Nominated by Donald Trump to be the next Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth faces hostile inquiries at his Senate confirmation hearing regarding his alleged past personal conduct. But did the televised theatrics provide much insight about Hegseth's views on national-security issues or how he would lead the Pentagon, and does he seem to have won enough votes to get the job?

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The justices hear a challenge to a Texas law that requires websites with sexual content to verify the ages of their users, which the Free Speech Coalition says is too burdensome for the First Amendment rights of adults. Plus, the high court sounds skeptical about saving TikTok, which faces a Jan. 19 deadline either to be divested from Chinese ownership or banned from app stores.

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How will history remember Joe Biden’s one term in office? On this episode of All Things, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer recounts his investigation into the Biden family business, and his belief that the 40th president will not escape a public judgment of "corruption." Upon the publication of his new book about the probe--"All the President's Money: Investigating the Secret Foreign Schemes That Made the Biden Family Rich--Mr. Comer details the main takeaways of the inquiry, his argument for why President Trump should sign his Presidential Ethics Reform Act and what his committee has teed up for the 119th Congress. 

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Fires in California have claimed at least 24 lives in what is becoming one of the costliest natural disasters in American history. What decisions made it harder to mitigate the damage, and how will Congress navigate the politics of providing federal aid for the recovery? 

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With the president-elect about to take office, Judge Juan Merchan says a sentence of "unconditional discharge," meaning no penalties for a jury conviction on 34 felonies, is the only option that won't interfere with Trump's official duties. The Supreme Court split 5-4 on letting the sentencing go forward, but could it help Trump in the end, if it permits his appeals on the merits to proceed?

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The president-elect meets the press at Mar-a-Lago and makes news by calling to rename the Gulf of Mexico, combine Canada and the U.S., end construction of wind turbines, and potentially invade Panama and Greenland. How much of this rhetoric reflects Trump's actual policy views, how much of it is political theater, and could such bullying be counterproductive diplomatically?

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Mark Zuckerberg, citing "too much censorship," says that Meta will quit fact-checking content and switch to a "community notes" system, the same approach being taken by Elon Musk’s X. Plus, the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which cracks down on illegal immigrants who commit theft, with 48 Democrats voting yes. Will that bipartisan support extend to the Senate?

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The president claims that the $15 billion acquisition by Nippon Steel could threaten national security, even though Japan is a close ally that would have been investing in U.S. industry and workers. What signal does it send, if the review process for such deals can be corrupted by union politics? Plus, Biden puts millions of acres of U.S. waters off limits for oil-and-gas leasing.

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The 119th Congress is steaming ahead, with a mountain of work that includes everything from confirming Donald Trump's cabinet nominees to sealing a reconciliation spending bill (or two) into law. How will the House and Senate navigate it all? On this episode of All Things, Kim Strassel speaks with the Vice Chair of the Senate GOP Policy Committee, Sen. James Lankford, about where things stand in the reconciliation wars, the wisdom of Trump's quick nominations, Joe Biden’s aggressive midnight regulations and how the new GOP Senate majority will function under new GOP leader John Thune.   

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Congress certifies Donald Trump’s electoral victory, but the memories of Jan. 6 four years ago still loom large as the President-elect considers pardons and clemency for rioters. Plus, Donald Trump says he wants 'one big beautiful' reconciliation spending bill but signals he would be open to two, which many lawmakers prefer.   

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