Did anyone learn anything from the 2025 elections?

President Trump put his signature on a bill that will fund the government through the end of January. The bill brought an end to a 43-day shutdown of the federal government. A group of eight Democratic senators negotiated with Senate Majority leader John Thune to get concessions for furloughed and laid off government workers, and the funding of several federal agencies. The deal did not include the extensions for healthcare subsidies that had become a key messaging point for Democrats throughout the shutdown. Will working out a deal without a big win hurt the political leverage the party seemed to be building? What will it mean for the position of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer? Next, Congress turns back to the Epstein files, with new emails emerging that appeared damning for President Trump.  The president signed off on several pardons this week. Among those receiving the pardons were Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and other members of the president’s inner circle who faced scrutiny for their roles in undermining the 2020 election. None of the 70 individuals pardoned were facing federal charges. So what was the point? Does the pardon process need a facelift?  The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a Kentucky county clerk who wanted them to reconsider the landmark same-sex marriage case Obergefell v. Hodges. Concerns on the left about the case’s standing were high after the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. KCRW discusses why Obergefell may not be overturned anytime soon, and answers a question from a listener looking for insight from last week’s election margins.

The federal shutdown is set to extend past the one month mark. The longer the shutdown goes, the more Americans could feel its impact. The Department of Agriculture announced that it would not use emergency funding to keep supplying the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - also known as food stamps - after November 1st. Halting SNAP payments would affect more than 40 million Americans. Many federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are working without pay while the shutdown battle continues. With the holiday season approaching, airline travel could take a major hit. Will these economic pressure points jolt Congress into action?  Construction on a new grand ballroom at the White House has begun. Renovations at the ‘People’s House’ are nothing new. So why has the demolition and remodel of the East Wing drawn so much attention? One factor could be the stream of private donations funding the project. KCRW discusses how those payments and the access that comes with them puts one of Washington's biggest problems on display. New York City’s mayoral race hits the ballot next week, along with a number of elections across the country. We’ll discuss what to watch for as a precursor to next year’s midterms, and answer one listener’s question about the future of the Voting Rights Act.

Tensions are high after President Trump ordered a military strike on a boat in the Pacific Ocean this week. It’s the latest in a series of attacks on vessels the administration has accused of carrying illicit drugs out of Venezuela. The president says these attacks are intended to stop narcoterrorists, despite Venezuela’s minor role in the drug trade. Could the real driver behind this campaign be the type of regime change Trump often railed against? An estimated seven million Americans marched across the country in the second round of the “No Kings” protest. Participants voiced their frustrations with the Trump administration and its policies. Some Republican leaders dismissed the protests and its anti-Trump messaging. Do they run the risk of making the same mistakes Democrats made as the Tea Party gained notoriety? The nationwide redistricting push is the motivating force behind California’s Proposition 50. The ballot measure could completely reshape the state’s electoral maps. Our panel answers one listener’s question about how to approach the measure, and the “moral confusion” the redistricting fight has introduced. 

Despite President Trump declaring the war in Gaza “over,” the situation on the ground is far from certain. Israel has threatened to block some of the humanitarian aid approved in the deal until Hamas fulfills its promise of returning all the bodies of dead hostages. That hasn’t deterred the president from promoting himself as a peacemaker. What’s motivating his aggressive push to take credit for the deal? The Middle East is just one part of Trump’s foreign policy push. Just this week, he agreed to provide $40 billion in relief for Argentina’s struggling economy. However, Americans are hoping he narrows his focus to domestic issues. Recent polling shows that concerns about the economy remain top of mind for most, and there are worries that Trump isn’t focused enough on reducing inflation. Is the administration running the risk of losing touch with voters? Many of us are trying to reckon with a culture that glorifies the “grind” of constant work. Focusing solely on rest and relaxation is one way of pushing back, but what if you overdo it? In the constant search for balance, one writer shares thoughts on “pruning” our lives to provide room for reflection and real connection.

Sharing an episode of On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti. On Point is a rare public space where you hear nuanced explorations of complex topics live and in real time. Host Meghna Chakrabarti leads provocative conversations that help make sense of the world, with urgency, timeliness and depth. In this episode, Meghna talks to Jake Sullivan, who has been working to shape policy for the United States for much of the 21st century. With President Donald Trump back in the White House, Meghna asks Sullivan about the U.S. role in major foreign policy challenges including the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and what’s at stake as Trump changes the direction of the U.S. and our standing in the world. You can hear more On Point episodes at https://link.mgln.ai/leftrightcenter