Trump to Address the Nation About War Plans, and TMZ Goes After Congress

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Trump to Address the Nation About War Plans, and TMZ Goes After Congress"

Podcast: The Headlines (The New York Times)
Host: Traci Mumford
Date: April 1, 2026

---

Overview

In today's episode, The New York Times team delivers a rapid-fire breakdown of significant national and global news stories. The focal points include the imminent Artemis 2 moon mission, President Trump's latest statements and executive maneuvers on Iran, elections, and the White House, as well as a surprising new initiative by TMZ targeting vacationing members of Congress. Crucial Supreme Court decisions and legislative headlines round out the episode, providing listeners with a concise yet comprehensive snapshot of the day's top developments.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Artemis 2 Lunar Mission: America Heads Back to the Moon

Guest: Katrina Miller, on-site in Houston
[Timestamps: 00:44–01:57]

• Artemis 2 is the first human moon mission in more than 50 years, set to launch tonight from Kennedy Space Center.
• Four astronauts aboard will travel farther from Earth than anyone since 1972—looping around the moon’s far side and returning (~10 days round trip).
• The mission is a crucial test flight, paving the way for lunar landings in 2028, aiming to meet President Trump’s stated goal of landing astronauts on the moon before the end of his term.
• The US faces renewed competition, as China targets its own crewed lunar landing by 2030.
• Notable Quote:

  “The crew will get to see and photograph the far side of the moon, the part that we never see from Earth with their own eyes.” – Katrina Miller (01:36)

---

2. President Trump’s Iran Address and Claims of Victory

[Timestamps: 02:28–02:55]

• President Trump announced in the Oval Office that the US will end its campaign in Iran “in the next few weeks,” claiming the goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon “has been attained.”
• There is no independent verification of these claims; Iran still reportedly holds significant quantities of highly enriched uranium.
• The promise of war’s end caused a surge in the stock market.
• Trump’s televised address is scheduled for 9pm ET.
• Notable Quote:

  “I had one goal. They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained.” – President Trump (02:48)
  Analysis: The podcast host quickly notes the lack of supporting evidence for this statement.

---

3. Supreme Court Rulings: LGBTQ+ Rights under Fire

[Timestamps: 03:25–04:10]

• In an 8-to-1 decision, the Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors, labeling it “an egregious assault on free speech and the First Amendment.”
• This decision threatens similar bans in over 20 states despite broad medical consensus that conversion therapy is dangerous and ineffective.
• Notable Quote:

  “The court’s decision has implications for more than 20 other states that have similar laws barring conversion therapy, which critics and major medical organizations say is ineffective and potentially dangerous for young people.” – Traci Mumford (03:44)

---

4. Trump Executive Orders: Election Control Push

[Timestamps: 04:10–04:59]

• President Trump signed an executive order creating a national list of eligible voters and restricting mail-in voting, referencing persistent but unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud.
• The move may violate the Constitution, which delegates election control to states and Congress. Trump's previous efforts on this front have been blocked in courts.
• Notable Quote:

  “It’s part of his ongoing effort to promote his false claims of widespread voter fraud…The president has no explicit authority to manage elections, a power the Constitution gives to states in Congress.” – Traci Mumford (04:28)

---

5. White House Expansion: The Ballroom Standoff

[Timestamps: 04:59–05:58]

• A federal judge has blocked further construction of President Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom until Congress formally approves the project.
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation challenged the rapid development and irregular funding.
• The judge chastised government lawyers for comparing the project to minor renovations like adding a tennis court.
• Notable Quote:

  “The judge appeared to lose patience with the government’s lawyer, asking him at one point to, quote, be serious...” – Traci Mumford (05:51)

---

6. TMZ Goes After Congress: Accountability or Tabloid Tactics?

[Timestamps: 05:58–06:43]

• TMZ’s founder, Harvey Levin, has called for tips and photographs of lawmakers vacationing during the spring recess amid a Department of Homeland Security funding stalemate.
• Photos include Senator Lindsey Graham at Disney World and Representative Robert Garcia in Las Vegas.
• Garcia acknowledged the scrutiny, criticizing lawmakers for leaving town without a resolution.
• Notable Quotes:

  “We have Lindsey Graham at Disney World. We got Robert Garcia in Vegas.” – President Trump (06:37)
  “Actually, I don’t mind what TMZ is doing here…I don’t think lawmakers should have been sent home with no deal in place.” – Rep. Robert Garcia (reported by Traci Mumford, 06:43)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Katrina Miller on the Artemis 2 Mission:

  “The crew will get to see and photograph the far side of the moon, the part that we never see from Earth with their own eyes.” (01:36)

• President Trump on the Iran Campaign:

  “They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained.” (02:48)

• Traci Mumford on Conversion Therapy Ruling:

  “The court’s decision has implications for more than 20 other states…” (03:44)

• Judge’s Rebuke on White House Renovation:

  “Be serious and back off claims that the $400 million undertaking is comparable to minor renovations…” (Reported by Traci Mumford, 05:51)

• Representative Garcia on TMZ Coverage:

  “Actually, I don’t mind what TMZ is doing here…I don’t think lawmakers should have been sent home with no deal in place.” (06:43)

---

Important Timestamps

• Artemis 2 Mission Coverage: 00:44–01:57
• Trump’s Iran Comments: 02:28–02:55
• Supreme Court Conversion Therapy Decision: 03:25–04:10
• Election Executive Order: 04:10–04:59
• White House Ballroom Block: 04:59–05:58
• TMZ vs. Congress: 05:58–06:43

---

Tone and Style

The episode employs the efficient, direct, and analytical tone characteristic of The New York Times, with brisk transitions and succinct summaries. Reporters inject brief on-the-ground insights and critical context, while the host offers clarifications and factual corrections in real-time.

---

Final Notes

This episode of The Headlines traverses history-in-the-making (the Artemis mission), legal precedent, American democratic norms, and even tabloid accountability—all in just over six minutes of densely packed reporting. It is essential listening for anyone wanting a well-rounded, up-to-the-minute grasp of consequential news shaping the U.S. and the world.

Transcript

[Traci Mumford]

The New York Times app has all this stuff that you may not have seen.

[Katrina Miller]

The way the tabs are at the top with all of the different sections,

[Traci Mumford]

I can immediately navigate to something that matches what I'm feeling.

[Katrina Miller]

I go to games always doing the

[Traci Mumford]

mini, doing the wordle.

[Katrina Miller]

I loved how much content it exposed me to things that I never would have thought to turn to.

[Traci Mumford]

A news app for this app is essential. The New York Times app. All of the Times all in one place. Download it [e-mail] app from the New York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. Today's Tuesday, April 1st. Here's what we're covering.

[Katrina Miller]

I just landed in Houston. This is where NASA's mission control is for its first moon mission with humans on board in more than 50 years.

[Traci Mumford]

My colleague Katrina Miller is on the ground in Texas to to track the launch of the Artemis 2 mission. It's currently scheduled for tonight. Barring bad weather or other complications. The capsule, which will be carried into space on a 300 plus foot rocket, is set to travel around the moon, taking the astronauts farther from the Earth than anyone has been since 1972.

[Katrina Miller]

Four astronauts are flying aboard the spacecraft. They will launch hopefully on Wednesday evening from Kennedy Space center in Florida. They will loop around the Earth and then do a trans lunar injection burn toward the moon, loop around the far side of the moon and then around day 10 they will splash down off the coast of California. The crew will get to see and photograph the far side of the moon, the part that we never see from Earth with their own eyes. But ultimately, Artemis 2 is a test flight in a series of missions by NASA to return humans to the surface of the moon and then hopefully eventually, someday travel beyond it.

[Traci Mumford]

The two hour launch window will start tonight at 6:24pm if all goes according to plan, this could pave the way for more Artemis missions. That includes two lunar landing attempts set for 2028 to meet President Trump's goal of sending astronauts back to the moon before the end of his term. The US has found itself in a space race once again. As China has said, it's planning to try and land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

[President Trump]

We're finishing the job and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job

[Traci Mumford]

in the Oval Office yesterday, President Trump said the US Will end its military campaign in Iran in the next few weeks, and he promised to address the nation tonight with what the White House says will be an important update on

[President Trump]

the war I had one goal. They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained. They will not have.

[Traci Mumford]

Trump declared that the US has completely eliminated any nuclear threat from Iran, a claim that is not backed up by any evidence. Iran still has nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium which could be used to build a nuclear weapon. Yesterday, the stock market surged amid hopes of the war ending soon. Trump's address is scheduled for 9pm Eastern tonight.

[President Trump]

Foreign.

[Traci Mumford]

Now a few quick updates out of Washington. At the Supreme Court yesterday, the justices handed conservatives a major win in a case about so called conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors. In an 8 to 1 decision, the court threw out a Colorado law that banned mental health professionals from using talk therapy to to try and change kids sexual orientation or gender identity. The justices said the law was a, quote, egregious assault on free speech and the First Amendment. The court's decision has implications for more than 20 other states that have similar laws barring conversion therapy, which critics and major medical organizations say is ineffective and potentially dangerous for young people. Also.

[President Trump]

So we're going to be signing an executive order. It's I believe it's foolproof and maybe it'll be tested, maybe it won't.

[Traci Mumford]

I think it's President Trump is stepping up his efforts to take more federal control over elections, signing an executive order yesterday that would create a national list of eligible voters and restrict mail in ballots. It's part of his ongoing effort to promote his false claims of widespread voter fraud. And it could violate the Constitution. The president has no explicit authority to manage elections, a power the Constitution gives to states in Congress. Trump's previous executive orders around elections, including one requiring proof of citizenship to vote, have largely been blocked by the courts. And last update, basically he's saying I

[President Trump]

need congressional approval and he's so wrong.

[Traci Mumford]

President Trump is vowing to fight an order from a federal judge that's temporarily blocked construction of his ballroom. In the decision, which was handed down yesterday, the judge wrote that work on the massive White House expansion has to stop, quote, unless and until Congress blesses this project. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has been leading the court battle against the ballroom, has raised concerns about the breakneck speed at which it's moved forward and how it's being paid for. Hearings about it have been going on for months. And and the judge appeared to lose patience with the government's lawyer, asking him at one point to, quote, be serious and back off claims that the $400 million undertaking is comparable to minor renovations that previous presidents have done, like adding a tennis court.

[President Trump]

And finally, every picture we get of a congressman, man or woman, vacationing in the next two weeks, we want those pictures.

[Traci Mumford]

We want the Hollywood tabloid tmz, which is known for sending paparazzi and tipsters after celebrities, is turning its sights on Congress.

[President Trump]

We got Ted Cruz leaving this morning.

[Traci Mumford]

The site's founder, Harvey Levin, said that since lawmakers jetted off on their spring recess last week without reaching a deal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, he wants every picture people can send in of senators and representatives out there living it up and not funding the government.

[President Trump]

We have Lindsey Graham at Disney World. We got Robert Garcia in Vegas.

[Traci Mumford]

In response to their pictures being posted on the site, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that his Florida trip was part of a meeting with administration officials. And Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat, said he was visiting his dad in Las Vegas, though he wrote, actually, I don't mind what TMZ is doing here, saying he didn't think lawmakers should have been sent home with no deal in place. Those are the headlines. One big story to watch this morning, the Supreme Court will hear arguments about President Trump's push to end birthright citizenship for many immigrants. You can follow along with live coverage in the New York Times app [e-mail] I'm Tracy Mumford. The headlines will be back tomorrow.