WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

Congress passes a bill to fund the government, narrowly averting a shutdown over the holidays, but what did Donald Trump and Elon Musk accomplish by going nuclear on the initial legislation? Is this a bad omen for 2025, when Republicans will take control of Washington and begin negotiations on their priorities? And can Speaker Mike Johnson muster the votes to keep his gavel? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel looks back at some of the podcast’s 2024 all-stars, including candidates who correctly predicted their own victories, as well as at experts who called the issues that would lead Donald Trump to the White House and a Republican majority in both the House and Senate. Guests include Sen. Ted Cruz, Senator-elect Tim Sheehy, pollster Scott Rasmussen and Faith and Freedom Coalition Founder and Chairman Ralph Reed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who was Donald Trump's first choice to be Attorney General, denies illegal wrongdoing, but a House investigation into his past conduct finds "substantial evidence" of drug use, prostitution, and statutory rape, vindicating the GOP Senators who looked skeptically on his cabinet nomination. Plus, Trump promises that the GOP will take on Daylight Saving Time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker Mike Johnson scrambled to avoid a government shutdown, after Donald Trump and Elon Musk blew up his first deal and a floor vote on a slimmed-down alternative failed package failed. What will be the final outcome? Plus, in a blow to the Democrats’ strategy of lawfare, Fani Willis is disqualified from Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a bipartisan agreement was reached to keep the government funded until mid-March, Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s criticisms killed the deal, put Congress on the precipice of a government shutdown, and undermined Mike Johnson's leadership as House Speaker. What do Musk and Trump want? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A blizzard of federal judicial confirmations by Chuck Schumer, “unretirements,” and a possible presidential veto are all part of a plan to keep Donald Trump from appointing judges himself. Despite claims it is the President-elect who is upending norms, Democrats are busy breaking precedents when it comes to the judicial system. This as Joe Biden nears breaking Mr. Trump's first-term record for judicial confirmations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Donald Trump giving union workers credit for his victory, the GOP is rebranding itself as the party of the blue-collar worker and labor unions. But with this new outreach comes promises and policies with high price tags, including the Social Security Fairness Act, which would reward $200 billion to government union workers. So is this break from traditional conservatism worth it, and what more policies and costs are in the wings? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2024 was the year that saw Donald Trump win, Kamala Harris lose, Joe Biden quit and Elon Musk make his way to Capitol Hill. Who else were the big winners and losers of the year, and what's on the 2025 horizon? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with radio talk show host and former CIA officer Buck Sexton about what led Donald Trump to victory, the self-created problems of the mainstream media and why the border crisis may dominate the news in the coming year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Widespread sightings of unidentified aerial objects is the talk of New Jersey and New York, and even President-elect Trump has an opinion about what's going on. Biden officials say there's nothing to worry about, but why don't people believe them? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Congress races to avoid a government shutdown before Christmas, Republicans begin to argue about their best approach next year for passing President Trump's agenda. Sen. John Thune wants to use a first reconciliation bill to pass the GOP's top priorities, while reserving a second reconciliation bill for tax reform. Others want the tax bill first or suggest doing it all at once. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can conservative politicians learn from Liz Truss’s tumultuous time as the United Kingdom’s shortest-serving Prime Minister? Paul Gigot speaks with documentary filmmaker Michael Pack and WSJ Opinion columnist Joe Sternberg about ‘The Prime Minister vs. The Blob: Liz Truss’s 44 Days in Office,’ a new documentary that examines the economic and political forces behind her fall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police say the suspect had a manifesto and wrote comments about the "parasitic" healthcare industry, after arresting him for allegedly killing insurance executive Brian Thompson in New York. Plus, Elizabeth Warren calls the public response to the shooting "a warning," but are the problems in U.S. healthcare caused by too much free-market influence, or not enough of it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What will be the priorities in a Republican Senate in new leadership, and how will it handle Donald Trump's nominees and the president's expansive agenda? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) about the GOP's immediate goals of expanding border security and energy production, the debate over a reconciliation strategy, and what he's learned from incoming members of the Trump administration about the plan for the next four years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A jury finds Marine veteran Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide for his intervention last year to restrain Jordan Neely on the New York subway. Is this a rebuke to District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing charges? Plus, Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter prompts talk that he could give immunity to Liz Cheney or others whom Donald Trump has said belong in jail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebels drove Bashar al-Assad from Syria, ending the Assad family's five decades of often brutal rule. The fall of Assad is a defeat for his protectors, Russia and Iran, and could reshape the Middle East. It opens up opportunities for President-elect Trump if he's willing to see them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Donald Trump prepares to take over from Joe Biden on Jan. 20, the economy is adding jobs and the Federal Reserve is considering cutting interest rates, yet inflation is above 2% and markets are showing signs of exuberance. Meantime, the CEOs of Intel and Stellantis step aside, as Republicans prepare to pull back on Washington's green subsidies and industrial policies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ouster of the French Prime Minister and collapse of the German government are signs of broader anxiety and malaise. Can Europe's leaders meet the moment, as Russia threatens in the east and Donald Trump returns for a second U.S. term? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal government tells the high court in U.S. v. Skrmetti that the 14th Amendment means Tennessee can't ban doctors from providing hormones or puberty blockers to transgender adolescents. But if the justices agree that this is what "equal protection of the laws" means, would their ruling have consequences for other controversies, including about women's sports? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump says he wants an "'America First' fighter" as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But given Patel's lack of experience with the FBI, will the Senate see him as the right the man to lead reform, or else an effort at MAGA retribution? Plus, more trouble for Pete Hegseth, as the press digs into the defense secretary nominee's background running veteran nonprofits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the two parties pore over the results of this election, one thing is clear: Democrats are losing their grip on working-class and non-white voters, creating huge openings for Republicans. What's behind such a dramatic shift? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel talks with political analyst Mike Madrid about the growing political heft of Latino voters, how that diverse ethnic bloc is defying traditional voter stereotypes, and what both parties continue to get wrong in courting those votes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices