[0:04]Welcome to Washington today on CPAN Radio for Friday, July 25th, 2025. President Donald Trump flies to Scotland for a private visit to promote his golf courses there and also meet with elected
[0:16]leaders in Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission. Likely to talk about trade and foreign affairs hotspots. We'll get a preview from C-SPAN's Westminster producer Peter
[0:25]Nolles, who's in Scotland. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch finishes a second day interviewing Galileain Maxwell, who was serving a long prison sentence as an accomplice to the late
[0:37]Jeffrey Epstein in his sex crimes amid the pressure on the Trump administration to release the Epstein investigation files. We'll hear from Maxwell's attorney, President Trump, and the
[0:48]ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. Texas Senate Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting holds a public hearing on Republicans attempts
[0:57]to redraw district maps mid decade to try to pick up seats. Former FCC commissioners analyze the FCC's approval of the multi-billion dollar Paramount Skyance merger that comes with
[1:09]commitments to address complaints of editorial bias at CBS News. Plus, the latest on the collapse of the Israel Hamas ceasefire negotiations and former Congressman George Santos, who had a
[1:21]dramatic rise and fall in politics, reports to federal prison after his fraud conviction. Article from Reuters. US President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financeier and sex
[1:32]offender Jeffrey Epstein, flew to Scotland on Friday for some golf and talks that could yield a trade deal with the European Union. Trump told reporters that he will visit his golf resort in
[1:43]Turnberry on Scotland's west coast where he will meet British Prime Minister Kier Starmer on Monday before the two of them head to a sprawling golf property 200 miles away near Aberdine in the east.
[1:54]That was from Reuters. President Trump spoke to reporters when he landed in Scotland. >> It's great to be in Scotland. We are going to be meeting with the prime minister,
[2:05]I guess tomorrow, a little bit tomorrow and the next day. And uh we're going to do some great things. Do you have any questions? >> EU.
[2:19]>> What? >> Yes. I'll be meeting with the EU on uh Sunday and we'll be working on a deal. We'll
[2:30]see if we make a deal. Uh Ursula will be here. Highly respected woman. So we look forward to that. That'll be good. We are on
[2:41]your exact meeting with >> we'll have numerous executives that we're meeting with a lot of we're going to be meeting with a lot of people a lot of people we'll be staying at Turnbury
[2:51]and then we're going to Aberdine which is the oil capital of Europe actually >> Mr. Can you explain what is kind of what is missing in the UK deal that you have to work out?
[3:02]>> Nothing. We uh just I think it's more of a celebration than a workout. It's uh it's a great deal for both and uh we're going to have a meeting on other things
[3:13]other than the deal. The deal is concluded. >> President Donald Trump speaking to reporters on the tarmac when he landed in Scotland. Washington Times reports that European Commission President
[3:24]Ursula Vanderlain said she'll meet with President Trump in Scotland on Sunday to discuss trade relations. The meeting comes as the clock ticks down to an August 1st deadline when Mr. Trump has
[3:34]threatened to impose 30% tariffs on goods imported from the European Union. Miss Vanderlane posted on X following a good call with pus. We have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss
[3:45]transatlantic trade relations and how we can keep them strong. Washington Times article says that Mr. Trump, who will be staying at his properties in Scotland until Tuesday, told reporters Friday
[3:56]that there was a 50/50 chance that the US would reach a trade deal with the EU. More from the president on his meetings and his golf courses, speaking to reporters when he landed in Scotland. >> Yes.
[4:08]>> What advice you going to have for our prime minister about free speech? Very important to people here. >> Well, it is, but I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am, as you've probably heard, but
[4:19]he's a good man. He got a trade deal done, and you know, they've been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for the UK. So, uh, no, I'll be seeing
[4:31]him tomorrow, I guess, tomorrow evening. And this is our wonderful ambassador, as you know. He's doing a good job. He'll be he's a very, very successful man. He'll be doing a good job.
[4:42]The Royal Nature The Royal and Ancient says you're going to have to improve infrastructure at Turnbury to bring the Open back. Is that something? >> I don't know. The best course the best
[4:53]course anywhere in the world is Turnberry. The players all want to be a Turnberry. Everybody wants to be a Turnberry. So, we'll see how that works out. >> The infrastructure needs to be >> Oh, I think the Well,
[5:04]>> the infrastructure in the course is good. In fact, the Royal and Ancient uh I don't know if you're aware of this, they spent a lot of money, hundreds of
[5:14]thousands of dollars or probably into the millions of dollars and they've laid all the wire for television and for electricity under the holes of Turnberry
[5:25]so that when the open gets there, they have it all done. They paid for that. >> But we're talking about roads to railway station. >> I don't know. See, I don't know what you can do. All I can tell you is that it
[5:35]would be the best place anywhere in in your country to have there's no place like it. There's no place like Turnbury. It's the best probably the best course in the world. And I would say Aberdine
[5:47]is right up there also. Aberdine's great. And while we're here, I'll be with my son and he's going to cut a ribbon for the second course at Aberdine, which is just about equal to
[5:57]the first. I mean, it's going to be a battle to, you know, it's, as you know, they're very highly rated >> and the second course is great. Shan Connory helped get me the permits. Uh,
[6:09]if it weren't for Shan Connory, we wouldn't have those great courses. >> President Donald Trump speaking to reporters on the tarmac of the airport in Scotland. The CNN has an article, protesters in Scotland say they will
[6:20]mount a wave of resistance as US President Donald Trump prepares to travel to the country on Friday for a 5-day private visit. several protest groups ranging from trade unions and
[6:30]climate justice campaigners to sections of the American diaspora and Palestinian and Ukrainian advocacy groups are planning to demonstrate against US
[6:39]president under the umbrella of the stop Trump coalition that was from CNN. The assistant chief constable Emma Bond, executive lead for local policing north
[6:49]and C3 in Scotland told the news outlet The Mirror on Thursday about security preparations. Undoubtedly, this is a a complex, challenging event, significant
[6:59]scale for Police Scotland. Our priorities very much are focused around um keeping communities safe, maximizing public safety, making sure that we balance people's right to peaceful
[7:11]protest, and also making sure that we minimize disruption to communities across Scotland. >> And just giving a sense of the scale of this operation, it will clearly be a very significant endeavor for uh Police
[7:22]Scotland. How how does it rank compared to recent large events in Scotland? >> Yeah, undoubtedly it is a a very significant event um that we've had in in recent times. The president
[7:33]previously visited in 2018. So, as I said, we've got a vast amount of experience in terms of large scale complex events. We've got not just local police Scotland officers, but officers
[7:45]um supporting from our national divisions. And we've also through the usual placing um arrangements reached out for some support from colleagues across other UK police forces under the
[7:55]mutual aid requirements. >> With more on President Donald Trump's visit to Scotland, joining us now on the phone from Scotland is Peter Nolles, C-SPAN's Westminster producer. Thanks
[8:06]again for being with us. What do we know about this trip? >> Well, very few details have been published. It is rather strangely. It's
[8:14]a private visit but with some political add-ons. It's a private visit because President Trump is promoting his golf
[8:25]interests. He owns two large golf courses in Scotland and one of them's getting bigger and the other one he would like to see host the open. So
[8:36]there's plenty of marketing and commercial work for him to do here. But it it's an unusual visit in that it is
[8:45]very definitely private and commercial, but it of course it has all the the the trappings of um a a very public visit
[8:54]because of the security and the paraphernalia and the presidential convoy and the helicopters and they're all being delivered uh to Scottish
[9:05]airport. So all of that is gearing up right now. Um so it's a hybrid visit really. What type of reception do you think the president is going to receive,
[9:15]I guess, from from the leaders and from the people of Scotland? >> Well, from the political leaders though, we know there will be at least two significant meetings. One with the prime
[9:26]minister, Kier Starma, and we expect that to be on Monday. Um and another meeting which is an interesting one which is with the first minister of
[9:35]Scotland uh John Swinny the of the Scottish National Party and the SNP have been at times quite hostile to President Trump. So the fact that just the simple
[9:46]fact that he's meeting with him is of significance and has been fiercely criticized um from the left um in Scotland although the Labour party says
[9:57]yeah it's fine you know it makes sense for him to meet. Um so in terms of the reception it is an oddity this because
[10:05]most countries go out of their way to proclaim any links with a US president. um even over claim um some slightly
[10:17]tenuous links perhaps in the past. But in this case um President Donald Trump has an extraordinary strong claim. It's not just that he owns a lot of property here now in terms of these two golf
[10:27]courses, but his mother was born on a Scottish island and uh left and was born uh GA speaking and um uh brought up
[10:39]Galax speaking and left at the age of 18. So that's a very strong and direct con uh contact. But a lot of Scottish politics leans quite heavily leftwing
[10:51]and has been very hostile to uh President Trump over a considerable period of time. And there's been a lot of controversy about at least one of his
[11:01]golf courses and its effect on the environment. And for his part, President Trump was incredibly rude about plans to u build a winter put wind turbines in
[11:12]sight of the golf club and he thought that was an abomination. So there's there's a lot of two and fro here. There's it's a complicated relationship. >> When President Trump meets with the
[11:24]first minister and with the prime minister, I know because it's a private trip, they haven't released a lot of details, but what what big issues do you think will come up? Well, we know that
[11:34]tariffs will. It's quite it's at this end of the telescope, it's been quite hard to keep track of where we are with tariffs, but at the moment, the UK is
[11:44]getting off relatively lightly compared with most of the rest of the world. But there is a specific issue around the Scottish whiskey industry which is
[11:54]hugely important in the islands and uh the the the desire for reduced or zero um tariffs on Scottish whiskey. That's
[12:04]that's pretty important and for sure that will come up in the conversations uh with the first minister and doubtless with the prime minister. Um, in terms of the prime minister also of course has
[12:15]his eye on a major foreign policy agenda and there are two parts to that. Ukraine of course and that's trying to keep uh
[12:26]President Trump on track for his for support for Ukraine and the delivery of advanced weaponry to Ukraine in its
[12:35]conflict with Russia. There's a second one of course which is the Middle East and the increasingly urgently felt uh
[12:45]desire in the part of Western capitals to uh get this full support, the full backing of Washington in terms of
[12:55]persuading the uh the Israelis to um to to mitigate to reduce the severity of
[13:05]the the conflict in the Gaza Strip. So that that also is very likely to come up and and that's become even more salient
[13:14]today with the announcement by France by President Mron that he would go ahead and recognize a Palestinian state in
[13:24]quite short order. So that's increased the pressure around that issue as well. >> We're talking with Peter Null, C-SPAN's
[13:32]Westminster producer in Scotland. This, as we've been saying, is a private trip, but in September, President Trump will be making a state visit to the United Kingdom. Are there preparations
[13:43]underway? >> Yes. And and that's also um to use a word I've already used in this report, unusual. Um normally a state visit would
[13:54]involve um a carriage ride from Buckingham Palace down to Westminster. Uh it's only a mile um to to Parliament.
