VP JD Vance asked about Iran War & gas prices at White House briefing | Billionaire Leon Black defies Cong. subpoena in Epstein probe | Dallas Morning News' Joseph Morton on next week's GOP Midterm Convention

C-SPAN (0:04)

Welcome to Washington Today on C-Span Radio for Thursday, September 3rd, 2026 Vice President JD Vance holds a White House news conference asked about the war with Iran and rising fuel prices ahead of the Labor Day holiday weekend when millions of Americans will be traveling. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responds to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's assertion that the Canadians cut off trade talks with the US because of internal Canadian politics.

State Department launches the Foundry School, which the administration says is a national program to train the entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians and industrial leaders needed to rebuild American manufacturing. US House passes a bill to cut off federal student aid to colleges that support boycotts of Israel. Billionaire Leon Black defies a congressional subpoena in the House Oversight Committee's investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump says next week's Republican midterm convention in Dallas in the lead up to the November midterm elections is big stuff. We'll talk about the convention with Dallas Morning News Washington bureau chief Joseph Morton, who plans to be there. And feminist activist Gloria Steinem has died at the age of 92 That and more ahead on Washington Today.

We start in the White House briefing room where Vice President JD Vance held a news conference first for the White House in over 40 days. And the first since, Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt resigned one week ago. The Vice President joked that he's not the new Press Secretary and doesn't want the job.

SPEAKER_2 (1:29)

Are we talking to you as the Vice President or the Press Secretary?

JD Vance (1:34)

So, I'm not Marco. I have not yet accepted any additional jobs. I guess the Fraud Task Force is my co-chair, is my second additional job. It's funny, before I came out here, I was talking with the President in the Oval Office and he said, he said, be careful. I want you to do well, but if you do too well, I might make you the Press Secretary. So I've got to screw up a little bit because I'm busy enough as it is, but I'm very much up here as the Vice President of the United States.

C-SPAN (1:58)

Vice President JD Vance was asked a lot today about the war with Iran and energy costs. Triple A putting out a press release. Labor Day weekend travelers are facing the highest gas prices ever for this time of year. The national average is $4.14, up 4 cents from last week. Continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil prices in the $90 per barrel range. After a record setting August, this Labor Day weekend is on track to also set a record at the pump. National average has never been above $4 per gallon on Labor Day. That was from Triple A.

And from CBS News, the US official confirmed to CBS News on Thursday that no military facilities in the Middle East where American forces are based were impacted by Iran's attacks overnight. The Islamic Republic said it targeted US forces in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for American strikes. Iran claims killed at least 18 people the previous day, including four civilians attending a wedding party, reporting from CBS News. Here again, questions to Vice President JD Vance at the White House.

SPEAKER_4 (3:00)

July 2nd, Treasury Secretary Besant was asked when Americans could see $3 gas again. And he said maybe by Labor Day. Things haven't worked out that way, but do you have a new timetable for Americans on when they could expect lower gas prices? And should they not expect to see $3 gas again until at least 2027?

JD Vance (3:20)

Well, in defense of Scott, he said maybe by Labor Day because we're talking about things that are inherently unpredictable. And I think it's important, you know, I'm a strong believer that the American people are our fellow citizens and we should speak with them honestly about these things. And the fundamental reality is that the reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping. Even, by the way, when they signed an agreement that said, we're going to stop shooting at commercial shipping, they almost immediately went back to shooting at commercial shipping. And I actually think that this drives home a couple of points. Number one, it's why things like the Venezuela oil deal are so important is because we've learned that we can't be over reliant on anybody for the world supply of energy and gas. It's one of the reasons why the president has pursued an energy dominance agenda, because yes, gas prices are higher in the United States. They're way worse everywhere else in the world because of what the president did, particularly during the first administration, to make us more energy dominant. I also think it drives home, frankly, the ridiculous atrophy that we saw in our European allies and their inability to actually do anything to help keep world energy markets supplied. So when the Iranians shoot at commercial shipping, obviously that means some ships don't want to go through. A lot of ships have gone through. We got about 15 million barrels out of the Strait of Hormuz just yesterday, despite the fact that the Iranians continue to ship, or continue to shoot, I should say.