect. 702 spying power, with opponents looking to add a requirement for a warrant to record Americans' conversations; Supreme Court strikes down a Louisiana Congressional district map as unconstitutional racial gerrymandering; Supreme Court hears oral argument in a case about the Trump Administration's efforts to end deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians in the U.S.; former

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