Todd Zwillich

As Japan works to contain a nuclear disaster, lawmakers in the United States are debating the role of nuclear energy in this country. So far the Obama administration and members of congress have continued to support nuclear energy, but renewed fear has forced them to question the safety of reactors on U.S. soil. The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich reports from Wednesday's Congressional hearing with Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko.

Greg Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission briefed reporters at the White House on Tuesday, saying that a nuclear emergency like the one in Japan could not happen in the United States. “Based on the type of reactor design and the nature of the accident we see a very low likelihood, really a very low probability that there’s any possibility of harmful radiation levels in the United States or in Hawaii, or in any other U.S. territories," he said.

However, Washington is edge about what to do about our own nuclear power sources here in the U.S. Todd Zwillich, Washington correspondent for The Takeaway got reaction from the Capitol.

Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) announced his pending retirement yesterday, saying he would not run in the 2012 election. The announcement came to the obvious relief of many of his colleagues — Sen. Ensign is currently being investigated for an alleged affair with a former staffer. But he's not the only lawmaker planning to sit out the coming election; seven others have also announced plans to get out of politics, or at least, government. Joining us to talk about the other lawmakers who are retiring, and how that may challenge party strategy, is Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich. 

As the battle over the budget continues in Congress this week, Speaker of the House John Boehner faces what might be his first big test as he has been criticized by both the right and the left. The Tea Party has put extreme pressure on Boehner to keep him from compromising with President Obama and the Democrats; at the same time he faces a Senate that's not under his party's control. The Takeaway's Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich has the latest on the budget negotiations and whether a government shutdown is still a possibility.

The fight over the budget continues on Capitol Hill. Tea Party members want to see a massive amount cut from the budget, while Democrats and Republicans see a policy fight within the proposed cuts. There are over 100 policy riders included in the spending bill that Republicans passed two weeks ago; these directly affect President Obama's domestic agenda. There are restrictions on funding for the EPA, the FDA, health care reform and abortion. Takeaway's Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich reports on how this fight is playing out.

In an effort to avoid a government shutdown, the U.S. House approved a stopgap budget on Tuesday that would buy Congress more time to approve a final budget. The Senate is expected to vote on the measure today. In a vote of 335-91, the House voted to cut $4 billion in spending in order to keep the government open until March 18. We talk with Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich about the bargaining chips being used to avoid a government shutdown.

While a very divided Congress took a recess this week, demonstrators have been gathering in front of capitol buildings and representatives’ offices in response to the GOP’s proposed spending cuts. Todd Zwillich, the Takeaway’s Washington correspondent has the latest in the federal budget battle and whether we should worry about a government shutdown. 

President Barack Obama declared the Defense Of Marriage Act unconstitutional yesterday, and ordered the Justice Department to no longer defend it. The act, which was signed into law in by President Bill Clinton back in 1996, barred any federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Reactions were split between Democrats and Republicans. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), said, "while Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending the president will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation."

We have been talking all week about the battle lines being drawn in Washington over the 2012 federal budget proposal. So we asked you how you’d fix the budget. We received a huge response from listeners and we’ve picked a few suggestions to consider on air this morning. David Walker, U.S. Comptroller General from 1998 to 2008 explores the economic viability of your suggestions and Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us the chances on whether any of our ideas would pass in Congress.

American conservatives are gathering in Washington for the annual CPAC Forum. This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference will see a wide field of Republican presidential hopefuls who are sure to make an appearance, and deliver their best case for the GOP nomination. This year there is no front runner (and Sarah Palin will not be attending.) For a preview and analysis, we speak with The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich.  

Republicans are planning to undo as many of the Obama administration's regulations as they can. This includes regulations on Wall Street, health care and the EPA and greenhouse gasses. Republicans are calling these regulations "burdensome" and are creating a bill that will strip the EPA of any power to regulate greenhouse gasses or climate change.

The health care debate isn't subsiding in Washington. A Republican effort to repeal the health care law failed in the Senate Wednesday night, while a Democratic amendment to repeal the law's new tax-reporting requirements passed with bipartisan support. Senate Republicans vowed this will not be their last attempt to repeal the law. Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich lays out the roadmap for the Republican plan to piece-by-piece tear away at the law.

A few hundred protesters gathered outside the Egyptian embassy over the weekend, echoing the chants from Egypt for Mubarak to leave his position. Meanwhile, the United States has not explicitly called for Mubarak to step down even while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked to the press over the weekend, telling Fox News, "We want to see an orderlly transition to a democratic government." Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, has the latest from Washington.

Takeaway Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, reports on how the White House is responding to events in Egypt. It's a tough place for the U.S. as Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak is a U.S. ally. This was clear when Robert Gibbs spoke to the press on Thursday, saying, "We have at every turn encouraged President Mubarak to find a way to engender that political discourse in a positive way."

The federal deficit is set to top $1.5 trillion this year. It's a huge number, but does it even mean anything anymore? Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich says that competing budget plans are popping up all around the Capitol as lawmakers try to find ways to cut as much as possible. The Republican leadership in the House says they will cut $100 billion from the budget this fiscal year. Meanwhile, President Obama has proposed a $400 billion cut over ten years. As the Republicans look for deeper and deeper cuts, the Democrats warn that this could shock the economy back into a recession.

After President Obama’s 2009 State of the Union address author Stanley Fish responded this way to Barack Obama’s performance:

“It’s as if the speech, rather than being a sustained performance with a cumulative power, was a framework on which a succession of verbal ornaments was hung, and we were invited not to move forward but to stop and ponder the significances only hinted at.”

President Obama's State of the Union Address touched on several key and pressing issues facing the country, from transportation, to immigration and innovation. The Takeaway's Washington correspondent, Todd Zwillich, shares his thoughts on the speech and what it could mean for the coming year in the halls of Congress. The Takeaway partners with Transportation Nation, to examine the president's commitment to high speed rail in this country; Obama said he wanted to connect 80 percent of Americans via high-speed rail in coming years.  

Obama speaks of American competitiveness in his State of the Union address, challenging Americans to "out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build" the rest of the world. Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich has the details.

Yesterday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) announced that he will retire next year. From his public shaming of President Clinton after the Lewinsky affair in 1998, to his Vice Presidential bid with Al Gore in 2000, to his endorsement of John McCain for President in 2008, Joe Lieberman has had a career full of surprises. What is Lieberman's legacy?

Reince Priebus was elected the GOP's new chairman on Friday, replacing Michael Steele. He alreday has his sites set on the 2012 presidential election, and taking down Barack Obama. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent gives us some background on Priebus. And Ron Christie, CEO of Republican Christie Strategies and the author of "Acting White: The Curious History of a Racial Slur," said on our show last week he thought the new leader would be Saul Anuzis or Maria Cino. He'll share his surprise with us about the choice of Priebus, and how he thinks it will shape the GOP.