Transcription
Welcome to Washington Today on C-SPAN Radio for Thursday, February 26, 2026. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies in closed session before the House Oversight Committee about Jeffrey Epstein and co-conspirator Gelain Maxwell, saying she has no new information to give the committee. And Republican leaders should be asking people whose name comes up many more times in the Epstein files, including President Donald Trump.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walls announces an anti-fraud legislative package and responds to the Trump administration putting on hold nearly $300 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns. Vice President JD Vance travels to a portion of Wisconsin where a vulnerable House Republican is running for reelection to speak at a manufacturing facility about the economy. Federal bank regulators answer questions at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on debanking and a top UAE official investing $500 million in a crypto company owned by the Trump family.
Another round of US-Iran talks over Iran's nuclear program concludes with no announced breakthrough as the US House and Senate plan to vote next week on a War Powers Act resolution requiring congressional approval before the president can use the military against Iran. Plus, Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray talks about the way forward for the paper after recent deep newsroom cuts. And Cindy McCain says she'll step down as head of the United Nations World Food Program due to health concerns. That and more coming up on Washington Today.
NBC News writing that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the House Oversight Committee on Thursday she has no new information about Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirator Delane Maxwell, criticizing Republicans' handling of their investigations into the late convicted sex offender.
"I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epste. I never flew on his plane or visited his island home or office," she said in the opening statement, which she posted on X.
She accused the panel of engaging in "partisan fishing expeditions" by forcing her and her husband to sit for depositions and said they are "interviewing the wrong people."
She said in the statement, "You have compelled me to testify fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation in order to distract attention from President Trump's actions and cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers." Some of the reporting from NBC News.
After the closed-door deposition in the Clinton's hometown of Chapuqua, New York, Republicans on the committee came out and spoke to reporters. Here's James Comr of Kentucky, the chair.
"Our deposition has concluded. It's a shame that it took seven months to get Miss Clinton in. Uh, she answered most of our questions. Uh, I'm going to let some of my colleagues uh lament on that, but we're going to not release too many details of what happened today. We're going to try to get the video out uh as quickly as possible, hopefully within the next 24 hours. That's a very long deposition. So, as quick as we can get that uh video uh produced, we will get that out. The transcript will be released as soon as her attorneys approve it. That's the standard rules of a deposition. Uh, and I think that uh, I think this was a productive deposition today. I think uh, we uh learned a lot. Uh, there were a lot of questions that we asked that we, you know, weren't satisfied with the answers that we got, but we will continue to move forward. Did any of my colleagues, every member of the committee, ask questions?"
"I would just say one of the things I learned today is if you really have specific questions about the Clinton Global Initiative or the relationship between the Clintons and Jeffrey Epstein and Gain Maxwell, you got to ask Bill Clinton."
"And that's a great, that's a great point. The number of times that she said, 'I don't know. You'll have to ask my husband,' was, you know, more than a dozen. And I'll put it like that."
Congressman James Comr, Republican from Kentucky, the chair of the Oversight Committee, with other Republicans on the committee, standing outside the building in Chapua, New York, where the closed-door deposition with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took place today.
Congressman Robert Garcia, Democrat of California, ranking member on the committee, putting out a statement. "Secretary Clinton was crystal clear. She never met Jeffrey Epstein, never went to the island, and never rode on his plane. She has no knowledge of Jeffrey Epste and Delay Maxwell's crimes. If Oversight Republicans were serious about the Epstein investigation, they would be focusing on the fact the Department of Justice has been exposed for concealing Epstein documents that have to do with President Trump being accused of sexual abuse. It's time to bring in President Trump for testimony under oath." That statement posted by Congressman Garcia.
And Congressman Comr was asked about this.
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Secretary Clinton said in her opening statement, 'If Republicans were serious about investigating Jeffrey Epste, that you would call President Trump to testify. Why won't you?'"
"Well, uh, President Trump has answered hundreds, if not thousands, of questions from you all about Epstein. Uh, and I think he's been very transparent in releasing the documents. We expect uh, hopefully more documents to come in. We're still assessing the 3 million plus documents that we have. Uh, we obviously will be moving on to the next phase and bringing more people in for questions. So, uh, again, remember this was a bipartisan subpoena by members of both parties to bring in Miss Clinton, and it's just a shame that it took seven months. And I know uh, every member of our committee has a big list of names they want to bring in. These are big, powerful people that hire uh, very skilled law firms, and they delay, delay, delay. And, you know, part of when you delay in this investigation, it takes seven months to bring a witness in like it did today, that creates a problem. So, we're trying to move as quickly as we can. Uh, we're obviously following what's going on in the United Kingdom now. Uh, we're following, you know, everything. I know that there are a lot of eyes, and hopefully the media will play a role in this. The media has a role. The documents have been made public. We're going to continue to fight for more redactions. There are some names who are redacted. I think we all agree shouldn't be redacted. I don't think they're who you think they are. Uh, so that's why we want those names."
"Chairman, if I could just add to follow up on that, though, we asked specifically the victims, and we were all there, as well as the speaker and the Democrat members of Congress, if the president was involved, and they exonerated him. So, why would we bring in the president of the United States who's been exonerated, who cooperated with law enforcement, and who released the files when we had to fight, we basically threatened to hold the Clintons in contempt if they didn't want to come in? So, to be clear, we had cooperation. We asked the victims directly, and he was exonerated. So, I would encourage all of you to at least do the fair reporting and understanding that just like you would not publish false statements about the Clintons in some of the allegations that have been made about them, you would give the president of the United States the same, um, the same respect. Also, he also went to law."
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida, and Congressman James Comr, Republican of Kentucky, chair of the Oversight Committee. Republicans on the committee talking to reporters outside the closed-door deposition today of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Epstein investigation.
AP reporting mid-afternoon, after a pause, the House Oversight Committee's deposition of the former Secretary has restarted. It was put on hold after Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boowbert shared a photo of Clinton at the closed-door proceeding with a conservative influencer who posted it on social media. The photo violated committee rules for depositions, but Boowbert posted on social media that the influencer did nothing wrong. That was from AP.
After the deposition was over, Hillary Clinton herself came out and spoke to reporters.
"Well, I have just finished uh testifying. I answered every one of their questions as fully as I could uh based on what I knew. And what I knew is what I said in my statement uh this morning. I never met uh Jeffrey Epstein, never had any uh connection or communication with him. I knew uh Galileain Maxwell um casually as an acquaintance, but whatever they asked me, I did my very best to respond."
"Um, it was disappointing that they refused to hold uh a public hearing so I wouldn't have to be out here characterizing it for you. You could have seen it for yourself. Uh, we had asked for that. We think it would have been better for the committee uh and its efforts to uh gather whatever information they are seeking."
"Uh, we had uh a bit of a challenge in the beginning because we had agreed upon rules based on the fact it was going to be a closed hearing uh at their uh demand, and one of the members violated uh that rule, which was uh very upsetting because it suggested that they might violate other uh of our agreements. So, we had to cease the hearing for a period of time until we could get assurances that uh no rules would be uh broken going forward. And we returned to answer questions repetitively, literally over and over again. I don't know how many times I had to say I did not know Jeffrey Epstein. I never went to his island. I never went to his homes. I never went to his offices. Uh, so it's on the record numerous times."
"Uh, it then got at the end quite unusual because I started being asked about UFOs and a series of questions about Pizzagate, one of the most vile, bogus conspiracy theories that was propagated on the internet, uh, that was serving as the basis of a member's uh questions to me."
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaking to reporters in Chapaqua, New York, outside the Arts Center where the closed-door deposition with the US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee took place today in the Epstein investigation. The committee said it's going to release the video. When it is released, C-SPAN will post it at c-span.org. The committee is to depose former President Bill Clinton on Friday.
Associated Press writing, "The Justice Department said Wednesday that it was looking into whether it had improperly withheld documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files after several news organizations reported that some records involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against President Donald Trump were not among those released to the public." The announcement followed news reports saying that a massive trunch of records released by the Justice Department did not include several summaries of interviews that the FBI conducted with an unidentified woman who came forward after Epstein's 2019 arrest and claimed to have been sexually assaulted by both Epstein and Trump when she was a minor in the 1980s. That was from AP.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said at a news conference in Washington, "The Justice Department's involved in a coverup."
"Let me be blunt. There is a massive coverup going on in the Justice Department to protect Donald Trump and people associated with Jeffrey Epstein. As we expected, Trump, Bondi, and their missions and their minions have played games with the release of these files. They release some documents that they want to release and continue to hide others. The American people see right through it, and they're all asking the obvious question: What is Bondi trying to hide? President Trump, what are you trying to hide? That's the question the American people are asking."
"Senate Democrats' Epstein working group, including my colleagues here with me, have been preparing for this very scenario. We saw what they were doing. And so we're working with victims' attorneys. We're working with legal experts. We're working with people very familiar with this case to ensure full compliance of the law. We know the administration's withholding some documents unlawfully. Yesterday, news outlets reported that several memos detailing a woman's accusation against the president from when she was a minor have been withheld from the public. We know they're abusing redactions to hide the truth. Hundreds of pages are completely blacked out. Co-conspiritate identities remain hidden while survivors have been exposed."
"We're here today to put a shot across the bow of the Department of Justice and the Trump administration that we are going to reveal this massive coverup. We will not rest. It's an all-out oversight effort. We're going to pull on every thread. We're going to chase every lead. We'll talk with whistleblowers. We will get to the truth. Our working group, Senate Democrats, will go review the unredacted files in the coming days. Let me repeat that. Our working group, Senate Democrats, will go re review the unredacted files in the coming days. Pam Bondi should listen carefully. The truth will come out."
The Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York, at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. And this is Washington Today from WCO TV.
CBS Minnesota. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walls laid out his anti-fraud legislative package on Thursday, one day after the White House paused $259 million in federal Medicaid payments to the state until a comprehensive action plan is laid out to fight fraud.
The package focuses on three main components, according to Walls's office: better detection and oversight, strengthened investigative and enforcement authority, increased criminal penalties. That was from WCO TV.
A reporter at the news conference with the governor of Minneapolis asked him about the Trump administration actions and accusations.
"What do you think is behind this immigration action?"
"If I knew what went on in Donald Trump's mind, I think the world would be really glad to hear me say what it is. I have no damn idea, Mary, what they're thinking."
"This is disproportionate."
