Trump administration proposes selling half of U.S. oil stockpile

May 23, 2017
President Trump has proposed selling half of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, America’s emergency stockpile of oil, as part of his 2018 budget proposal. The White House says that would lower the federal deficit by nearly $17 billion over a decade. We’ll take a look at how the reserve came about – and why there’s a […]

Prospective cuts have EPA workers weighing their options

May 23, 2017
The question of staying or going comes up anytime political control shifts. For some, the time to go may come soon.
EPA staffers have been dealing with massive shifts in the way their agency operates, with executive orders that have mandated reviews or canceled several environmental initiatives and rhetoric about reducing regulation.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Trump budget gives states more power, less money to manage safety net for poor

May 23, 2017
President Trump’s first major budget proposal will cut away at the safety net for the millions who live at or below the poverty line. The budget being released today proposes mammoth cuts to Medicaid as well as revamping anti-poverty programs. States will have more power to set spending priorities, but have much less to spend. […]

Is it fair to ask people to work for government benefits?

May 22, 2017
The Trump administration will reveal a major budget proposal tomorrow. It is widely expected to include massive cuts to Medicaid – $800 billion worth over 10 years. States would also get more flexibility to impose work requirements, meaning people who receive government assistance – including Medicaid – would be required to work.  Is that a good […]

Mar-a-Lago has cyber security weaknesses

May 22, 2017
A ProPublica and Gizmodo investigation found weak cyber security at Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties.
The Trump helicopter is seen at the Mar-a-Lago Resort where President Donald Trump has hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Education budget shows federally funded after-school programs are in jeopardy

May 22, 2017
The Trump administration is expected to release its detailed 2018 budget tomorrow. According to “near-final” documents leaked to the Washington Post last week, the proposed cuts include more than $10.5 billion in federal education initiatives. On the chopping block are more than $1 billion in grants that fund after-school and summer programs for low-income kids.  […]

The U.S.'s delicate balance between arms deals and diplomacy

May 19, 2017
President Trump is headed to Saudi Arabia, the first stop on his first foreign trip as president. The Saudis buy a lot of weapons from the U.S., and more arms deals could be announced this weekend. The U.S. keeps careful tabs on who buys American-made weapons and what they buy. There is sometimes a delicate […]

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Weekly Wrap: What will happen to Trump's economic agenda?

May 19, 2017
Rachel Abrams of the New York Times and Sudeep Reddy of Politico join us to discuss the week’s business and economic news. This week, they talk about how the latest revelations from the White House will affect Donald Trump’s economic agenda ahead of his trip to Saudi Arabia. Plus, with the controversies surrounding Trump and former […]
President Trump arrives for a press conference in the East Room of the White House.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Trade is center stage as President Trump heads to Saudi Arabia

May 19, 2017
President Trump travels to Saudi Arabia today, the first stop on his first foreign trip as president. A number of American CEOs are also tagging along because, it turns out, there are deals to be done in Saudi Arabia. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.  

Trump’s proposed education budget puts federal initiatives on the chopping block

May 18, 2017
A copy of President Trump’s proposed education budget has been leaked to the Washington Post. In total, the plan would eliminate $10.6 billion from federal education initiatives, including things such as after-school programs for the poor, teacher training, and surprisingly, work-study funding for college students. The cuts to work-study, together with other proposed rollbacks in college […]