Alex Wagner Tonight

In an unusual move, House Speaker Mike Johnson removed Rep. Mike Turner, the Republican head of the House Intelligence committee and replaced him with Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., someone with greater fealty to Donald Trump. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi joins Alex Wagner to discuss.

Pam Bondi appears likely to become the kind of attorney general Donald Trump wished for through his entire first term: absolute fealty and commitment to his avenging his petty grievances. But while her spirit is willing, the lack of a factual basis for many of Trump's vendettas is likely to put her at risk of leaving Trump disappointed and unfulfilled. David Rohde, NBC News national security editor, discusses with Alex Wagner.

Though clearly prepared in advance with techniques to avoid addressing the many concerns raised about his qualifications to be secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth still struggled as Democrats unloaded questions about his serial infidelities, sexual assault accusations, drinking problem, lack of leadership experience and other shortcomings at his confirmation hearing. Senator Tim Kaine talks with Alex Wagner about why Donald Trump has made a mistake in choosing Fox News personality Hegseth.

Martin Adams, former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, blows up some right-wing myths about the water supply in Pacific Palisades, and talks with Alex Wagner about the realities of municipal water systems and ideas for adapting a system built for occasional residential fires to deal with a large scale, community-wide fire.

The increasing risk and destruction from climate-related disasters is so plain that in some states where climate-driven fires and storms are especially devastating, some insurers are withdrawing coverage for flooding and fires. Jeff Goodell, climate journalist and author of "The Heat Will Kill You First," talks with Alex Wagner about how climate-driven disasters are forcing a change in how we live.

Still weeks away from returning to office, Donald Trump is showing himself to be as petty and vindictive as he was in his first term, turning the tragic, devastating wildfire crisis in Los Angeles into a political gotcha game with distorted lies and accusations.

Alex Wagner takes a closer look at the roots of Donald Trump's fixation of re-taking possession of the Panama Canal and adding Greenland and Canada as new American territories, and whether there is cause for concern in Trump's expansionist inclinations despite the his inherent goofiness.

Judge Juan Merchan denied Donald Trump's motion to dismiss his hush money case in New York and scheduled a sentencing for January 10th, which could mean that Donald Trump will officially be a felon when he is sworn in as president. Lisa Rubin, MSNBC legal correspondent, and Kristy Greenberg, former federal prosecutor, explain what options Trump has left and what is likely to happen.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett talks with Ali Velshi about the Republican chaos threatening to entangle House Speaker Mike Johnson in a familiar, embarrassing fight to retain the speakership into the new Congress with a tiny majority and having squandered the good will of his colleagues across the aisle who might otherwise save him.

A special two hour edition of Alex Wagner Tonight.

Plus, Trump's anti-immigration plans face resource challenge at the state level

Republicans are mired in chaos and infighting as they humiliate themselves on the national stage again without being able to pass a spending bill to keep the federal government open. Elon Musk is only making matters worse, but that hasn't deterred a faction of the Republican Party from wanting to give him a more formal leadership role. Musk, meanwhile, is only a portion of the corporate feeding frenzy taking advantage of Donald Trump's weaknesses.

After Elon Musk expressed his opposition to a new spending bill, Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters followed suit, undermining House Speaker Mike Johnson and steering the U.S. toward a federal government shutdown. Meanwhile, Democrats are stepping away from the Republican chaos, leaving the GOP stuck in its own inability to govern.

Donald Trump is pressing his grievances with the media through lawsuits, but his case against the Des Moines Register over poll results he didn't like is so poorly conceived from a legal standpoint that his real goal of using the court system as an intimidation weapon is hard to miss.

As some Senate Republicans recoil at some of Donald Trump's more extreme picks to serve in his administration, Trump is turning up the pressure on anyone who would dare defy him. Eric Cortellessa, staff writer for Time, and Tara Palmeri, senior political correspondent for Puck News, discuss.

Despite making a promise of lowering prices an inflation a central part of his presidential campaign, and admitting that that promise was key to his being elected, Donald Trump is now waffling on whether that's even possible. Michelle Goldberg, columnist for the New York Times, and Faiz Shakir, founder and executive director of More Perfect Union, talk with Alex Wagner about Trump's walk back and what his post-election rhetoric suggests about his actual economic priorities.

Alex Wagner reports on Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who espouses conspiracy theories about the "deep state" and describes the organization he is potentially about to lead as essentially corrupt. Plus, the shifting of voters within the groups that make up the Democratic Party coalition in the 2024 election are prompting a new consideration of how to understand voting blocs like Latino voters and Black voters and women voters and whether those groupings are as relevant as they once were, and as relevant as public policy would suggest. Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia Journalism School, discusses.

A move by Rupert Murdoch to secure the conservative editorial leadership of his media empire, including Fox News, the New York Post, and the Wall Street Journal in the U.S., in the hands of his son Lachlan, was dealt a blow by a judge who accused the Murdochs of acting in bad faith. Angelo Carusone, president and CEO of Media Matters discusses with Alex Wagner the significance of the ruling to the future of conservatism and MAGAism in the U.S.

Rep. Jamie Raskin talks with Alex Wagner about the race between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Gerry Connolly for the Democratic Party's top spot on the powerful House Oversight Committee. Raskin left his spot on that committee to become the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, and explains that the leadership shuffle is about gearing up for the fight against Donald Trump's capricious agenda.

Donald Trump has made clear that his company will be pursuing business opportunities in other countries while he is president and making decisions about the relationship between the U.S. and those countries. Meanwhile the people he is choosing to run his administration are consistently conflicted with responsibilities that overlap with their own interests.