Hello and welcome to a special edition of Red Lines from Washington, a city which is very much the focus of Irish politics this week.

There's been a lot of talk about this being the biggest diplomatic offense of Ireland has ever launched on the United States

with suggestions that the Taoiseach will highlight what he believes are the big benefits for the US in maintaining the current financial arrangements between the two countries

when he meets President Trump at the White House on Wednesday. And then, of course, two of the

executive parties at Stormont, Sinn Féin and Alliance, have opted not to attend this year's White

House gathering, as has the main opposition party, the STLP. There are so many talking points to

tease out in this conversation and

pleased to say I'm joined around the table here in the US Capitol to do just that by our political

editor, Enda McLaughertie, the Washington-based chief presenter for BBC News Katrina Perry,

and the Northern Ireland-born US-based publisher and commentator Shane Greer. So welcome to all of you. You're busy,

I know, but thank you for finding time to be with us this afternoon. It is a busy week. So just for

absolute clarity, I should point out, we're recording this conversation early on Tuesday evening,

UK time. Nyanda, you got in last night. You've been talking to some of the people who are involved in this week's events,

and we know there is a degree of jeopardy in how things might go.

Are you getting the sense that there are concerns that, frankly, anything could happen

when Donald Trump meets Mehal Martin?

Well, that's the nature of Donald Trump, as we know.

Anything could happen in that Oval Office, because there's's the nature of Donald Trump, as we know. Anything could happen in that

Oval Office because there's lots of moments of jeopardy, I think, for the Taoiseach

Michael Martin, not least whenever Donald Trump gets to the point in the Oval Office set piece

where he starts shooting the breeze with journalists about US policy, sometimes coming off the cuff

with some remarks about how he might take things in

...