Wsj Opinion: Potomac Watch

The press touts a leaked, preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency assessment saying Iran's nuclear program was only set back by months by U.S. airstrikes. But the White House pushes back hard, and other analysts suggest far more extensive damage. Who's right? Plus, NATO allies agree to Donald Trump’s demand  to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 33-year-old state assemblyman, who promises to freeze rent and provide free childcare, defeats former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city's Democratic primary. If Cuomo now runs as an independent in November, will he split the nonsocialist vote with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams? Plus what does this result say about the Democratic Party's future, including in 2028? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump says the war is at an end, after Iran tries to save face by unsuccessfully firing 14 missiles at a U.S. military base in Qatar. Are analysts confident that America's bunker-buster bombs disabled the Iranian nuclear program? If Tehran tries to rebuild its uranium enrichment capacity, will Israel strike again? And how does that fit into Trump's peace rhetoric? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In response to a United States airstrike aimed to decimate their nuclear capabilities, Iran launched an attack on a U.S. airbase in Qatar. Could Donald Trump’s actions help eliminate the existential threats Israel hoped to extinguish with “Operation Rising Lion?” Paul Gigot speaks with Minister of Strategic Affairs of Israel Ron Dermer about the message the United States is sending its enemies and allies by assisting Israel and how much damage the airstrikes did to Iran’s nuclear program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump says he'll decide within two weeks whether to help Israel destroy the Iranian nuclear program, which might mean hitting the Fordow enrichment site, which is buried in a mountain, using U.S. bunker-buster bombs. Some MAGA Republicans argue this isn't "America First," but do they misunderstand Trump's views about when the U.S. can act decisively? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week Democrats will pick their nominee for New York City's next mayor, and polls show two clear frontrunners: Zohran Mamdani, who wants to freeze rent and open government grocery stores. And former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is selling his experience and asking voters to look past the scandals that forced his resignation. Yet ranked-choice voting also makes it unpredictable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The tax-and-spending package being written by Senate Republicans differs in many ways from the version that passed the House. It makes some business deductions permanent, which is better for the economy, and it puts caps on the distorting new carve-outs for tax-free tips and overtime. Are Republicans, despite their slim majorities, now getting close to the finish line? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump moves to pause workplace enforcement in two industries that rely on migrant labor, saying his aggressive policy "is taking very good, long time workers away." But days later the White House seems to reverse course. Plus, Texas and the Justice Department quickly settle a lawsuit that will block a 2001 law letting Dreamers pay in-state tuition at public colleges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Israel continues its aerial assault on Iran and its nuclear facilities, Paul Gigot speaks with Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz about Donald Trump’s contribution to Israel’s initial surprise attack. They also discuss the possibility of regime change and how the United States can help Israel eliminate Iran as a nuclear threat.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After stunning Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and military chain of command, Donald Trump calls the operation "excellent" and says that Tehran should agree to a nuclear deal, "before there is nothing left." Why did Israel act now? How much capability does Iran have to retaliate? And how will MAGA voters react to Trump's support of Israel's military action? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is using the protests in Los Angeles to cast himself as leader of the resistance to Donald Trump. Will he gain politically? Plus, more demonstrations are planned for major cities across the nation this weekend, even as the President ramps up his deportation plans.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removes all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, alleging ethics concerns and conflicts of interest. Do those claims hold water, or is RFK Jr. merely feeding vaccine skepticism? Plus, Donald Trump says the U.S. has reached a trade deal with China. What are the details? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer seeks testimony from top White House advisers and Biden's physician, while Donald Trump suggests his predecessor's executive actions might be void if Biden didn't personally sign them. Plus, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is brought back from El Salvador, as the Supreme Court directed, to face federal criminal charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump sends in the National Guard as demonstrations over his deportation agenda explode in California. Could Trump use the Insurrection Act as a response and will Gavin Newsom use the ugly incidents as a springboard for his own political aspirations? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and Elon Musk part ways on the GOP's big beautiful bill, but as their spat turns personal, how might it affect the legislative debate in the Senate and the package's political prospects? Plus, the Supreme Court issues unanimous rulings on so-called reverse discrimination and whether Wisconsin can deny a religious tax exemption to Catholic Charities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Gigot speaks with former Sen. Phil Gramm about what free trade has done to American manufacturing, the political and economic damage that Donald Trump’s volatile tariff policy could have during the 2026 midterm elections, and his new book, “The Triumph of Economic Freedom: Debunking the Seven Great Myths of American Capitalism.”   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the GOP's tax-and-budget bill moves to the Senate, it gets a new opponent in Musk, who slams it on social media as a "disgusting abomination." How might the Senate improve the bill, since the alternative is a $4.5 trillion automatic tax increase amid a shaky economy? Plus, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismisses a nuclear deal, by insisting on uranium enrichment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The daring Ukrainian attack reportedly involved sneaking drones into Russian territory, far from the front lines, until they were activated to strike Vladimir Putin's parked bombers. How much might this success affect the dynamic at the front lines? And as drone warfare changes the nature of the Ukraine conflict, is America paying attention to its own possible vulnerabilities? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Gigot talks to law professor John Yoo about Donald Trump's attack on the Federalist Society and Leonard Leo, what's motivating the President, and what it means for the President's second-term judicial nominations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an Oval Office farewell, he touts the work of his Department of Government Efficiency, while saying it will continue without him. How much has DOGE accomplished, and why did it fall short of the initial promises? Plus, the Supreme Court issues a unanimous ruling in favor of a railroad project that regulators finally approved after a 3,600-page environmental study. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices