[Photo: by Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons]

Reading through the print edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning, I was struck by a pattern of stories and opinion pieces that seemed to pierce at the heart of Donald Trump’s agenda.

Page One:  Judge Blocks Travel Ban

Mr. Trump made several changes to his travel restrictions after courts last month faulted his original executive order, but U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson said none of the alterations fixed a central problem: Mr. Trump was likely engaged in unconstitutional religious discrimination, the judge said.

Page One:  Fed Raises Rates, Signals Gradual Increases Ahead

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it would raise short-term interest rates and keep lifting them this year, moving the central bank into a new, more aggressive phase of draining easy money from the financial system as the economy improves.

Page Four:  Budget Plan Slashes EPA, Aids Military

The budget proposal is certain to run into stiff opposition in Congress, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have already signaled they are unlikely to enact Mr. Trump’s deep cuts when they pass spending bills that actually fund the government.

Page Twenty-One:  The GOP’s ObamaCare Choke [Opinion]

Less than three months into full control of government and the chance to reshape the American system for a generation, Republicans are doing something no one thought possible: They are reinventing the circular firing squad.   …..

The result will be guaranteed political defeat for years if congressional Republicans choke at the chance to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

By the close of 2017, when it has become apparent that Trump was unable to deliver on his core campaign promises to the American people, he will invariably have a ready excuse – which he will tweet and recite at public rallies –

“It wasn’t me people. I could have been the greatest president of all time. But you know, they tied my hands. The media and a do-nothing Congress. DISGRACE.”