Weekend Edition: President Trump's Address to the Nation, Artemis II Launch, and Impact of President Trump's Tariffs Agenda

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

An American fighter jet shot down over Iran, two crewmembers ejecting, one safely rescued by U.S. forces, and the search continues for the other; President Donald Trump proposed a federal budget for next year that include a 42% increase in defense spending, to $1.5 trillion; Labor Department says the U.S. created 178,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate ticked lower to 4.3%.  but are their warning signs due to the war with Iran? We will talk with MarketWatch Economics Editor Greg Robb (10); NASA gives a status report on the Artemis II mission to the moon; Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche talks about taking over as acting Attorney General when Pam Bondi leaves; debate for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court; America250 Chair Rosie Rios on latest events to celebrate the nation's semiquincentennial; On this Good Friday before Easter Sunday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks about the importance of her faith, and that of others work in the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

The situation in the Middle East has ramped up over the past few days as reports emerged that the U.S. may escalate the conflict in Iran with ground troops…. Meanwhile, over the weekend President Trump said there has been progress in talks with Iran…but that he wanted to QUOTE take the oil there if those talks don't pan out… Oil prices rose today to as much as $116 a barrel after that comment…. The average US gas price according to AAA—3 dollars and 99 cents a gallon… That’s the highest since 2022…. Americans are finding some relief at the airport…As security wait times have begun to ease as TSA employees are now receiving paychecks… But, with Congress on its two week Easter/Passover break, there is still no long term funding deal in sight for the Homeland Security Department… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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