"Yeah. 'Cause I think the number is now 19 billion, according to the president. And, you know, um, look, the thing about that is, and we've been very candid and open trying to solve this, misinformation doesn't help us fix fraud. Saying false numbers like this doesn't get to the reality of this, the actual tools to do it. Um, look, I see no other way to view this than, I take him for his word, when this is reckoning and retribution. They used false pretense to come in on Metro Surge, and we saw the catastrophic damage that was done and the deaths. Um, now we're seeing them turn to this. And again, I ask all of you, you're very versed at this. You followed this, you see this. So, they're going to freeze the money because of fraud. What specific fraud? What did you see that the state didn't do? You've been hearing this. We've been doing all the gave you not one single grain of this happen that's fraud. And as we know, it doesn't make it right. This is in every state, and the numbers are bigger in other states because they're bigger, and they're doing nothing, and they're being very specific about this. And, look, I don't know when at sometimes somebody says that enough is enough. This is a targeted retribution against a state that the president doesn't like."
"The real shame in all this is this is a state that does healthcare as well as anybody. Healthcare outcomes, healthcare access, healthcare providers, we do it as well as anybody. And this Medicaid piece, I don't know how you can't use this statistic. CMS's own numbers say Medicaid error rates in Minnesota are 2.1%, national average is 6.4%. Why are you coming to a state with the lowest in this? And why did you make an arbitrary decision to, what's the word I'm using now? They're calling this..."
"A deferral."
"A deferral. It's not. It's a ransom note. It's the same stuff they did. They sent that on January 6th of when they're threatening us. And then what? They wanted voter roles. They wanted everything else. So, look, I've asked again, I've asked the president, we're tackling this. We want to partner with you. We need you to quit firing US attorneys who are good at fraud. We need you to quit firing FBI agents because they carried out their job. We need you to partner with us because I don't know why this is so hard to understand, and I will continue to say this. You can trust me on this. The person who's angriest about this fraud is me. There is certainly no political upside to having fraud in your state. And it undermines the very program that I have spent a lifetime advocating for and trying to implement. And we have got criminals. It seems like the Republicans, the only people they're not concerned about in this is the actual criminals standing with the criminals. This president has pardoned people who took part in Medicaid fraud who were responsible for paying back almost $300 million, and because he pardoned them, that went away. This is some type of upside-down world where we need the adults in the room, and I'm counting on Republican leadership here in the legislature to say we're going to give them the tools to put people in jail who commit fraud. That would be a great thing. So, Mary, I can't answer you."
Minnesota Governor Tim Walls, a Democrat, at a news conference in Minneapolis today, unveiling an anti-fraud legislative package that he's sending to the legislature. And Vice President JD Van said Wednesday that Minnesota has 60 days to respond to the allegations of Medicaid fraud or face the suspension of the $259 million currently on hold.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writing in a visit to central Wisconsin. Vice President JD Vance implored voters to not give power back to the "crazy Democrats." Vance spoke at Point Precision in Plover on February 26, two days following President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. The visit was part of a coordinated campaign by the White House to put the president and top administration officials in front of voters in battleground states in hopes of keeping the focus on economic policies. He also asked voters to ensure that Democrats don't win in Wisconsin's third congressional district where Republican Derek Van Orton is running for a third term against Democrat Rebecca Cook. Reporting from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, here's part of Vice President JD Vans's speech.
"And then the president said, made, had this line. And I'm not going to get it exactly right, but he said, 'If you believe, stand up and cheer. If you believe that the American government's first priority should be to look after American citizens instead of illegal aliens.' And all the Republicans, including Derek and everybody else, stands up and starts cheering. And then you look over the Democrats. Complete silence. No reaction at all. The one thing that got at least some of the Democrats to stand up and cheer was the Olympic hockey team, which we're of course very proud of."
"But you got to ask yourself, ladies and gentlemen, what is it about a political party that cannot stand up and cheer for a six-year-old girl who survived an attack? What is it about a political party that can't stand up and cheer for the fact that we have rising wages and low inflation for the first time in a very long time in the United States of America? What is it about a political movement that sees the mother of a woman who was murdered on a bus? Because the president highlighted this, this, this woman, you know, her 22-year-old daughter was riding on a bus to work, was killed by a violent criminal who was let out of jail 13 times by Democrat leadership. Should have never been on our streets and then murdered an innocent girl. We recognized her mother, her strength, and her character and her grief. And I think we all kind of grieve with her a little bit. And the Democrats cannot even stand up and cheer for that."
"And so the question of the next election is not do we want low taxes, and of course we do. It's not do we want a secure border, and of course we do. It's a more fundamental question than that. Do we want to give power back to the people who opened our border, who raised your taxes, who won't even cheer for a six-year-old girl who was wounded because of their bad policies? And I think our answer to that is hell no. We want to give power back to the people like Derek Van Orton who fight for us."
Vice President JD Vance at a manufacturing facility in Clover, Wisconsin, the third congressional district, currently represented by Republican Derek Van Orton.
Washington Post writing that proTrump activists who say they are in coordination with the White House are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that claims China interfered in the 2020 election as a basis to declare a national emergency that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting. President Donald Trump has repeat previewed a plan to mandate voter ID and ban mail ballots in November's midterm elections, and the activists expect their draft will figure into Trump's promised executive order on the issue. The White House declined to elaborate on Trump's plans. That was from the Washington Post.
From the Detroit News, Governor Gretchen Whitmer focused her final State of the State speech Wednesday on ways to improve education and make housing and healthcare more affordable. In address to a joint session of the Michigan legislature, the governor at the start of her address called Michigan's ranking as 44th in the nation for fourth grade reading proficiency a serious problem that so far has not been abated by record education funding. She said, "Literacy is a national challenge. No matter who becomes governor after me, they'll have to continue this work." That was from the Detroit News. Governor Whitmer, a Democrat, is the last in in her last year of her second term. She's term-limited. Can't run again. Here's some of the speech in Lancing, Michigan, about the economy and President Trump's tariff agenda.
"Here in Michigan, we have a lot to be proud of. Over the last seven years, we've delivered on the kitchen table issues. Together, we're building a Michigan for all. Wages and GDP are up. Crime and overdose deaths are down. PreK, school meals, and community colleges are all free. Taxes on retirement, tips, overtime, and social security gone. We fixed more roads, built more homes, and replaced more lead pipes than ever. And more people moved into Michigan from other states and out for the first time since the early 90s."
"Still, people are nervous about the national economy. And while your paycheck may have grown, the cost of everything else has, too. Many middle-class families tread water, struggle to pay the bills, find good jobs, and get ahead. And if you're young, it can be hard to find a job that pays well or a home that you can afford. Tariffs have jacked up prices, costing families an average of a thousand bucks a year. Businesses of all sizes are facing higher costs and massive uncertainty, too. Last year, America had its worst manufacturing trade deficit ever, while China clocked their highest trade surplus ever, 1.2 2 trillion. I'm hopeful that last week's Supreme Court decision will force Congress and the president to work out a more strategic trade policy."
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Democrat of Michigan, giving her State of the State address in Lancing Wednesday night. She also vowed that a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, will open despite threats from President Donald Trump to block it until, as the president put it in a true social post, "the US is fully compensated for everything we have given them, Canada. And also importantly, Canada treats the United States with the fairness and respect that we deserve."
Later in Governor Whitmer's speech, as she was talking about economic development, she also thanked President Trump for committing last year to station 21 F-15 fighter jets at Sulridge Air National Guard base to replace a fleet of older jets.
"Michiganers expect us to compete and win. Michigan is open for business. New factories making batteries, cars, chips are opening in Marshall, Lake Oran, Holland, Bay City, Calumeat, Hemlock, Ann Arbor, and Delta Township. A new fire mission is coming to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Mcome County. Probably not on the bingo card, but I want to thank President Trump for his work on this."
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer giving her State of the State speech, her final one, end of her second four-year term in Lancing Wednesday night.
Wall Street today: the Dow up 17, NASDAQ down 273, S&P down 37.
Top banking regulators testified today before the Senate Banking Committee in Washington. His first time before a Senate committee since President Trump started his second term. American Banker writing about it. Senator John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, hinted at further action at debanking in an impassion line of questioning that reflects the lawmakaker's usual style of oversight hearings. Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said that she was not the chair at the time the debanking occurred, referring to allegations that bank regulators participated in the debanking on a religious or political basis, a claim that has not been proven. Reporting from American Banker, here's the exchange.
"What in God's name was the Fed and some of your other agencies thinking when you allowed banks to debank customers for reputational risk? Are you kidding me? Why did you allow that to happen? Because you didn't like their politics, or you didn't like the products they made. I mean, do you think it would be fair? Uh, um, Senator Warren's not here, so I hesitate to talk about Senator Warren was a distinguished professor at Harvard University. Some people don't like Harvard. Some people don't like their politics. How could you possibly allow a bank to have the option? I'm not say saying they did it, but to de to debank someone like Senator Warren. I'm using her as a hypothetical example because you didn't like her politics. And you can say the same thing about gun manufacturers and oil and gas and anybody you don't like, and you let the banks do it. What in God's name were y'all thinking, Madame Vice Chair?"
"Well, Senator, I appreciate your concerns and I share them. I was not the Vice Chair at the times were made."
"But your institution went along with it. The banks proposed it, and your institution sucked it up like a Hoover deluxe."
"In my view, debanking is never an appropriate activity. It is uh, every American in this country should have access to financial services, and they should not be uh limited from access to those services based on their political, religious beliefs, or their engagement in a particular business that may be disfavored but is legally, legally uh..."
"Tell you folks, this isn't over yet."
Senator John Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana, questioning Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman at today's Banking Committee hearing.
ABA Banking Journal reported earlier this week the Federal Reserve is seeking public comment on a proposal to codify its recent decision to remove the use of reput reputational risk from its bank supervision. Fed last year announced that reputational risk would no longer be a component of its bank examinations. Use of reputational risk had become a controversial component of bank supervision among lawmakers who accuse regulators of using it to pursue political agendas. That was from ABA Banking Journal. More from the hearing.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, the ranking member on the committee, asked the Controller of the Currency, Jonathan Gould, about a Wall Street Journal report that a top official in United Arab Emirates secretly acquired a substantial stake in a Trump family crypto company. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported on a story about ties between Donald Trump and the top spy in the United Arab Emirates, who is the president's brother and the country's national security adviser. He is actually called Spy Shake. Um, a few days before Trump was sworn into office, this spy spent half a billion dollars to secretly acquire a 49% stake in Trump's crypto company.
"So, what does the UAE's top spy get for his half billion dollars? Well, the Trump administration agreed to sell the UAE our most sensitive AI chips. Our own national security experts say the UAE and the spy shakes companies may be a conduit for funneling high techch to China, technology that strengthens China militarily. Now, right now, Trump's crypto company, World Liberty, has a bank charter application pending with the OC, an agency that the president controls. Controller Gould, you run the OC. Did World Liberty disclose in its application that the Spy Shakes Company was a principal shareholder in the proposed bank?"
"Senator, uh, thank you for the question. Um, I'm not going to discuss the specifics of any application."
"Are you telling us you won't tell that whether or not they disclosed it? Do you acknowledge that it is supposed to be disclosed? Princ shareholders."
"Uh, Senator, uh, unlike the last four years of the Biden administration, under President Trump's leadership, we are actually doing what we say we will do. And I would..."
"See if you're doing what you say you will do. Like all applicants for a bank charter, the OC regulations require World Liberty to disclose all principal shareholders, which are persons with at least a 10% direct or indirect stake in the proposed bank. Those insiders must file a biographical and financial report with the agency. Failure to do so would be grounds for dismissal of the application. Evidently, you have not dismissed the application, so I assume the disclosure was made. Will you show Chairman Scott and me an unredacted application so that we can see that for ourselves and see that you are in fact following the law?"
"Senator, the only thing to which I will commit is following our established procedures, which are outlined in the regulations that you provided, as well as the 131 pages. Have oversight here."
"I would like to see in camera. It is nonpublic. I would like to see that along with Chairman Scott. I would like to see that application just to ascertain that the appropriate disclosures have been made. Will you commit to doing that?"
"Uh, Senator, I will be happy to entertain your request and discuss with my team and make sure that we're doing and affording you the same uh privileges that we have afforded past administrations. I don't know that anyone's ever had to ask that before because I don't think any president has ever had a pending bank application before."
"Now, President Trump's crypto company is now at the center of perhaps the most disgraceful presidential corruption scandal in US history. An American president who sells out our national security to make money for himself. And if you grant World Liberty a bank charter, you will be a party to that. So, Controller Gould, given the clear national security risks posed by UAE ownership of a US bank, President Trump's huge financial conflicts that we've just talked about, and your own conflict, given that you serve as the pleasure of that same president, will you deny or at least delay review of World Liberties application?"
"Uh, Senator, um, consistent with my statutory obligations, we will process that application as we process all applications. And I would note that the only political pressure I have felt from any part of the United States government, Senator, is from you."
"Well, it is pressure to follow the law. If you follow the law, you will reject the president's application. As soon as you approve that application, and we all know you're going to approve it, you go from being a cheerleader for President Trump to an accomplice in his corruption."
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, ranking member on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, questioning the Controller of the Currency, Jonathan Gould, at today's Banking Committee hearing. Other witnesses were the chairs of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision.
Washington Post reported this week the Trump administration's considering executive action that could require banks to report more information on the citizenship of their customers. The latest move by the White House to crack down on illegal immigration, according to four people familiar with the matter. Again, that was from the Post.
At the hearing, Senator Katherine Cortez Masto, Democrat of Nevada, asked Jonathan Gould about this, and he said, "I think the additional burden on the banks would be minor," noting that employers already are required to determine employment eligibility, "and that requires similar documentation." You can find the full hearing at our video library at c-span.org. Washington Today continues in a moment.
Friday on C-SPAN Ceasefire. In the wake of this week's State of the Union address, former New Orleans Mayor and Biden infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrew and former Trump White House Director of Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlap will join our host Dasha Burns for a bipartisan conversation breaking down President Trump's speech, the president's messaging on the economy and immigration to the growing questions surrounding potential US military action against Iran.
"Bridging the divide in American politics. Watch Ceppire Friday at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, only on C-SPAN."
Support for C-SPAN and C-SPAN Radio comes from Disney.
Welcome back to Washington Today, available as a podcast on the free CSP now mobile app and wherever you find your podcast. A few more headlines from the Washington Post.
A federal judge on Thursday ruled that construction on President Donald Trump's White House ballroom can proceed for now, citing procedural issues and not weighing the merits of the complaint. President Trump celebrated the news in a truth social post, saying that the ballroom would be "a symbol of the nation's greatness."
And from USA Today, the White House Correspondents' Dinner is announcing a headliner. The annual event, which usually selects a comic to serve as the master of ceremonies, is taking a different approach for 2026. In the spot once held by comedians like Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah, this year, mentalist Oz Pearlman will preside over the collection of journalists and politicians usually in attendance. That was from USA Today. The dinner is April 25th.
AP writes that Iran and the United States held hours of indirect negotiations Thursday over Thran's nuclear program, but walked away without a deal, leaving the danger of another M East war on the table as the US has gathered a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the region. Oman's foreign minister, who mediated the talks in Geneva, said there had been "significant progress" in the negotiation without elaborating. But just before the talks ended, Iranian state television reported that tan was determined to continue enriching uranium, rejected proposals to transfer it abroad, and sought the lifting of international sanctions, indicating it was not prepared to meet US President Donald Trump's demands. That was from Associated Press.
In Washington D.C., House Democratic leaders announced they'll be forcing a vote next week on a war powers resolution, which would require the president to seek authorization from Congress before carrying out military strikes in Iran. Their statement reads, "The Iranian regime is brutal and destabilizing, seen most recently in the killing of thousands of protesters. However, undertaking a war of choice in the Middle East without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to our service members and to escalation is reckless."
And Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, said on the Senate floor today that he expects a vote next week in the Senate on a similar resolution and that he'll support it.
"I made a vow when I came to this body that I would do everything in my power to fight tooth and nail against sending our sons and daughters into unnecessary wars. I'm on the Armed Services Committee. I've voted for war authorizations. If we need to go to war to defend this country, then those who've signed up to do that, knowing that that might be a possibility, they're ready to serve us to defend the nation."
"But a but an optional war at the whim of a president ordering troops here and there around the globe as if they're a palace guard for no articulated rationale puts our kids at risk in a completely unacceptable way. We will have a vote next week on something that I believe is just bedrock constitutional law. We shouldn't be at war without a vote of Congress. We shouldn't be at war with Iran unless members of this body have the guts to have a debate and vote and put their thumbrint on it and say this is in the national interest. No shortcuts, no end runs around Congress, no ends around debate in front of the American people and laying out the stakes for them."
"I can't believe that Virginia, one of the most military states in the country, is so different than other parts of this nation. I can't believe that this nation is like itching for another war in the Middle East. Haven't we learned something from a quarter of century of war in the Middle East? I hope we have. I hope my colleagues will join me next week and suggesting no war unless we vote to authorize it. Mr. President, I yield the floor."
Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, on the Senate floor today on a War Powers Resolution requiring congressional authorization before the president could attack Iran. Votes in the Senate and in the House on a resolution on that issue expected next week.
Congressman Mike Lawler, Republican of New York, chair of the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee, told a reporter with Drop Site News a couple of days ago that he would oppose this resolution.
"I understand you're opposed to the War Powers Resolution. Why exactly should we be, or why exactly should we be giving that power to the president to declare war on Iran? And how is it helpful to American citizens?"
"The president has power to declare war. What the issue of the War Powers Resolution is that in the event of a strike, Congress has to be notified within 48 hours. That is the reality of it. Uh, what some of my colleagues are trying to do is try to tie the president's hand to respond to threats from the greatest state sponsor of terror. I don't agree with that. If the administration uh takes action uh, then at that point Congress will evaluate, but to try and preemptively tie the hands of the administration and the commander-in-chief is wrong."
"But why are we even attacking Iran in the first place? How does that benefit Americans on the ground?"
"Well, first of all, Iran is the greatest state sponsor of terror. You agree with that or no?"
"Uh, I'm I'm not disputing that claim. I'm just I'm just I'm just trying to understand how it would be a threat to Americans on the ground. Do you understand that they fund terrorism around the globe?"
"But I'm trying to ask about Americans in your district on the ground. How does that affect them?"
"Well, first of all, when you look at the reality of the situation where they fund Hamas, they fund Hezbollah, they fund the Houthies."
"But I've never seen any of those people in America. I mean,"
"You haven't seen any terrorism in America. You haven't seen terrorists coming into the United States. You haven't seen terrorism in our hemisphere. You look at Venezuela, for instance, where Hamas and Hezbollah were operating out of Venezuela. You understand that, right?"
"I've seen those reports. I I'm specifically..."
"Have your little agenda and..."
"Well, it's not an agenda. I I don't have an agenda. I just want to know how it's going to affect, I want to know how exactly it's going to affect people on the ground."
"I do. I'm asking you."
"That's good. Have a good night, bro."
Congressman Mike Lawler Lawler, Republican from New York, interviewed by a Drop Site News reporter on Tuesday.
Congressman Ro Khan, a Democrat of California, writing on X today, "We will force a vote on Congressman Tom Massie, Republican of Kucky's, and my bipartisan resolution to stop Trump from launching an illegal war in Iran next week. This perhaps will be the most consequential vote in Congress on war or peace since the Iraq war vote in 2002."
Another AP article, the Pentagon's top spokesman has reiterated that the military wants to use anthropics artificial intelligence technology in legal ways and will not let the company dictate any limits ahead of a Friday deadline to agree to its standards. Sean Parnell said Thursday on social media, "The Pentagon has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans, which is illegal. Nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement. Anthropic's policies prevent their models from being used for these purposes." It's the last of its peers to not supply its technology to a new US military internal network. During a meeting on Tuesday between Defense Secretary Pete Hexath and Anthropic CEO Dario Amade, military officials warned that they could use, they could designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk, cancel its contract, or invoke a Cold War-era law called the Defense Production Act to give the military more sweeping authority to use its products even if the company doesn't approve. That was from AP.
Senator Lissa Slotkin, Democrat from Michigan, raised this issue today at an Armed Services Committee hearing with witness Mark Ditliffson, nominated for Assistant Defense Secretary for Homeland Defense and America's Securities Affairs.
"Reports came out this week that Secretary Hegsth um was um negotiating a contract with the with an AI company, and this AI company says, 'Look, we just have two conditions. We're not going to allow our AI to be used to develop weapons that can kill without a human being in the kill chain. And then number two, we're not going to allow our AI to be used for mass surveillance of American citizens.' And that Secretary Hegsth was got very upset about those two conditions that he he he refused those conditions. And now I think this this is, you know, if we were a healthier country politically right now, we would be putting up left and right limits around the use of AI. We have really no guidelines for you all, really no law. That that's not your fault. That's on us on a bipartisan basis that we haven't done it. And I would argue we should be doing some of that for you all in this committee, um, setting up those left and right limits because I think the average person does not think we should allow weapon systems to get into war and kill people without a human being overseeing that in some way. And I certainly don't think any American, Democrat or Republican, wants mass surveillance on the American people. Um, so I guess um, uh, my plea is for us as a committee to deal with this in the NDAA, but because you're up for the job on homeland, um, issues, I I have to ask about this mass surveillance. Why wouldn't Secretary Hegsth say, 'No problem. We're never going to use AI at the Pentagon to conduct mass surveillance of American citizens.' You've been the number two over there. You're now gunning for the number one job, up for confirmation. Um, to your knowledge, is the assistant secretary role of homeland security? Do you have any programs currently going on involved in the mass surveillance of American citizens?"
"Senator, I can't speak to the specifics of that meeting with Secretary..."
"No, of course not. I'm not asking that. Don't that just for you. You've been in the number two job. You're in the seat. Don't deflect. To your knowledge, is the purview of the position you're trying to get? Is there any mass surveillance programs of the American people going on right now in that assistant secretarip?"
"To my knowledge, Senator, not within that assistant secretarip. We focus on policy writing."
"I I want the answer to be no. I I'm I'm gunning for a no. I want you to say no. Um, are you aware um, and can you confirm that it is illegal under US law for the Department of Defense, particularly intelligence community assets, to surveil or target American citizens for their views?"
"Senator, I'm not intimately familiar with the exact language in different statutes. I would always defer to the Office of General Counsel to make sure any policy advice that we provide is lawful."
"Okay. It is the law, right? Executive orders, um, uh, the National Security Act of 1947, and then everything that came out of Watergate. American citizens don't want to be surveiled by their government. You do criminal activity, go for it. You You should be brought down. But mass surveillance, targeted surveillance of domestic terrorist organizations is a very sensitive subject that you're going to be in the hot seat for."
Senator Alyssa Slotkin, Democrat from Michigan, questioning Mark Ditliffson, nominated for Assistant Defense Secretary for Homeland Defense and America's Security Affairs. At today's Armed Services Committee hearing, Associated Press summarizing the issue, Defense Secretary Pete Hexth gave anthropic an ultimatum this week, open its artificial intelligence technology for unrestricted military use by Friday or risk losing its government contract. Defense officials in the Trump administration also warned they could designate anthropic, which makes the AI chatbot clawed, as a supply chain risk, or invoke a Cold War-era law called the Defense Production Act to give the military more sweeping authority to use its products even if the company doesn't approve. This is Washington Today.
Semaphore writing that Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray said the newspaper is on a trajectory to break even after making devastating cuts to the newsroom. Speaking at some of Restoring Trust in Media event in Washington on Wednesday, Murray recounted the pain that came from the mass layoffs earlier this month that left more than 300 journalists without a job. Reporting from Semaphore, Matt Murray was interviewed by Max Tani, Semaphor's media editor.
"What do you think about people who say they've seen situations like this before where newsrooms make these cuts, they say, 'We're going to focus in on, you know, XYZ areas we're doing these well.' Uh, but, you know, subscribers see this kind of thing and they think, well, they're not as invested and they put their they go somewhere else and you get caught in..."
This kind of death spiral. What do you think? Uh, what do you what do you think? How do you want to avoid entering into that death spiral? Or do you think I mean, do you think that that's avoidable?
I do think it's avoidable, but I think it's a concern. I understand the concern. We've seen it happen in other news orgs. Uh, to the question you asked me earlier, certainly I I thought about some of those things a little bit because I came here to try to do what I can to help the Post grow and thrive. Uh, not to oversee a steady decline.
I'd say the reality is that the Post had been facing some declining for quite some time. Um, the data really demonstrated that we've been on a five-year trajectory of losing revenues, seeing subscriptions wane or go sideways. We overinvested candidly at the peak of uh COVID like some of the tech companies did.
And then what did you overinvest in? Because I had heard you say that on on Dylan Buyer's podcast and I was confused. What did you overinvest?
I mean, we we what happened is we invested in editing resources and some areas of coverage kind of off the back of the Trump bump and the presumption that when everybody was home reading news during COVID that that was a new state of normal and when COVID faded and news consumption habits started to drop again, our consumption our our costs had gone high but our consumption went back down. So, we started to have a mis a mismatch there.
But just to just to finish the point on uh on the spiral, what we did and it's there's a bit of risk in it, but I think we made very smart choices. Standing still would not have been an option. So, what we're aiming to do is get to break even. Our owner is committed to a long-term future for the Post. We don't have to be a gigantic profit center, but he is a believer that the market sends your you signals on what people are consuming. So, we're on trajectory to be on break even. And from that place, I think we're going to have the tools, the data, and the measurement in place to smartly grow.
Again, how often do you talk to, you mentioned the owner, Jeff Bezos, how often are you speaking with him?
I mean, uh, I inconsistently here and there. It kind of depends on the time, but we talk from time to time, but there's no regular cadence.
What do you think? I I know that you've kind of you've advised the newsroom to kind of tune out some of the noise, and I know that, you know, there's a few a few competitors out there in the media space. I see some of them uh out here today, and sometimes it is noise. I'm sometimes guilty of that. But one of the things that people are really interested in is how invested is Jeff Bezos in the Washington Post? That's a question that people are kind of unsure of what the answer uh to that is. And you've seen, I'm sure, some people who say, "Well, to the richest man in the world, what's, you know, uh another hundred million," as ridiculous as that might seem to some of us.
I think there's two different things there. Um, I I think on the second point, people can have their opinions on, you know, how he spends his money or doesn't spend his money. I I don't have an opinion on that. Um, he he's probably spent a lot of money on the Washington Post since he bought it this decade.
Do you know how much do you how much do you think?
I don't I don't I'm not going to speculate on that. It's uh uh but I think I think No, I understand. But a substantial amount. I think he in I can tell you in my conversations with him um, you know, which and I I want to be a little careful because they're really private conversations but I I hear actual belief in the faith of news and the fact that he really believes people need news in the country. We know the opportunity for news even though people's consumption habits don't always match them. He's a believer in fair news. He's a believer in bringing information out to people. He's not as interested in sort of serving just elite audiences, but he wants average people to see news. And what he wants is for us to be relevant and lively in people's lives. That that's what I hear.
Um, you know, as an owner, from what I want as an editor, which is don't interfere with my newsroom, which he does not do. He does not give me any editorial missions or driving or even commentary. I want editorial independence that way. And I want that long-term faith. You know, I those are those are good things.
Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray in conversation with Axios media editor Max Tani at a 74 program Wednesday night on the trust in media. Wall Street Journal writes that the Post lost more than $100 million last year according to people familiar with the matter, financial troubles that contributed to the company's decision to cut its staff by 30% earlier this month.
Another speaker at the same program on the media was FCC chair Brendan Carr, who is a who as Axios praised CBS under the new leadership of David Ellison and Barry Weiss. He said, "I think they're doing a great job," adding that he appreciates the network is trying to do something different and experimenting with new formats. Ellison took over at Paramount last year following its merger with Skydance and made several changes seen as friendly to conservatives. Right.
Brendan Carr was also asked about a new investigation involving sports programming.
We put out out a request for public notice today about something that I'm sure drives lots of people crazy, which is football and other sports rights moving behind streaming pay walls.
That just does it does not strike me though that the NFL making a deal with Netflix is any of your business. Like how do you how do you insert yourself into that one?
There's a lot of things that I do that people don't think are any of my business, but it hasn't slowed me down yet. So there is an exit here. So there's been a great partnership between broadcasters and sports rights over the years and the sports rights have been great that it's on broadcast because it grows the audience for the sports leagues but it also helps to bring viewers to local broadcast TV and that is what ends up paying for that expensive local news and journalism. If we have every or a substantial number of, you know, football or other sports games go behind pay walls, it could really undermine again my goal, which is how do we keep local news and journalism going in communities? We need healthy affiliates, healthy local TV stations to make that happen. So that's part of why we're looking at it is that.
Do I mean I guess I'm asking, do you have any real right to insert yourself there? It's got two private companies, Netflix, the NFL.
Sure. Yeah, we should have public notice. So we have the right to do that.
FCC chair Brendan Carr interviewed by Ben Smith, editor-in-chief, on Wednesday. AP writing about it. The public notice Wednesday said NFL games aired on 10 different services, which according to some estimates could cost a consumer over $1,500 to watch all games. NFL in a statement to AP, "The NFL has the most accessible fan-friendly distribution model across all sports entertainment with over 87% of our games shown on free broadcast television. In addition to numerous popular digital platforms."
Politico Europe writing that Cindy McCain will step down as executive editor of the UN World Food Program later this year, citing ongoing health concerns after suffering a mild stroke in October. McCain informed staff and the agency's executive board today that she plans to leave her post in 3 months to focus on a recovery. The 71-year-old returned to the Rome-based agency in early January, but said the demands of the job were outpacing her recovery. That was from Politico Europe.
Cindy McCain posted a video of some of her remarks to the staff.
I've made a very difficult decision. My doctors and my family want me to come home, but the truth is I haven't recovered. I'm stepping down from WFP. This is an extremely demanding job and whoever takes this job has to be willing to give it not just 100% but 150% because it's too hard not to. I've spent a lot of time not just with my team but I spent a lot of time with all of you. I thank you for your friendship and I thank you for everything you do for WFP. They're the best. Thank you.
Cindy McCain posting that video announcing she'll be leaving as executive director of the UN World Food Program. More from the Politico Europe article. Cindy McCain, the widow of the late US Senator John McCain, took the helm of the world's largest humanitarian organization in April 2023. Her tenure has been dominated by spiraling spiraling global hunger driven by Russia's war in Ukraine, climate shocks, and funding shortfalls.
Thanks for listening to Washington today. Before we go, reminder that C-SPAN's Ceasefire airs Friday at 7:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern. This week, host Asha Burns speaks with former New Orleans Democratic Mayor and Biden infrastructure czar Mitch Landrieu and former Trump White House director of strategic communications Mercedes Schlapp about the State of the Union address, including the president's messaging on the economy and immigration, and potential US military action against Iran. C-SPAN's Ceasefire Friday at 7:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern. Have a good night.