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 pwpodcast@wsj.com
Episodes
April 25, 2025 • 24 mins
Republican governors are pursuing waivers from the Agriculture Department to disallow purchases of candy, soft drinks, and other sweets via the SNAP food-assistance program. Is this commonsense government or burdensome nannyism? Plus, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin won't seek re-election in 2026, creating a Democratic primary in a blue state that could drift further left.
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April 24, 2025 • 25 mins
After Russian missiles strike Kyiv, killing at least 12, Donald Trump urges Vladimir Putin to “STOP!” Yet the White House is putting most of its pressure on Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who opposes legitimizing Putin's illegal takeover of Crimea with formal recognition. Plus, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Legislatures agree to cellphones in K-12 classrooms.
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April 23, 2025 • 23 mins
When a public school adds stories with LGBT themes to its elementary reading curriculum, do religious parents have a First Amendment right to opt out? And did ObamaCare evade a constitutional check when it delegated power to the Preventive Services Task Force? The Supreme Court debates those points in Mahmoud v. Taylor and Kennedy v. Braidwood Management.
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April 22, 2025 • 28 mins
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces more scrutiny, after an ouster of top aides and news reports about a second Signal chat group. But Donald Trump says he stands by Hegseth, amid rumors that the White House wants a replacement. Plus, the Supreme Court issues a midnight order halting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, with a sharp dissent by Justice Samuel Alito.
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April 21, 2025 • 27 mins
Donald Trump keeps testing the limits of his executive authority, and courts have been pushing back. Is a constitutional crisis on the horizon? On this episode of Potomac Watch, law professor John Yoo speaks to Paul Gigot about what could be a looming clash between the President and the Supreme Court.
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April 18, 2025 • 27 mins
After putting his political capital on the line in GOP primaries, Abbott is close to enacting $10,000 scholarships for 100,000 students, as the bill passes the state House with votes to spare. Plus, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer blocks two of Donald Trump's nominees for federal prosecutor by withholding his "blue slip," but the president says he'll give Jay Clayton an interim appointment
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April 17, 2025 • 26 mins
Trump clashes with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over the Central Bank’s response to his tariffs. While Powell is expressing concerns, the president wants interest rates cut now. So what’s a stake for the economy, monetary policy and Powell’s tenure?
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April 16, 2025 • 29 mins
The school rejects a list of demands from the Trump administration, including hiring and admissions changes to ensure "viewpoint diversity." Can the White House legally add such strings to federal funds, and could conservatives regret the precedent? Plus, Tax Day is a reminder to the Republicans writing the GOP's reconciliation bill that the revenue code is too complex already.
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April 15, 2025 • 27 mins
The Supreme Court rules the U.S. should “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a migrant deported to a Salvadoran prison, despite an order protecting him from being sent there. But El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele suggests he won't release the man, as the White House argues it's his decision and that U.S. courts can't intervene in a matter of foreign policy.
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April 14, 2025 • 32 mins
Paul Gigot interviews Dartmouth economist Douglas Irwin on why Trump's tariffs are unlike any other in U.S. history, how they will change the global trading system, and what to do about the special case of China.
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April 11, 2025 • 27 mins
House Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly passes a budget outline, letting the GOP begin writing its "one big beautiful bill." But now comes the hard part: agreeing on the details of tax cuts and spending reductions. Plus, Donald Trump signs an order to make America's showers great again, but will manufacturers seize the opportunity to sell fixtures with more nozzles and water flow?
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April 10, 2025 • 24 mins
Donald Trump places a 90-day pause on the so-called reciprocal tariffs levied on countries around the world, but hits China with an even higher rate. What is his strategy for dealing with Xi Jinping, and what will he demand from friends and foes during negotiations?
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April 9, 2025 • 26 mins
Donald Trump's trade wars are roiling global business and financial markets, with China and the EU moving to retaliate. Yet only a handful of Republicans in Congress are pushing back, despite the GOP's past support for an open economy. Plus, the disruption raises pressure on Capitol Hill to pass a tax bill, and listeners write in with questions about the president's tariff strategy.
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April 8, 2025 • 24 mins
The Supreme Court lifts an order preventing swift removal of alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Yet the majority of the Justices take no position on the merits of using that law, while they also emphasize the requirement of due process. Meantime, an appeals court says the White House must seek the return of a man mistakenly sent to a prison in El Salvador.
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April 7, 2025 • 23 mins
Markets continue to tumble as Donald Trump sends more mixed messages about how permanent his tariffs will be. Is the President still open to negotiations with countries around the world to pare back his tariffs, and will businesses and politicians start pushing back harder against the policy?
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April 4, 2025 • 24 mins
Donald Trump's big tariffs have now drawn a big response from Beijing, which says it will add 34% duties to U.S. goods, roiling the stock market again on Friday. But a new lawsuit argues that the president's purported "emergency" tariffs aren't authorized by law, while a handful of Senate Republicans, including Rand Paul, vote to countermand the U.S. trade war against Canada.
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April 3, 2025 • 24 mins
Donald Trump delivers on his promise of sweeping tariffs, causing markets to plunge in response. The White House says the long-term gain will be worth the short-term pain, but how will the American consumer and the world at large be affected?
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April 2, 2025 • 24 mins
The liberal candidate wins a Wisconsin Supreme Court election in a 10-point blowout, while the GOP retains two Florida congressional seats, but with closer margins than in November. Is this the start of a MAGA voter backlash against Donald Trump and Elon Musk? Plus, House Speaker Mike Johnson cancels this week's agenda after a GOP revolt on proxy voting for new parents.
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April 1, 2025 • 24 mins
Voters in Wisconsin are picking a new state Supreme Court justice, as Florida fills the U.S. House seats vacated by former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz, in elections that the Democratic Party is trying to pitch as a referendum on Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court is skeptical of a Wisconsin ruling that denied a tax exemption to Catholic Charities.
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March 31, 2025 • 21 mins
Financial markets are nervous as Trump prepares for his biggest tariff launch yet on April 2. Plus, the President floats a possible run for a third term, but is it possible he could succeed?
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