Washington Today

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

First: As millions of Americans filed their 2025 taxes this past week - a discussion with Wall Street Journal reporter Richard Rubin about how the Trump administration is actually scaling back tax enforcement.

Then: Congressional hearings began this week on the President's 2027 budget request – including $1.5 Trillion dollars for defense spending. We'll dig into the numbers with Bobby Kogan of the Center for American Progress and Veronique de Rugy from the Mercatus Center.

Finally: we end with a conversation with writer and truck driver - Gord Magill on his new book "End of the Road: Inside the War on Truckers."

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Both President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister say the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels, but President Trump says the U.S. naval blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports continues; France and Britain say they will lead a multinational defensive mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz that will be deployed only after a lasting peace is agreed to; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is questioned at a House hearing about vaccine policy, dietary guidelines and President Trump's mental fitness; A 10-day extension of FISA Section 702 warrantless wiretap authority is approved by the House & Senate, after an overnight House session where proposals

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President Donald Trump announces a 10-day ceasefire between Israel & Lebanon, to pause the war between Israel & Hezbollah in Lebanon. President Trump says the next round of negotiations in the war between the U.S. & Iran could happen this weekend; House votes down by just a few votes an Iran War Powers resolution to limit the president's authority to wage war on Iran without Congressional approval; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth compares news media criticizing the U.S. war with Iran to the Pharisees, the biblical Jewish group who criticized Jesus; House passes a bill to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian

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It is Tax Day, the deadline to file federal and most state tax returns. IRS CEO and Members of Congress are talking about the changes to your tax bill from last year's tax cut legislation known by supporters as the One Big Beautiful Bill; Senate votes down for a fourth time an Iran War Powers Act Resolution that would require President Donald Trump to end military action against Iran without Congressional authorization; President Trump continues his posts attacking Pope Leo XIV over the Pope's criticism of the war with Iran; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicts the prices of gasoline, now averaging about $4 a gallon, will drop to $3 by summer; House Republican majority postpones a procedural vote on reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), warrantless

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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) resign amid accusations of sexual misconduct, and another woman comes forward saying Swalwell drugged, raped and choked her; Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosts talks in Washington with the Ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon on reaching a settlement to end with the war between Israel and Hezbollah; President Donald Trump says the U.S.-Iran negotiations

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A U.S. military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is now underway after peace talks with Iran collapsed over the weekend in Islamabad, raising tensions in an already volatile region. President Trump is warning Iranian vessels to stay clear, even as he insists diplomatic talks are still ongoing. At the same time, the President is escalating his criticism of Pope Leo following the pontiff’s condemnation of the war—controversy that comes after the White House quietly deleted a social media post depicting Trump as Jesus. Back in Washington, lawmakers return from a two-week recess facing key votes in both chambers.

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The war involving Iran dominates the week, as tensions rise and a fragile ceasefire is tested. Melania Trump delivers rare public remarks drawing attention in Washington, while oil prices climb near $100 a barrel amid growing global uncertainty.

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

First: A discussion about the latest in Iran including the two-week ceasefire and efforts to negotiate a peace deal, with Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Then: Sophia Besch of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discusses NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's visit to Washington and President Trump's threats to leave NATO.

And finally: Breaking Defense's Ashley Roque discusses the cost of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and the Pentagon's $200B funding request.

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Vice President JD Vance warns Iran not to 'play' the U.S. ahead of talks in Pakistan to end the war. He says, 'If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we’re certainly willing to extend the open hand'; Iran's Parliament Speaker says Israel must stop bombing Lebanon before negotiations begin; former Vice President Kamala Harris says what she calls President Trump's 'war of choice' with Iran will cause long-term damage to the U.S. She also says she is considering running for president again in 2028; President Donald Trump's latest 10% global tariffs are challenged before the U.S. Court of International Trade. We will talk about it with Reuters reporter Dietrich Knauth (25); Top Senate Republicans meet with President Trump on a plan to fund immigration enforcement within the still-closed Department of Homeland Security with only

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NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says he sensed President Donald Trump's disappointment with European allies who were not helping at the start of the war with Iran, but he insists they are stepping up now, especially to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz, which is still effectively closed by Iran as they claim Israeli violations of the current ceasefire. General Rutte also says, 'Let me be clear: This alliance is not whistling past the graveyard as you would say in the United States'; U.S. House Democrats try to pass a War Powers Resolution to stop President Trump from waging war on Iran with Congressional authorization, but a Republican presiding over the brief House session does not recognize them to make the motion; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva says the Iran war will mean the IMF will downgrade its forecast for the world economy; First Lady Melania Trump criticizes what she calls “lies linking me to the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein”, the late convicted sex offender; Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is asked by a University of Alabama Law School student about bridging political divides with other justices; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) takes part in Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network conference in New York City; NASA expresses confidence in the Artemis II moon mission capsule heat shield that will allow the crew of four to land back safely on Earth Friday night.

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