Weekend Edition: Iran, Cuba, & CPAC

Welcome to The Weekly — a look at the stories shaping the weekend's conversation around Washington. This week, the war in Iran continues to dominate the global stage — now stretching into another week of escalating tensions as U.S. officials weigh strategy. In the early morning hours on Friday, the Senate passed a measure to fund key parts of the Department of Homeland Security — a move aimed at easing disruptions at airports and getting some federal workers back on track. And on Capitol Hill, a development from the House Ethics Committee with its finding 25 out of 27 allegations against Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick substantiated, putting her political future in question. 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 Representative Adam Smith -- top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee -- about ongoing conflict in Iran – now nearing the one-month mark. Then: we turn our attention to another global hotspot: CUBA – and President Trump’s continued threats targeting the leadership of THAT country. We speak with Cuba expert Professor William LeoGrande from American University about what he’s watching. Then: As the annual Conservative Political Action Committee convention continues this weekend, HENRY OLSEN – podcast host and Senior Fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center -- discusses how the Republican party is reacting to U.S. involvement in Iran – and what it could mean for upcoming midterms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Partial government shutdown of the Homeland Security Department will continue for the time being, as House Republicans reject the bipartisan bill the Senate passed Thursday night to fund most of the agencies in the department except immigration enforcement, which has been the focus of the dispute between Republicans and Democrats, and instead are moving ahead with a separate bill to fund the entire department for eight weeks, including immigration enforcement; President Donald Trump speaks to farmers on the South Lawn of the White House, touting his agenda he says has helped them, including $12 billion in direct aid he says comes from tariff revenue; Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks about the war in Iran and peace negotiations with his G7 counterparts at a ministerial meeting in France; We will talk about the state of the Iran war, about to hit the one month mark, with Elise Labott, 'Cosmopolitics' Substack Founder (22); Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) introduces a bill to codify the roles of women in combat, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly ordered a review of the policy's military effectiveness; Vice President JD Vance holds the first meeting of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which he chairs; actress and activist Jane Fonda speaks at a protest against Trump Administration policies on freedom of expression outside the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senate Republicans present Senate Democrats what they call a 'last and final' offer to reopen the Homeland Security Department, now shut for 41 days, and fund FEMA & TSA, paying government workers again, and hopefully alleviating hours-long airport security lines. Democrats have been holding out until federal immigration enforcement reforms are included; Senate Democrats block a Republican-sponsored amendment to require voters show a photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections. This is part of the larger debate on a bill that also includes a requirement to prove U.S. citizenship to register to vote; President Donald Trump says Iran is begging to make a deal to end the war with the U.S. & Israel; House Ethics Committee holds a rare public hearing in the case of Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) who is accused of using millions of dollars of Federal Emergency Management Agency money mistakenly sent to her family’s health care company to run for Congress; New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) speaks on this Equal Pay Day, which represents how far into the new year a woman must work to earn what men earned, on average, the previous year; International Olympic Committee bans transgender athletes starting with the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles; Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) speaks at a ceremony on this second anniversary of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the U.S. military operation against Iran is ahead of schedule and dismisses Iranian state TV reporting Iran has rejected a U.S.-proposed 15-point peace plan; Senate Democrats present another counteroffer, immediately rejected by Republicans, to reopen the shuttered Homeland Security Department… which has been closed for 40 days due to ongoing disagreements over whether and how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be reformed; TSA Acting Administrator talks about the hardships of unpaid TSA officers due to the shutdown and of travelers stuck in long airport security screening lines; Jury finds social media company Meta & video streaming service YouTube liable for harming a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress; First Lady Melania Trump is introduced by a humanoid robot at her Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit; Supreme Court hears a case about worker rights, asking if a delivery driver who delivers that travel in interstate commerce but who does cross the border himself or interact with vehicles which do is subject to or exempt from a federal arbitration law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says negotiations to end the Iran war are happening 'right now' and Iran is 'talking sense', and 'They’ve agreed…(t)hey will never have a nuclear weapon.' Iran denies there are any talks; A possible deal is emerging to end the Homeland Security Department shutdown by funding most of the department, including the Transportation Security Administration, whose agents have going without pay, many not showing up for work, leading to long security lines at airports. The deal will not fund ICE enforcement and removal operations, whose possible reform is an area of disagreement between Democrats & Republicans; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin takes the oath of office at a White House ceremony with President Trump; Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) appoints energy executive Alan Armstrong to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Markwayne Mullin; Supreme Court hears a challenge a proposed revival of a Trump Administration policy of not accepting asylum claims of migrants at the southern border when the lines get too long because they have not 'arrived in the U.S.,' as the law requires; House passes a federal boxing bill named for Muhammad Ali. We will talk about it with Professor Michael McCann, director of the Sports & Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire (41); NASA Admin. Jared Isaacman changes some plans for the return to the moon, saying instead of a space station in lunar orbit, the goal is to build a permanent moon base. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump says he is holding off, for now, on strikes against Iran’s power plants and other energy infrastructure, after what he called weekend contacts that revealed “major points of agreement.” Iran’s foreign ministry is disputing that account, saying there has been no dialogue with the United States. Here at home, the partial Homeland Security shutdown is taking a bigger toll on travelers. TSA staffing shortages have led to major airport delays, with screeners working without pay for more than a month, and the administration is now deploying ICE officers to help manage lines and check IDs at some airports. We’ll also have the latest on the deadly crash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, where an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a fire truck, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of others. On Capitol Hill, there are still few signs of a breakthrough to fully reopen Homeland Security, even as the Senate moves toward a final vote on President Trump’s nomination of Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the war in Iran dominated the conversation, as the Pentagon asked for billions more in funding and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle questioned the cost — and the path forward. Back home, the spotlight turns to the Department of Homeland Security, where the President’s nominee to lead the agency faced scrutiny on Capitol Hill amid heightened concerns over border security and national preparedness. And on the legislative front, an elections bill takes center stage. The SAVE Act — which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote — has passed the House and is sparking an intense debate in the Senate over voting access and election integrity. 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: A discussion with National Security Institute founder and former Bush administration official Jamil Jaffer on the Iran war and potential threats to the homeland as a result. Then, we talk about rising oil and gas prices as the Iran conflict drags on. That conversation with Clay Seigle - a global energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Finally, we check in with Reuters transportation reporter David Shepardson on how the partial homeland security department shutdown – nearly one-month long – is impacting air travel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump says he does not want a ceasefire in Iran and is asked about his post that opening the Strait of Hormuz from Iran's blockade is "a simple military maneuver"; Senate votes down for a fifth time a bill to end the partial government shutdown of the Homeland Security Department. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) says the two sides are still far apart in finding an agreement to reform federal immigration enforcement procedures; Senate passes a bill to require Members of Congress to go through the same airport security as everyone else. TSA employees have been working without pay during the shutdown, and security lines in some airports are stretching to a more than two hour wait; Congress will soon be voting on whether to reauthorize the FISA Section 702 warrantless surveillance program or let it expire. There is some opposition coming from both sides of the aisle. We will talk about it The Hill's National Security Reporter Rebecca Beitsch (28); U.S. Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz testifies at a House field hearing at the UN in New York City about the U.S. pulling out of dozens of international organizations; FCC approves Nexstar Media Group's acquisition of Tegna’s TV stations, despite a lawsuit from Democratic Attorneys General to try to stop it. We will talk about that with Variety Business Editor Todd Spangler (42); Chuck Norris, martial artist and movie & TV star, has died. Over 30 years ago, he campaigned for a U.S. president's reelection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices