WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

Voters next week in Texas will decide on three measures to put bad tax policy off limits, as the state seeks to lure finance companies to "Y'all Street," while Maine will consider voter ID and a "red flag" law on guns. Plus, money pours into Pennsylvania for the retention elections of three liberal jurists on the state Supreme Court. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump calls his meeting with President Xi Jinping a ‘12 out of 10,' and reduces tariffs by 10%. What does it mean for the future of U.S.-China relations? Plus, the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by another 25 basis points on Wednesday, even though inflation is still above target. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As world leaders get set for the United Nations COP30 climate summit, Bill Gates urges them to "pivot," saying the biggest problem for millions is still poverty and disease. Has he been reading Bjorn Lomborg? Plus, Texas AG Ken Paxton sues the maker of Tylenol, echoing claims by RFK Jr. about an alleged link to autism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air-traffic controllers miss a paycheck Tuesday, and there's no money for SNAP food benefits, after Congress fails again to fund federal programs. But as the pressure on Washington keeps rising, are Democrats beginning to crack? And are Republicans winning the argument over pandemic ObamaCare subsidies? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Ontario releases an ad featuring Ronald Reagan touting free trade over tariffs, Donald Trump increases the tariffs on Canada to 10% in response. Is Trump right about Reagan? Plus, President Javier Milei wins in Argentina on a mandate of free-market reforms, and President Trump heads to Asia as the U.S. and China reach a trade truce.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump has long wanted a bigger event space at the White House, but after previously saying his ballroom plans would respect the existing structure, he takes Washington by surprise and levels the East Wing in a few days. How does this fit into the history of White House upgrades, from Jefferson to Truman to Nixon, and what's the balance between preservation and functionality? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Donald Trump pushes for Russia to make a deal to end its war with Ukraine, the U.S. imposes major sanctions on two major Russian oil producers. But why the delay in making such a move? Plus, President Trump says a proposed meeting with Vladimir Putin is cancelled, citing the Russian President's unwillingness to come to an agreement.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a federal judge blocked the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, Donald Trump asks the Justices to intervene, arguing that violent protests at an immigration site in Broadview, Ill., have left the government unable to enforce the law. Plus, as universities reject the administration's "compact" for reforming higher ed, how will the White House respond? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's 20-point peace plan is tested by a new exchange of fire and Hamas's effort to consolidate power instead of putting down its arms, while the President threatens to "eradicate" the terror group if it refuses to comply. Plus, the U.S. and Australia sign a deal on rare-earth minerals, after China says it will put export controls on the global supply chain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Millions across the U.S. protest the Trump administration's policies as part of the 'No Kings' movement. What are the implications of this movement for the Trump agenda and the midterm elections? Plus, former Trump national security advisor John Bolton is indicted on 18 charges of transmitting or retaining classified information. Is it a case of political revenge? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three contenders for New York mayor spend two hours tangling on TV, but does Zohran Mamdani's polling lead make this too little, too late for Andrew Cuomo, who has also struggled to win over the GOP supporters of Curtis Sliwa? Plus, would Mamdani's socialism be constrained by the limits of mayoral power, and how big of a political problem is it for the Democratic Party? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Donald Trump suggests he might send Ukraine's defenders U.S. long-range Tomahawk missiles, he has a phone call with Vladimir Putin, one day before Volodymyr Zelensky is set to arrive in Washington. Is this an opportunity for Trump to take concrete action that matches his hardening rhetoric toward Putin's war, and how much could Tomahawks matter on the battlefield? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Justices hear an appeal from Louisiana that could end the legal demands for states to draw majority-minority House districts, as judges have long required under the Voting Rights Act. But could this actually help to make politics less racially polarized, and what about predictions that the ruling could let the GOP pick up a dozen or more seats during the 2026 midterms? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools, which teaches 22,000 students in New York, reflects on the daily battle of operating under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, as the city's voters consider electing charter opponent Zohran Mamdani. Plus, Moskowitz explains how she plans to open 40 schools in Florida and why falling test scores should be a national emergency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump addresses the Israeli Parliament to celebrate a cease-fire deal that sees all living hostages released by Hamas. What does the agreement mean for lasting peace in the Middle East, and will it save Benjamin Netanyahu's political future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO's secretary general from 2009-14, says the alliance should pledge to shoot down intruding Russian drones and fighter jets, while moving swiftly to install a "drone wall." He also suggests that a coalition of willing European states send a "reassurance force" into Ukraine, positioned behind the front lines, to pressure Vladimir Putin to negotiate peace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump reversed the Biden policy of leaning on Israel to make concessions and instead backed the U.S. ally as it put military pressure on Hamas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are trying to protect Gov. Glenn Youngkin's legacy in Virginia, though the polls say Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is trailing Abigail Spanberger. But a scandal over awful rhetoric by Jay Jones, the Democratic AG candidate, might give an opening to the GOP incumbent Jason Miyares. Plus, Jack Ciattarelli is now within three points of Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nine schools, including MIT and the University of Texas at Austin, are offered preferential access to federal dollars if they sign a compact with the Trump Administration, agreeing to specific commitments on standardized testing, admissions, campus speech, grade inflation, tuition, and more. Are these useful reforms to higher ed? Is this federal overreach? Or is it perhaps both? