Weekend Edition: Epstein Files and the 2026 Midterm Elections

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. First – we chat with Punchbowl News congressional reporter Max Cohen about the prospects for a potential government shutdown in a few short weeks – and the political and policy obstacles to a potential deal. Then: Vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit discusses his recent removal from the FDA vaccine advisory committee – and his concerns about Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's leadership at HHS. Finally: a conversation with Republican Mike Bost of Illinois - Chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee-- on this week's 9/11 anniversary, veterans' issues, and the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Spencer Cox (R-UT) announces the arrest in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk of 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson of Utah; President Donald Trump says he will send National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, the next city he is targeting with federal resources to reduce crime; former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre gives a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee in its investigation of former President Biden's mental fitness while in office; The Hill's health care reporter Nathaniel Weixel on President Trump's Executive Order signed this week targeting pharmaceutical drug TV ads (30); NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Alexus Grynkevich launch "Eastern Sentry," a boost in military assets on the Eastern front in response to Russian drones flying into Polish airspace this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FBI releases photos of a person of interest in the shooting death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk and asks the public for help in identifying him. FBI also gives an update on the evidence recovered so far, including the suspected firearm used; President Donald Trump announces he will award Charlie Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom; House & Senate Democratic Leaders are asked about President Trump blaming the shooting on the 'radical left'; solemn ceremonies on this 24th anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero in New York City,  at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; Gen. Christopher Mahoney, Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chair nominee, is asked at his Senate confirmation hearing about handling a potential order from President Trump to deploy more U.S. troops to more U.S. cities to fight crime; Senate Republicans unilaterally change the rules to make it easier to confirm President Trump's nominees; bipartisan group of Senators introduce a bill to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over its kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children; Herschel Walker, former professional football star & Republican nominee for U.S. Senator, testifies at his Senate hearing as nominee for U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk is shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) forces a vote in the Senate on an amendment to release all the files related to the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says Russia flying drones over Poland "reckless and dangerous… whether it was intentional or not". Poland shot down the drones with the aid of NATO allies; U.S. House of Representatives votes on whether to continue U.S. aid to Ukraine for its war with Russia; Senate Banking committee approves the nomination of Stephen Miran for Federal Reserve Board governor in a party-line vote; Rep.-elect James Walkinshaw (D-VA) is sworn-in after winning Tuesday's special election; Attorney General Pam Bondi announces a major seizure of illegal vaping products around the country smuggled in from China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Administration's Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission releases a report with strategies to fight childhood chronic disease that focuses more on nutrition and lifestyle changes rather than government regulations; White House says President Donald Trump would be willing to bring in a handwriting expert to show that it is not his signature on a suggestive birthday congratulations 20 years ago to the late sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein; former researchers at tech giant Meta tell a Senate subcommittee that the company downplayed research on the dangers to children of its virtual reality devices and apps; discussions are ongoing over extended federal government funding past the October 1st deadline to avoid a shutdown, but few signs of an agreement between Republicans and Democrats; President Trump criticizes Israel for a military attack in Doha, Qatar targeting Hamas leaders; House begins debate on the annual defense authorization bill (NDAA); House task force holds a hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), with military veterans telling Members they have video of flying things they cannot explain and subcommittee member Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) saying, “I don’t really know what is true… I do know when we’re being lied to and we are definitely being lied to." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

News from the Supreme Court today….In a 6-3 decision, it blocked a federal judge’s ruling that restricted federal officers’ ability to conduct immigration stops in the Los Angeles area…. The Court also received… a formal request from the White House to let it hold back 4 billion dollars of congressionally approved foreign aid. The appeal comes after a federal judge ruled last week that the administration must spend the money… -On Capitol Hill, multiple media accounts this afternoon say Congressional leaders are trying to de-escalate a standoff over the Sept. 30 government funding deadline, with both Republicans and Democrats saying they’d be open to a short-term bill that wouldn't include substantial funding cuts…. Meanwhile, Senate Republican leader John Thune is taking the first steps to change rules on executive nominations… This after Democrats blocked several of the president’s picks before August recess…. -From the Washington Post…A divided Supreme Court on Monday lifted a ruling by a lower-court judge who placed limits on immigration raids in the Los Angeles area after finding federal agents were indiscriminately targeting people based on race and other factors… The justices sided with the Trump administration, which argued that a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge was hampering its ability to crack down on illegal migration and that the stops by authorities were not unlawful…. The Post goes on to write…The majority did not offer a rationale for the decision, which is common in cases decided on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket…. But Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion that illegal immigration is a major issue in the Los Angeles area…. He added…“To be clear, apparent ethnicity alone cannot furnish reasonable suspicion; under this Court’s case law regarding immigration stops, however, it can be a ‘relevant factor’ when considered along with other salient factors… Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Kentanji Brown Jackson sharply disagreed… Justice Sotomayor wrote “We should not have to live in a country where the Government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speaks Spanish, and appears to work a low wage job…Rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are lost, I dissent.” That from The Washington Post… Now….we'll hear what California Attorney General Rob Bonta had to say about the decision coming up… But now to the White House request to hold back 4 billion dollars in federal aid… NBC News' Lawrence Hurley reporting today… The case marks a showdown over to what extent the president can refuse to spend money that Congress has appropriated, a brewing issue as the Trump administration has embraced a sweeping view of presidential power since taking office again in January…. In the new filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer described the case as raising “a grave and urgent threat” to the power of the presidency…. Under the Constitution, it is the job of Congress to allocate funds that the president can spend…. While the Trump administration has said it wants to withhold the 4 billion dollars…it has said it plans to spend another 6.5 billion dollars that Congress appropriated... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this weekend's episode, three segments from this past week's Washington Journal. Congress returned to Washington this week – and immediately was consumed by the Epstein files controversy and the looming government funding deadline at the end of the month. We talk with two lawmakers – on opposites sides of the aisle -- about potential Congressional action on the matter: Democrat Al Green of Texas and Republican Adrian Smith of Nebraska. Then – a conversation with Cook Political Report Senior Editor David Wasserman on how redistricting efforts in several states COULD impact the 2026 midterm elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Labor Department says the U.S. added just 22,000 jobs in August, lower than expectations, and the unemployment rate goes up to 4.3%. President Donald Trump says the real jobs numbers will be next year, after his policies have a chance to take effect; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) talks about her vision of keeping the needs of the U.S. middle class front and center in U.S. foreign policy; Heritage Foundation think tank is about to publish a paper recommending government policies reward and promote married heterosexual couples having more children. We will talk about the implications with Jay Zigmont, CEO of Childfree Trust (12); President Trump to sign an Executive Order on renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the name it had from its creation in 1789 until 1949; U.S. Attorney for the DC Jeanine Pirro says two 17 year old suspects have been arrested in the fatal shooting of a 21-year old Capitol Hill intern in June.. and they will be tried as adults; New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he is staying in the race for reelection as an independent, after reports the Trump Administration made him job offers to drop out to try to block the election of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani; British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resigns after admitting  she failed to pay enough taxes when she bought an apartment, leading to a major shakeup in the Labour government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. defends his vaccine policy changes and firing of top officials at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, before the Senate Finance Committee. Almost all the committee's Democrats are calling on him to resign. Secretary Kennedy is also asked about studies on the causes of autism, and about his comments following the school shooting in Minneapolis on side effects of antidepressants; Federal Reserve Governor nominee Stephen Miran tells the Senate Banking Committee he is committed to the independence of the Fed, as he gets questions about any plans to return to his current job at the White House when his term ends in January; Director of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services talks about bringing in armed law enforcement to the agency and making the U.S. citizenship test tougher; Missouri's legislature takes up a Congressional redistricting map to flip a Democratic seat to Republicans, part of a nationwide effort led by the White House in red states, being countered by Democrats in blue states; First Lady Melania Trump hosts a meeting of the White House Task Force on AI Education at the White House with the leaders of large technology companies including Google, Meta & Apple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Survivors of sexual abuse by the late Jeffrey Epstein tell their emotional, personal stories in a news conference on Capitol Hill with Members of Congress of both parties who have been calling for the release of all the Justice Department files in the investigation of Epstein; President Donald Trump again calling that effort on the Epstein files a "Democrat hoax" meant to detract from his Administration's policy successes; White House and Trump campaign officials reportedly meet with House Republicans on the messaging surrounding the major tax cut and spending cut bill signed into law this year; Bipartisan House members introduce a bill to bank individual stock trading by Members of Congress; President Trump says he is now considering whether to surge federal law enforcement to New Orleans before Chicago; Nigel Farage, leader of Great Britain's right-wing Reform Party, testifies before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee about what he says is an unreasonable restriction of online free speech in his country; Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to the Harlem Hellfighters, the African-American Army infantry regiment that spent 191 straight days in combat during WWI, more than any other American military unit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices