Washington Today

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says President Donald Trump's tariff increases are larger "significantly larger than anticipated" and "same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth"; Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announces the first lawsuit against the Trump Administration over tariffs, challenging the President's use of emergency declarations as the legal basis; Attorney General Pam Bondi announces a federallawsuit against the state of Maine for not complying with the President's Executive Order banning transgender athletes in girl's and women's sports; Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the increase in autism rates in children is evidence of an epidemic, contradicting the finding of a CDC study that pointed to increased awareness and better diagnosis; federal judge James Boasberg finds “probable cause exists” to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for violating his orders to stop the use of the AlienEnemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members; Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) travels to El Salvador to try to free Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported there, accused of being a gang member; President Trump has ordered the military into a new, enhanced role on border security, turning a narrow strip of land running along the U.S.-Mexico border into a de facto military base. we will talk about it with Military-dot-com reporter Thomas Novelly. (38) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump suggests Harvard Univ lose its tax-exempt status after the school refuses to comply with Administration's demands, as the Trump Administration freeze frozen over $2 billion in grants and contracts to Harvard; On this Tax Day, House and Senate members talk about the future of federal tax cuts and spending cuts, and IRS budget and staff; interview with The Verge reporter Lauren Finer on the FTC's antitrust trial alleging Meta killed its competition when it bought Instagram and WhatsApp (21); another court hearing in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported to a prison in El Salvador; President Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff talks about his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump and El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele met at the White House today….Both made clear that they have no plans to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia--the Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador--back to the US…Their words come despite a Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia's return…President Trump also talked about tariffs, Russia's deadly attack on Ukraine yesterday, and the state of talks with Iran…We'll hear what he had to say about all of it and get reactions from two members of Maryland's congressional delegation coming up… With Congress in its Easter and Passover recess, Democrats continue to criss-cross the country speaking out on Trump administration policies…California congressman Ro Khanna was in Ohio today…and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker was in Arizona today…Both of them talked economic issues and possible cuts to Medicaid and other services in the Republican's budget…. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal.First, we speak with Rahna Epting – executive director of the progressive group MOVE ON. We'll talk about what the so-called "resistance" movement looks like in the second Trump presidency. Then, a conversation with Erec Smith – a research fellow at the Cato Institute – and co-founder of the online platform "Free Black Thought." We'll talk about why he SUPPORTS Trump administration efforts to dismantle DEI programs. Plus, a deep dive into President Trump's executive order related to how federal elections are run. David Becker from the Center for Election Innovation and Research joins us for THAT discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has its annual physical exam at Walter Reed Medical Center, the first such exam of his second term; China raises tariffs against the United States to match the latest tariff increase against their goods from President Trump, who is still saying he expects this standoff to be resolved through negotiation; Consumer confidence falls in April, according to a new survey; We will talk about the markets and the economy one week into the imposition of tariffs with Gregg Robb, senior reporter with MarketWatch; federal judge orders the Justice Dept to give daily updates on efforts to return to the U.S. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador; National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy talks about the investigation into Thursday helicopter crash into the Hudson River in New York City, killing all six people on board; U.S. Senate confirms Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an overnight vote; Ukraine Defense Contact Group meets at NATO HQ in Brussels, led to Germany and the United Kingdom, with U.S. Def Sec Pete Hegseth participating virtually; congratulations from Members of Congress who represent the universities whose men's and women's basketball teams won this year's NCAA March Madness tournaments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Republicans pass Senate version of the Budget Resolution, overcoming initial reluctance from some conservatives who said the Senate bill did not cut federal spending enough; President Trump at a Cabinet meeting on his tariffs policies says, “there’ll be a transition costand transition problems" but “we think we’re in very good shape.” Elon Musk, head of the Dept of Government Efficiency, attends the Cabinet meeting with an update on expected savings from federal spending cuts this year; House passes a bill requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to vote; State Department on the release of prisoner exchange with Russia that has released aRussian-American ballerina convicted of treason for supporting Ukraine; Senate committee hearing on Daylight Saving Time and whether the twice-a-year clock switching should end. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump pauses reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, raises tariffs on China to 125%; House debates and votes on the Senate version of the Budget Resolution; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem meets with family of victims of crimes committed by migrants in the U.S. illegally; wife of a Maryland man illegally deported to El Salvador meets with Members of Congress and pleads for his return; former Facebook employee, now a whistleblower, testifies before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Facebook's alleged dealings with the Chinese Communist Party; NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman appears before the Senate Commerce Committee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

United State Trade Representatives Jamieson Greer defends President Donald Trump's tariffs before the Senate Finance Committee; President Trump joins coal miners at the White House to sign an Executive Order to increase mining, use and export of what he calls 'clean coal'; Speaker Mike Johnson says the House will go ahead this week with a vote on the Senateversion of the Budget Resolution, even though some House Republicans do not support the relatively small spending cuts versus the a House-passed version; House implements a way for Members who are new parents to register how they would have voted when they miss votes (pairing), which Democrats say is a far cry from the original bipartisan proposal for true proxy voting; Attorney General Pam Bondi talks about the Supreme Court allowing the administration to use the 18th century Alien Enemies Act for deportations; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits the Panama Canal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Financial markets continued their upheaval today after President Trump has doubled down on his tariffs. The S&P 500 was down 0.8% in late trading, following another volatile day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 563 points, or 1.5%...while the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% lower. This comes as a growing number of Republicans are signing onto bills that would give Congress more power over tariffs. Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon introduced a bill today that would give Congress the authority to approve tariffs. In the Senate, six Republicans have signed onto a companion bill led by Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell. That bill has prompted a veto threat from the White House. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson is publicly sticking by the tariff strategy Tariffs aren't the only issue dividing Congressional Republicans as the revised 2025 Republican Budget resolution is scheduled to hit the floor this week. This is the same bill that the Senate approved in the early hours of Saturday morning. At least three other Republicans have said they will oppose it on the House floor. That comes despite pressure from a Dear Colleague letter from House Republican leadership on Saturday and a private conference call on Sunday. And Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was at the White House today. It's his second visit since January. He stated that his country will eliminate the trade deficit and trade barriers with the US, and that he hopes Israel can serve as a model for other countries to do the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kirk Bado, Editor of National Journal's Hotline, shares insights on the recent Wisconsin Supreme Court race and special elections in Florida, analyzing crucial electoral trends. Jefferson Morley, a JFK historian, delves into newly released information about the Kennedy assassination, sparking renewed public interest in this historical event. Courtenay Brown, Senior Economics Reporter for Axios, discusses the unexpected impact of President Trump's tariffs on U.S. consumers, critiquing White House calculations and exploring broader economic uncertainties.