[14:04]And that's a you know a welltrodden uh path. Uh that can't happen with this coming visit because Buckingham Palace is being restored is under restoration
[14:15]and parliament that week unluckily uh will be in recess um for the party conferences. So uh neither end of that visit can h happen. So what instead will
[14:26]happen is it will largely take place in Windsor uh around Winds in in and around Windsor Castle and that will be full of
[14:36]pageantry where uh on that occasion President Trump will be of of course hosted by the king by uh King Charles um
[14:47]uh not by the prime minister. So um the the the preparations there are around ceremonial and a much a much easier to
[14:58]control security situation because this visit to Scotland, let's assume that President Trump visits both his golf courses. Well, they're a long way apart and golf courses are very big estates
[15:10]and quite um hard to protect to defend. Um so in you know a vast police operation is needed for this visit. uh it'll be rather more contained in
[15:22]September when it's largely a visit to one one place to Windsor. >> In this age of worldwide news, anybody can find information on virtually
[15:32]anything. But in the the daily reporting of the mainstream media, does President Trump's activities and statements make news in the United Kingdom?
[15:41]>> Yeah. Yes, very much so. I mean um clearly there UK matters and there's plenty of domestic issues and troubles like a doctor's strike that's just
[15:52]started today uh also make the headlines here. But my goodness, uh, President Trump's, uh, statements, uh, his, uh,
[16:01]activities are always in the headlines. And so you can expect I mean a US audience may be surprised but I mean amongst the protests that inevitably
[16:11]will happen in cities and around the golf courses this coming weekend. There'll be people holding up signs uh
[16:20]uh about the Epstein files um and about a whole bunch of things that uh feel like they're usonly issues. Uh these
[16:31]things do travel uh and are followed closely. I mean, there is a lot of there's there's it's true to say that President Trump is not wildly popular
[16:41]here as a politician, but my goodness, he's famous. And uh the the level of interest in him is is skyhigh. >> Peter Nolles, C-SPAN's Westminster
[16:51]producer, joining us from Scotland, where President Trump will be conducting his visit. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> This is Washington today. ABC News writes, "A second meeting between
[17:03]Jeffrey Epstein, associate Galain Maxwell, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch, ended on Friday after about 3 hours." Maxwell's attorney, David Marcus, told ABC News afterward, "There
[17:14]have been no asks and no promises." Marcus said Maxwell was asked about maybe 100 different people during her interview with the deputy attorney general. He said she answered every
[17:24]question. Blanch didn't speak to reporters upon his arrival at the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida. On social media, Blanch said he would reveal what he learned from Maxwell at the appropriate time. That
[17:35]was from ABC News. David Marquez held a news conference outside the courthouse after the interview was finished. >> We finished for the day. Um, we started
[17:45]this morning uh right around 9:00 and uh went to now lunchtime and we're finished uh after all yesterday and today. Um,
[17:57]Glenn answered every single question asked of her over the last day and a half. Uh, she answered those questions honestly, truthfully, to the best of her
[18:07]ability. She never, uh, invoked a privilege to never refuse to answer a question. So, we're very proud of her. We're proud of how the process has
[18:17]worked over the past day and a half. I will say this, um, she has been treated unfairly for the past 5 years. She didn't get a fair trial. Uh we're still appealing to the Supreme Court. We're
[18:29]going to be filing a reply in the Supreme Court on her circetition on Monday. Uh remember uh people have questioned her honesty, which I think is
[18:38]just wrong. Remember a juror lied to get on to the jury, admitted to lying to get onto her jury. She did not get a fair
[18:47]trial. No prosecutor even mentioned her until Epstein died. So um We feel that the process for Glenn has been unfair.
[18:58]She was denied bail. She was treated uh worse than an animal would be treated in jail when she was first held, woken up every 15 minutes. So, we're we're just
[19:08]um trying to get through the process where we are now and and get her some relief. So, um that's where we are today. >> Do you feel like you're going to get some relief as a result of the conversations you've been having the last couple of days?
[19:19]>> We we don't know. Um we don't know how it's going to play out. We just know that um this was the first opportunity she's ever been given to answer questions um about what happened and so
[19:30]so the truth will come out about what happened with with Mr. Epstein and and she's the person who's answering those questions. >> David Marcus, attorney for Galain Maxwell, speaking to reporters outside
[19:42]the courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where that interview two days now with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch took place. USA Today writing about this. Talks between the Justice Department and
[19:53]Maxwell come as the Trump administration faces mounting pressure to reverse its pledge not to release any more documents related to the Justice Department investigation into Epstein. A move that prompted fierce backlash from the
[20:04]president's most loyal followers. On July 23rd, a federal judge in Florida rejected a bid from the Justice Department to unseal grand jury testimony from 2005 and 2007 tied to a
[20:15]federal investigation into Epstein, who hanged himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges and autopsy concluded. Maxwell, who is serving a
[20:26]20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls, is seeking to overturn her conviction and has filed a petition with the Supreme Court, which the Justice Department has opposed. That was from the USA Today
[20:38]article. President Donald Trump, after he flew to Scotland to begin his visit there, at the airport was asked by a reporter about a possible pardon for Maxwell. In his answer, the president
[20:50]talked about other people more closely connected, he said to Jeffrey Epstein, that should be the subject of news reports instead of him. >> What are you hoping interviewing Maxwell? What are you hoping that they
[21:01]get out of that? >> I really have no uh really nothing to say about it. She is being talked to by a very smart man, by
[21:11]a very good man, Todd Blanch. And uh I don't know anything about the conversation. that I haven't really been following it. Uh, a lot of people are
[21:20]asking me about pardons. Obviously, this is no time to be talking about pardons. >> But a lot of people have asked about pardon. Uh, this is just not a time to
[21:30]be talking about pardons. Todd will come back with whatever he's got. You make it a very big thing over something that's not a big thing you should be talking about. If you're going to talk about
[21:40]that, talk about Clinton. Talk about the former president of Harvard. talk about all of his friends. Talk about the hedge fund guys that were with him all the
[21:50]time. Don't talk about Trump. Uh what you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest 6 months in the history of a presidency according to
[21:59]a lot of people and uh we had an amazing six months and this is sort of an example of it. Now we're meeting with
[22:08]the European Union uh having we're also meeting with as you know the head of UK prime minister and I look forward to that but we're meeting in terms of a
[22:19]deal we're meeting with the European Union and that would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it. >> Did you ask House Republican leaders to
[22:28]not vote on the resolution about >> I was never I was never involved in that. I'm focused on making deals. I'm not focused on conspiracy theories that you are. I mean, I watch you people.
