WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch
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WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch
From the award-winning opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal, Paul Gigot, Kim Strassel, Bill McGurn and Kyle Peterson discuss the latest from Washington. Get critical perspective and the analysis you need on developments from the nation’s capital. Join them every weekday. Send your feedback to pw...
Recent Episodes
2010 episodes
Iran Fights Back on the Energy Front as Donald Trump Looks to ‘Finish the Job’
While the U.S. and Israel joint operation destroys drones and nuclear missiles in Iran, the regime counters the only way it can, by threatening the wo...
The Senate Housing Bill Backed by Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren
Voters are frustrated by home prices, and the Senate will soon take up the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. But the bill is a 300-page mel...
Vinay Prasad Is Leaving the FDA / Anthropic Sues the Pentagon
The Food and Drug Administration's controversial regulator is set to exit, amid more criticisms that the agency is stifling promising treatments. Mean...
The Iran War Roils Oil Markets as Gasoline Prices Rise in the U.S.
The U.S. and Israeli war with Iran begins its second week with worry about rising oil prices and volatile financial markets. Plus, signs point to Russ...
Trump Fires Kristi Noem / The Iran War and U.S. Munition Stocks
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is out, after a damaging appearance before the Senate, as Donald Trump names Markwayne Mullin to replace her....
Can Iran's Regime Survive the War?
Paul Gigot interviews Hudson Institute Middle East expert Michael Doran, who says the military campaign is going well for the U.S. and Israel. But the...
Marijuana and Guns at the Supreme Court / Cornyn, Paxton and a Texas Runoff
Federal law prohibits users of illegal drugs from owning guns, but does this violate the Second Amendment? The Justices debate that question, with a f...
The Texas Senate Primary: Cornyn, Paxton, Crockett and Talarico
Democrats hope surging voter enthusiasm will turn Texas blue this fall, but candidate quality matters. On the Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn faces...
How Long Does Donald Trump Have to Achieve His War Aims in Iran?
A joint operation by the United States and Israel on Iran leads to the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Donald Trump promising more strik...
The DHS Shutdown Drags On / Trump's Plan for Powering AI Data Centers
Federal workers with TSA airport security and the Coast Guard are receiving partial paychecks, after Democrats again refuse to fund the Department of...
Will the U.S. and Iran Go to War?
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner begin a round of indirect talks with Iranian officials over the country’s nuclear program and ballistic missiles. Pres...
The Moments That Stood Out in Trump's State of the Union Address
Donald Trump declares victory on the economy, frames the Democratic Party as extreme, and offers praise for JD Vance and Marco Rubio, in one of the lo...
Did China Secretly Test a Nuke? / The FDA Reversal on an mRNA Flu Shot
American officials say they believe China held a nuclear test in 2020, and President Trump reserves the right to do the same, as the New Start arms-co...
Scott Lincicome on Where the Trump Tariff Wars Are Going Next
Now that the Supreme Court has struck down Donald Trump's "emergency" tariffs, will the government refund the billions of dollars it unlawfully collec...
Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Lose 6-3 at the Supreme Court
The Justices strike down the President's "emergency" tariffs, ruling that a law called IEEPA doesn't give him limitless power to tax imports on a whim...
Zohran Mamdani's Tax Ultimatum Is a Threat to Soak the Middle Class
To raise taxes on the rich, New York's Mayor wants help from Albany and Gov. Kathy Hochul. And if they refuse? Mamdani now says he'll jack up property...
Marco Rubio Speaks to Europe in a Different Tone Than JD Vance
Secretary of State Marco Rubio offers tough love to U.S. allies in a speech at the Munich Security Conference, in contrast to Vice President JD Vance...
The EPA Ends the 'Endangerment' Finding, a Linchpin of U.S. Climate Regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency rescinds its 2009 assertion that it can regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, because they "endanger"...
Democrats Pick a Shutdown Fight, as the ICE Surge Ends in Minneapolis
Congress skips town without funding the Department of Homeland Security, as a partial shutdown nears for the TSA and more, while border czar Tom Homan...
The January Jobs Numbers Exceed Expectations
The January jobs report shows a rebound in the labor market after a lousy 2025. Will it continue, and what does it say about the prospects for growth...
New Jersey Democrats Choose a Nominee Who Says 'Abolish ICE Now'
Analilia Mejia, a former political director for Bernie Sanders, wins a Democratic primary in a suburban House district, while Virginia Gov. Abigail Sp...
Texans Race to Sign Up for School Choice. Will Mississippi Take Note?
About 60,000 families apply in mere days, as Texas opens enlistment for its new education savings accounts, or ESAs. That's a big success, after Gov....
Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison, but Can Trump Intervene?
Amounting to essentially a death sentence for Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong publisher is sentenced to 20 years in prison for violating China’s national sec...
Trump Calls to ‘Nationalize’ Elections, as the GOP Debates Tightening Voter ID
Donald Trump says the federal government should "take over the voting" in many places, drawing pushback from Republicans, who argue that the Constitut...
Is Trump Getting Closer to Brokering a Russia-Ukraine Peace?
U.S. negotiators profess optimism, as Vladimir Putin feels more economic pressure from sanctions amid staggering casualties. But land and security gua...
The ICE Drawdown in Minneapolis / Epstein Files Collateral Damage
Border czar Tom Homan says 700 immigration officers are leaving Minnesota, and those that remain will get body cameras, while Congress gives itself me...
Trump's ‘Armada’ Nears Iran / U.S. Life Expectancy Hits a Record
As a U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in the Middle East, President Trump goes back to negotiating with Iran. But what does the U.S. want in a deal, now...
Donald Trump’s ‘Central Casting’ Pick for the Federal Reserve
With Donald Trump citing education, looks, and thoughts on cutting interest rates, Kevin Warsh emerged as his choice for chairman of the Federal Reser...
Another Spending Impasse in Congress, as Democrats Demand an ICE Overhaul
Washington is again racing to avoid a government shutdown, as Democrats seek changes to federal immigration enforcement, such as requiring agents to c...
Is Social Media Liable for Teen Mental Health? A Bellwether Trial Begins
The lawsuit in California involves a young woman who says addictive use of social sites led to anxiety and body-image problems. But can she prove caus...
Trump Wants to 'De-escalate' in Minneapolis. Will Democrats Help?
"Just give us your criminals," Donald Trump says he told Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey, and could this be a starting point for compromise? Yet th...
The Gerrymander Wars Come to Staten Island / Measles Cases Keep Going Up
Florida and Virginia are the latest states to consider drawing new House maps before November, as a New York judge orders a redo for the Staten Island...
Has Donald Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Reached a Crisis Point?
Another shooting in Minneapolis further polarizes the debate over President Trump's authorization of ICE operations in Minnesota. Can state and federa...
Jack Smith's Testimony, Tim Walz's Subpoena, and Bill Clinton's Contempt Vote
Former special counsel Jack Smith says he has no real regrets about how he handled his indictments of Donald Trump. Really? Plus, the Justice Departme...
Donald Trump’s Greenland ‘Framework’ and the Board of Peace Dominate Davos
The President backs down from his early threats by announcing an agreement has been reached about the future of Greenland. But what does it entail? P...
The Supreme Court's Big Cases on Fed Independence and Gun Rights
Donald Trump's effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing an alleged mortgage violation, goes before the Justices, who have already sig...
Trump Threatens 25% Tariffs Until the U.S. Gets Greenland
Donald Trump says he'll impose new tariffs on eight European allies until Denmark agrees to cede the arctic island. But won't this only harden the opp...
With Inflation Still at 2.7%, Trump Proposes Fixing Prices on Credit Cards
Inflation isn't whipped yet, with new figures showing prices up 2.7% year over year, and 3.1% for food. But as Donald Trump seeks answers to "affordab...
Donald Trump Threatens the Insurrection Act in Minnesota
In response to the escalating violence and protests in Minnesota, Donald Trump warns about using the Insurrection Act to allow him to use the military...
Did DEI Produce a Military Recruitment Recession?
Former Rep. Mike Gallagher and political scientist Kevin Wallsten say that President Biden's diversity, equity and inclusion agenda alienated would-be...