WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

Sen. Ted Cruz narrowly defeated Democrat Beto O'Rourke in 2018, in the most expensive Senate race in history. The Texas Republican is now facing another tight challenge from Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, and this time the balance of Senate power could hang on Texas. On this episode of All Things, Mr. Cruz joins from the campaign trail to explain why he’s become “Chuck Schumer’s #1 target,” how immigration is playing in the Lone Star state, his bid for women voters and the chances of a Republican Senate majority after Election Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump cooks fries for his fans at a McDonald's drive-thru in Pennsylvania, as Kamala Harris's supporters call his restaurant campaign stop a stunt. But theatrics are part of politics, and now the public is being served a piping-hot debate on the minimum wage and "joint employer" rules for franchises, while three Democratic Senators all but accuse McDonald's of price gouging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conflict in Gaza took a major turn after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showing the will to eliminate the leaders of terrorist groups. But what does the path to a ceasefire look like? Plus, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump react to Sinwar’s death on the campaign trail, and Israel’s plans for a strike on Iran are leaked as the U.S. investigates how it got out.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are getting most of the spotlight, voters in November will also be asked to approve nearly 150 state ballot measures on a variety of topics, including taxes, shoplifting penalties, school choice, minimum wages, abortion rights, marijuana, ranked-choice voting, local rent controls, and more. Here's a look at some of the most prominent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The media strategy for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign took a turn when the Vice President granted an interview to Bret Baier of Fox News in an effort to win over those frustrated with Donald Trump. Harris claimed in the interview that she will have a different Presidency than Joe Biden, but did viewers learn what that would mean in practice?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two candidates are trying to win a tossup election by wooing specific groups, as Donald Trump promises tax breaks for automobile debt and U.S. citizens overseas, while Kamala Harris rolls out an "Opportunity Agenda for Black Men," including loans for entrepreneurs and marijuana legalization. Meantime, is Harris losing Catholic voters, who preferred Joe Biden in 2020? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump says his opponent wants to end gasoline cars, while Kamala Harris promises she won't tell Americans what to drive. Which side voters believe could matter next month in Michigan, where Joe Biden's federal rules on electric vehicles are a point of heated contention, including in the Senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wisconsin GOP Senate nominee Eric Hovde joins All Things to talk about his race to unseat Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin--a contest the Cook Report recently moved from "lean Democrat" to "Toss Up." The Madison entrepreneur discusses the challenges of taking on an incumbent, the issues that are most resonating with Wisconsin voters, his approach to the hot-button issue of abortion, and the role Donald Trump is playing at the top of the ticket. With three weeks to go before Election Day, a rush of political dollars is turning Wisconsin into another battlefield in the fight over control of the Senate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The polls show the presidential race is a tossup, with the seven key battleground states all within the margin of error. Has Kamala Harris's momentum stalled, and has Donald Trump reached his ceiling in share of the vote? Plus, who has the edge in the race to control the House and Senate? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump is urging Republicans to vote early, while also continuing to condemn mass mail voting. As Nov. 5 nears, however, even absentee proponents are raising concerns again about rejected ballots, slow results, and potential delays by the Postal Service, as Postmaster General Louis DeJoy keeps insisting that the USPS is ready to handle a deluge of millions of votes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Gigot speaks with documentary filmmaker Michael Pack and journalist Elliot Kaufman about the new Wall Street Journal Opinion film, "'Get the Jew": The Crown Heights Riot Revisited.' The story of the worst antisemitic riot in U.S. history echoes today amid incidents of antisemitism on university campuses and in U.S. cities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a media blitz this week, Kamala Harris unveils a plan for Medicare to cover home healthcare, which she says would help the "sandwich generation," but she dodges a question about how she'd pay for all her ideas. Meantime, the Congressional Budget Office reports a $1.8 trillion deficit for the last fiscal year, and Donald Trump declines to appear on "60 Minutes" for an interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats have turned abortion into a potent campaign issue ever since the Supreme Court released its 2022 Dobbs decision, successfully portraying Republican opponents as a threat to women's rights. With GOP candidates now moving to the middle and engaging on the issue, Democrats are making false claims about their opponents' positions. Who's campaigning more effectively, and do the left's abortion distortions pose a risk to women's health?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas's deadly massacre, the start of a multifront attack against Israel by Iran and its proxies. On this episode of the All Things podcast, Middle East security analyst Michael Doran reviews the fallout. Is Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu leading Israel to victory in the conflict in Gaza and against Hezbollah? Does the Joe Biden administration grasp the true risk in the region, and what lessons should the next president draw about its allies and presence in the Middle East? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been one year since Hamas shocked the world with an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage, 101 of which are still being held captive. Since then, Israel has been at war with Hamas, as well as Hezbollah and Iran. Where does the conflict go from here, and what will change when Kamala Harris or Donald Trump take office? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A judge unsealed a new 165-page brief from special counsel Jack Smith, revealing more of the damning details behind the criminal charges against Donald Trump and his effort to overturn the 2020 election. Is this the swift pursuit of justice, or an effort by Smith and the Department of Justice to influence the 2024 election? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The International Longshoremen’s Association has gone on strike, shutting down East and Gulf Coast ports and raising fears of shortages and price increases. What does union head Harold Daggett want for his members? Plus, Joe Biden refuses to invoke a law to end the strike, while Donald Trump blames foreign shippers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With five weeks until the 2024 election, JD Vance and Tim Walz meet in New York for the year's only vice-presidential debate. In exchanges on the economy, immigration, abortion, and more, Vance looked calm and in command, while Walz sometimes appeared flustered and unsteady. But it remains to be seen whether this will move the needle for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The VP gives an immigration speech in Arizona, in an effort to address a political vulnerability. But she refuses to break with Joe Biden, while trying to shift blame to Republicans and Donald Trump, because they killed an immigration deal negotiated this year by Sen. James Lankford. Plus, JD Vance and Tim Walz get set for their first debate, and perhaps the last debate of 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices