Washington Week with The Atlantic

After years of failed negotiations, Israel and Hamas are putting down their weapons, for now. The panel discusses the likelihood that their agreement holds and the turning point that changed everything.

Funding fights in Washington usually play out like games of chicken. Right now, neither party seems ready to give in. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck News, Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News, and Toluse Olorunnipa and Ashley Parker of The Atlantic.

At some point, the government will reopen, but the fight that has shut the government down this week is in some ways unique. For Democrats, this is the chance to show their base they have the capacity to stand up to President Trump. For Trump, this is an opportunity to punish Democrats, cut funding to blue states and fire even more federal workers.

Washington Week with The Atlantic Airs Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 at 8PM on PBS(check local listings) Democrats’ Risky Strategy After months of being sidelined by President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats are using their party’s leverage in the federal funding process to confront them. But for the Senate and House minority leaders, shutting down the government is a risky strategy, and one that may not pay off as they face the White House's threats of mass federal layoffs and...

The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey represents an important Rubicon crossed. The panel discusses what all of this means for the future of American democracy and the wholesale takeover of the Justice Department by the Trump political apparatus.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called hundreds of U.S. military leaders to Washington for a meeting. The panel discusses the meeting and new rules on press access at the Pentagon.