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On this episode, The Washington Post's Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and JM Rieger explain why Washington is once again under the cloud of a looming government shutdown – and why fiscal conservatives might have to hold their noses and vote to keep the government open.Plus, how Vice President JD Vance is finding a role for himself as a go-between for members of Congress who want access to the White House.

In this episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann decode President Trump's efforts to redefine America's role on the world stage – from seemingly starting trade wars with China, Mexico and Canada to straining alliances with Europe that have defined American foreign policy since the Second World War.Plus, what is Trump really trying to accomplish – and is he playing chess, with a longer strategy in mind, or just checkers?

Join Sidebar for live coverage of President Trump's joint address to Congress, March 4 at 8 p.m. – only at YouTube.com/WashingtonPost.

On this episode, Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann, and Washington Post DOGE reporter Faiz Siddiqui take a closer look at “special government employee” Elon Musk who continues to upend the federal government, overseeing the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency while joking that he is merely “tech support” during his appearances at the White House.What is the current relationship between President Donald Trump and Musk? Will his “move fast, break things, rebuild” Silicon Valley management mantra ends up disabling key government functions? When does he sleep?

On this episode, Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, and James Hohmann discuss the fallout from Elon Musk’s email to federal workers that threatened firings if they did not respond to a request to detail their work responsibilities last week.This comes at a time when Republican lawmakers in the House are finalizing language of the so-called “big beautiful bill”, a Trump-endorsed legislative package that would become a federal budget resolution if and when it comes up for a floor vote. With only a three vote majority in the house, House Speaker Mike Johnson will need almost every Republican representative's approval to pass the legislation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reaffirmed on Tuesday that no Democrats will vote in support of the House GOP budget reconciliation resolution as it stands.

On this episode, The Washington Post’s Libby Casey and JM Rieger are joined by metro reporter Emily Davies and White House correspondent Michael Birnbaum to discuss the escalating rhetoric used by President Donald Trump and his administration, calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a dictator without elections,” while also meeting with Russia delegates for peace talks, notably without Ukrainian involvement.Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service, and The Trump administration also continued to cut federal workforce jobs across the country, targeting probationary employees, and sometimes citing ‘performance’ issues without evidence.Meanwhile, Trump threatened to ‘take over’ governance of Washington D.C., reversing its current home rule status, claiming local leaders are not doing enough on crime, cleaning up graffiti, and removing homeless encampments.

On this episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey and JM Rieger are joined by congressional economic correspondent Jacob Bogage to discuss Elon Musk's DOGE team attempting to access a highly guarded IRS computer system that contains Americans' personal financial information. The crew breaks down what's actually in the files DOGE representatives are seeking, why, and what makes career government officials are so concerned.Then, the Trump administration continues to shrink the size of federal government by laying off employees – and over the weekend, haphazard firings, which included employees at almost every government agency, including at the National Nuclear Security Administration.

On this episode, The Washington Post's Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and JM Rieger sit down with media reporter Jeremy Barr to break down the Trump administration's recent spats with the media – from barring The Associated Press from Oval Office events, to removing media organizations from workspaces at the Pentagon. Plus, Trump settles with Facebook and Twitter, and demands a $20 billion settlement from CBS.Then, are Republican senators ceding all of their power to Trump and the executive branch? And why was Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) – until recently his caucus' leader – alone in his opposition to several of Trump's cabinet nominees?

The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann break down the pushback to President Trump and Elon Musk's attempts to drastically downsize the federal government – from what Congress is or isn't doing, on both sides of the aisle, to lawsuits and federal judges who have started to put some of Trump's efforts on hold.And is the GOP's rhetoric about the judiciary getting dangerous?Plus, Washington Post Investigations Editor David Fallis joins the show to discuss how listeners can share tips with Post reporters in secure ways.

On this episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann break down the buyout offer made to federal workers as Elon Musk's DOGE continues to try to downsize government: What is the offer, is it legal, and what are union leaders saying? Plus, some breaking news on the deadline for employees to decide whether to take it.Then, how will cutting employees and programs affect Americans – and people around the world?Finally, The Post's Anna Liss-Roy joins the show to share what federal workers told her at protests outside the Office of Personnel Management.

The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann break down the big story in Washington this week: The Trump administration's efforts to downsize the federal government, led by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. Is Musk allowed to access Americans' sensitive data, and eliminate government programs he doesn't like?Plus, what effect will Musk's efforts have on the federal workforce – and how will cutting programs affect Americans and people around the world?

On this episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann break down President Trump's news conference after the Washington, D.C. plane crash – and how Trump chose to blame his predecessors, Democrats and diversity programs rather than embracing the role of consoler-in-chief. Plus, three of Trump's most controversial cabinet nominees had Senate confirmation hearings on the same day: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard. The crew breaks down their hearings, and whether all three will end up being confirmed.

The Washington Post's Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann are joined by White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski to discuss President Trump's first week back in office – and what happened the night he decided to fire more than a dozen government inspectors general.Plus, Trump's pause on government grants and loans is throwing Washington – and government programs around the globe – into chaos. Who will be affected by it most?And three of Trump's most controversial cabinet nominees are set to undergo Senate confirmation hearings later this week. Will RFK Jr. be derailed by a letter to senators penned by his cousin, Caroline Kennedy, calling him a "predator"?

The Washington Post's Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and JM Rieger are joined by immigration reporter Nick Miroff to break down the way President Trump is attempting to rapidly change the United States' immigration system – and create a culture of fear among undocumented immigrants.Plus, how is Trump quickly changing America's foreign policy – and what is he trying to accomplish by demolishing decades of affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion policies?

Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and Aaron Blake break down President Trump's decision to pardon or commute the sentences of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol rioters, just hours after he was inaugurated for the second time.And Trump signed a whole lot of other executive orders; Which ones definitely matter, which ones might end up mattering, and which ones probably won't?Plus, the tech billionaires came to Washington – including Elon Musk.

On this week's episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and JM Rieger break down the Trump cabinet nominees whose hearings have gotten underway on Capitol Hill – and whether Democrats are effectively rallying votes against any of them. Plus, President Biden gave his farewell speech on Jan. 15 – and it wasn't the speech everyone expected. Then, what is the crew looking out for on inauguration day on Monday?

In this special episode, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann are joined by JM Rieger in Washington and criminal justice reporter Shayna Jacobs in New York, to discuss the sentence handed down to president-elect Trump in his New York hush money case – and why he escaped punishment after being convicted on 34 felony counts.Plus, is this the end of Trump's legal troubles?

This week, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann break down president-elect Trump's angry, grievance-filled news conference – and why Trump is so focused on those grievances despite winning the election, with Republicans winning both houses of Congress.Then, the crew recaps the latest on Trump's New York hush money case, and whether the Supreme Court might intervene before the sentencing hearing scheduled for Jan. 10.

This week, reporters Marianna Sotomayor and Marianne Levine join the show to discuss the House speaker drama that could unfold as GOP holdouts say they might not vote for current House Speaker Mike Johnson. Plus, what are Republicans' early legislative priorities – and are there signs that after winning the White House and both houses of Congress in November that the Republican party is far from unified?

This week, The Washington Post's Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin and James Hohmann recap the most important moments in American politics in 2024 – plus a few runners-up.