The biggest policy changes in the debt ceiling deal, explained

House Republicans took the debt ceiling hostage — but Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to set the hostage free for a relatively small ransom payment.

The deal struck by negotiators for President Biden and McCarthy on Saturday night and passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday is no major overhaul of American public policy. The White House managed to avert sweeping cuts to domestic spending, which will instead effectively be held at something close to the status quo (though a cut when accounting for inflation). And on a set of other policy issues where...