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Supreme Court term will feature arguments over Donald Trump's power to fire officials at independent agencies, his tariffs policies, as well as cases involving transgender issues. Paul Gigot and legal scholar Ilya Shapiro discuss why the conservative majority on the Court doesn't guarantee as many wins for the President as he thinks.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate tries again to fund the government and reopen Washington, but it fails, with the same three Democrats voting yes, but no additional takers. Are Republicans preparing to cave on extending emergency pandemic ObamaCare subsidies? Does the White House see this as an opening to remake the civil service? And what about those ideas to avoid future shutdowns? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration plans to launch ‘TrumpRx,' a website operated by the federal government which would sell discounted drugs directly to consumers. Is this initiative being driven by politics and not by facts? Plus, Pfizer makes a commitment to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. in exchange for a reprieve from tariffs for three years.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of federal workers go on furlough when Congress fails to pass a funding bill, as Sen. Chuck Schumer strives to show his party's base that he's willing to fight President Trump. But do Democrats have the high ground in pushing to extend pandemic ObamaCare subsidies, or will Republicans step up to explain why "free" government insurance is bad policy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu announce a peace plan for Gaza, including proposals for Hamas disarmament, a transitional government, and an international security force. Will this work, and what if Hamas doesn't accept? Plus, Pete Hegseth calls hundreds of military generals and admirals to Washington to speak to them about his vision for the Department of War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does Generation Z have the values employers are looking for, or has the culture shifted to individual happiness that has less to do with monetary success and career achievement? NYU Stern School of Business professor Suzy Welch talks to Paul Gigot about what her research has found about what younger workers want, and how companies may have to change as a result.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress barrels toward a government shutdown next week, with little progress on a funding deal, as Democrats use their leverage to seek about $1.5 trillion in spending, including on ObamaCare subsidies. Sen. Ron Johnson discusses his plan to end these dramas by automatically extending flat funding, plus why he opposes legislation to ban Congress from trading stocks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump once said Volodymyr Zelensky had 'no cards' to win the war against Russia, but now the President says Ukraine can win its territory back from Vladimir Putin. What caused this pivot, and what will the U.S. do if Russian aircraft breaches NATO airspace? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urge pregnant women to avoid acetaminophen, which they say has been linked to autism. But does the research actually show any causal connection, and is it a coincidence that plaintiffs lawyers are pushing similar claims in court? Plus, the FDA rejects a new melanoma treatment that oncologists see as a breakthrough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly half of 12th-graders in the U.S. test "below basic" in math, and Harvard professor of economics Roland Fryer says it's no mystery how to reverse the trend. What's missing is leadership. He explains his research on "five tenets" of successful schools, how they worked in Houston, his view of "equitable" grading, and why economic thinking sheds light on all sorts of questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump, JD Vance, and other influential voices on the right use Charlie Kirk's memorial service to remember the fallen Turning Point USA leader and deliver a message of purpose for Republicans. But can Kirk's vision of listening to all sides compete with Stephen Miller's depiction of ‘hateful' political opponents?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the late-night TV host makes a wrong remark about Charlie Kirk's killer, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr threatens to get regulators involved, and shortly later Kimmel's show is dropped by Nexstar and suspended by Disney. Is this a breach of First Amendment free speech? And why is the FCC even regulating broadcast TV content, amid the streaming deluge? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy has shaken up international relations with his focus on bargaining and engaging adversaries. But will he succeed against China, Russia and Iran? Paul Gigot speaks with Wall Street Journal columnist Walter Russell Mead about how the United States can work alongside allies like Israel and what led to the collapse of the old world order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorney General Pam Bondi pledges to go after "hate speech," saying there's no place for it after Charlie Kirk's assassination. But that isn't U.S. law under the First Amendment, and Kirk himself argued a crackdown on "hate speech" would give dangerous authority to whomever is in power. Plus, Utah prosecutors reveal more details about Tyler Robinson and his motive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After at least 19 Russian drones enter Polish airspace, with some shot down by allied fighter jets, President Trump says it could have been a "mistake." But is this more likely a calculated provocation by Vladimir Putin, perhaps his way of testing the West? Meantime, Trump suggests big sanctions on Russian energy might be coming, though his terms look like a way to delay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump continues prodding the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, as the Fed meets amid persistent inflation and a stalled labor market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two days after Kirk's assassination in Utah, law enforcement has arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. Gov. Spencer Cox explains some of the evidence, including messages on the bullet casings found at the scene. Cox also appeals to young Americans to change the country's politics, calling social media "a cancer on our society," as students hold campus vigils for Kirk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Democrats and Republicans rise to the occasion after the murder of Charlie Kirk and tone down the rising vitriol of political discourse? Kirk leaves behind a legacy of civil debate with those he disagreed with, but can President Trump and others encourage a more positive way forward without resorting to violence? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New figures show hiring slowed in August, the U.S. economy was worse than reported in 2024, and real wages for the median American barely went up last year. Do the data revisions help explain why voters were so unhappy with Joe Biden? And is Donald Trump losing track of his economic mandate, amid a raid on a Hyundai site and an expanding loophole for tax free tips? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Senate Democrats holding up Donald Trump's picks even for relatively minor jobs, Majority Leader John Thune proposes to speed confirmation by changing the chamber's rules to allow approval of blocks of uncontroversial nominees. Is this a good idea to restore a historical norm, or could it backfire if Democrats demand further rule rewrites when they return to power? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The values of the Western tradition have come under attack for unleashing a variety of sins, but is there a revival on the horizon? Paul Gigot speaks with historian Allen Guelzo about how “self-hatred” of Western civilization's achievements has replaced thoughtful self-criticism, how much of this can be contributed to an ignorance of history, and the goals of Guelzo's newest project, 'The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gets grilled on Capitol Hill, including by Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Barrasso, both of them physicians, about his agenda on vaccines, views of Operation Warp Speed, and staff changes at his department. Meantime, Florida officials say they will push to end all state immunization mandates, including in schools. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump orders an airstrike on a speed boat in the Caribbean that he says was carrying narcotics, but should Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro also be worried, as the U.S. orders serious naval assets to the region? Meantime, Xi Jinping has a friendly photo-op with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, amid a military parade in Beijing that showcases an axis of American adversaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats move to eject 22 of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's board appointees at three colleges, which they say is to protect the schools from Trump Administration meddling. But the Education Department accuses George Mason University of “illegally using race” in hiring, and Republicans are going to the state Supreme Court, arguing that Youngkin's appointees aren't fired at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump has imposed global tariffs by citing a 1977 emergency law known as IEEPA, but a federal appeals court says 7-4 that this is outside of his legal authority. Otherwise, what would stop the next Democrat in the office from declaring a climate "emergency" to declare a carbon tariff? The White House plans to appeal, but will it have any better luck at the Supreme Court? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pressure on Iran is rising again, as U.S. allies in Europe trigger "snap-back" sanctions, citing Tehran's uranium stockpiles and nuclear enrichment. Meantime, two weeks after President Trump's peace summit in Alaska with Vladimir Putin, Russia hits Ukraine hard with new airstrikes. Plus, Taiwan wants to raise its defense budget to 5% of GDP to deter a Chinese invasion.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump considers sending federal forces, including National Guard troops, to clean up Chicago's streets, but Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he doesn't want the help. Could Trump do it over the objections of state and local leaders? And is this a winning political issue for the GOP, as Mayor Muriel Bowser announces that carjackings in Washington, D.C., have dropped 87%? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump argues the Smithsonian Institution has lost sight of America's ideals and become too focused on the country's historical failures, as his staff launches a review of selected museums and exhibitions. Does he have a point, and what might result from this audit, or does the outcome depend on whether it's done in a thoughtful way that Americans can support?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump dismisses the Fed Governor for "cause," citing allegations aired on social media that she claimed two primary residences while applying for mortgages. Cook says she'll refuse to go, setting up a serious legal and constitutional fight. But is this really about Trump's demand for lower interest rates, and do Americans want Fed monetary policy to follow political orders? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump pushes the Senate to give confirmation hearings to his nominees, after a federal judge rules that Alina Habba has been unlawfully acting as a federal prosecutor since July, and that Trump's maneuvers to retain her don't follow the law. The White House will appeal, but the Senate seems reluctant to end its "blue slip" tradition for vetting home-state appointees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Socialist Zohran Mamdani now leads the polls by a wide margin. Andrew Cuomo attacks Mamdani by calling him "very rich" and demanding he immediately move out of his rent-stabilized apartment. And two former aides to Mayor Eric Adams face separate scandals, after one is indicted for bribery and another hands a reporter a potato-chip bag containing at least $140. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, takes to social media to accuse Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud. Pulte has also made similar criminal referrals for Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Aren't investigations supposed to happen before announcements, and didn't Donald Trump promise to end lawfare? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices