

All Things with Kim Strassel
The Wall Street Journal
From the Wall Street Journal Opinion page, “Potomac Watch” columnist Kim Strassel goes one-on-one with the newsmakers of the week: from candidates to campaign-managers, politicians to pollsters. The place to find news, insight and debate on both the overhyped and overlooked Washington storylines. Send your feedback to atkim@wsj.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 30, 2025 • 27min
Breaking Down the Shutdown
With negotiations at a standstill, the government is headed for a shutdown. Can Democrats sell a healthcare message, or will voters view this as yet more anti-Donald-Trump resistance? Is this a liability for the White House, or OMB Director Russ Vought's opportunity to produce more sweeping federal-worker firings? What exactly gets shut down, how inconvenient will it be for Americans, and when will it end? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel breaks down the shutdown with Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford. They also discuss the true source of the dysfunction--Congress's inability to get its spending bills done--and Lankford's ‘Preventing Government Shutdowns Act,’ legislation that would force Congress to stay in Washington, D.C. until spending deals get done.
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Sep 23, 2025 • 32min
Untangling the Free-Speech Muddle
Recent threats by Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute "hate speech" and by Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr to penalize ABC affiliates over Jimmy Kimmel's comments have thrust the nation into a muddled conversation over free speech. On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel asks Institute for Free Speech Chairman Brad Smith to sort through the basics: What does the First Amendment actually cover? What are the limits to free speech? Should the federal government have any role moderating media comments, and where does the legal system stand on that question? And how corrosive is cancel culture to our broader free-speech tradition?
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Sep 16, 2025 • 26min
Lawmaker Safety in the Wake of Charlie Kirk’s Murder
The assassination of Charlie Kirk and the rising tide of political violence is turning a spotlight on how best to keep Congress and other members of government safe. What kind of protection do political leaders have now, and what more do they need? What challenges come with protecting members both in Washington, D.C., and also in their home districts and states? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil, about current and planned resources, what might be done to turn down the political temperature, and whether these events threaten the ability of politicians to engage in their core duty of interacting with constituents.
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Sep 9, 2025 • 27min
How to Tackle an Affordable-Housing Crisis
President Donald Trump is considering declaring a national housing emergency to deal with high home costs, but what can the federal government actually do, and will it make a difference? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson about cutting regulatory burdens, increasing tax incentives, expanding financing for unconventional homes, and the great opportunity that rests in transferring some federal land for housing development. They also discuss the politics of housing--an issue that, like crime, transcends demographics and voting groups.
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Sep 2, 2025 • 28min
Donald Trump's Anti-Crime Spree
Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard into Washington, D.C. to tackle crime is provoking backlash from Democrats across the nation. But Republicans are leaning in on law and order, seeing it as political winner in next year's midterms. Will the president now escalate, and send troops to other cities? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with Wall Street Journal columnist and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Jason Riley about why Democrats are losing the argument on policing, and what politicians get right and wrong about the reasons behind spikes in crime.
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Aug 26, 2025 • 28min
Trey Gowdy on Advocating for Crime Victims and the Danger of ‘Progressive Prosecutors’
Trey Gowdy is known as a former congressman and a Fox News television host, but he remains a prosecutor at heart and has now poured that experience into his newly released first novel, "The Color of Death." On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel and Gowdy discuss the real work "good" prosecutors do, the emotional toll it can take, and the worrisome trend of prosecutors focusing more on politics than on justice for victims.
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Aug 19, 2025 • 28min
Making Congress Great Again
Public approval of Congress remains low, as Americans no longer think the polarized institution is even capable of performing basic functions. But does the gridlock really all come down to partisanship? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with the Bipartisan Policy Center's J.D. Rackey about the congressional rules, procedures and trends that get in the way of action, and some of the more innovative reforms and ideas for making Congress work again.
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Aug 12, 2025 • 24min
The Gerrymandering Wars Heat Up
A battle of restricting in Texas has created a national firestorm, with Lone Star State Democrats fleeing to other states, and governors from California to New York getting in on the fight. But what is gerrymandering, how did it start, and what does it mean for Donald Trump’s second term? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with legal scholar and former member of the Federal Election Commission Hans von Spakovsky about how race, politics, and Supreme Court rulings all collide in gerrymandering cases, and why so-called “independent” commissions are nothing like they say they are.
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Aug 5, 2025 • 27min
Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Resetting the Climate Debate
The Department of Energy's new climate report is making waves, offering a fresh look at the alarmist claims pushed by special-interest groups and prior administrations. The report's five scientists lay out data showing that while climate change is real, it isn't the threat suggested by media or the climate lobby. On this episode of All Things, Energy Secretary Chris Wright takes Kim Strassel through the findings, including the upsides of warming, the minimal economic effects of climate change, the limits of U.S. policy actions and the lack of evidence that climate is related to the frequency or intensity of extreme weather.
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Jul 29, 2025 • 30min
The Political Origins of the Russia 'Collusion' Hoax
Joining the discussion is Michael Shellenberger, an investigative journalist who has closely tracked the Russia collusion narrative for years. They delve into recently declassified documents revealing the Obama administration's manipulation of intelligence. The conversation tackles the inconsistencies in the intelligence community's assessments and the political motivations driving the collusion claims. They also critique the media's role in perpetuating the narrative and call for reforms to enhance transparency and accountability in political discourse.