Washington Today

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Challenges on the first full day of the Iran War two week ceasefire with the White House & Iran disagreeing over whether Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon is covered, and if in fact, as Iranian state media claims, Iran has closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz to commercial ships because Israel is still fighting in Lebanon; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the U.S. has secured an 'historic and overwhelming victory' over Iran, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) calls President Donald Trump a 'military moron' and says Democrats will force a vote on a War Powers Resolution next week 'to end this war for good'; Republican Clay Fuller wins easily in the Georgia 14th Congressional District special election runoff and thanks President Trump for the victory; Political activist Ralph Nader helps organize a symposium on impeaching President Trump; Artemis II moon mission astronauts are two days away from Earth splashdown; National Capital Planning Commission hears a proposal to spruce up Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump posts ahead of his threatened deadline to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on electrical infrastructure and bridges, 'a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will'; China & Russia veto a United Nations Security Council resolution on the Strait of Hormuz, sponsored by Bahrain and supported by the U.S., because, China & Russia say, it blames Iran for closing the strait to commercial shipping but not the U.S. & Israel for starting the war; Artemis II astronauts speak to NASA scientists on their way back to Earth about what they saw when they flew around the moon; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin visits western North Carolina to discuss FEMA's work to help the area recover from recent hurricanes; Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says at his first news conference since replacing Pam Bondi that accusations the Trump administration is weaponizing the Justice Department are 'completely false'; Vice President JD Vance campaigns in Budapest for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's reelection, and President Trump calls into the rally. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump shares details of servicemember's rescue and threatens Iran's infrastructure. Artemis II astronauts break the record for farthest human travel away from Earth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, we're featuring three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First: We hear from Global Affairs Journalist Elise Labott on President Trump's address to the nation Thursday night on Iran – and what she's watching in the days ahead as the conflict continues. Then: we look to the skies with Space journalist Kristin Fisher on the future of space exploration with this week's launch of the Artemis II manned rocket. Finally, it's been a year since President Trump announced his "Liberation Day" tariffs. We take a closer look at the impact of the President's tariffs agenda on the economy with Jeff Ferry of the Coalition for a Prosperous America and Michael Negron of the Center for American Progress. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Todd Blanche, Deputy Attorney General stepping in as acting top DOJ official. Greg Robb, MarketWatch economics editor and labor market analyst. They discuss a U.S. fighter jet downed over Iran and the ongoing rescue; dramatic implications for national security and defense spending. They also analyze March jobs data, why gains surprised, and how the Iran conflict could shape the economy.

President Donald Trump says Attorney General Pam Bondi will be leaving the Justice Department to take a position in the private sector, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche; A day after President Trump's primetime speech on the war with Iran, during which he said the U.S. & Israel will "hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks….We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutteres warns the world is “on the edge of a wider war.” We will talk about where the war with Iran stands with Elise Labott, founder of 'Cosmopolitics' Substack Founder (16); Senate passes an agreement to end the Homeland Security Department shutdown, but the House does not, so the partial government shutdown will extend into next week; National Capital Planning Commission gives final approval to his plans to build a 1,000 seat White House ballroom where the East Wing used to be; Labor Department publishes a rule to implement the President's proposal to allow 401(k) retirement plans to contain alternative assets, like cryptocurrency and private equity. We will talk with Brett Samuels, Bloomberg Law retirement benefits reporter (44); Health & Human Services Department puts microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the draft list of drinking water contaminants kept by the Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court hears a challenge to President Donald Trump's Executive Order ending birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and President Trump attends, a first for a sitting president. We will hear some of the oral argument and talk about the case with USA Today White House Correspondent Bart Jansen (9); President Trump is giving a primetime address tonight on the war with Iran after telling reporters he expects the war to end in two to three weeks; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is asked about President Trump saying he is considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO after European allies have not shown an eagerness to force Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to allow oil tankers to pass; Vice President JD Vance, chair of the new anti-fraud task force swears-in Colin McDonald, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the new fraud enforcement division at the Justice Department; NASA gets ready to launch the Artemis II mission sending four astronauts around the moon, the first time humans have gotten that close to the moon in 50 years; Passover holiday message from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supreme Court strikes down a Colorado law that banned 'conversation therapy' for LGBTQ+ children. We will talk about the decision with The Hill's Supreme Court reporter Zach Schonfeld (1); Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the role of the U.S. military in Iran is to 'negotiate with bombs' and 'ensure that we compel' the current regime to realize it is 'in a better place if they make that deal" to end the war; President Donald Trump posts that countries not able to get oil due to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz should buy it from the U.S. or "build up some delayed courage" and fight for it; United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting after three UN peacekeepers are killed in southern Lebanon, amid the military conflict between Israel & Hezbollah; Federal judge rules President Trump's White House ballroom construction must stop without Congressional approval; U.S. Homeland Security Department is still shutdown, now at a record 46 days; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum convenes the Endangered Species Committee for the first time in 30 years to approve a national security exemption to the Endangered Species Act for oil & gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico; one day until NASA launches the Artemis II moon mission; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is honored by her original home state of Maryland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elise Labatt, global affairs journalist and co-founder of the Cosmopolitics Substack, breaks down U.S.-Iran tensions and what limited incursions might look like. She also discusses how heated rhetoric rattled oil markets and sent gas prices up. Finally, she explains the political standoff over Homeland Security funding even as TSA paychecks ease airport delays.