Episodes

  • Are Republicans Capable of Cutting Spending?

    Are Republicans Capable of Cutting Spending?
    Jul 22 2025
    Donald Trump scored a victory with the passage of his ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,” and lawmakers recently approved a rescissions package that cuts $9 billion in spending. Yet Republicans remain far from their campaign promises to rein in the Joe Biden-era spending spree. On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks to one of the Senate's fiscal conservatives, Florida's Rick Scott, about the prospects for more reconciliation or rescission bills that cut government largesse, whether Senate Democrats will join to pass slimmer GOP appropriations bills (or provoke a government shutdown) as the September 30 funding deadline looms, and the criticisms surrounding Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Saudi Arabia’s Transformation and its Role in the Middle East

    Saudi Arabia’s Transformation and its Role in the Middle East
    Jul 1 2025
    The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran put a new spotlight on Saudi Arabia, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is rapidly shifting his country both domestically and on the world stage. On this episode of All Things, journalist Karen Elliott House--drawing on her new book, "The Man Who Would Be King"--explains the crown prince's work to rein in clerics, to reduce restrictions on women, music and "fun," and to transform Saudi Arabia's economy by courting new industries and foreign investment. She also breaks down Saudi Arabia's bid to become a new regional and global player, how the kingdom is a "silent winner” in the wake of the Iranian conflict, and the challenges to an ongoing U.S.-Saudi relationship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 mins
  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Donald Trump’s War Powers and the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Donald Trump’s War Powers and the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’
    Jun 24 2025
    Will the ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel hold, and what will Donald Trump do next if it doesn’t? And will the Senate finally pass the President’s “one, big, beautiful” spending bill? Kim Strassel speaks with Senate Majority Leader John Thune about why he thinks Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers resolution will ultimately fail on the Senate floor, why getting rid of green tax “scams” is one of his goals for the spending bill, and how he hopes to reform and improve Medicaid spending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Linda McMahon on the Department of Education's 'Final Mission'

    Linda McMahon on the Department of Education's 'Final Mission'
    Jun 17 2025
    Forty-five years after its creation, the Department of Education has spent $3 trillion, even as educational outcomes have declined and the agency now swims in student-loan debt. On this episode of All Things, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon breaks down Donald Trump's plan to return education to the states--and to ultimately close the department. She explains cuts to the federal bureaucracy; plans to overhaul the department's behemoth K-12 grant program; the administration's fight with colleges over antisemitism and woke ideology, as well as Harvard's lawsuit; and the ongoing effort to move some 1.8 million borrowers back into student-loan repayment plans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins on Reforming Food Benefits and Returning Power to the States

    Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins on Reforming Food Benefits and Returning Power to the States
    Jun 11 2025
    The Department of Agriculture is walking point on federal food-stamp reform, and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins joins All Things to talk about the more controversial changes. She explains the need for work requirements and cost sharing in the program--both proposals in congressional Republicans' "Big Beautiful Bill"--as well as her "passion" for "devolving power back to the people" by granting states waivers to innovate in their food-assistance programs, including by implementing new restrictions on the purchase of sugary drinks and snacks. Rollins also lays out Donald Trump's ambitious plans for the U.S. Forest Service to help revitalize American timber production and cut back on wildfires. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • Karl Rove on the GOP's Good, Bad and Ugly--So Far

    Karl Rove on the GOP's Good, Bad and Ugly--So Far
    Jun 3 2025
    Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is roiling the Senate, Elon Musk is leaving Washington behind (for now), and the courts are finally digging into the many Trump lawsuits. As the Trump administration transitions from early days to day-to-day governing, what is it getting right, and where's it missing the boat? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with political strategist and Wall Street Journal columnist Karl Rove about the DOGE record, why Trump isn't taking a victory lap in immigration, and the mistake Republicans like Josh Hawley make in criticizing Medicaid reform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • Federalism in the Second Trump Administration

    Federalism in the Second Trump Administration
    May 28 2025
    Donald Trump is shaking up Washington, but how is his second term playing in the states? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel interviews a leader uniquely situated to give a perspective. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy talks about the punitive regulations the Joe Biden administration levied on his state, and Trump's more recent efforts to revive the state-federal partnership. The governor explains Alaska's energy potential, the effect of Trump's Canada and China tariffs on his Pacific state's industries, the reality of layoffs in national parks and other federal agencies, and the future of Alaskan politics in the Trump era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 mins
  • Rep. Chip Roy on the Inside Battle over the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

    Rep. Chip Roy on the Inside Battle over the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
    May 20 2025
    Donald Trump met Tuesday morning with the House GOP to rally support for his “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill, which the President and House Speaker Mike Johnson hope to pass by Memorial Day. On this episode of All Things, Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas)--who has been leading the fight for more savings in the legislation-- reports on the president's message, breaks down the fights over Medicaid reform and SALT, and explains why he thinks the bill right now has about a "50-50" chance of passing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 mins