[22:40]It's It's so sad. You ought to talk about the success of our country instead of this nonsense that you talk about over and over again. >> President Donald Trump speaking to
[22:49]reporters in Scotland. The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper writing about the Justice Department interview with Ghislaine Maxwell, which finished up today after a day and a half of questioning from Todd
[23:00]Blanch, the deputy attorney general. It's still unclear what the intent for the DOJ's interview was. And when asked, her attorney, David Marcus, said it's time for the truth to come out. Little
[23:12]was discussed during the trial, but it's different now. He added Congress has subpoenaed Maxwell to testify August 11th, and he said they've yet to decide whether they'll do that. That was from
[23:22]the Tallahassee Democrat. That subpoena is coming from the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Robert Garcia of California, spoke about the Justice Department interview with Gla Maxwell
[23:34]Thursday in an podcast with host Brian Tyler Cohen. We know that Todd Blanch, the deputy attorney general, sprinted over to Maxwell while she's in prison uh
[23:44]so that so that Blanch could have the opportunity to speak with her before Congress did. Do you think that there is some reason to look into here without sounding conspiratorial that Todd Blanch
[23:55]I guess under this guise of of transparency even though if we actually wanted transparency they would just release the Epstein files but under the guise of transparency went immediately to Gain Maxwell to be able to speak with
[24:06]her before Congress had the opportunity to do so. >> We should absolutely be concerned. I mean let's first be very clear. I mean, um, Maxwell we know is a convicted sex
[24:18]predator who is an accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein who essentially lied on the stand, has committed horrific crimes, has been involved in abusing uh, young women and girls. And so on on her own,
[24:29]she's not someone that can be trusted, per se. Then you have this sentence that she has, of course, that she's now serving. And of course, the DOJ and Trump, there is there's absolute concern that she's going to try to cut some kind
[24:41]of deal and essentially say what Donald Trump wants her to say for some kind of reduced sentence or pardon. So, that's a concern, which is why it's so important that we get the files because if she's
[24:52]going to then be deposed by the oversight committee and I'll be at that deposition. If she's going to actually be deposed by us, uh, us and the Republicans, both of us in that room, we're going to be able to hopefully
[25:03]corroborate whatever she is saying with actual documents. We just cannot take her word for it when she is now working with Trump's Department of Justice. So, I think I think Donald Trump's trying to, you know, uh, get a fast one here
[25:15]past us and thinking we're going to somehow just accept what she says as the truth. Absolutely not. Uh, we weren't born yesterday. We're going to get those documents and make sure that what she tells us is aligned with what's actually
[25:27]been documented in these files and all these papers. >> What if she doesn't? What What if What if you find inconsistencies between what she tells you and what the Epstein files actually say? I mean, look, that's why
[25:38]it's important for for oversight Democrats to be in the room in that deposition. Uh we're going to make sure that the deposition is done in a way that focuses on justice that centers the
[25:48]victims uh and that is not some sort of uh Republican sideshow uh to exonerate Donald Trump who we know is in the Epstein files and was as you know just
[25:58]recently told by the Department of Justice and Pam Bondi that he was in there which is why we're probably getting this massive reversal. Congressman Robert Garcia, Democrat from California, ranking member on the
[26:09]oversight committee, interviewed by Brian Tyler Cohen on his online channel. New York Times article from Thursday. President Trump's name appeared on a
[26:19]contributor list for a book celebrating the 50th birthday of the disgraced financeier Jeffrey Epstein. Evidence that he participated in the collection even as he denied that he signed a
[26:30]sexually suggestive note and drawing. This is Washington today. Straight from CBS News. With little say in the ongoing debate over redrawing congressional districts in their home state, Texas
[26:41]Democratic state legislators are looking beyond their borders for help. Separate delegations of Texas Democrats are flying Friday to Sacramento to meet with California Governor Gavin Newsome and
[26:51]Chicago to see Illinois Governor JB Pritsker. The move comes as legislators are holding a series of public hearings through early next week to discuss proposed changes to congressional
[27:02]boundaries. Exchanges that have led to shouting matches and at least one witness being removed from a hearing Thursday night in Austin. But nothing in Texas state law bars legislators from
[27:12]redrawing lines in between sentences. And President Trump has asked Lonear State Republicans to use their complete control of government to rearrange congressional district boundaries in hopes of winning up to five more seats
[27:24]across the state in next year's election. Doing so would help pad House Republicans two seat majority as they face historic midterm headwinds. That was from CBS News. Today there was a
[27:35]public hearing held by the Texas Senate Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting and witnesses were allowed to testify remotely. One of the first was a member of the US Congress, Sylvia
[27:47]Garcia, Democrat of Texas. >> We should be working on legislation to support families in the Hill Country after the devastating flood flooding to provide resources for families who lost
[27:58]everything for new warning systems to prevent future tragedies and doing what is best for the safety and well-being of Texans. Instead, we are today playing
[28:08]political games to appease the felon in the White House in his lust to keep power. We are pretending that the governor did not approve the very maps, the very maps he is now insisting must
[28:19]be changed. This political theater will hurt communities in my district and it's just plain shameful. And what do we why don't we even have a map? Where are the maps? Why are we proceeding on a hearing
[28:31]when we don't even have maps to comment on? Are you are we committing today that that once maps are in place uh are put put on the table that we're going to have future hearings so that those
[28:42]districts impacted can have a say? Well, I'm waiting for that answer. But here we are. So, let me tell you about the 29th district which I'm honored to represent. Our shared values and culture far
[28:53]outnumber our differences. We're a community that values faith, family, hard work, and service. From Lindale to Aldine to Pasadena to Galina Park to Justin City or South Houston, we are
[29:05]community and we stick together. Ripping up the 29th district will silence the voice of this communities and it would be a travesty. The population growth in Texas is because of the Latino
[29:17]population growth. Plain and simple. Ask any demographer. The Voting Rights Act protects districts like the 29th with common interest, priorities, and
[29:26]background. Given this, I urge you to reject this partisan jerrymanding of Texas. Reject the map from the felon in the White House and do what's right for
[29:36]Texans. Texans want a map that they put together. We don't need a politician from the White House putting our map together. >> Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Democrat of
[29:47]Texas, testifying remotely to the Texas Senate Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting in Austin. Just about every witness at this public hearing
[29:58]opposed the redistricting by the Republican majority, but not all. >> Uh, good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chairman, and members of the committee. My name is Ryan Cook, and I serve as a Republican precinct chair in
[30:09]Nacadocious County. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak with you today. I'm here to raise a concern about Congressional District 17, which is current which currently includes Nakadooas County. With today's
[30:19]hearing focused on central Texas, I felt it was the right time to share my perspective um on a district that quite frankly does not reflect our community's geography or in identity. I support the redistricting plan and appreciate the
[30:31]work this committee is doing to create a new map for our state. I offer this recommendation as a good faith suggestion to improve the current map that we have. As it stands, District 17 stretches from Nacadocious to Waco and then all the way down to Round Rock in
[30:42]Williamson County. That's a span of 211 miles and a 4-hour drive. Uh, I have great respect for Congressman Pete Sessions, who works hard to serve his constituents, but it's unreasonable to
[30:53]expect effective representation in a district that covers such a broad and disconnected region. The district also fails the basic redistricting principle of compactness. Uh, stretching across vastly different parts of our state,
[31:05]from the piny woods of East Texas to the suburbs of Austin, this district lacks geographic cohesion. It simply doesn't make sense for Nacadocious, a deeply rooted East Texas community culturally,
[31:15]economically, and historically to be placed in the same congressional district as part of Austin's outer metro. And East Texas County should be in an East Texas district. Furthermore, I want to emphasize historical
[31:27]precedent. For three decades, Nakadocious County was part of Texas's first district. That alignment made sense. Uh by placing Agadocious back in the first district, we would not only ensure more consistent representation
[31:39]with our neighboring East Texas counties, but we would also contribute to a cleaner, more logical map. This change would reduce the burden on our congressman, better reflect our regional identity, and strengthen the integrity of the map overall. Mr. Thank you
[31:50]everyone for your time and consideration. I appreciate the work. >> Thank you very much, sir. >> Testimony at the public hearing. Texas Senate Select Committee on Congressional Redisting based in Austin. Another CBS
[32:01]News article. New York Governor Kathy Hokll on Thursday said she's open to congressional redistricing in New York to boost Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections amid President Trump's
[32:11]push to redraw red states like Texas to help Republicans keep control of the House. Hokll said during an unrelated event in her hometown of Buffalo, "All's
[32:21]fair and love and war. If there's other states violating the rules and are trying to give themselves an advantage, all I'll say is I'm going to look at it closely. That was from CBS News. An $8
[32:32]billion merger between Skyance Media and Paramount Global writes Politico received regulatory approval Thursday from the Federal Communications Commission in a deal that has raised alarm about free speech and government
[32:44]intrusion into the media. Chair Brendan Carr said in announcing the approval that Sky Dance had agreed to address the Trump administration's concerns about what it sees as media bias at the CBS
[32:55]network. Sky Dance committed to adopt measures to root out media bias that had undermined trust in the news media. Carr said the merger has been the source of a political fight over the last several
[33:06]months due to concerns around CBS, particularly over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview last fall with former Vice President Kamala Harris as she was running for president. Trump sued CBS,
[33:17]settling the case for $16 million earlier this month. Carr has a separate open investigation into the editing of the program that was from Politico. This
[33:27]was discussed today at a forum in Washington with former FCC chairs and commissioners. The question will come from Jonathan Adelstein, a Democrat, and
[33:37]the answers from Democrats Minion Klyburn and Reed Hunt and Republican Michael O'Reilly. >> Today, the big news I talked about at the beginning was the approval by the
[33:47]FCC of the uh Sky Dance Paramount CBS merger. Uh, somebody joked on the way in that Steven Colbear was fired and then two days later, boom, the it got
[33:59]approved. Is it a coincidence? Um, you know, some are saying that there's been a politicization of media regulation. I'm interested in what the panelists think about things like the 60 Minutes
[34:09]investigation. You've seen the FCC investigating NPR and and PBS. At the same time, there was a move to delete funding from them. uh what do you think about the way that uh these media issues
[34:21]are being handled in terms of the use of the power of the FCC as Glenn Ivy talked about uh to change how media companies cover uh important issues of the day.
[34:32]>> So I'll just have a quick oneliner. Uh the um Trump's FCC 2.0 O has abandoned its traditional role. Um and it has been
[34:42]unprecedented over um you know when you look out over the 90 year history uh this has uh been unprecedented. Uh and
[34:51]um I'll I'll pitch to Reed um who will uh clean this up for me. Uh so um
[35:02]so Justice Potter Stewart said uh I can't define pornography but I know it when I see it. Uh the problem with the public interest standard is that you
[35:12]don't know what it is when you see it and you can't define it. And no two people when they try to talk about it actually talk about the same thing.
[35:21]uh and every time the FCC has tried to write it down uh the appellet court has thrown out their effort. So the question uh in my mind the
[35:33]fundamental question is should there be any public interest standard at all. It is a it is a way for any commission to pressure a license holder in the
[35:45]media realm >> and only license holders >> and only license Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Uh so, so as long as we're thinking very
[35:56]broadly and capaciously about changing government, which is of course exactly what the Trump administration is doing, you know, I would just say to the chair, you know, why don't you why don't you
[36:05]also grab that that thorny uh issue and say, look, let's just get rid of it because it is it shouldn't be a weapon that anybody can use. It should be a
[36:17]guideline for the industry that can be followed. But it isn't because you can't write it down. >> Now, I mentioned the word tradition, Reed, and um when it comes to tradition,
[36:27]um um excuse me, Mike, I I'll yield in a second. Um traditionally, the FCC focused on communications specific
[36:37]concerns, not general corporate employment practices. That's the shift uh that we're talking
[36:46]about here. And that um is I find problematic. Mike, to you. >> Well, I would say this is a a long time coming. Um it's been implemented by a
[36:57]number of chairman in my 30 years. um not to maybe to the extent that people are upset with, but it is certainly been part of the transactions. Um I pushed on Capitol Hill to to Reed's point, uh
[37:08]getting rid of the public interest standard or trying to define it or to modernize how mergers are are are treated um and and applications are treated. I wasn't successful when I was
[37:18]on Capitol Hill or in the commission. Um you know, I had a lot of process reforms that people now look upon. I I heard Commissioner Gomez talk about delegated authority. I would have loved some support for that. uh in the past when I
[37:30]was both a minority commissioner and a majority commissioner and pushed for those things but but my my answer is this has been a long time coming if you look at the last commission um standard general techna transaction couldn't have
[37:41]been more worse it could couldn't have been worseer in terms of how the agency handled it um abdication of responsibility um and abuse of process so I am I I don't think this is you know
[37:52]in anyone's particular hands um I might move to where to to Reed's point let's just get rid of it Um and because broadcasting in general is is is uh you
[38:02]know moved uh has a lot of competition um a lot of challenges um and I'd like us to move away from uh having them on some kind of pedestal where they have all these extra burdens and extra
[38:14]obligations and the transactions everything that goes through that process through that civ of the agency. Um and then and they're not the same things that that are necessary anymore in my opinion. So I' I'd be open to
[38:25]considering something that if I were still in a position of power. >> Michael O'Reilly was FCC commissioner, a Republican in the Obama and Trump first Trump administration. Also on this
[38:36]panel, Minion Klyber, a Democrat, served during those same administrations. Reed Hunt was chair of the FCC in the Clinton administration and the moderator Jonathan Adelstein, former FCC
[38:47]commissioner, Democrat in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations part of a forum hosted by the multicultural media telecom and internet council in
[38:57]Washington DC today. Wall Street, the Dow up 208, NASDAQ up 50, S&P up 25. CNBC writes that President Donald Trump
[39:09]on Friday expressed confidence the Federal Reserve will start lowering interest rates a day after he met with central bank chair Jerome Powell. President indicated the meeting took a positive tone and believes the Fed is
[39:21]ready to provide the monetary policy easing he's been seeking for months. Reporting from CNBC, Washington today continues in a moment. >> In a nation divided, a rare moment of
[39:36]unity this fall, C-SPAN presents Ceasefire, where the shouting stops and the conversation begins. In a town where
[39:46]partisan fighting prevails, one table, two leaders, one goal to find common ground. This fall, Ceasefire on the
[39:56]network that doesn't take sides. Only on C-SPAN. Welcome back to Washington today,
[40:12]available as a podcast on the free C-SPAN now mobile app and wherever you get your podcasts. Associated Press reporting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his
[40:23]government was considering alternative options to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the US recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further
[40:34]uncertainty. Netanyahu's statement came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure
[40:44]tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the US, said the pause was only temporary and the talks would resume, though they did not say when. The teams left Qatar on
[40:56]Thursday as President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Whit said Hamas's latest response to proposals for a deal showed a lack of desire to reach a truce. Whitov said the US will look at
[41:07]alternative options without elaborating. That was from Associated Press. President Donald Trump spoke about this as he met with reporters on the White House South Lawn before leaving for Scotland
[41:19]in negotiation. >> Yeah. Gaza uh they pulled out of Gaza. They pulled out in terms of negotiating. It was too bad. Hamas
[41:29]Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die and it's very very bad. >> And it got it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job.
[41:40]They really uh they they asked for things. Don't forget we got a lot of hostages out. So now we're down to the final hostages and they know what happens after you get the final
[41:50]hostages. And basically because of that they really didn't want to make a deal. I saw that. So they pulled out and they're gonna have to fight and they're gonna have to clean it up. You're going
[42:01]to have to get rid of it. >> President Donald Trump outside the White House before departing for Scotland this morning. He was also asked about French President Mcron saying that France
[42:12]intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next September. The president responded, "What he says doesn't matter. He's a very good guy. I like him. But that
[42:22]statement doesn't carry weight. Story from the New York Times. Israel will allow foreign nations to parachute humanitarian aid to a population in Gaza desperate for food. Officials said
[42:31]Friday during a widening crisis in which children have died of malnutrition. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates were expected to begin air drops in the coming days according to the Israeli
[42:43]military agency that regulates humanitarian affairs in Gaza. Reporting from the New York Times, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Gutre spoke about the situation in Gaza as he
[42:53]spoke virtually to the Amnesty International 2025 global assembly. >> From the beginning, I have repeatedly condemned the horrific seven October
[43:03]terror attacks by Hamas. But nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since. The scale and scope is beyond anything
[43:14]we have seen in recent times. I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community. The lack of
[43:25]compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity. Our own heroic staff continue to serve in unimaginable conditions.
[43:36]Many are so numb and depleted that they say they feel neither dead nor alive. Children speaking of wanted to go to
[43:47]heaven because at least they say there is food there. We hold video calls with our own humanitarians who are starving before our eyes. And this is not just a
[43:58]humanitarian crisis. It's a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience. We will continue to speak out at every opportunity, but words don't feed hungry
[44:10]children. The United Nations stands ready to make the most of a possible ceasefire to dramatically scale up humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip as we
[44:22]successfully did during the previous pause in fighting. Our plans are ready and they are finalized. We know what
[44:29]works and we know what does not. Since May 27, United Nations has recorded over 1,000 Palestinians killed
[44:40]trying to access food. Let me repeat, 1,000 people killed, not in combat, but in desperation while the entire population starves.
[44:52]We need action. An immediate and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the immediate and
[45:01]unimpeded humanitarian access. At the same time, we need urgent, concrete, and irreversible steps towards a two-state solution.
[45:12]>> UN Secretary General Antonio Gutres speaking virtually to the Amnesty International Global Assembly. Another AP story. A raid by US-led forces in northwestern Syria on Friday killed a
[45:23]senior leader in the Islamic State militant group. The US military said Friday. The US Central Command said in a statement that it had killed the IS or
[45:33]ISIS leader and his two adult sons who were affiliated with the group. early Friday in a raid in the town of Albbab in Syria's Aleppo province. It said the
[45:45]men posed a threat to US and coalition forces as well as the new Syrian government. That was from AP. US Defense Secretary Pete Hexth reaffirmed the Trump administration's commitment to
[45:56]NATO as he hosted defense ministers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Exth applauded the Baltic state's pledge to allocate 5% of their GDP towards
[46:07]defense, a goal that NATO has set for 2035. >> First of all, I want to I want to thank all of you for your support, ongoing support for US troops uh in in in so many different ways and especially
[46:19]recently uh to Lithuania on that recovery mission of our service members this spring. the respect that you and your country that all of your countries
[46:28]show to our troops is incredible and so we thank you for that. Um, second, we want to I want to congratulate all of you on your important roles in the most we believe the successful and historic
[46:40]NATO summit in modern history. President Trump called on European allies to lead on continental defense in NATO. The commitment by allies to 5% defense
[46:52]spending will make NATO stronger and more sustainable, more lethal on their capabilities. And it starts with allies spending more on defense. And our Baltic
[47:02]allies have long blazed the trail here. Uh this is not new for all of you. Uh and you led the charge on other countries in NATO stepping up. President
[47:13]Trump has been clear. The United States remains fully committed to NATO and together we're achieving peace through strength in Europe by setting the conditions for a negotiated lasting
[47:24]peace in Ukraine, establishing sustainable deterrence, and increasing allied capabilities and interoperability. We also recognize that the United States
[47:35]has a lot of obligations around the world, including defending our homeland uh and deterring war in the Indo-acific. So, this is why European leadership
[47:47]in your own conventional defense on the continent is more important than ever. Your efforts to modernize and invest in new military capabilities are uh critical to deterring attacks and
[47:57]building readiness. Uh I really from this podium in this building want to applaud your leadership uh as I mentioned on meeting the 5% defense spending target not years down the road
[48:08]but in all of you all of your countries in 2026. It underscores your dedication to the alliance's security and sets a very clear example for others to follow.
[48:19]Uh, I also, as I mentioned off the top, truly do appreciate the ongoing support for US and allied forces in the Baltics, including multinational training environments, which bolsters our
[48:30]collective readiness. Uh, I'm also glad that our deployed highars uh have been able to help with your troops on training ahead of receiving your own high mar equipment. This cooperation
[48:42]accelerates our ability to defend countries with capable systems. So, ministers, your visit demonstrates our strong defense relationship and I very much appreciate it. Thank you for being here.
[48:53]>> Defense Secretary Pete Hexath at the Pentagon today along with the defense ministers of the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latafia, and Lithuania. This is Washington today. Disgraced former
[49:04]Congressman George Santos begins an NBC News article reported to prison on Friday, beginning a more than seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to a laundry list of federal charges that
[49:14]included wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. He is in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in Ferton, New Jersey. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed
[49:26]Friday. the flashy New York Republican who stormed onto the national stage when he unexpectedly won a congressional seat in 2022 and was expelled by his
[49:36]colleagues the very next year didn't go quietly this week. He appeared on an hour-long podcast, engaged with his followers on Xpaces, and posted a series
[49:45]of farewell tweets on X. He also continued to post videos for supporters on the Cameo platform through Friday morning, charging a minimum of $300 per video, according to the site. That was
[49:57]the article from NBC News. Thursday, George Santos was on Al Arabia English television. >> How I'd like to start this by asking, how are you prepared physically and
[50:07]mentally for your prison sentence? >> How as good as one can prepare? I think that's the best way I can say this. Um the reality is one can never prepare for
[50:19]such an abrupt change in life. So definitely uh not the easiest task at hand. Uh and in terms of prison, have you any
[50:30]idea of what kind of prison you're going to? Is it going to be a low? Is it going to be a medium? So, the facility I'm going to uh has
[50:39]been redesated as a camp, which is uh I guess the easiest you can go to and and I was made aware of that a week ago.
[50:50]>> Uh and are you glad by that fact? >> I mean, I'm not glad to be going to prison if I'm being completely honest, but um it's a big a big upgrade from the
[51:01]medium designation that I had earlier uh received. So, it's it's it's a step in a better direction, I guess, and of all the impossibly horrible things. >> Former Congressman George Santos was
[51:12]also asked in this Thursday interview about his crimes. Are you remorseful? >> That's an understatement, right? A lot of people keep saying, "Oh, he's not
[51:22]remorseful." Remorse? Yes. I have tons of remorse. I'm remorseful I ever ever got involved in politics. I'm remorseful that I got involved and caught up with
[51:32]the wrong people. I'm remorseful for some of the insanely irresponsible decisions I made and actions I condone. So yes, I'm terribly remorseful. Am I
[51:43]going to silence myself and not share my opinion? Absolutely not. So the two things can be true at the same time, but it seems that a rem remorseful person should essentially go away and be
[51:54]silent. And I I disagree on that. Former Congressman George Santos, Republican of New York, in an Al Arabia English interview Thursday. Today, he reported to federal prison for a 7-year plus
[52:06]sentence. He wrote on X today, "Well, darlings, the curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed. From the halls of Congress to
[52:16]the chaos of cable news, what a ride it's been. Was it messy? Always glamorous, occasionally honest. I tried most days. To my supporters, you made
[52:27]this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics, thanks for the free press. I may be leaving the stage for now, but trust me, legends never truly exit.
[52:37]Forever fabulously yours, George. That post from George Santos. And finally on Washington today, from college sports, a story from NPR. President Trump has
[52:48]taken aim at college sports with a new executive order signed Thursday that seeks to empower federal agencies including the US Department of Education, which disperses funds to
[52:58]public universities to help enforce new provisions on athletic scholarships and pay for play licensing deals for athletes. The order directs the nation's
[53:08]largest athletic departments to maintain certain numbers of scholarships for women's and Olympic sports and it seeks to reign in the lucrative name, image,
[53:18]and likeness deals known as NIL that have dramatically transformed athlete compensation in recent years. That article from NPR, the NCAA president
[53:28]Charlie Baker was interviewed Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington. He told Washington Post reporter Tara Cop that his organization would rather have legislation from
[53:39]Congress on these issues than the executive order. >> We talked about working with Congress. There's also been some chatter that there might be an executive order coming from the White House that could also
[53:49]give you some governance or guidance. Um what would you look for in an executive order that you think would uh add more clarity to this process? Well, I think the I mean, part of the reason we've
[54:01]been focused on the three issues I just mentioned, the um the limited liability protection, the um the
[54:12]I say this so many times I forget it once in a while, the limited liability protection, the employment piece, and um and the dealing with all of the various state laws on this is because th those
[54:22]are statutory fixes. You can't fix that stuff through an executive order. Um, I think the um I think the president's obviously interested in this stuff. He's
[54:34]come to some of our national championships. He's come to some regular season games. Um, he talks about and clearly likes and enjoys what college sports represents. Um, and we're really
[54:46]grateful for that. Um, but I think our focus um, for now really needs to be on trying to get this stuff dealt with through the legislative process because
[54:57]that at the end of the day is really the only vehicle that can deal with those issues. >> So there's not something you think an executive order could be beneficial for at this point that would be more beneficial than just going through a
[55:08]cong for uh, >> um, Congress. I really think the I mean I mean I'm open to thoughts and ideas on this, but I think I think from our point of view the the real focus for us needs
[55:19]to be on the legislative process. >> NCAA President Charlie Baker with Washington Post reporter Tara Cop at the National Press Club on Thursday. Charlie Baker also said any expansion of the
[55:31]NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments would be tough to do in the upcoming season 202526 but could happen the year after. Thanks
[55:41]for listening to Washington today. Sign up for C-SPAN's evening newsletter word for word and get the stories making headlines in Washington emailed to you every day. Subscribe at cpan.org/connect.
[55:52]Have a good night and weekend.